Object Oriented Scanner Software

Software Availability

The following packages are known to work with the GRE, RS and Whistler object oriented scanners;

GRE Model	Older RS Model	Newest RS Model	Whistler Model
PSR-310¹
PSR-410¹
PSR-500	Pro-106	Pro-651	WS1040
PSR-600	Pro-197	Pro-652	WS1065

Trunking w/ Analog Voice Only scanners, others shown in table can handle up-to Digital P25 Phase I

There are no Mac-native solutions for programming. See this article from Scanner Master for alternatives.

The authors for ARCxxx programs, Win500, PSREdit and ID Tracker can also be found on the Scanner Software forum. Software in bold has the ability to connect to the database to download data. This requires the purchase of a premium subscription.

For tips on connecting scanner audio to a PC, please see our Connecting Radios to Soundcards article

All Object Oriented Scanners

Win500
- Written by the author of the scanner's own firmware. Note: This software appears to have been abandoned. The author hasn't been heard from in a very long time
- Has an included server function that enables you to monitor and control the scanner from Windows computers and Pocket PC devices over the Internet.
- Will record each transmission on any object, stamping the resulting .WAV file names with date, time, frequency, etc.
- The preferred support location for Win500 is the Win500 thread in the RadioReference Software forum
- Using Win500 (from the Whistler web site) (PDF)
- Win500 User Guide (offsite wiki article)
- If you're new to programming, please see the Getting Started with Win500 article
- Win500 with Wine Wiki page

ARC500 and ARC500PRO
- This software has a provision for remote control
- Record and Log functions are available in the PRO version.
- ARC500 User Guide Wiki page
- Special RadioReference/RS Licensing
- Also see the Radio Shack Programming Software Free Trial article for RRDB Download instructions during the trial period.

PSRedit500
- This software has a provision for remote control with PSRCtrl500, which is part of the program archive
- Using PSREdit500 (from the Whistler web site) (PDF)

Scancat Lite Plus

PRO-106 / PRO-197 / PSR-500 / PSR-600 Only

Scan Control
- Scan Control has the ability to directly copy/paste data from the database into an editor without an external program such as Excel. It uses its Data Grabber(c) function.
- Scan Control in Linux

PSR-310/410 Support

ARC310
- The ARC310 user guide

PSREdit310
- This software has a provision for remote control with PSRCtrl310, which is part of the program archive

Object Oriented Scanner Utilities

ID Tracker II/III
- While this software is not a programming package, it will record audio and accumlate logs of activity. Freeware

PSR500DL Backup/restore tool for the 4 scanners
- The manual for this software can be found here (PDF format)

ScanBuddy from WD5EAE. Closed-source software for the MS-Windows platform. ScanBuddy monitors Spectrum Sweeper "hits" of the Pro-106/Pro-197/PSR-500/PSR-600 scanners and logs this information including, optionally, audio. Can export selected data to Starrsoft software.

WebBuddy from WD5EAE. Enables user to scan web based frequency lists and import the results to Win500

Rebanding Support

If you have a premium subscription, software that supports the web service, most likely, will download the correct system type and custom tables automatically.
Be sure to examine the database entry for your system first. If the system is a Motorola type;
- If the system voice says APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive then reprogram using just the control channels. On most scanners, Control Channel Only mode is the default when working on these systems. Note that neither the PSR-310 nor the PSR-410 can receive this type of system.
- The PSR-310 and PSR-410 cannot decode any talkgroups with a 'D' in the mode column. These are digital in nature.
- If the system voice says anything else, look at all the frequencies. If the 4th decimal position is a '5' in every frequency, then you may be able to reprogram without firmware updates or a custom table. If any of the frequencies have a '0' then updating the scanner will be required to properly track this system
EDACS type systems will only need to be reprogrammed with the new rebanded frequencies. No firmware fixes are required to track these systems.

ARC310

See Section 2.6 'Custom Band Plan (Trunking Tables)' of the ARC310 User Guide

ARC500

See Section 2.6 'Custom Band Plan (Trunking Tables)' in the ARC500 User Guide

PSREdit500/PSREdit310

Set the tables to Custom
Click on the edit tables button
Click on the 800MHz Rebanded button.

Win500

See Section 2.7 'Custom Band Plan (Trunking Tables)' in the Win500 User Guide

Note: The values in these tables are for NPSPAC systems that were originally at 866-869 Mhz, moving to 851-854 Mhz. For systems originally using only frequencies below 862 Mhz the data on the following 2 lines is required, and
must be entered in this order:

Table line 0
- CH Lo: 440
- CH hi: 559
- Base Freq: 851.02500
- Offset: 440
- Step: 25.000

Table line 1
- CH Lo: 0
- CH hi: 719
- Base Freq: 851.01250
- Offset: 0
- Step: 25.000

Making the Connection

A major difference from other scanners is that the connection to the PC is made via USB, and not a serial cable. The RS scanners do not supply this cable as part of the accessories, but there are places to obtain them. Please see the Connecting scanners via USB article for tips on installation and common problems and resolution.

Setup under Linux

See the Software Setup For Linux article for setting up Scan Control and Win500. Be sure to note the functional limitations.

Mailing Lists, Threads and Social

Support for ARCxx (BuTel software) and others can be found here
Free Scanner Software (Facebook)

Videos

Bing

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