Help with choosing a new scanner?

[CSXCP360]

I have several scanner and ham radios, but none that have Alpha Tags. I have had a feed for some time but only used ScannerCast in audio only mode. Is there an up-to-date selection guide? A example is a BCD996P2 that appears to have replaced the BCD996T, but appears not to have all the updates to use for a feed with Tags? $300 plus dollars is a lot of money for me to spend on a dedicated scanner.

I apologize if I have used the wrong forum.

 

[Voyager]

Perhaps one of the best deals for such use is the HomePatrol-X series. You can pick up a HomePatrol-1 for fairly low cost and I believe it would support all you need. Of course, the HomePatrol-1 does not support P25 Phase II. If you need that, you would have to upgrade to the HomePatrol-2 or perhaps a BCD536HP which could also give you DMR and NXDN. If you find one used that has a dim display, you might be able to get a great deal on it. Uniden will fix the backlight for free, too, but that may not be important if you're only using it for a feed.

 

[W8RMH]

If you just need a scanner to stream RR VHF and don't need digital look for a BCT15X. They are available on eBay new for less than $200 including a one year warranty. I see one now for $151.95.

The BCD996P2 replaced the BCD996XT, adding Phase 2 capability. They both have alpha tagging capability.

I use a BCD996XT for my feed and the alpha tags work great. I purchased it 2 weeks before the BCD996P2 was released (my luck) to upgrade to digital from the BCT15X which also worked fine with alpha tags. I use RadioFeed. I had problems with Scannercast.

 

[pinballwiz86]

$300 plus dollars is a lot of money for me to spend on a dedicated scanner

Well, if you put two more Benjamins together you can get yourself a BCD536HP. You can then stream your feed using wi-fi, and still be able to listen to the action through the scanner's speaker!