Kc, sad but true, TPD has done the switch-over to the new "Tacoma/Puyallup PSRS" system which can be found in the Pierce County systems section of the R/R database. I posted TPD north and south talkgroups
today. I posted Tacoma fire and Lakewood pd talkgroups last week. Lakewood Dispatch includes Steilacoom and Dupont PD's also and Tacoma Fire is still dispatching for Central Pierce fire until May when they move
to the SS911 system. Word has it that Fife and Milton are deciding which system to join. Also bad news for us avid TPD-LPD listeners, ALL of the Tac channels for both PD's are encrypted, so we can now only listen to the dispatch channels. Fire still has open OP's channels, and this system sounds so phenominal that you
can plainly hear a firefighter, inside a burning building, on a mic inside his helmet. You cannot tell if a cop is on a portable or a mobile,,,amazing.
Now for the second part of your question, I first bought a home-patrol and found it very poor in all areas, just not even close to being user freindly, (I started listening on a dial Hallicrafters in 1965 that i built myself)
and i almost gave up scanning with the home-patrol which i sold. I now have a whistler 1080, and a uniden
bcd436 which will be going away shortly when my second Whistler 1080 arrives in a few days,, This is all
personal preference only but in comparison the 1080 is a far easier radio to use and has FAR superior audio
for the stations WE listen to. Right now i'm listening to TPD, TFD,LPD, WSP Tacoma, and Pierce County Sheriff in South Tacoma, on the Whistler using a 800mhz radioshack rubber duck. I took it to Olympia and it still was loud and clear there and in the car. Also as a point of interest, if you were to choose the 1080, if you call their customer service dept and ask for Sheri, the have a promotion where they will buy your old scanners applied to your new one. Remember, both SS911 and PSRS need a P-25 phase 2 TDMA scanner, good luck, mac