Moving to the BIG city

[matt56007]

I’ve recently relocated to Ramsey County 55104. I own a Home Patrol 2 and I absolutely love it. I have an extra $600-$700 and I’m interested in a handheld and I’m looking for some recommendations. I basically want a Handheld version of the HomePatrol because of the ease of use and it has the P25 Phase II. I’m currently looking at the following radios. I want something that is very simple and easy to use.

Uniden BCD436HP BCD436HP
Uniden SDS100 SDS100
Uniden BCD996P2 BCD996P2 Digital Mobile Scanner

 

[jason_58201]

There is no handheld version of HP2.
If living in Ramsey county your best handheld is the sds 100. The 436 is a solid cheaper alternative but lacks the fancy display of the sds 100 and more importantly the sds 100 is capable of decoding simulcast broadcast. The 436 can’t do that.

 

[CcSkyEye]

BCD436HP is a great handheld that you can find for a good price if you do your research. Another one not listed is the BCD325P2, however it doesn't the ability to punch in a zip code and go like the Home Patrol.

 

[bearcatrp]

The SDS 100 will be your best bet in the twin cities. The 436 will work but you will miss allot.

 

[matt56007]

BCD436HP is a great handheld that you can find for a good price if you do your research. Another one not listed is the BCD325P2, however it doesn't the ability to punch in a zip code and go like the Home Patrol.

Thanks for taking the time to explain this.

There is no handheld version of HP2.
If living in Ramsey county your best handheld is the sds 100. The 436 is a solid cheaper alternative but lacks the fancy display of the sds 100 and more importantly the sds 100 is capable of decoding simulcast broadcast. The 436 can’t do that.

If I pickup that SDS 100 will I miss anything if I only use the HP1 database or will it work right out of the box. Punch in the zip’s and go is what I’m looking for right now.

 

[ofd8001]

If I was to move back to the Twin Cities I would NOT get a BCD436. Too much simulcast use and missed transmissions. Whenever I visit family, the 436 stays at home and I bring the SDS 100.

Another option is a Unication G5. They are challenging to program if you are not used to that kind of thing. Also they won't do zip code scanning and the number of "things" you can program is limited compared to the SDS 100. But I do love how they decode simulcast, probably better than the SDS 100/200.

 

[ofd8001]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this.


If I pickup that SDS 100 will I miss anything if I only use the HP1 database or will it work right out of the box. Punch in the zip’s and go is what I’m looking for right now.

You'll have to update the firmware and the master database, which you should do regardless of what scanner you get. But yes, right after the updates, you can enter your zipcode and be scanning away.

 

[matt56007]

I guess my next question would be; Has anyone run Sentinel software on an IPad before?

 

[ryolsen8]

I guess my next question would be; Has anyone run Sentinel software on an IPad before?

You can't. It's a windows based program.

 

[matt56007]

You can't. It's a windo

You can't. It's a windows based program.

I can run the program just fine using a Windows VM on my IPad. I’m more concerned with the radio talking to the IPad through the port.

 

[egftechman]

After going with RDL-SDR dongles and SDRTrunk, I wouldn't recommend anything else for monitoring ARMER and other trunked systems.
I have a pair of RTL-SDRs ( Nooelec v5), and a NUC (<$300 total), and can simultaneously monitor and record all talkgroups on 3 ARMER sites and a SIRN (North Dakota) simulcast site.
I have it feed a private Rdio-scanner instance I use for my primary listening (that I can access from a smart phone or tablet nearly anywhere), and also have feeds to OpenMHz and Broadcastify Calls, along with a Broadacstify audio feed, and a "firehose" audio feed to a private Icecast instance.

 

[wogggieee]

I'll second the SDR route. I use Airspys wiht Trunk Recorder as a back end recording three counties and rdio-scanner as an interface to listen to what I want of it on whatever device I want anywhere I have an internet connection. I can't see buying a conventional scanner at this point unless theres a specific need.