Total Newb looking for a little guidance

[jgatesmail]

I should have probably come here first and learned what kind of scanner to purchase and maybe even a pre programmed one at that but, I didn't so now I need a little help. Where should I go for a little help with programming my new Uniden BC346XTC? I am a member on radio reference and have purchased the ScanPro program but, I need a little help with programming my radio for Jefferson county, Lakewood, Colorado. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, James

 

[kmi8dy]

oooooops

i took a quick look at your county and city and bad news, there on a digital p25 phase 1 system , sooooo you will not be able to pick up any law, ems or fire. so if you can return the scanner, quickly. if you can!
ok, now that the bad news is over. all i own is uniden scanners. i have a bcd396xt, bcd996xt, and i just purchased a bcd996p2. i very strongly suggest you stay with uniden. i bought all of mine from amazon. also i suggest you buy the uniden 325p2 that is if you want a hand held, or the bcd996p2 desk top / portable. they are both the same scanner except the 325p2 is a hand held and the 996p2 is a table top / portable
bcd396xt is older then the bcd325p2 and now is more expensive then the newer bcd325p2 because it is not being made anymore, so everybody raised the price. the bcd325p2 is more radio for your buck, and is a newer radio 1 to 3 years now. where the bcd996xt is probly going on 6 to 8 years maybe 10 years now.
i use free scan to program all my scanners and is just as it says FREE. it took me 2 or 3 days to get the hang of it, but after that i could program in my sleep. and i am not computer literate by no means.
i've been listening since i was 12 or 14 years old and i am 59 now.
just looked on amazon. the bcd325p2 is listed at $366.00. and the bcd996p2 is $378.00, i just bought mine 3 weeks ago and it was $398.00. all this info is strickly my opinon, other people will have other opinons, but like i said i have a long time doing this , about 50 years. anyway wish you luck, if there anything you want to ask me dont hesitate
73's
kmi8dy

 

[Spitfire8520]

Unfortunately, as the previous reply stated, your BC346XT will not be able to monitor Lakewood. The only two cities you will be able to hear public safety with that scanner is Denver and Aurora. Both are in position to switch to new P25 radio systems sometime in the near future.

I second the suggestion to return the scanner if you can do so. At minimum, you will need a P25 Phase I scanner, but it probably would be better to get a P25 Phase II scanner as they are backwards compatible and support the newer P25 systems coming online. A comprehensive list of scanners that will let you listen to Lakewood can be found at the end of this reply.

I will not fanboy over any particular manufacturer as each has pros, cons, and different features that will need to be researched. Historically, the GRE & RadioShack models were once the go to scanner for many users in the state. More recently, the Uniden x36HP appears to have taken up that role.

One note is that none of the Uniden scanners follow patching, which Lakewood does occasionally throughout the day and sometimes for major incidents. What this means is that several different talkgroups (channels) are patched together on 1 of 100 patch talkgroups assigned by the system. Uniden scanners do not track these and will therefore become silent when this happens. The pool of patch talkgroups is shared by a number of agencies and is impossible to filter. The only solution is to program the patch talkgroups and turn them on when you suspect that they are patched or leave them on and listen to some unwanted traffic.

A resource you may want to consider looking at is Denver Metro Scanner Programming. There is a good bit of information available regarding the radio systems around Denver. He has a good programming service should you find yourself lost with no way forward.

Phase II Scanners:

• Portable/Handheld:
  
  • Current Model:
    • RadioShack Pro-668
    • Uniden BCD325P2
    • Uniden BCD436HP
    • Whistler WS1080
    • Whistler WS1088
  • Discontinued:
    • GRE PSR-800
• Base/Mobile:
  
  • Current Model:
    • Uniden BCD536HP
    • Uniden BCD996P2
    • Uniden HomePatrol-2
    • Whistler WS1095
    • Whistler WS1098

Phase I Scanners:

• Portable/Handheld:
  
  • Current Model:
    • RadioShack Pro-651
    • Whistler WS1040
  • Discontinued:
    • GRE PSR-500
    • RadioShack Pro-106
    • RadioShack Pro-18
    • Uniden BCD396T
    • Uniden BCD396XT
  • Discontinued (No 700 MHz Support):
    • RadioShack Pro-96
    • Uniden BC296D
• Base/Mobile:
  
  • Current Model:
    • RadioShack Pro-652
    • Uniden HomePatrol-1
    • Whistler WS1065
  • Discontinued:
    • GRE PSR-600
    • RadioShack Pro-197
    • Uniden BCD996T
    • Uniden BCD996XT
  • Discontinued (No 700 MHz Support):
    • RadioShack Pro-2096
    • Uniden BC796D