Hi all.
I've been looking at scanners for quite a while now and I think I'm sold on the 436.
Only question is, I've read several times about problems specific to the Homepatrol radios, but can't find anything about the 436 relating to that when searching. Can someone tell me what the issue is with the Homepatrols?
Thanks!
I have both Home Patrol scanners (HP-1 & HP-2). I have had no chronic problems with either, and a good many of the so-called "problems" some people want to cite boil down to not knowing how the scanner works, or expecting it to do something it is not designed for. I also have two of the 436HPs. When first released, the x36HP models had problems with the real-time clock, as well as some displays fading. Uniden set up a service campaign to allow users to send them in (Uniden paid the shipping both ways) and get those issues fixed. My first, early production, 436HP had those problems, which were addressed (as they also were on my 536HP). The second one, purchased after the issues were corrected in the manufacturing process, has had no problems.
The HP-2 is not a good choice for simulcast systems, but neither are a number of other scanners (including the 436HP). The 436HP is somewhat better at simulcast than the HP-2, or 325P2, but the SDS scanners are a better choice for serious simulcast problems. Without knowing your location, or the systems you want to monitor, I would not know if simulcast might be an issue for you.
Unless you purchase the Extreme Upgrade, you cannot directly program or edit systems directly on the scanner. But these functions can be done in the free Sentinel software. These two models do not use quick keys, nor do they have banks. They use Favorites lists, as do the BCDx36HP scanners, & the SDS series. With the two HP scanners, you do not have the option to program a color LED to light up when a specific channel or talkgroup is received, but that is not a 'problem'; it's simply a feature not present on these units. Also, the HP-1 & HP-2 cannot get the DMR, NXDN, or ProVoice upgrades. If any of those are needed in your area, then look towards the 436HP/536HP or SDS100/SDS200.
There have been no firmware updates for the HP-2 since it was first released. But neither have there been any chronic issues with it's operation that required a firmware change to correct. The large touch display screen is easy to read, compared to some other models. Like the other database scanners from Uniden, you can connect a GPS, set a range, and using the included database (updated weekly), you can let the scanner monitor transmissions along the way without having to specifically program them. (You can, of course, also do that with the BXDx36HP & SDS scanners.)
The HP-1 & HP-2 use a different version of Sentinel than do the x36HP or SDS scanners. But both versions of Sentinel can get weekly database updates, which you then download to the scanners if you prefer to let location, range, and service types define your listening, as opposed to creating a specific Favorites list of what you wish to hear. The HP-1, od course, has long been discontinued, but the HP-2 is still an active model. The price ranges for the HP-2 & the 436HP are roughly the same, depending on where you purchase.
If you can name a specific "problem" that you've heard of for the HP-2, indicate what that might be. It's been a good unit, without major issues posted. As already stated, most of the "problems" that come up in posts are operator error, or expecting the scanner to do something it is not designed to do. The HP-2, as well as the 436HP, is powered via a mini-USB port, and comes with a USB cable to connect either to a PC, or an external 5V USB power source, like what is often used for phones & tablets. Note that while the 436HP cannot charge it's batteries while scanning, you do have that option with the HP-2. However, as has been noted many times in the forums. charging batteries externally, in a "smart charger" gives better results in terms of an accurate, full, charge, as well as being safer. If a battery being charged fails, while in the scanner, you can damage the scanner severely. But if charged in a "smart" charger, in the event of such a failure, at least you would not damage the scanner; only an external charger. (Some of them sense when a battery is failing, and prone to overheat, and may shut down charging that specific 'bad' battery before a serious failure occurs.)
