This meant either I had to let it sit in its box or program it by hand. When I brought my new toy home, I had no software. In fact, you can change an awful lot of things, which brings us to: By default, each frequency goes into SCAN 1 so you can listen to everything by just using SCAN 1.
If you have more scan lists, you can toggle them on and off. If you want to hear everything, hit 1 and 2. For instance, if you only want to hear fire, hit the 1 button. When you turn on the scanner, it goes right into SCAN mode and you punch in the scan lists you want to hear. There are several thousand slots for frequencies, so you won't run short. On the right are the assignments for the scan lists. In the above example, the left side has individual frequencies. Same for searches, where you define a search (or pick from the built-in services) and assign it to as many scan lists as you like. You can put each frequency into as many scan lists as you like. As best I understand it, you input all of your frequencies and add them to scan lists, as opposed to segregating by bands, location, or memory limits (the old way that we all know and love).
The unit uses something called Object Oriented Programming, which, consequently, is a computer software term. I purchased a Pro-96 to listen to P25 traffic but one day someone let the smoke out of it and I never got around to having it repaired. They're sensitive, have 500 memory slots and take well to computer control, so that's my baseline. I've been scanning for years and really like the Bearcat 780s. I was going for the 651 due to its format but I didn't like the way the box sounded when I shook it, so I purchased the 652 at a pretty steep discount. I wanted a P25 capable unit so my choice was between the Pro-651 handheld and the Pro-652 portable/mobile. I applied my Smart Shopper Skills during the rash of Radio Shack closings to purchase a scanner (and a metric shit-ton of parts for projects). I won't be upset if you totally neglect to read this. Dear normal blog readers (all 5 of you): this entry is for the radio scanner geeks.