396/996 question

[Merovingian]

Hello I'm new to the fourm. I've been thinking about getting a 396 or 996 scanner for monitoring police, fire, utilites, ect. I was origionally going to get a 996 but it's not as easy to carry with you but seems to have more features.

I was recently going to buy a 396 for it's portability but then read in the fourm about the lettering rubbing off. It seems Uniden is planning to fix the problem but it will take six months. I'd rather wait until the problem is fixed but that may not be until Feb. or March 07. I'd like to buy a digital scanner sooner than that.

My question is does the 996 have the same problem with the lettering as the 396? Also, is the problem with the 396 that big of a deal? I would appreciate some thoughts of experienced Uniden users who own one or both scanners.

Thanks.

 

[scannerdaddy]

396/996

there should be no further problems concerning the silk screen issue with the 396. i and many others i'm sure only waited about 2-3 weeks for uniden to resolve the problem. so go ahead and get the radio.it's great. enjoy and welcome to the wonderfull world of scanning.

 

[Merovingian]

there should be no further problems concerning the silk screen issue with the 396. i and many others i'm sure only waited about 2-3 weeks for uniden to resolve the problem. so go ahead and get the radio.it's great. enjoy and welcome to the wonderfull world of scanning.

Thats good news, thanks. Now the $64,000 question.

How do I know if the scanner I buy now is the latest one off the assembly line which is fixed and not an older one thats been sitting in someones wearhouse? Is the coated surface of the scanners face slick or visibly different from and uncoated one. Are there any dealers known to have to latest stock from Uniden? Otherwise I guess I'll just have to ask.

 

[rhutch]

Thats good news, thanks. Now the $64,000 question.

How do I know if the scanner I buy now is the latest one off the assembly line which is fixed and not an older one thats been sitting in someones wearhouse? Is the coated surface of the scanners face slick or visibly different from and uncoated one. Are there any dealers known to have to latest stock from Uniden? Otherwise I guess I'll just have to ask.

That was over a year ago when reading these post check the dates.

 

[Merovingian]

I've been researching for about two weeks, I found the post relating to the silkscreen issue while doing a Google search. The post was dated July 06 which made me think it was a new problem. I thought the 396 came out about the same time as the 996. I guess it's at least a year older than that.

 

[wjf]

Thats good news, thanks. Now the $64,000 question.

How do I know if the scanner I buy now is the latest one off the assembly line which is fixed and not an older one thats been sitting in someones wearhouse? Is the coated surface of the scanners face slick or visibly different from and uncoated one. Are there any dealers known to have to latest stock from Uniden? Otherwise I guess I'll just have to ask.

If you're concerned that you'll get an older unit, buy it from a dealer who moves a lot of equipment, such as Communications Electronics, where I got mine five months ago.

 

[mwjones]

I've been researching for about two weeks, I found the post relating to the silkscreen issue while doing a Google search. The post was dated July 06 which made me think it was a new problem. I thought the 396 came out about the same time as the 996. I guess it's at least a year older than that.

You probably saw my post. I waited until the 1 year warranty was near it's end before I sent it in (I was timing it to an out-of-country business trip that was delayed a number of times, and to date still hasn't happened).

Like the others said, the problem only existed with the first production batch in July 2005, and was corrected in subsequent batches. I doubt that many of the first production batch still exist in stores/warehouses, but my experience with retail a number of years ago says that it is possible.

Not to worry though, Uniden will cover the repair under the one year manufactuer's warranty. It took about two weeks from the time I sent it until I got it back - athough I have the advantage of being 4 1/2 hours away from Ft. Worth, and would be a short ground delivery time compared to other parts of the country. Don't worry though, even from the far reaches of the lower 48, the repair time would be 3 weeks or less including transit time.

 

[Merovingian]

You probably saw my post. I waited until the 1 year warranty was near it's end before I sent it in (I was timing it to an out-of-country business trip that was delayed a number of times, and to date still hasn't happened).

Like the others said, the problem only existed with the first production batch in July 2005, and was corrected in subsequent batches. I doubt that many of the first production batch still exist in stores/warehouses, but my experience with retail a number of years ago says that it is possible.

Not to worry though, Uniden will cover the repair under the one year manufactuer's warranty. It took about two weeks from the time I sent it until I got it back - athough I have the advantage of being 4 1/2 hours away from Ft. Worth, and would be a short ground delivery time compared to other parts of the country. Don't worry though, even from the far reaches of the lower 48, the repair time would be 3 weeks or less including transit time.

You may be right. Your name looks familiar.

 

[red8]

I have a 396 and it is truly one great radio, I also own a 796 which the only drawback is the fact that it does not receive the 700 Mhz
band while the 396 does. The 396 is compact but delivers quality.
I have been fortunate enough to not have any problems with my
396 since I bought back in may. Eventually one of these days when
I win the state lottery, I am going to purchase a 996.

 

[Merovingian]

If you're concerned that you'll get an older unit, buy it from a dealer who moves a lot of equipment, such as Communications Electronics, where I got mine five months ago.

I just placed an order at usascan for a BCD396T. I used their deal to get the leather pouch, headphones and car adapter. I don't know if it's the best deal or not. Now I have to find someone who has the Diamond SRH77CA in stock. It seems to be a decent antenna.

 

[DaveIN]

I just placed an order at usascan for a BCD396T. I used their deal to get the leather pouch, headphones and car adapter. I don't know if it's the best deal or not. Now I have to find someone who has the Diamond SRH77CA in stock. It seems to be a decent antenna.

Scanners Unlimited has the Diamond SRH77CA in stock, but Glenn is on vacation for a week.

 

[Merovingian]

WooHoo.. Got my 396

UPS dropped off my 396 a little while ago. Now I have to figure out how to program it and use it. Fun, fun.

The NiMH batteries that came with it say to charge for 16 hours, usually you have to charge NiCads for that long. I have a Rayovac NiMH charger I use to charge other NiMH batterys, they take several hours to charge but I don't think they take 16 hours. Would that charger damage the Uniden batterys? I would think all NiMH batterys "charge" the same.

 

[wjf]

I just placed an order at usascan for a BCD396T. I used their deal to get the leather pouch, headphones and car adapter. I don't know if it's the best deal or not. Now I have to find someone who has the Diamond SRH77CA in stock. It seems to be a decent antenna.

Can I ask why you'd like a Diamond SRH77CA?

Been wondering if I could pick up more than with the stock antenna and the RS 800 I currently have.

BTW - the RS 800 makes a world of difference in picking up 800 mhz. Best $17 I ever spent.

 

[Merovingian]

Can I ask why you'd like a Diamond SRH77CA?

Been wondering if I could pick up more than with the stock antenna and the RS 800 I currently have.

BTW - the RS 800 makes a world of difference in picking up 800 mhz. Best $17 I ever spent.

I read a review here: http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/antenna.html

I wanted a flexible antenna, and the size seemed about right. I ordered it Monday, I was hoping it would be here today hopfully it will come tomorrow.

 

[wjf]

Let me know how it works out for you.

After reading that article, I'm curious about the Seeker 800.

 

[Merovingian]

Let me know how it works out for you.

After reading that article, I'm curious about the Seeker 800.

The antenna came today. I've got it on the scanner now. I've only had a couple hours experience with the radio so far and about an hour with the new antenna. I have detected several weak signals now that I didn't yesterday with the stock antenna. I'll let you know.