Former enthusiast getting back in to the hobby

[tornado82]

Hello All!

Ive been away from the hobby for a long time. I got in when I was a young teenager of just 13 or 14 years old. I had a whole desk full of radio equipment. Everything from shortwave radio, scanners, and my prized CB base station that I loved to talk skip on. I remember reading every issue of Popular Communications magazine. I can remember building my own antennas, and teaching myself to solder. My favorite handheld scanner was the Radio Shack pro 64. I used it for years as a teenager. As I graduated highschool I began to drift out of the communications hobby as I took more to computers and other tech.

Now that you've withstood my barrage of nostalgia, Ill get to the point. Im 33 now, and I look back at those years fondly. I havent owned a scanner now in over 10 years. Trunk Tracking and now digital scanners have come along since Ive been out of the hobby. Im wanting to buy a new hand held scanner now. I dont plan to dive into it like I did years ago (thats what I plan anyways) but I want a good solid scanner. I've begun to look around at what is popular now. Im seeing the Pro-651, Whistler 1040, and lots of different uniden options. I'm hoping to get some help from some enthusiasts who are still well ingrained in the hobby.

I want to of course listen to the local police/fire/ems etc, but I also enjoy exploring everything else, so I want something that performs well across the full frequency spectrum. Im not well versed on the digital aspect of these new scanners but I plan to learn. Everything was pretty easy when I was into it - you just punched in the frequency you wanted and that was that. So, what is a good scanner for this outdated former enthusiast ?

I live in a very rural area, my local law enforcement do not use any trunk or digital system - they use the same frequencies today as they did when I listened years ago I believe.

Would like to hear what you guys think would be a good handheld scanner for me.

 

[kma371]

I would check the database and confirm what your local agency uses system wise since you are not sure. That's your first step. Or give us your location.

 

[tornado82]

I would check the database and confirm what your local agency uses system wise since you are not sure. That's your first step. Or give us your location.

I just looked it up here on the database. Same ol' analog FM frequencies that I remember. No special system. Its a very rural county I live in. A dozen frequencies or so cover all the fire, police, ems, etc.

How would this control what scanner to go with? Do certain scanners not work with certain systems? Any recommendations for a solid all around ?

 

[frazpo]

Your location would be a plus. There are guys on here that work in the radio field and may know if your local agencies will be going to digital or perhaps a trunked system soon. At least the County.

 

[sparklehorse]

Since you are new to using the RR database it is entirely possible you're missing something. It would be helpful if we knew what state and county you're in so those more familiar could take a look for you. If your county is in fact still conventional, and analog, there may still be some digital in your area. Perhaps a neighboring county you'd like to monitor has gone digital, or the state police, or state highway dept. There are few areas where digital hasn't penetrated to some degree, or won't in the near future.
That being said, if it turns out that analog is still king in your area, then I would recommend the Uniden BCT15X. It's affordable, has many of the features of the newer models, good sensitivity. Its a great value.

Hope that helps.

.

 

[tornado82]

Most the scanners Ive been looking at are digital with trunking ability so im not really concerned about that. Local law enforcement is only partially why I want a scanner anyways.

I was hoping to just get a recommendation on a good scanner.

 

[sparklehorse]

Sorry, I missed that you were looking for a handheld model. That being the case, the BC346XT would be a good choice for analog only, or the BCD396XT is also a very good radio, and offers P25 Phase I digital to boot.

.

 

[kma371]

i was hoping to just get a recommendation on a good scanner.

We understand that, we just want to make sure we have all the information to help you. Your location is the most important. Since you have been out of the game for a while, you may not understand the technology that is in place today.

That said, basic scanner would do just fine, that's based on the the information you gave us. You don't need digital, you don't need trunking etc. Any cheap scanner will do. Should cost you about $100.
http://www.scannermaster.com/Uniden_Bearcat_BC75XLT_Police_Scanner_p/10-501827.htm

 

[tornado82]

Appreciate the replies. I think there is some obvious misunderstanding from my original post. I do not plan to buy a cheap scanner or to cut corners. I am looking for a top of the line level handheld scanner that can do it all. As I've said the models I've been looking at are all digital with trunk tracking - I have no intention of trying to whittle down to an old model. All of them seem to support most of the same list of systems. These are sorta what Ive been looking at:

RadioShack Pro-651
Whistler 1040 (I realize this is essentially the same scanner as the 651)
Uniden BCD436HP
Uniden BCD325P2

Are there major differences in the systems support between these models and other similar ones? Are there anything I should know in terms of performance regarding these or perhaps some other model i didnt list here? Price is the lowest concern in this decision, so point me to your favorite top of the line hand held, thats what Im more after here. If you had one handheld scanner and it had to do it all,and it was the only scanner you would own, what would it be?

 

[oakesna]

I just picked up the Uniden BCT396XT. In my opinion this is a good place to start when getting into digital monitoring. I highly suggest investing in the programing cable and software as it will make your experience much easier.
Nick
KC3FWP

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[UPMan]

Operationally, BCD325P2 will be nearly identical to BCD396XT. But the P2 can do APCO P25 Phase II (but has slightly less band coverage).

I'll echo that you'd get much better advice if you could tell us your general location.

 

[tornado82]

I just picked up the Uniden BCT396XT. In my opinion this is a good place to start when getting into digital monitoring. I highly suggest investing in the programing cable and software as it will make your experience much easier.
Nick
KC3FWP

Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk

Thanks for that. Do you mean the BCD396XT? The BCD325P2 which I had looked at some is supposed to be an upgrade of the BCD396XT.

Ive been reading and trying to compare a lot, and I feel like the two I gravitate the most to so far are the Uniden BCD436HP and the Radio Shack Pro-651. I love the ability of the bcd436hp to record broadcasts to SD card, it also seems it may be a tad easier to work with if you were traveling, and I love the big display. The radio shack pro-651 seems to probably offer the best overall performance and speed from video's and things i've read. I still need to do more research though, I haven't looked in depth at the bcd325p2 just yet.

 

[oakesna]

Yeah that was a typo. If money is not that much of a huge issue for you, I would suggest getting a digital that is P25 Phase II compatible since many counties are now switching over to Phase II. I believe the BCD436HP is Phase II but don't quote me on that. I have used both radioshack as well as Uniden scanners and I personally prefer the features that Uniden has to offer. The BCD396XT is not Phase II but my county that I mainly monitor just recently switched to digital and I did not have the funds for a Phase II scanner. Hopefully some of this helps as it is a fun hobby to get into but the technology is changing greatly!

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[N8IAA]

Without posting where you live, the best suggestions can only be guesses. If you don't have Phase II, most of the scanners mentioned will work. I would also suggest the Whistler 1080. It offers recording to a SD card too. There is the new 1080-the 1088 which has a keypad to change between Scan Lists. There is, also, the RS Pro-668 which is the RS version of the 1080.
Expand your thinking. If you can look and touch the radio, it's much easier to make a decision. One point, the screen is larger on the 436, but because of font size, it is harder to read the screen.
HTH,
Larry

 

[oakesna]

Without posting where you live, the best suggestions can only be guesses. If you don't have Phase II, most of the scanners mentioned will work. I would also suggest the Whistler 1080. It offers recording to a SD card too. There is the new 1080-the 1088 which has a keypad to change between Scan Lists. There is, also, the RS Pro-668 which is the RS version of the 1080.
Expand your thinking. If you can look and touch the radio, it's much easier to make a decision. One point, the screen is larger on the 436, but because of font size, it is harder to read the screen.
HTH,
Larry

I also know of a guy using the whistler products and he has had nothing but great reviews of them so far. To me it looks like whistler and radioshack scanners look identical, but radioshack is a dying company and whistler is growing.

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[tornado82]

I also know of a guy using the whistler products and he has had nothing but great reviews of them so far. To me it looks like whistler and radioshack scanners look identical, but radioshack is a dying company and whistler is growing.

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Well from my understanding Whistler bought out GRE, which made Radio Shack's scanners. Whistler actually makes the radio shack scanners now from what I read, just with different color plastics. Pro-651 and the 1040 whistler as the same exact radio when you get past the plastic supposedly; likely manufactured side by side.

 

[oakesna]

That was my understanding as well. There's a lot of information to research and digest when it comes to scanning and every single person has a different opinion when it comes to brands and features so this is just the very beginning of your research. It wouldn't hurt for you to browse the manufacturer specific forums and make a side by side comparison of the features that are discussed and then see which manufacturer and scanner fit into your desired features and price range.

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[tornado82]

Without posting where you live, the best suggestions can only be guesses. If you don't have Phase II, most of the scanners mentioned will work. I would also suggest the Whistler 1080. It offers recording to a SD card too. There is the new 1080-the 1088 which has a keypad to change between Scan Lists. There is, also, the RS Pro-668 which is the RS version of the 1080.
Expand your thinking. If you can look and touch the radio, it's much easier to make a decision. One point, the screen is larger on the 436, but because of font size, it is harder to read the screen.
HTH,
Larry

I had somehow not seen the whistler 1088 yet. I did see the 1080 but i like a keypad. Im gonna dig into the 1088 now - thanks for that great suggestion

EDIT: initial run down on the 1088 features looks really good!

 

[tornado82]

Well the whistler 1088 would likely be one of my top contenders but the availability is poor right now. It is really just now rolling out. Guess ill have to decide if I want to wait for a 1088 or go ahead with the BCD436HP perhaps. I just really love that ability to record transmissions. The more I think about it the more I feel it becoming a feature I really want. That would essentially nix everything but the whistler 1088 and Uniden BCD436HP. Any owners of the BCD436HP reading this? Id love to hear some feedback from someone here who may own one.

 

[frazpo]

Just got mine about a month ago. The recording function is a plus and I love the fact that the software and database access is free. I wish it were closer in size to the 396XT though. It just seems a little tall for the small footprint. I got a hard leather case and the case actually broadens the footprint and has rivets it sets on so it worked out well. The radio case doesn't seem quite as sturdy as the 396 but the hard leather case makes up for it. I have never had any issues with decoding P25 systems, no tweaking needed.
I had a 396 for years and feel that the 436 will hold up to its predecessors reputation fairly well.
I have no regrets with the 436 purchase.