Yeah, you're right, but the guy made a derogatory blanket statement about without knowing enough about the scanner or what he was trying to scan, Not the best way to break into this forum.
Not derogatory, just true. Yes, the 436 is basically junk when it comes to monitoring an LSM system, which the PCWIN system most certainly is. We all know that. But the Uniden fanboys won't admit it and instead chose to blame the operator, the system, the location, the antenna, the wind - anything but Uniden.
To the OP - yes, you're basically right. That scanner is crap if you're trying to listen to PCWIN. Unlike others, I won't blame that fact on you. To prove I'm neither a Uniden fanboy nor a Uniden hater, see my posts from last week wherein I rave about the Uniden SDS100 on PCWIN. Simply put, the 436 doesn't have the right hardware to work well on PCWIN (though they sell it as such, and occasionally you might here a few words). The SDS100 was actually designed by Uniden to cure the defects inherent in the 436 when it comes to monitoring systems like PCWIN (read their advertising - they all but admit this, even if only indirectly). And it works great on PCWIN.
But no, operating these scanners is not simple. Simple is a Unication G4 or G5, or a BK KNG-P800. The former will cost the same or less than an SDS100 but won't have nearly so many whizbang features, but will work well for basic monitoring once programmed (but you will need help to program it if you found the 436 challenging). The latter will cost a ton more but will work even better (it is a public safety grade P25 transceiver that happens to have a true "Receive Only" mode), but here again you would need proprietary software and help to program initially.
I used my KNG-P800 and my SDS100 to monitor PCWIN last week. Both sounded fantastic all over town. But I admit I am sufficiently techy that neither overwhelms me in terms of programming or operation. My 436, on the other hand, sounded like - well - junk.
You said "volunteer EMS". UofA EMS, or SARA? I can't imagine who else is "volunteer EMS" in the Tucson area. I'm guessing the former since they are dispatched on PCWIN, whereas SARA isn't (though monitoring PCSO East 1 could be quite useful to an active SARA member).
Dan