poor reception from old Uniden

[tacticaltrev]

I have a Uniden BC120XLT that is easily 15 years old with the original NiCD battery pack. The reception is quite poor, even from local municipalities. Kinda a two part question from zip code 26170, West Virginia.

1) Reception does not improve if the wall charger is plugged in during a transmission. How much is a new battery going to help reception, if any?

2) Is is common to have local EMS, fire, and police upgrading their systems that would make an older scanner like mine become out dated and less effective? Is an upgrade needed?

Any help if appreciated for my first post.

 

[ofd8001]

1. If the wall charger isn't helping much, a new battery pack probably won't either.

2. Very much so. A few years ago the Federal Communications Commission adopted new ruels on public safety radio systems. This was called "narrow-banding". The rules became effective January 1, 2013. A lot of public safety agencies overhauled their radio systems to get ahead of the new rules. This resulted in digital systems, trunked systems as well as some agencies using radio technology that cannot be received by present day scanners.

Presuming you are in Pleasants Count WV, the EMS channel is a mixed mode with analog and digital (your scanner, even receiving well, won't deal with digital). The sheriff is using narrowband (your scanner, if receiving well, would hear that, but the volume will be low). The same is true for local fire and Saint Mary's police.

It is possible that your scanner is receiving fine. Rather because the channels now in use are narrow band and your scanner is wide band only, you could perceive the difference as low volume.

 

[tacticaltrev]

Thanks for the help ofd8001. To transmit the local agencies, would a $100-ish scanner work sufficiently or is a $350 model or better required? Any brand and model suggestions is appreciated.

 

[ofd8001]

I'm guessing you meant to say "receive" rather than "transmit".

The answer, as often the case, is "it depends". If you wish to monitor that EMS channel when they use digital, then a more costly scanner is necessary. Also if you want to expand your listening to the West Virginia statewide radio system, since it is a digital/trunked system, then a digital scanner is needed.

The analog only scanners are in that "$100-ish" (probably $200-ish) range. Digital scanners, because they have a digital chip in them, double the cost (or more).

Then the second consideration is whether you want a portable or desktop/mobile scanner.

Portable analog only scanners: BC125AT, BC346XTC.

Portable analog and digital scanners: BCD396XT, BCD436HP.

Desktop/mobile analog only scanner: BC15X (BC 355N might work, I'm not sure about narrow band).

Desktop/mobile analog and digital scanners: BCD996XT and BCD536HP.

There are other brands too, such as Radio Shack, though I'm not familiar with them.

You could look into getting a Baofeng amateur radio through Amazon. They are dirt cheap < $100, but are a real pain to program and use. This only does analog though.

 

[jonwienke]

WV is transitioning to a statewide P25 network called SIRN. In the Martinsburg area, I monitor it to hear city, county, and state police/fire/EMS. I'd recommend a 436 or 536 scanner, since the 396 and 996 models will not do P25 phase II. Why replace an obsolete scanner with another (slightly less) obsolete scaner?

The 436 and 536 also come with a nationwide frequency database that is updated weekly via the Sentinel program.

 

[tacticaltrev]

I appreciate the specific details odf8001 as I am trying to update my severely outdated knowledge of scanners. Thanks for the model numbers with the details.

I agree with jonwienke even though the sticker shock is quite alarming for the higher end models. I was not mentally prepared with the financial investment for either the 436 or 536!

Next questions:

1) Quickly looking at Amazon's pricing for both models, is there an advantage of performance the 536 has over the 436 for the extra $100-ish? I have no preference for a portable or desktop model, probably would not take advantage of any overly complicated features, just looking for clear reception and quick to grab ahold of the transmission.

2) Making an investment of $450-550-ish on a new scanner, can I feel comfortable that these models will not be partially outdated or obsolete any time in the near future?

 

[N8IAA]

tacticaltrev, indeed, WV is going to a Phase I, P-25 digital system called SIRN. Berkeley county appears to have many TGID's on this system.
My suggestion is to go to the WV state forum and ask your question there.
You would need a scanner that is capable of doing P-25, Phase I systems. The 396/996XT scanners by Uniden, the new RS Pro-651/652 scanners, and the Whistler versions of the RS scanners will do fine on the SIRN system. Also, for ease of operation, the Uniden Home Patrol 1 will work too. AKA: HP1.
HTH,
Larry

 

[tacticaltrev]

Also wondering about Washington County Ohio for a new scanner purchase. Totally forgot about the Ohio side of the Ohio River when considering this purchase.

 

[tacticaltrev]

After further research, I really like the user interface of the HP1. This unit looks like I can get a little technical with some options, but also make it easy to get up and running.

The HP1 will do P-25 phase I, not phase II. Not sure that will effect my area immediately?

Does anyone see any major downfalls with this unit that I might be missing? This would help reduce the new purchase to the $380 range (Amazon pricing).

 

[flythunderbird]

After further research, I really like the user interface of the HP1. This unit looks like I can get a little technical with some options, but also make it easy to get up and running.

The HP1 will do P-25 phase I, not phase II. Not sure that will effect my area immediately?

It will, eventually. The new MARCS-IP system will replace MARCS and can run P25 Phase 2, although Phase 2 will not be enabled initially. The older MARCS system is scheduled to be shut down next March, so you may want to consider a radio that can handle Phase 2.

Here's some info for ya -

Old MARCS: Ohio MARCS - Multi-Agency Radio Communications Trunking System, Statewide, Ohio - Scanner Frequencies
New MARCS: Ohio MARCS-IP: Multi-Agency Radio Communications (P25) Trunking System, Various, Ohio - Scanner Frequencies
Ohio discussion forum: Ohio Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums

 

[ofd8001]

The only possible "hitch" I could see, which may be remote, is if the West Virginia state radio may be headed in the Phase II direction. Probably a post in the West Virginia forum asking if there are any rumblings about going to Phase II.

Presuming Phase II is "way off" (and it probably is), I think the HP1 may be a good choice for you. It is relatively simple to use/program, as compared to other scanners.

With Uniden announcing the HP II just yesterday, that may mean a lower cost for the HP1. Shopping around may be beneficial, though I suspect you already have - but yesterday's announcement may change things.

 

[tacticaltrev]

I am not in a hurry to make purchase, trying to educate and decide on my actual needs of a new scanner. But it is kinda crazy for simple monitoring, that the higher end scanners is almost needed considering the upgrades that state and local agencies are being required to make. It would be nice if Uniden made a casual listener model with Phase II and hold off on the technical expert features. Feels like a waste for me to pony up on a 436 or 536 and never touch 75% of the capabilities.

 

[N8IAA]

I am not in a hurry to make purchase, trying to educate and decide on my actual needs of a new scanner. But it is kinda crazy for simple monitoring, that the higher end scanners is almost needed considering the upgrades that state and local agencies are being required to make. It would be nice if Uniden made a casual listener model with Phase II and hold off on the technical expert features. Feels like a waste for me to pony up on a 436 or 536 and never touch 75% of the capabilities.

It appears that Uniden has come out with the Home Patrol 2. It will have Phase II capabilities. It will be much easier to use than the x36HP scanners, which at this time, Uniden seems to have forgotton.

Another option is the Whistler 1080, which is designed after the now out of production PSR-800. It is similar to the Home Patrol scanners in that the entire database is on the SD card, and can be loaded using your Zip code.

It will cover the Phase I and Phase II systems. I've been using a PSR-800 for over two years. When visiting family in Ohio, it works great on all systems.

The 1080 is currently on the market for $399. $100 dollars less than the 436HP, and $130 less than the soon to be released HP-2.
HTH,
Larry

 

[gh6406]

After further research, I really like the user interface of the HP1. This unit looks like I can get a little technical with some options, but also make it easy to get up and running.

The HP1 will do P-25 phase I, not phase II. Not sure that will effect my area immediately?

Does anyone see any major downfalls with this unit that I might be missing? This would help reduce the new purchase to the $380 range (Amazon pricing).

The HP2 is available now and it Will do Phase II.

 

[N8IAA]

The HP2 is available now and it Will do Phase II.

It is not available yet. Universal Radio is taking pre-orders. It will become available on 11/15/14. As I stated, it is selling for $529. The 1080 is available now for $399.
Larry

 

[tacticaltrev]

I wonder what a realistic price for the HP2 will be? Amazon has the HP1 for $387, which about $100 less than Universal Radio.

 

[jonwienke]

It will ultimately come down to supply and demand.