BCD996p2 vs bcd536hp

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BlueMoon2

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I am trying to decide on which radio to get and i need help. The bcd996xt that I have in my car monitoring the charlottesville-Albemarle-UVA 800 system, va stars, etc. has serious simulcast distortion issues.

So for 2017 I'm thinking of upgrading the scanner. Question is which one do I go with? I understand now that the 996p2 is dmr and nxdn capable as well as the 536hp. But does anyone know if the 996p2 has simulcast distortion issues? If it does, I may well go with the bcd536hp. I already have the 436hp and am well familiar with it.

Thanks for your advice and opinions.


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allend

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If you are already getting the distortion issue with the 996XT then you will get it with the 996P2.

If you already have the BCD436HP then you just buy the BCD536HP radio and you just force write the radio and your 536HP will be the same as the 436HP.

To get rid of the distortion issue you need to buy a commerical grade Motorola radio. Either a XTS5000 or APX line of radio if you really want a good complete fix to all of the LSM distortion issue.

Its up to you
 

colbymitchell69

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I have Both the 996P2 and the Bcd536HP They Both Have Great Qualities. I prefer the BCD536HP. Mostly for the Simpler Programming. Both Do Have a little distortion on DMR Systems.??? Your Pick.
 

fredva

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For what it is worth, the Charlottesville-Albemarle system is currently a Motorola SmartNet Type II simulcast system, that is due to be replaced by a P25 Phase II system. The 536hp is probably better for a P25 simulcast system. But I don't know if it would be a magic bullet for the SmartNet simulcast system. They are different animals.
 

BlueMoon2

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So after programming a new whistler trx-1 tonight and seeing what it can do for the money, I'm really torn between the uniden bcd536hp and the whistler trx-2. Between the BCD536HP and the Whistler TRX-2, which one would be better overall for P25 Phase 2 Simulcast LSM reception knowing full well that Charlottesville-Albemarle is going to be upgrading their Smartnet system to P25 Phase 2? Anybody have any thoughts? I want a solid mobile scanner that will last me for years to come.

The fact that Whistler makes available DMR, NXDN included with the price as a firmware upgrade, is an excellent selling point that Uniden can't say. Although, I'm not crazy about Object Oriented scanning, I like the way Whistler scanners sound. I'm trying to decide between the two scanners before tax refund time! :p
 

KC4ASF

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I finally broke down and added a 536 last week. Comparing it to my 996p2 on P25 P2 has not been great. Distortion comes and goes the same on both.
Programming the 536 has been a learning experience even after adding the ARC536PRO.
The audio on the 536 does seem to be a little clearer though on non-p25.
I think I will try a 1095 next as I need a newer portable.




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AA6IO

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I have the TRX-2, 536HP, and 996P2, among many others. TRX-2 has great audio on P25, NXDN, and DMR. Find it is not quite as good as 536HP on some Phase 2. I have actually found that 996P2 does better for P25 decode than my 996XT. There all good scanners, but I prefer the 436HP/536HP for searching and instant replay features. Audio quality on TRX-1 and TRX-2 is better and provides better listening experience (IMHO).
 

W4UVV

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536 or 996XT P1/P2

I have a 536 and several 996XTs. I have had the opportunity over the past year to do comparisons. Your concerns are valid and important. My experiences were consistent using a preamped tower mounted antenna with the same RG-6 cable separately connected individually to each scanner:

Sensitivity:
536= Noticeably more RF input sensitive. Receives the Hanover Co. trs fine..good signal/audio.
996XT= Nothing heard. Doesn't recognize the Hanover Co. trs control channel.I suspect the 996XT was over filtered for TVI and RFI which resulted in a higher RF input signal level threshold for "chop proof" reception. Don't know for sure, just an opinion.
Remember a 996XT's current analog and digital threshold RF input signal level is not going to change for the better by adding P2 decode capability. At best hope the firmware modification made doesn't make it any worse.

Audio Quality:
536= Superior and smoother
996XT= Harsh

Simulcasting:
536= Petersburg trs uses 3 simulcasted towers. No problems
996XT= No problems

Text Displays:
536=3 or 4 line displays (I prefer the 4 line display)
996XT= 3 system text data and 2 bottom text displays for System numbers and Group number where appropriate in a conventional system.

Service Color Display:
536= Programed color displays for a set time period in the Function Control base ring. I love it. It is easy to see and does not interfere with any text display.
996XT= Completely covers the screen with the selected active system display color. . At first I liked it until I was mobile. In daylight with bright sunshine and twilight I could not quickly see to determine which system/talkgroup I was hearing. ”Blue" was the worst color for me to see through. So I changed the desired system/talkgroups and conventional user’s colors I wished to monitor all to "White". Problem solved.

My recommendation is buy a 536. Using ARC535PRO I was able to import all 996XT files, edit and save to my 536 as FLs as desired. In my opinion, again, all one needs to be set free from the primitive Uniden Sentinel Software MSDOS+ era baseline is create just one Profile file and one Favorites List file. You already have done that for your 436. ARC536PRO should immediately recognize them and you are ready for 436 or 536 programing.

Then I recommend you purchase ARC536PRO software as the PRO version supports Virtual Memory option for logging talkgroups in real time and saving of additional info. Then you need Software Sentinel only for firmware upgrades and RR database updates.

Remember, both Uniden and Whistler refused to release 436/536 and TRX/2 source code to third party software developers. That's why we still are using basically Uniden's MSDOS+ generation era scanner software with minor improvements. From what I read in the other forum posts (GRE)/Whistler's software is also somewhat primitive and has its' problems. I think it basically was an enhancement of the GRE800 software.

When NXDN is offered for the 536, I gladly will pay the update fee.

John
W4UVV
 
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