BC396XT performance on RWC

[cellphone]

I have a BC396T and my only complaint with this radio is the audio quality on a true P25 simulcast system like the RWC.

Does anyone in the valley have a BC396XT yet? How does the audio quality compare to the 396T or Pro-106/GRE 500 on the RWC system?

--Joe

[frang]

I have the BC396T also. I have had it for some time and just learned how to use it last week after downloading the RWC system. I use it mainly for Peoria PD. I am also not thrilled with the audio. The old Peoria UHF system sounded better. I would also like to hear how RWC sounds on the handhelds.

By the way, I downloaded the entire RWC, and locked out everything but the Peoria PD, and Peoria City services groups. Is there a better way to do it? I want to put in Glendale, but can't figure out to put it in its own seperate group. I am using Freescan to program it. I think I need to figure out how to use quick keys?

Regards,
Fran

[AZScanner]

I've been asking this same question since the XT came out. Either no one in Phoenix has $500 to buy a radio with, or they've been sworn to secrecy as to whether or not the XT works any better on the RWC.

My edumacated guess is yes, it works better than the T, based on user reports on other simulcast systems. Can anyone confirm for the RWC, since it's like no other system out there?

-AZ

[Scruluse]

I listen to Tempe. Even though I'm only about a mile from the repeater I only pick up some of the transmissions and sometimes they are pretty garbled. I have to admit though that my apartment is like a black hole. I only get slight cell coverage but I pick up DPS pretty well which is on conventional and I pick up Maricopa sheriff pretty well also. I can get some of Phoenix but I'm at Southern and Mill so I'm not real close to them. I can occasionally pick up some Mesa PD.

[AZScanner]

Originally Posted by Scruluse

I listen to Tempe. Even though I'm only about a mile from the repeater I only pick up some of the transmissions and sometimes they are pretty garbled. I have to admit though that my apartment is like a black hole. I only get slight cell coverage but I pick up DPS pretty well which is on conventional and I pick up Maricopa sheriff pretty well also. I can get some of Phoenix but I'm at Southern and Mill so I'm not real close to them. I can occasionally pick up some Mesa PD.

Well that's not very encouraging. I already have one digital scanner that does the garbled/every-other-syllable thing.

I do need a new portable though ever since the PRO96 died. Maybe I can score a good deal on a 396T. No sense in paying full pop for the XT if it isn't gonna do much better than the T.

-AZ

[cellphone]

AZ,

You will definitely be disappointed in the T. I would say go with a PSR-500 or Pro-106 if your primary use will be for the RWC. I have heard the audio on these radios, and it is MUCH better than the 396T on the RWC.

I’m starting to get concerned that the XT will not be much better than the T considering Scruluse’s report….

--Joe

[AZScanner]

Originally Posted by cellphone

AZ,

You will definitely be disappointed in the T. I would say go with a PSR-500 or Pro-106 if your primary use will be for the RWC. I have heard the audio on these radios, and it is MUCH better than the 396T on the RWC.

I’m starting to get concerned that the XT will not be much better than the T considering Scruluse’s report….

--Joe

Alright, good to know, thanks.

-AZ

[a29zuk]

Originally Posted by AZScanner

I've been asking this same question since the XT came out. Either no one in Phoenix has $500 to buy a radio with, or they've been sworn to secrecy as to whether or not the XT works any better on the RWC.

My edumacated guess is yes, it works better than the T, based on user reports on other simulcast systems. Can anyone confirm for the RWC, since it's like no other system out there?

-AZ

Ditto here. I can't seem to get a report on the XT for the simucast systems that are being used in S.E. Michigan. The T does not work well with these simulcast systems, either. I did notice a user in the South Carolina forum complaining about choppy audio on his XT on a simulcast system there.

[Astrak]

The 106 isn't bad, I haven't heard the audio from a Uniden though to compare. In the NE part of Mesa I can only get Simulcast C to come in clearly, Simulcast A if I find the sweet spot in the house. Mesa, surprisingly, doesn't come in very well at all. I do have a 60 foot T-mobile tower right in my backyard so that could have something to do with it because soon as I get around Power and Mcdowell everything comes in fine. I can hear Tempe and ASU just fine, haven't tried Peoria but I'm guessing I won't get that at all.

[jambo]

I have to agree with the majority of these posts on the 396XT. I own the earlier model the 396T and I was very, very dissapointed in the audio quality (sucks IMO). So needless to say, after this experience with Uniden I vowed to stick with GRE made scanners. Which by the way has excellent audio quality on ALL systems. All Uniden did (I feel) is repackage the previous model (396T) with a few extra bells and whistles, gave it a new name, and all just to try and soak you for another $600 for basically the same scanner with the same issues. Obviously Uniden could care less about the customer or their complaints about the audio quality issue or this would have been the FIRST thing they corrected. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that if your receiving negative input from customers about your product you do all you can to fix it. And still to this day after reading numerous complaints (me being one of them people) about the audio quality on the BCD396T, Uniden has done nothing about the horrible audio quality in either scanner. So stick with GRE products unless you have a need for a $600 paper weight that looks cool but sounds like crap.

[AZScanner]

Sigh...

Did ANYONE in Phoenix buy a 396XT? Anyone? Not that I can afford either scanner thanks to our lovely economy and my employer killing off my disposable income, but I would like to know just so I can someday buy a scanner that works. So far it's looking like the GRE is the way to go, which doesn't give me much of a warm fuzzy after the way my PRO-96 LITERALLY fell apart.

Maybe I should just hang up scanning and buy a remote control airplane instead.

-AZ

[Astrak]

Originally Posted by AZScanner

Sigh...

Did ANYONE in Phoenix buy a 396XT? Anyone? Not that I can afford either scanner thanks to our lovely economy and my employer killing off my disposable income, but I would like to know just so I can someday buy a scanner that works. So far it's looking like the GRE is the way to go, which doesn't give me much of a warm fuzzy after the way my PRO-96 LITERALLY fell apart.

Maybe I should just hang up scanning and buy a remote control airplane instead.

-AZ

Helicopter...make it turbine powered.

[JPSan]

Originally Posted by jambo

I have to agree with the majority of these posts on the 396XT. I own the earlier model the 396T and I was very, very dissapointed in the audio quality (sucks IMO). So needless to say, after this experience with Uniden I vowed to stick with GRE made scanners. Which by the way has excellent audio quality on ALL systems. All Uniden did (I feel) is repackage the previous model (396T) with a few extra bells and whistles, gave it a new name, and all just to try and soak you for another $600 for basically the same scanner with the same issues. Obviously Uniden could care less about the customer or their complaints about the audio quality issue or this would have been the FIRST thing they corrected. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that if your receiving negative input from customers about your product you do all you can to fix it. And still to this day after reading numerous complaints (me being one of them people) about the audio quality on the BCD396T, Uniden has done nothing about the horrible audio quality in either scanner. So stick with GRE products unless you have a need for a $600 paper weight that looks cool but sounds like crap.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
IGNORE above as it isn't of any value... NO USER EXPERIENCE WITH A REAL 396XT

IF you don't KNOW for SURE what your typing about on the 396XT than either research the item or keep your PAST experiences with OLD product to yourself..The 396XT has made some really serious improvements. COMMON SENSE..Check the UNIDEN users forums and see for your self. Don't LISTEN to HEAR SAY from a NON OWNER / USER of 396XT.. I found the XT a vast improvement over the 396T.
An SORRY not in Phoenix so I can not say on its use there. Just hate it when people can criticize a NEW item they have NO experience with.

[AZScanner]

Originally Posted by JPSan

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
IGNORE above as it isn't of any value... NO USER EXPERIENCE WITH A REAL 396XT

IF you don't KNOW for SURE what your typing about on the 396XT than either research the item or keep your PAST experiences with OLD product to yourself..The 396XT has made some really serious improvements. COMMON SENSE..Check the UNIDEN users forums and see for your self. Don't LISTEN to HEAR SAY from a NON OWNER / USER of 396XT.. I found the XT a vast improvement over the 396T.
An SORRY not in Phoenix so I can not say on its use there. Just hate it when people can criticize a NEW item they have NO experience with.

I can understand that, but I need a real XT user IN PHOENIX to chime in and declare these vast improvements on the Phoenix Area RWC system exist. As for the Uniden forums, I did ask there. Same response (or more accurately, lack thereof) as here. The chirping crickets (not to mention actually hearing a GRE on the system with Astrak's feed) are telling me the GRE is the way to go, for this system at least.

Unless someone here in Phoenix with the XT cares to chime in and share? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

-AZ

[mm]

from prescott:

If you do get into RC planes go to a wide wide open area away from any cells towers and APS substations.

I was down in Scottsdale this weekend and crashed one of My el-cheapo RC planes into the APS substation near a small park South of Indian School and west of 68th street It was Only a cheap 10 dollar RC model so no big loss.

Those substations create enough interfering RF to RC models just like the cell towers do with the newer scanners.

But on a better note, my e-bay purchased, Hong Kong special Motorola 700/800MHz XTS2500 which was programmed with all of ASU's and TEMPE'S voice channels with conventional talkgroup scan enabled, (no trunking at all) was working great, much better than any scanner that i have listened too.

I was starting to hear ASU and Tempe's 700 systems in conventional talkgroup scan mode from a mile South of Sunset Point all the way into South Scottsdale with no dropouts.

[AZScanner]

Originally Posted by mm

But on a better note, my e-bay purchased, Hong Kong special Motorola 700/800MHz XTS2500 which was programmed with all of ASU's and TEMPE'S voice channels with conventional talkgroup scan enabled, (no trunking at all) was working great, much better than any scanner that i have listened too.

I was starting to hear ASU and Tempe's 700 systems in conventional talkgroup scan mode from a mile South of Sunset Point all the way into South Scottsdale with no dropouts.

Hmmm... interesting. How much was it and did they do the programming for you or did you have to have that done elsewhere? An intriguing idea.

[jambo]

Originally Posted by JPSan

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
IGNORE above as it isn't of any value... NO USER EXPERIENCE WITH A REAL 396XT

IF you don't KNOW for SURE what your typing about on the 396XT than either research the item or keep your PAST experiences with OLD product to yourself..The 396XT has made some really serious improvements. COMMON SENSE..Check the UNIDEN users forums and see for your self. Don't LISTEN to HEAR SAY from a NON OWNER / USER of 396XT.. I found the XT a vast improvement over the 396T.
An SORRY not in Phoenix so I can not say on its use there. Just hate it when people can criticize a NEW item they have NO experience with.

So where'd you get the idea I have no experience with the XT? All you have to do is go to the local retailer and see for yourself. And thats just what I did. All to find out that the audio quaility on the 396XT still sounds like crap on the Phoenix system (sounds just like the 396T, no difference). So before you assume people don't know anything about the XT you might want to think again before you jump to conclusions.

*Just a side note; they can add all the bells and whistles they want, but it still doesn't improve the sound quality on certain systems and until they fix that I will always recommend the GRE.

[AZScanner]

Just wanted to chime in and let everyone know that I'm going to go with the GRE when I can afford it. Here's what convinced me: http://icecast.scanamerica.us/az_phoenix_police (open in winamp or media player)

By far, the best decode I've EVER HEARD on the RWC on ANY scanner, BAR NONE. Give it a listen and then compare it to my feed (link is in my sig). The difference between the two is like night and day.

I'm going to keep my eye out for a bargain on a PSR600 to replace my feed scanner. I was VERY impressed and can't wait until I can get one.

-AZ

Edit: The PPD feed has been up and down intermittantly today, ever since I finally decided to listen to it. Figures... but give it a try, when it's back up. It's worth the wait.

[Astrak]

Feeds back up and should be for awhile now that this computer is going to be used for nothing but streaming.

Edit: Nevermind it might go down every once in awhile, COX sucks and our internet goes in and out during the day.

[Astrak]

Top tier internet now.