Yes, I bought a 396 - by accident. VERY surprised with its performance - Very Nnice.
I also have a radio shack pro 26, yes that a PRO 26, so I became re-intrested in the hobby when i found my old radio shack in some boxes I was clearing out.
Long story short.
I thought I had ordered a 996T from scanners r us but somehow I screwed up and got a 396t instead. Did not notice the error until the UPS man delivered a small package and I opened it then reviewed my Online order form, oops.
However, I loved it. Yes LOVED. after 7 days of use the LCD screen went bad and I am sending it back tomorrow and asking for the 996 as its replacement.
I think the only difference is GPS input and from the Monitoring times review seems more effort than it is worth. I think the premise is as you are driving your gps tells the scanner to start scanning other systems in the area you are in. Takes a lot of effort to set up from what I hear.
For me GPS is not really that important, and with 6000 channels I can have all the channels in the 396 i need and just selecet the ones I want to scan and lockout the others.
I do love how easy the 396 is to transport and fits in my palm. With a simple fm modulator I can listen to the action over my car speakers while the scanner is sittning in my cup holder. loud and clear.
Anyway its really more of portability and since I am a couch potatoe the 996 is more of a fit for me.
BUT - If I find another 500 laying around I would not hesitate buy the 396 Very Impressive.