Durability: BCD396XT vs BCD436HP

Can anybody who has owned both of these units for a good period of time elaborate on their relative build qualities? Do they both seem plasticy and fragile or does one of the upper hand?

Thanks

Can't say about the 396XT but speaking as someone who is really rough on scanners (handhelds in particular) the 436HP has held up nicely to all the abuse with maybe just a scratch or two but that's it. It's no BC250D or BC296D (now THERE was a tank of a radio!) but it's no fragile GRE model either.

Hope that helps,
-AZ

I carry a scanner all the time. I had a BCD396T for six years and have had a BCD396XT for three years. They were dropped, banged into door knobs, used in all kinds of weather and kept going strong.

I had a BCD436HP for a week and sold it. I found it to be very cheap feeling and the display was not air tight. It started to get dust inside the display. This scanner has been on the market for less than a year. Time will tell I guess.

If you are looking to choose between the two, and you do not need Phase II capability, I would go with the BCD396XT.

W8RMH

You confirmed my suspicion. Thanks!

I've had the bcd396xt for about 8 months and carry it with me 80% of the time and I have not had ANY problems with it

I got my first BCD396XT within a month of them becoming available and it's NEVER been turned off.
That's been more than five years!
Not a single hiccup in that time. And, hopefully, none to come for a long time.

I don't have a BCD436HP. I thought I would want one but ......
I never saw a need. It doesn't do anything I can't do already. (At least nothing that I care about.)

I don't carry the BCD396XT around though.

It's been on my desk providing one of my feeds 24/7 since the day I got it and the only time it's ever been turned off is when I've had a power outage.
Then, I put batteries in it, and it runs that way until power comes back.

Rich

The jury is still out for me.

I own both, but for me, the jury is still out on the 436.

Personally, I find the 436 just far too big and conspicuous to carry around without looking like some kind of tragic cop wannabe, so it stays at home or in the car.. I did go out for a walk with the 436HP at one stage and I felt like a complete tosser with it dangling off my belt! This kind of defeats the purpose of a 'handheld' scanner IMO.

My 396xt is religiously stored and carried around in its cheap, lightweight vinyl case. It has been dropped, knocked and rained on for several years. Yet, despite all that abuse, the little 396xt still looks almost as good as new and works the same as the day I bought it.

I don't have the same confidence in the 436 to handle that kind of abuse. Maybe, if the 436 was protected inside a heavy leather case it would survive my treatment, but then an already 'too bulky' scanner would be even more brick like..

There are some things I like about the 436, but there are probably just as many things I don't like at the moment. Some of those dislikes may well be rectified with future firmware updates but we are stuck with the size, weight & questionable case design.

If Uniden released a 396xt sized phase 11 scanner tomorrow, the 436HP would very quickly disappear from my shack.

I don't like looking like a whacker either so I mount a stubby antenna and drop the scanner in a small fanny pack. I connect a pair of sports ear buds and look like any other goofball listening to a phone or Ipod.

I thought that the size of the 436 was fine because of the larger display.but the font is smaller negating the benefit of the larger display.

DDan, the HP1 in the beginning had smaller font, but after a few firmware upgrades Uniden added the ability to change the font size thankfully. So we can hope eventually the 436 or 536 will get this feature too.

The 396XT seems and feels more solid and has a better easier to read display.

It's too early to say which will be the most rugged, but I suspect in the long run it will be the 396XT.

I have experience with the 396t, 396xt and 436hp and they all are very well built, robust and have a nice "heft" to them. For comparison, I had the GRE 500 for a short time and it just felt cheap and flimsy.
BG..

I've been hesitant to post opinion, I'm disappointed not having the analyze. If Uniden comes out with updates and tries to charge for them, I'll walk away from them. I also own a 2 meter Yaesu ft 270 radio, paid $160 for it. The case is tough, It has a feel of tough. The BCD436HP, I figure I have ONE drop to it and it's done for. It's a smart radio, I like the big screen, HOPE for some very good firmware updates. Been waiting since January.

I keep praising the virtues of the 436HP, as my posts on RRDB threads reflect. However, there are some downsides. One of them is portability. As much as I like the 436HP, I find myself using my 396XT when going for long walks and just want to listen to PD, FD, EMS, etc. In fact, I find I'm using my new WS1080 much more for walking and when out and about for the same reason. Frankly, I do have the feeling that a couple of drops and that may be it for the 436HP.
Yes, the P25 decode is a bit better on the 436HP than 396XT and WS1080, this display is nicer, I like the service types, etc. But none of these are enough for me to be carrying it around all day.
So if you're going to be up and around a lot wearing the scanner on your belt all day long, the 436HP may indeed be too bulky and not as well built from a durability standpoint. This is too bad because it was supposed be a handheld scanner with a similar concept to the HomePatrol, but more "handheld friendly."
Like others on this thread, I have had the 396XT for years, dropped it, done this and that, and no problems what-so-ever. Still one of the best scanners out there IMHO.

Steve AA6IO

Sorry I just don't get the whole thing about it being too big. Its great size wise. It looks and feels like any other good HT. Smaller than something like an MT1000 but still a good feel to it.

I don't get the hiding it away bit at all. Then again I usually have a couple of HTs on my belt so a scanner isn't that much of a difference.

I for one can't stand these little radios they've come out with and the little tiny buttons on them. It feels like you're holding a kids toy or something of that nature, not a nice well built radio.

So having something nicely built to decent proportions is a big plus to me. I wouldn't buy a small hand held myself.

As to construction that seems to be the norm today. Plastic for everything. Look at cars now built out of plastic and aluminum rather than good strong steel. I don't think you can get a radio built like an MT1000 anymore. Solid brick is exactly what I want. Withstand just about anything.

I guess its to each his own but still....

Twister_2 said:

Can anybody who has owned both of these units for a good period of time elaborate on their relative build qualities? Do they both seem plasticy and fragile or does one of the upper hand?

Thanks

Click to expand...

As someone who owns both, I'd have to give the advantage to the 396XT. Just feels more solid and durable than the 436HP.

Thanks for the replies. Now it's time to look for one for a good price. I bought another 996xt at radioshack for more than 75% off this summer. Hopefully I can do the same with a 396xt.