When bad things happen to good scanners: Heap Errors

On certain Radio Shack, GRE and Whistler scanners, specifically the ones using Object Oriented programming, one can be beset with an error message that reads “Heap Error” along with some seemingly random text.

These are caused when the radio doesn’t know how to deal with an Object programmed into the memory, usually a Talkgroup (TGRP) not assigned to a Trunked System (TSYS).

If you can get into the radio programming you should make sure ALL talkgroups entered as Objects are assigned to a Trunked System. This is pretty easy to do in ARC500 or other programs but a lot more difficult without software. These radios are hard enough to program manually let alone find orphaned TGRP objects.

When programming by hand be sure to associate every TGRP with a TSYS BEFORE saving it. When programming with software sort the TGRP list by TSYS and make sure all are assigned to a TSYS. If it says “New” for the TSYS then you need to change or delete the TGRP. Also check for duplicates in your list of TGRP’s. These can also cause errors.

If you don’t have software to program the radio and can’t get into the radio to edit the objects you may well have to reinitialize it and start all over. (Press 0, then 1, then enter during the startup screen.) While this will erase the radio it will get rid of the dreaded Heap Error. If you have software you can usually read the radio even if a Heap Error is present.

Object Oriented programming is used for the following scanners:

GRE: PSR310, PSR410, PSR500, PSR600

RadioShack: PRO-106, PRO-197, PRO-651, PRO-652

Whistler: WS-1040, WS-1065

One frequently asked question by people in the scanner world, as well as those interested in purchasing their first new scanner, is which one is the best police scanner to own. The most straightforward answer is: it depends on the situation. There are several key factors that need to be evaluated to determine what radios scanners are most appropriate for your needs and, from there, these can then be narrowed down to the best scanner radio.

What scanner frequencies are you going to be listening to? Do you want to monitor police, fire, and EMT channels only, or do you also want to be able to listen to railroad, NASCAR racing, and other public broadcast channels?
What signal formats do you need to listen to your favorite scanner frequencies? You need to find out whether local police, fire, EMTs, and other channels you want to listen to use analog, analog trunking, or digital scanner frequencies, or some combination thereof.
How do you intend to use the scanner? If you only intend to listen to transmissions from your home office, a desktop radio scanner could be sufficient. However, if you want to be able to listen to scanner radios while on the go, you need to determine if a handheld or mobile police scanner meets your needs.
How many channels and how much memory does the scanner have? If you intend to save multiple favorites in the scanner, you should look at models with more memory. The number of channels is really not important. What truly is important is the type of radio systems used in your local area. You could have a high end scanner with all the bells and whistles, but may not need it.
How much does the scanner cost? Some people get hung up on cost and think the higher the price, the better the scanner. This is not always the case, and you need to be careful the price does not distract you too much. Remember, you are looking for a scanner with the features and options to satisfy your listening requirements.
How difficult is it to program the scanner? If you are tech savvy, then this probably is not an issue. For other scanner users, there are one-touch programmable scanners where you simply enter in the zip code, and the scanner downloads all available scanner channels. Another option for more complex scanners is to have the scanner preprogrammed before it is shipped to your home or office.
Is the scanner computer friendly? Many modern scanners can be connected to desktop and laptop computers to make downloading radio frequencies and installing firmware updates simple and easy. You are able to obtain remote support for most programming and scanner update issues with computer-friendly models.
What is included with the scanner? Some models include everything you need to get started, while others could require purchasing additional accessories, like an external antenna to pick up more frequencies.