Looking into purchasing mobile scanner

[scottytahoe]

Hello all,
New to the site and have been doing quit a bit of reading and searching.
I live in North Lake Tahoe, Placer County. I drive semi trucks locally and some long distance. I have searched in the Database tab and see FMN and FM in the mode column and os non-digital.

I'm looking at the BCD996XT or the BCD536HP. Though money is tight as i'm on disability for fractioning my lower spine i'm leaning towards the 996XT. I'm new to scanners and don't know much but do know what I think I know I should get. I do a lot of driving through California and Nevada which the county's are Placer, Washoe, douglas and then some. I'm assuming that I would want the GPS (for either radio) as I also do some long haul in the slow months.

I want a radio that I won't get bored of after a year. The 996XT (from what I have read) is an older but reliable radio. So being older is it going to become useless in the next couple of years? I would also like to listen to air traffic. Is this available? Or should I go with the 536HP to keep up with technology like digital radio frequency. Not sure how long or if Reno and Tahoe will stay on FMN or FM. Hope this makes sense.

Thanks
Scotty

 

[hiegtx]

Hello all,
New to the site and have been doing quit a bit of reading and searching.
I live in North Lake Tahoe, Placer County. I drive semi trucks locally and some long distance. I have searched in the Database tab and see FMN and FM in the mode column and os non-digital.

I'm looking at the BCD996XT or the BCD536HP. Though money is tight as i'm on disability for fractioning my lower spine i'm leaning towards the 996XT. I'm new to scanners and don't know much but do know what I think I know I should get. I do a lot of driving through California and Nevada which the county's are Placer, Washoe, douglas and then some. I'm assuming that I would want the GPS (for either radio) as I also do some long haul in the slow months.

I want a radio that I won't get bored of after a year. The 996XT (from what I have read) is an older but reliable radio. So being older is it going to become useless in the next couple of years? I would also like to listen to air traffic. Is this available? Or should I go with the 536HP to keep up with technology like digital radio frequency. Not sure how long or if Reno and Tahoe will stay on FMN or FM. Hope this makes sense.

Thanks
Scotty

Hi Scotty
Welcome to RadioReference.

The 996XT is a digital scanner, as is, of course, the 536HP. However, the 996XT cannot do P25 Phase II trunked systems, and the 536 can, While you may not have any Phase II systems in your immediate area at this time, the more you travel, as in your long haul runs, the more likely you will begin running across this system type. Many of the new systems being built are Phase II, or will likely upgrade to that mode at some future date.

While either of these scanners can be connected to a GPS, to use one with the 996XT you'll need to program both the frequencies of the areas you'll be passing through, as well as the location data for them. If you become a Premium Subscriber, even for, say, a six month term, you can download the information needed (frequencies and location information) from this site into software such as FreeSCAN. Then, program the scanner for your location and likely travel routes.

With the 536HP (or the portable 436HP), you can simply update it's database for free using it's Sentinel software. Then, connect your compatible GPS, and drive. The scanner will turn systems on and off as they come into, and pass out of, range. The weekly updates, downloaded using Sentinel, keep the information current based on submissions by members of this site.

 

[scottytahoe]

Thank you for your quick reply.
Is it a complicated and time consuming to enter the frequencies and location data for the 996XT? Say I do the drive from North Tahoe to southern Ca. (roughly 560 miles unknown amount of county's) and then don't do the drive for 5 or so months would I have to start over and re-enter the frequencies and location data or will it remember? When I figure out what will be a good scanner for the budget I have no problems becoming a member and use the software.

Are there any "hidden" costs for like each county you have to pay X amount of dollars?

As for the 536HP the process for going through various types of different county's is to type in you'r home zip code and good to go anywhere?

I mostly want the radio to work while driving around my home town roughly 100 mile radios of Tahoe, Truckee, Reno and some Sacramento. Long distance would be a nice bonus. With your experience what radio would you consider to get and why? Yes, money is tight from recent disability but also don't want to cheap out and have a dead radio in a year. Also would like to hear air traffic if possible, from what I have read I believe both radios can.

Thank you much for all you's guys help.

 

[scottytahoe]

Please excuse the miss spelling, head is not on straight and can't find the "edit" button to correct it. Counties not county's.

 

[hiegtx]

Thank you for your quick reply.
Is it a complicated and time consuming to enter the frequencies and location data for the 996XT? Say I do the drive from North Tahoe to southern Ca. (roughly 560 miles unknown amount of county's) and then don't do the drive for 5 or so months would I have to start over and re-enter the frequencies and location data or will it remember? When I figure out what will be a good scanner for the budget I have no problems becoming a member and use the software.

Are there any "hidden" costs for like each county you have to pay X amount of dollars?

As for the 536HP the process for going through various types of different county's is to type in you'r home zip code and good to go anywhere?

I mostly want the radio to work while driving around my home town roughly 100 mile radios of Tahoe, Truckee, Reno and some Sacramento. Long distance would be a nice bonus. With your experience what radio would you consider to get and why? Yes, money is tight from recent disability but also don't want to cheap out and have a dead radio in a year. Also would like to hear air traffic if possible, from what I have read I believe both radios can.

Thank you much for all you's guys help.

With the 996XT, you would have to program your home area, as well as any routes you plan to take. If you wanted to use a GPS with the 996, you would also have to enter the location information for each system as well (conventional frequencies in each county, or for the transmit site(s) for a trunked system. The quickest and easiest way to do that is with software, which would also mean that your data would be saved on your computer for future use. Occasionally, you might have to make an update or addition to the information entered, if something changes, but that's it. There is no "per county" charge, unless you're paying one of the scanner dealers to program it for you at time of purchase. That's not a real good idea, since things change all the time. Sometimes, the change does not affect you at all, and occasionally it does. You need to program it yourself, so that you can make corrections, updates, or additions as they occur. Besides, for what the fees are for pre-programming, you can get software, a programming cable, and also sign up to be a Premium Subscriber. If you sign up for that ($15 for 180 days, $30 for a year), you can use software to download whatever you need from this website, and easily and quickly program your scanner. For software, I use FreeSCAN. It works well, is free, and it's user guide is in the Wiki here. ProScan and ARC-XT are also available. Some people like these better. Both have a thirty day free trial so you can test drive before you have to buy.

The only downside to the 996XT, other than you would have to program it, is that it cannot do Phase II P25 systems, which are becoming more common in larger metro areas. You don't appear one close to you, but without knowing, roughly, where your long hauls might take you, you may run across some there. The 996XT won't be a "dead radio" in a year, but if you start running into Phase II systems, you would not be able to scan them.

The 536HP, on the other hand, does do Phase II P25. You install it's software, Sentinel (free) on your pc so that you can download the weekly database updates. You can enter your zip code, and it will load the types of channels you want within a given range. If traveling, using a GPS, it will enable and disable systems along the way as they come into, or pass out of, the range you set. Note that you can do the same thing with the handheld version, the 436HP, which is somewhat cheaper. You can also create one or more Favorites lists for the areas you want (home, specific trip routes) and customize exactly what you want.

Any of these scanners will hear air traffic, both civilian and military. There is a bit of a learning curve with any of these scanners, but there is a lot of help available on this forum.

 

[stingray327]

Hi Scotty
Welcome to RadioReference.

The 996XT is a digital scanner, as is, of course, the 536HP. However, the 996XT cannot do P25 Phase II trunked systems, and the 536 can, While you may not have any Phase II systems in your immediate area at this time, the more you travel, as in your long haul runs, the more likely you will begin running across this system type. Many of the new systems being built are Phase II, or will likely upgrade to that mode at some future date.

While either of these scanners can be connected to a GPS, to use one with the 996XT you'll need to program both the frequencies of the areas you'll be passing through, as well as the location data for them. If you become a Premium Subscriber, even for, say, a six month term, you can download the information needed (frequencies and location information) from this site into software such as FreeSCAN. Then, program the scanner for your location and likely travel routes.

With the 536HP (or the portable 436HP), you can simply update it's database for free using it's Sentinel software. Then, connect your compatible GPS, and drive. The scanner will turn systems on and off as they come into, and pass out of, range. The weekly updates, downloaded using Sentinel, keep the information current based on submissions by members of this site.

With the 536HP (or the portable 436HP), when you hook up GPS you have to select Nationwide database to be on? Or is everything just automatic when you put that GPS plug into scanner and you need not adjust anything in scanner including the range?

 

[hiegtx]

With the 536HP (or the portable 436HP), when you hook up GPS you have to select Nationwide database to be on? Or is everything just automatic when you put that GPS plug into scanner and you need not adjust anything in scanner including the range?

Strictly speaking, it's not the Nationwide database, but the Full Database.

If you create your Favorites lists by appending from the database (and/or making sure that location data is programmed along with frequencies and/or talkgroups for any systems entered manually), then you can use the GPS to turn those on and off based on location without also monitoring the Full Database. On the other habd, if traveling in unfamiliar territory (no Favorites list created in advance), using the Full Database, along with a GPS, the scanner will enable and disable systems as they come into, and pass out of, range. What's actually scanned will be based on what range you're using (see How it Works: Location, Location, Location), and the Service types you have active.

If using the Full Database, you can then also select, or exclude, nationwide systems from scanning. These include Common Federal Frequencies, Rail, MURS, and a number of others.

 

[AC2OY]

Scott I would say this to you a few years back I dropped some serious dime down on a digital scanner only to have to sell it in order to buy one that did Phase 2. Get the 536 and you won't have to worry about that issue of upgrading because a system you wish to monitor is Phase 2.