GRE PSR 255 Beaten By ICOM IC-R6

Well, I'm always praising my old GRE PSR 255 hand held scanner, and talking about how it can pick up lots of signals and keep up with all the up-to-date scanners I pit it against. Well, it's over. While it is still a great scanner, It's been beaten to bits by the tiny ICOM IC-R6. What a scanner the R6 is. It's small, funnily small. But its powerful.

I was just listening to some people talking on the CB channels in America. I'm in the UK. It sounded like some guy from the hood talking about how he was the baddest man in his hood / ward. I was laughing hard, and quite amazed at the same time that this little receiver was picking up CB users in the USA. It also picked up another guy in the USA, who was much more civilized, and a few in Russia, too, by the sounds of it.

The ICOM IC-R6 had on an extended antenna. Quite a long one. But wow, I was impressed. I've also got a Watson W-801 and that is also very good. But yeah, comparing the CB signals between the 255 and R6 - swapping over the antennas from scanner to scanner, the 255 couldn't pick it up. I know. In some ways maybe its unfair to compare the two. The R6 costs much more and is newer. But an interesting test all the same.

I might write a little review on the ICOM IC-R6 soon. It's quite weird to use at first [like this one], but once I got familiarised with how it operates, it's actually quite nice to use. I can see why some radio enthusiasts / airbanders love it. A great receiver for how small it is. But definitely not for novice users of scanners.

Update for late 2025

I think I was wrong. Looking back, technically I don't think the ICOM did beat the GRE 255. Not fairly anyway. I say this because the ICOM has the ability to swap between FM and AM in the CB frequencies. And by what happened when it was picking up the USA for example, it can alternate between these modes automatically. The GRE does not have this option and only has FM.

So really I think this was just a case of the ICOM having more modes available and was able to automatically change mode and hear the other countries, rather than it beat it by being able to pick up signals from further away. I believe if the GRE 255 had the same features it would have picked the same signals up, just like the ICOM.

Uniden USC230 Scanner Germany to UK

The Uniden USC230 is a good scanner. It can be a bit confusing to use at first with its weird channel setup and custom modes. I guess this is how Uniden receivers are. I've never owned one before so was unfamiliar with how they operate. But once I figured out how they do things it was really easy to use. And actually quite nice to use.

It reminds me a bit of the mini ICOM IC range. In particular the ICOM IC R6. They both have a similar way of operating and share the same scroll wheel roller button at the top. I'm not sure which company thought of it first, or who ripped off who, but its quite a cool design.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a quick video of the Uniden USC230 "racing" scanner [yes, it was made for taking to the racing car track] picking up a CB transmission all the way from Germany when I'm in the UK. You can watch the quick video lower down.

I'm using a £2 aerial from Aliexpress and it picks up CB traffic from all over the place. I've heard Northern Ireland, Scotland, Italy, USA, Russia, France, Germany, and a few languages that I could not put a country to. Although I think one was probably somewhere in South America. Amazing really with a cheap scanner and an even cheaper aerial.

Uniden USC230 Frequency range:

25 - 87MHz [best for me / CB is active in my location and beyond]

108 - 174MHz [worst for me / not interested in airband]

216 - 225MHz [nothing there / never heard any signal there, ever]

400 - 512MHz [not bad / second best for me]

806 - 960MHz [nothing but digital encrypted signals and the odd choppy TV / radio]

1240 - 1300MHz [dead as a dodo]

It has many features [close call, DCS/CTCSS, Alpha tagging, 6.5kHz / 8.33kHz steps] and is nice and small in size. But its still well-built and quite tough. A bonus is that it only takes two AA batteries. Comparing that to my GRE 255 which takes 6 AA makes me want to puke. Comparing the two though in terms of performance, and while much more basic with less features, less channels, less steps etc etc, the GRE 255 [review] is the winner for me.

It picks up everything that the USC230 does [in the same frquency range], and it does so a little bit better. It even picks up a few things, weaker signals that the USC230 totally ignores or is just not capable of grabbing. And, the speaker on the GRE PSR 255 is definitely better and more clearer than the one inside the USC230. Overall they are very evenly matched when it comes to performance, but the GRE 255 does just about beat it the majority of the time. 

Quansheng UV 5R Plus Dead Dodo @ 27MHz

I knew that the UV 5R Plus was basically the same radio as the UV K5 8 [also known as the K6], but I still wanted to test it just to confirm. The test was to see if the UV 5R is as dead as a dodo @ 27MHz (CB bands) as the UV K5 8 is when Egzumer has been installed. Well, the answer is yes, it's just as dead as the UV K5 8. Shame really. I had CB people talking on my GRE PSR 255, so turned on the 5R Plus to see if that could pick them up. Nope. Wouldn't stop on any frequency in and around 27MHz. Weird, because both Quansheng's work well everywhere else.

Good radio in most other frequency areas, such as 182MHz [West Midlands UK Bus Drivers] - but at 27MHz its totally dead.

It's quite obvious to me that its the software [I was totally wrong. Read below]. I wonder if the developers of Egzumer will do some sort of update to fix this issue. I think they have done a few fixes over the year(s). I think one was sorting out the airband to be better. So its not out of the realms of possibility that they couldn't sort this CB problem out. But maybe the demand isn't there yet. But If enough people moan about it they might get round to it. So get moaning. Catch me tomorrow.

**2025 **Update: Turns out it was the antenna. The antenna that comes with the Quansheng UV-5R Plus, K5 and K6 is totally useless at 27MHz. It works great at where it is meant to work at, which is VHF and UHF. But at 27MHz it is no good. Changing the antenna to one that is specifically for the CB bands has completely fixed this issue and the radio now works excellent on CB signals. Picks up really well.

I have compared both the antenna and the Quansheng radio to some of my other scanners on CB signals and it picks up everything those do on CB frequencies, so its great. So all you need to do if your Quansheng radio is deaf at 27MHz [and you know people are talking there] is to buy an antenna that is made for the CB bands. They are very cheap on Aliexpress. Literally a few dollars. I went with the ABBREE black whip CB antenna and it works really well. There's also a silver telescopic antenna and that one has great reviews also. I did not buy that one but plan to get it at some point.

But please note: To use this antenna on your Quansheng radio you will also need an SMA Female to BNC female adapter. Very cheap, works well and takes seconds to attach. And its a good adapter to have anyway so that any other antennas you have that has a BNC connection [most of the older scanners use this connection type], can be tested / used on the Quansheng with this adapter.

Realistic PRO-70 HAM Radio Test

The good old classic Realistic / Radioshack PRO-70 [50 channel] receiver with Hyperscan. It doesn't have the widest frequency range [66-88MHz /137 - 174MHz / 380 - 512MHz], but its still a good scanner. I think some people still use this scanner in America for listening to the railroad / train networks. And as far as I'm aware, for listening to the Police / emergency services where its still analogue. Here it is picking up some very clear UK 2-meter HAM radio talk @ 145MHz.

 

#TandyCorporation

How To Stop Squelch Noise Quansheng

In a previous post I talked about how I couldn't stop the Quansheng [with egzumer installed] from making that white squelch noise when monitoring a frequency. Like, as soon as the people stopped talking / transmission ends the squelch noise would begin, and it seemed like there was no way to turn if off and sit and monitor the frequency in silence. Turns out its the easiest thing ever.

Picture: The frequency [179 - 183MHz] is where many of the West Midlands / Birmingham bus stations operate. Can hear all types of transmissions from the bus drivers and staff in the depots. Just thought I'd let you know in case you were local-ish and wanted to listen.

Once in monitor mode [middle side button below the big TX / Transceiver talk button] and the transmission ends and the noise starts, all that is needed is to press the menu button once and the white noise will completely stop. Now the radio will sit on the chosen frequency in monitor mode in silence. The menu button is the big one at the top that says  "M" "A" on it. A big M and a small A. See the pic.

Amazing how easy it is and I was dumbfounded for ages trying to figure out why I couldn't get the squelch to be quiet. And here was me thinking; surely they didn't leave that option out. How silly if they have. haha. No. It's just that I'm stupid.. This works with both the UV K5 /K6 and UV 5R Plus. As long as they have egzumer installed. Not sure about with the stock software as I haven't tried it. I'd guess not though as the stock software is quite different. See ya later.

Signal Communication R-537S Airband

Here [video below] is the Signal Communication Corp. R-537S radio picking up an airband transmission [Birmingham airport]. This radio is now for sale on eBay. And this video was uploaded here due to eBay listings having problems with video uploads. It's a really good little radio for its age. A bit of a classic these days among the airband crowd. Picks up well. Frequency Range: 118-136 MHz. This one comes with 2 antenna's, earpiece, manual and box. Box is battered. And the battery cover is a replacement, just a piece of metal with some tape on it. But overall the condition of the radio is fairly good. Not too bad at all. These don't come up for sale all that often now in working condition, so I doubt this radio will be available for long.

If you're interested in Signal radios, take a look at the R-537S' digital big brother, the R-550. Great radio, very sensitive. I will probably be listing that on eBay soon too. So keep a look out if your in the market for one. Quite rare to find one these days.

Signal Communication Corp. R-550 Radio

Straight out the 80's. Quite a rare Airband receiver. Frequency range is 108 - 142 MHz. Even rarer to find one with the original leather case. Out of all the Signal R-550's I've seen for sale, and there hasn't been that many, none of them have come with the case. So its great to have one that does. In saying that, the Signal R-550's I've seen come up for sale have been in absolutely excellent condition. Similar to my one. But they had the original box and manual. And with the original box, I'd probably rather have theirs than mine. But still, my one isn't a bad a trade-off coming with the case and all.

The R550 [108MHz - 142MHz] is very sensitive and picks up really well. Case not shown here. I'll picture the case in another post soon. This was just a quickie.

So, how well does it work?

Oh, it works really well. Because its only made for airband it seems so finely tuned for that frequency range. I think even the original aerial is specifically tuned for the airband range. It works great. I was testing it out, picking up Birmingham airport. And it picked it up clearer than both the Quansheng UV K5 (8) and the Icom IC R6 [will write a post on this excellent little radio soon]. Given the fact that the Signal Communication Corp. R-550 is from the 80's, I'd say that's pretty impressive. This little radio is like an airbanders dream, and I'm sure when I put my one up for sale, it won't be up for sale for very long.

Batteries

It takes 3 AAA batteries. There is a little connection on the side that looks like it could be an AC power supply adapter port. But I have no idea on what type of voltage / milliamps (mA) specifics it could be compatible with. So I won't risk plugging in an adapter, as I wouldn't want to risk damaging the radio. It's a shame the manual is so hard to find. I would love to have a read through it. But its not absolutely essential as I quickly figured out how to use this receiver, and that's the thing that counts. 

And 3 AAA's is quite easy to live with. Might write a post about another Signal radio soon, the R-537. I own that one, too. Not as rare as this one, but still quite a hard radio to find in working condition these days.

They both look quite basic, but they are high quality for their ages. The volume and squelch knobs are made of metal and feel professional and tight to turn. Nice radios. #Japan

I'm selling it

I've got too many radios so this one is now for sale. If you are interested post a comment. I will add a full post on its description etc, with pictures and a video of the radio working. I only sell / post within the UK. Price is £150. I will accept a bank transfer for payment and will post the radio by Royal Mail Special Delivery [included in the price].