Best Scanner for CT?

[scottct1]

Hi there, since rebranding is starting to happen and because CSP is now digital I want to upgrade from my current Radio Shack Pro 95 scanner and am looking for another portable scanner.

I am looking at the Uniden BCD396T.

Would this be a good scanner for me?

Here are my specifics - I live in Newington and work in Hartford, my office is next to the state capitol. I listen to the following town and services.

Hartford Police & Fire
Newington Police & Fire
West Hartford Police and Fire
New Britain Police and Fire
Hartford Hospital
LifeStar

I want to be able to hear the CSP.

Another reason I am looking at the BCD396T is because of its Close Call Feature, there are plenty of time I see action going on yet I don't knw what frequencies they are using, with Close Call this is no longer an issue since it detects and gives you that information.

Is this scanner a good choice for me? Are there other brands or models I should be looking at?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[jrplmil]

I have the BC396t and love it. I see you have a rs pro95 so you might want to check the pro96 as it too has close call feature but I think they call it signal stalker. That I think are the only 2 scanners still in production that have the close call feature and are hand held units. There should be a waki page that compares the two.

 

[vs1988]

scottct1, I don't have any experience with the 396 but I'd sure get one if I had the money! The pro 96 does not do LTR, so if you want to listen to Newington you're better off with the 396.

 

[scottct1]

The pro 96 does not do LTR, so if you want to listen to Newington you're better off with the 396

Excellent point, yes Newington does use LTR. So it looks like indeed the BCD396T is the one for me.

Thank you!

 

[kc8syo]

The Pro96 does not have the signal stalker feature.

 

[bobmich52]

Go 396T For Sure, It will cover What You Want Nicely

EXCELLENT For CSP

 

[scottct1]

Well yesterday morning I stopped by Lentini's in Newington and am now the proud owner of a BCD396T.

I didn't like it at first, it was a learning curve coming from a RS Pro95, but then I found the ARC396T software and now I think I am in Love.

The pickup on it is not as good at my Pro95. At home I had no issues picking up the Hartford Police with the Pro95 however with the 396T I can barely pick up Hartford. I am using the included antenna. Guess I will need to get a better one.

As far as the Digital stuff goes I think I may have a wrong setting or something, as it is REALLY hard to make out what the voices are saying on the CSP. It sounds like really bad real audio.

About the only thing I have not figured out is how to turn off talk groups on the scanner itself.

Let's say I have Newington frequencies plugged in, and my songs school is a talk group, I want to have this one on but turn the rest off. How do I do that using the scanner (and not the software) there are times I may want to turn other groups off or on.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[jdemers]

The digital audio is not the best, but short of getting yourself a Motorola digital radio (thousands of bucks), the 396 is a great option. I often turn the scanner on at work (911) and the audio is 'similar' to that which comes from the console.

The 396 is a great scanner. Of course, they will come out with one with a slicer-dicer etc soon after you buy it! FYI, there is rumor of CSP changing from simple digital to an IP based system, which, as I understand, will mean you will have less control of who you hear... IF they actually do this.

 

[DOPPLERBOB]

The Pro-96 digital processing is much better than the Uniden 396. Give it a try at your local RS with the 396 next to it and you will see what I mean. I compared them before I made my decision on which to buy. It was a no brainer when I had them side by side. RS has a few scanners that do LTR for closeout prices at times. You really need a dedicated scanner for State PD anyway, and another radio for your local department. Things get real busy on the State system and you may miss a good amount of your local departments transmissions. Usually RS has a good sale during Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving). Last year they had the Pro-97 or 95 for $79, and they do LTR. Don't get me wrong, the 396 is a great radio and it had a few things that I liked better than the Pro-96. But if you can't hear the digital transmissions, the other features really are not important any more.
Give it a try before it is too late. My buddy also purchaced his from Lentini and after he heard the difference, he was able to return it to Lentini with no problems.