Help PLEASE!! Totally DUMMY Newbie Here!! :(

[MarkieMo]

Hi Everyone, I am a Totally DUMB Newbie here!!!!!! lol I am to old to keep up with all this changing of the scanners. I still have my Bearcat 12 with the "crystals" or whatever they called them. Anyway, All the police, sheriff's dept, state police, local police were supposed to have went with the "Trunking System". I have trying to find a scanner that would pick up the state police, local police, shriff's dept, fire dept., etc. I am sorry but I am asking for a little bit of your time & knowledge. My area was supposed to have gone to the System Type: Project 25 Phase I System Voice: APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive. I have read reviews and looked at so many scanners that what little eyesight I have left is going from left to right now. lol I have a Bearcat BS 855 XLT base and a Bearcat Twin Turbo handheld that are worthless now. Anyway after all the searching & reading I am thinking about getting the Uniden BCD325P2 Handheld TrunkTracker V Scanner. PLEASE look up Hopkins County in Kentucky to make sure I have the right info. Is this handheld a good one and will it pick up everything in my area? Also, Is there a base system that would be as good as the handheld if not better? I always had the base scanner running and would use my handheld very little. Please let me know what base scanner that will pick up what I need and your suggestions. I am so sorry for being so much trouble. Thank you so much for your time & help!!!! Take care & have a great night/day, Mark T

 

[dmack550]

It will work just fine in your area. The bcd325p2 picks up everything there is except for encrypted transmissions and pro-voice which I don't see in your area. Looks like everything is pretty much Phase 1 which means even some older scanners can handle the services in your county. But buying a Phase 2 scanner like the bcd325p2 ensures that you will still be able to listen should they switch to Phase 2 in the future. Can't go wrong with thinking ahead.

 

[popnokick]

You wrote "I always had the base scanner running and would use my handheld very little." The BCD325P2 is not really a base scanner, but a portable. If you mostly scan from home you should be looking at the Uniden HomePatrol 2 (HP2) as well. Combine it with a good antenna at home, and the large easy to read color display, ease of programming, great sensitivity, and P25 Phase 1 & 2 capability might make it a good choice for your stated needs.

 

[QDP2012]

Welcome to RadioReference MarkieMo,

If you want a mobile/base unit, you might want to consider the BCD996P2, which is the mobile equivalent of the BCD325P2.

Hope this helps,

 

[ofd8001]

I'd steer you in the direction of the Home Patrol 1. It has a larger display than the scanners mentioned above. It is a base/mobile unit. It is geared toward the novice user.

Other options would be the BCD436HP (portable) or BCD536HP (base/mobile).

The HP1, 436 and 536 require the least amount of user input to get them running. All you need to do is download and install the free Sentinel software, do any firmware update along with downloading the frequency database. From there you need to select the Service Types (such as Fire Dispatch, Law Dispatch), enter your zipcode and you are scanning.

There is also a Home Patrol 2, which is the same as the HP1 with the addition of receiving P25 Phase 2 transmissions (not a factor for you, right now).

As time goes along and you get more comfortable with your scanner, you can progress on to creating Favorites Lists where you can put a finer point on the pencil with regard to what you monitor.

The 325P2 and 996P2 are good scanners. They are geared toward the more veteran scanner user. They would require a greater commitment to initial programming.

Here are the costs shown on ScannerMaster:

325 $389
996 $399
HP1 $399
HP2 $499
436 $489
536 $559

On the surface, the 325 is $10 less than the HP1. However most sane people will use computer software such as FreeScan to program their 325/996 scanners. (Programming by hand is torture and can lead to errors). They'll become RR premium subscribers so they can use the software to access to RR database to download the data (frequencies, etc) needed for programming, which makes programming pretty easy. Premium subscription is $16 for 180 days of access or $30 for 360 days.

However, the HP1/HP2/436/536 can use the free Sentinel software from Uniden, which includes free access to the RR database. That means the net cost to get the HP1 up and running is $6 (at least) than the 325.

 

[MarkieMo]

Thank You ALL!!!!!

Hi Everyone, Thank you all so much for the GREAT replies and info!! I reckon if I am going to fork out the dough on a scanner right now I will go ahead and buy one that has Phase 2 Capability. It would be my luck I buy one and then 6 months from now they would change to it. lol You all are so great here. Thank you all for making me feel welcome and taking the time to help me. Now I have a lot of looking & reading on the above models. Thanks again. Take care & have a great day, Mark

 

[MarkieMo]

Well, I Did It!!!! lol

Hi Guys & Ladies, I ended up buying the Home Patrol 2. I am hoping this one will last me for a while if they decide to upgrade their system again. lol Now to get the best handheld that will work in my area. Want to pitch in your suggestions and info on handhelds? It would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thank you all once again for your time and all your information & help!!!! It is GREATLY Appreciated!! Take care & have a great night/day, Mark

 

[ofd8001]

If I was to buy a hand-held scanner, I'd go with the BCD436HP and not consider anything else.

For your application, this would be a good choice because there are a lot of similarities in the 436 and HP2. That reduces your learning curve.

Should you create Favorites Lists, with a modest amount of effort, you'll be able to export/import them between the scanners. Save a lot of effort that way.

If it was me, I'd speak with the seller to confirm that the 436 has the latest Real Time Clock battery upgrade. (Earliest 436 had an issue with this battery, which Uniden is fixing with a recall. So to avoid the inconvenience of sending it off to Uniden for upgrade, I'd be sure this was done already.)

 

[kma371]

If I was to buy a hand-held scanner, I'd go with the BCD436HP and not consider anything else.

For your application, this would be a good choice because there are a lot of similarities in the 436 and HP2. That reduces your learning curve.

Should you create Favorites Lists, with a modest amount of effort, you'll be able to export/import them between the scanners. Save a lot of effort that way.

If it was me, I'd speak with the seller to confirm that the 436 has the latest Real Time Clock battery upgrade. (Earliest 436 had an issue with this battery, which Uniden is fixing with a recall. So to avoid the inconvenience of sending it off to Uniden for upgrade, I'd be sure this was done already.)

They already chose and bought the HP2

 

[ofd8001]

Post #7 says they did buy the HP2. Then it goes on to say "Now to get the best handheld that will work in my area. Want to pitch in your suggestions and info on handhelds?"

So that's why I responded as I did. I read it to say they are now interested in a portable scanner after having bought the HP2.

 

[MarkieMo]

Handheld Scanner

Hi Everyone, Thank you all again for everything!! I will check out the handheld you suggested. I really appreciate the time and help you all have given me. I am going to try my best to learn and utilize the HP2 as much as I can. That would be so cool to be able to transfer everything without having to manually load everything into the handheld. I am supposed to get the HP2 Wednesday. I am like a kid waiting for Christmas!!! lol Thanks again. Take care & have a great night, Mark

 

[ofd8001]

Just to get a "head start" on your HP2, you can download the Sentinel software. With this you can update the master database, and try your hand at creating Favorites Lists if you choose. Once your scanner arrives, you can connect it to the computer and do the updates and be in business.:

HomePatrolSentinel < HomePatrol < TWiki

There is also a Sentinel software package for the 436/536 scanners. While it looks and feels the same as the HP Sentinel, the output files created by it are a little different. (That's the reason for the two different software packages):

BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

If it comes to pass that you also get a 436, you would use these two software programs to export/import for sharing between scanners. We can walk you through that when the time comes.

 

[MarkieMo]

YES!!!! &amp; NO!!!!!!! lol

Hi Everyone,,,,, WelI received it today and got Sentinel program installed on my PC and made sure I had the newest version and hooked the scanner up to the pc. Everything went smooth as silk and I enetered all my info, zip code, etc. It took me a few minutes to figure out that something was WRONG!!!!! I had heard counties that I never heard on my old one,,,,,, BUT I was NOT hearing anyone or anything from Hopkins County!!!! The Sentinel database still has the OLD frequencies in it! lol They don't have any of the new P25 Phase 1 frequencies at all. What are my BEST options now? I am so sorry to bring bad news but I want to know what the BRAINS have to say before I do anything else. Thanks and have a great night, Mark

 

[AC2OY]

Good luck Mark,happy scanning!!

 

[kma371]

Post #7 says they did buy the HP2. Then it goes on to say "Now to get the best handheld that will work in my area. Want to pitch in your suggestions and info on handhelds?"

So that's why I responded as I did. I read it to say they are now interested in a portable scanner after having bought the HP2.

Sorry about that. I had actually wrote way more than that, but the stupid phone i wrote it all on cut it off. I don't remmeber all that I put now, but I basically recommended the BCD436HP too, but suggested to wait until Uniden releases more info on what they have coming out before you buy.

 

[MarkieMo]

Hi Guys, I am sorry but my dumb butt needs your help. On my HP2 I can NOT hear anything from my Hopkins County P25 Phase 1 system. PLEASE let me know what to try. My pc won't recognize my scanner unless I choose Mass Storage instead of DC Supply. PLEASE HELP!!!!! lol Thank you for your time & help. Is the Sentinel program good enough or should I buy the Buteel Software? Thanks again and I am sorry to be such a pain in the kazoo. Take care & have a great night, Mark

 

[popnokick]

Looking at the RRDB for Hopkins County, it appears that you are correct - the old "FM" and FMN" freqs are still in the RRDB, and therefore still likely in Sentinel. There's a note on the Hopkins Co page in the DB that says: "All county Fire and Police Departments have switched to the new P-25 system. (As new TGIDs are confirmed old freqs will be deprecated.)" So one of the DB admins I guess thinks that they need to wait until the new TGIDs are confirmed. HOWEVER, way down the bottom of the page there is a link to the new Hopkins County P25 System:
Hopkins County P25 Trunking System, Madisonville, Kentucky - Scanner Frequencies
You can use the Sentinel software to manually crank in the freqs on that page and upload them to your HP-2. And that should get you going until they see fit to update the RRDB and Sentinel. And if you haven't done so yet, you may want to visit the state-specific Kentucky Forum here on RR:
Kentucky Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums
... although I searched it with the keyword "Hopkins" and came up empty. So go ahead and post a question over there in the Kentucky Forum regarding Hopkins Co.

 

[MarkieMo]

Thank you so much Popnokick!!!!! You ALL are the GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ofd8001]

Having to use "Mass Storage" is correct - it's a normal thing. That basically configures everything so your scanner is seen as an external drive (storage device) as far as Sentinel goes.

Sentinel should be adequate for your needs. ARC is an additional tool that can help "pretty up" your Favorites Lists, but is not necessary. Also ARC won't do some critical things, such as edit a profile, update master database and update firmware. Plus if you use ARC, you must become a RR premium subscriber to download data. (Maybe down the road you might consider this if you become a "power user". But for casual scanner use, the cost isn't worth it.)

Attached is a zip file I created for you. Hopefully when it unzips, it will become "F1 - Hopkins County.hpe". You can use Sentinel to import this HPE file and then write it to your scanner.

It has Hopkins conventional, the new trunked P25 system and KSP for your area. The trunked P25 is in ID Search which means it will look for any talkgroups on the system, even those that haven't been included in the database. (If you discover something new, please report it on the Kentucky page so the DB administrator can add it).

 

[MarkieMo]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! ofd8001, Thank you so very very much for doing that!!!! It worked PERFECT!!!!! You are awesome! You will never know how much I appreciate this!! I am now sitting here listening to every channel I used to be able to listen to,,,, PLUS this HP2 picks up Caldwell Counnty, Trigg County, etc. I LOVE IT!!! Now my next project is to get a antenna outside. lol Thank you again for taking the time to do this. Take care everyone & have a great night/day, Mark