Going From A Uniden BCD396XT Or BCD996XT To A Home Patrol--What Do You Miss?

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JASII

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As posted above, for those that have gone from a Uniden BCD396XT or BCD996XT to a Home Patrol, what, if anything, do you miss? I know, for example, that the Home Patrol doesn't do Fire Tone Out and some other things, but I want to hear from others that have made the switch, what do you miss from the 396XT or the 996XT that the HP-1 doesn't have or doesn't do, if anything?
 

phask

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To a HP - miss nothing, still have 2 396-996 type that I have since moved to a back room.

Find the HP is MUCH easier to reprogram as events require.

Having banks pre-set was my mode of operation with a regular scanner, but needed cheat sheets to keep track, software was always "clunky" and requires multi-steps.

I buy scanners to listen, not to spend hours programing and tweaking.
 

KE4ZNR

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For me the biggest difference is the lack of System/Channel Number
Tags on the HP-1.
I use the Number Tag feature daily to quickly recall a specific TG on the 3 different local trunked systems that I monitor on my 396XT/996XT.
With that being said I love the larger display of the HP-1.
This is why you get both an XT scanner and an HP-1 :D
Best of all worlds!
Marshall KE4ZNR
 

fullmoon

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For me the biggest difference is the lack of System/Channel Number
Tags on the HP-1.
I use the Number Tag feature daily to quickly recall a specific TG on the 3 different local trunked systems that I monitor on my 396XT/996XT.
With that being said I love the larger display of the HP-1.
This is why you get both an XT scanner and an HP-1 :D
Best of all worlds!
Marshall KE4ZNR

This is what I might do
 

TedRHayes

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As posted above, for those that have gone from a Uniden BCD396XT or BCD996XT to a Home Patrol, what, if anything, do you miss? I know, for example, that the Home Patrol doesn't do Fire Tone Out and some other things, but I want to hear from others that have made the switch, what do you miss from the 396XT or the 996XT that the HP-1 doesn't have or doesn't do, if anything?

The biggest thing I miss is Close Call.

The BCD396XT is better for hand/belt portable operation than the HP-1, though I've found the Audio of the BCD396XT to be less than optimal (have had speaker issues over the years). Battery life is a little better than the HP-1.

Its a little easier/quicker to "Search" ranges of frequencies in the older scanners. Can be done in the HP-1, but requires a little more effort. Not a major issue to me.

I'm not sure I'd call it "made the switch". I still use the earlier scanners - sometimes (most times?) just one scanner is not enough!
 

DaveIN

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Close Call and Fire Tone Out is what I miss on the HP-1. Close Call only when using it mobile. Maybe in the HP-2?
 

KE5TLF

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Buttons (as in SQK's to rapidly activate/deactivate something)
Knob (There is absolutely no way to continue scanning from a channel that it is stopped on.)
Close Call
Per channel recording settings
One touch channel L/O
 
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lep

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I never used Close Call on my 996XT, never saw a purpose for it and when it accidentally got turned on was annoyed since the only thing it picked up was the nearby EDU FM BC station.
The 996XT, which I still have, is a pain to program w/o software and even then really needs a paper cheat sheet to find what systems are Where.
I have 2 HP-1, both with Extreme, and if a firmware update is released may fill all my needs. At present the HP-1 does NOT deliver UNKNOWN TGs for logging through the USB port, that is a pain and the 996XT with firmware upgrade does...otherwise the color touch screen is far superior to the tiny lcd display in 996XT. {I banished my 996T to an under-the-passenger-seat in my auto and operate it from the RH].
The 996XT is a nice, traditional DMA scanner but is really Old style, the HP-1 with color touchscreen and new form factor is NEW generation and is the sign of things-to-come IMHOP.
 

fullmoon

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I never used Close Call on my 996XT, never saw a purpose for it and when it accidentally got turned on was annoyed since the only thing it picked up was the nearby EDU FM BC station.
The 996XT, which I still have, is a pain to program w/o software and even then really needs a paper cheat sheet to find what systems are Where.
I have 2 HP-1, both with Extreme, and if a firmware update is released may fill all my needs. At present the HP-1 does NOT deliver UNKNOWN TGs for logging through the USB port, that is a pain and the 996XT with firmware upgrade does...otherwise the color touch screen is far superior to the tiny lcd display in 996XT. {I banished my 996T to an under-the-passenger-seat in my auto and operate it from the RH].
The 996XT is a nice, traditional DMA scanner but is really Old style, the HP-1 with color touchscreen and new form factor is NEW generation and is the sign of things-to-come IMHOP.

I have never benefitted from Close Call. Doesn't HP 1 have lock out ability now?
 

DaveIN

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If you select Avoid when the frequency is active, the frequency will be "avoided" until the power is cycled. If you press avoid 2 times it stays avoided in your selected favorite (unless downloaded without changes from the Sentinel program).
 
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