PRS800 vs. BCD396XT

[Gadgetguy2009]

Hello all,

would anyone have a comparison between the PRS800 and BCD396XT?

Areas I would be interested in:

- sensitivity
- speed (scanning, searching)
- frequency coverage
etc.

I had a 396xt a while ago but sold it. Now I am considering to get back to scanning and the PRS800 looks interesting (especially the recording feature) - so I would be interested in your thoughts...

Thank you for sharing!

PS: If this has been already discussed - can you please point me in the right direction? I tried searching but did not find such comparison

 

[brownlab]

There are a couple of recent reviews of the PRS 800. A very good one located here in this forum and another good one is in the Virginia Forum under "Is anyone using the PRS 800 in Loudoun County" I would start there first then check out the Uniden forum for the 396XT. Both are good scanners with two main differences. The 800 contains a Library with all known scanner frequencies in the US and Canada and you use that to program the unit. The 800 does not have a keypad and is menu driven. The 396XT is more of a traditional scanner, has a keypad, and you program frequencies using an external source such as the Radio Reference data base. Most Uniden owners use Freescan or similar scanner programming software. There is one other issue concerning which if any of the two scanners will be able to monitor Phase 2 APCO Project 25 TDMA which is a system that some jurisdictions will be using in the coming months. I suggest that you read everything about that before you make your decision. Good Luck!

 

[mike_s104]

If you need TDMA, get the PSR-800. If you tend on doing a lot of programming by hand, I would get the 396XT.

I have both and love both of them. If I had to chose which to buy, I hate to say it, I would get the PSR-800.

The PSR-800 does not have a number pad, but for me, when we travel I'll take both.

 

[EvilLithiumMan]

Tough call. I own both and would not want to part with either. My smartass response is to 1) Buy both of them and, 2) Go to Costco and buy a three month supply of Cup-of-Noodles which you can eat until the scanners are paid off.

A more dignified response:

Sensitivity - I have multiples of many antennas. This allows me to have three scanners operating simultaneously to compare. Antennas are the RS800MHz, RS telescopic with center loaded coil, Diamond (S)RH77CA and the Maldol AH-W100RX. For any given type of antenna, I can not detect any difference in sensitivity. Both do a great job.

Speed - I have the impression the BCD396XT is faster, but won't swear to it. It may be that the 800's LCD screen response is throwing me off.

The PSR800's microSD card and recording feature make it the more current model. (But I have to mention this: both my 800 and HomePatrol are configured to record every reception. Now I find myself with 100's of recordings and virtually no enthusiasm to listen to them). Clearly, I need to rethink about my approach to recording.