I'm looking for a scanner to listen to my local police/fire/EMS but the more research I do the more confusing and complicated these scanners seem to be. My local police/fire/EMS use digital channels which I'm understanding to be the 800 MHz channels. I'm not really sure what would be best for my needs because the more I research the more bells and whistles I seem to want and the more expensive these things seem to get. I just want a good bang for the buck scanner that'll work well for the Anne Arundel County, MD area.
Newbie looking for a scanner
- Thread starter 3C
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- Dec 8, 2010
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3C.....My next scanner will be the BCD536HP and Phase II! My area has not switched to Phase 2 just yet, but I plan on having the best radio ready when the time comes! Looks like your area has a lot of Digital P-25, 800MHz stuff for law/fire and EMS! If you are new to the scanner, I might possibly consider having a Uniden BCD536HP Pre-programed with the agencies in your area! This will be the top dollar radio, but I think you will be more satisfied for doing this! Just my opinion! Thanks.....good luck
That's a bit more then I was planning on spending. Is a scanner like that really worth the money for a newbie like myself? If it is worth it that's great but what is the advantage of that scanner over more of a budget friendly one?
If I didn't want to spend that much on a scanner what would you recommend in the low-end to mid-grade range?
If I didn't want to spend that much on a scanner what would you recommend in the low-end to mid-grade range?
Before you consider the 536HP, do yourself a huge favor and scroll down to the Uniden Forums.
There you will find thread after thread of quality control and performance issues related to this scanner.
While I don't own one, the reviews and posts from users of this scanner are more than enough to keep many folks from considering plunking down that kind of money.
3c-id look into the uniden 996p2 base or 325 p2 which are bith 399.99 at scanner master or you can look on ebay,you will be covered if they decided to upgrade to a p-2 system
Agreed, if you can get by with what you already have, I'd wait & see what comes along later. I almost bought a 536 about a month ago, but got scared away by the ongoing problems. I don't need phase2 yet, so I'm holding out til something better comes along.
If you can't wait for a better uniden and don't need the gps features, you might look into the whistler models.
Jeff
russellmaher
KC1ANC
I would suggest that you check out the Uniden Home Patrol scanner. It's very easy to use...put the batteries in it, power it on, insert your zip code and the scanner will download the PD, FD, EMS services in your area. Not complicated at all!
Check out retailers such as Scanner Master or Bearcat Warehouse and get their prices. I believe this scanner is on sale for around $325 - $350 at the present time.
I've got the HP-1 and it's a really great little unit, and you won't have to spend $500 to $600.
I hope this helps.
Russell
Check out retailers such as Scanner Master or Bearcat Warehouse and get their prices. I believe this scanner is on sale for around $325 - $350 at the present time.
I've got the HP-1 and it's a really great little unit, and you won't have to spend $500 to $600.
I hope this helps.
Russell
Best advice is to do your research like you are doing.
You might want to read some of the threads in your home state forum and see what some of the folks are using there.
Often, there are informative posts about what scanners work best for a particular area or a particular radio system.
You might want to read some of the threads in your home state forum and see what some of the folks are using there.
Often, there are informative posts about what scanners work best for a particular area or a particular radio system.
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