Help with selecting the right scanner
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Unfortunately "ease" of programming can mean different things to different folks.
The "easiest" would be next to no programming where you select what types of services you want to hear and via a GPS or hand entry, the radio does the rest. For Uniden that's the newer series of scanners, especially the SDS scanners. Generally as the model numbers get higher.. The more features there are. The one thing that the sds series has is its ability to handle simulcast systems. None of the other Uniden scanners handle simulcast systems as well. That's where a system has multiple radio towers that broadcast on the same frequency at the same time. There are more and more of those simulcast systems coming online all the time.
It all also depends on whether you want a portable or a "desk" type of radio and if course, your budget.
I personally have an sds200 with a GPS and love it. I do a lot of RV travel and take the radio with me and while on the road pretty much always hear police and fire systems on my route. Never have to touch the radio other than turn it on or off. But that's also an expensive radio. I have invested around $1,200 in it including a fender mounted antenna on the RV.
So set your priorities, read reviews and comments and check your budget.
Good luck!
Welcome to the RR forums. Assuming you're interested in monitoring local emergency services for Cumberland County PA you'll be out of luck since their present-day system is Open Sky and cannot be monitored by any scanner. There are plans to build a new P25 Phase-II system which can be monitored but that won't happen for another few years (2024-25?). Per this thread, law enforcement and EMS will be fully encrypted and therefore not monitorable. With that said I'd strongly recommend the Uniden SDS100 or SDS200 as simulcast distortion is well documented on the systems pertaining to the other zip codes you provided (Montgomery Co, PA & Camden Co, NJ) and most likely will be with Cumberland's new system. Also law enforcement is fully encrypted in both counties (as denoted by mode "TE" in their respective DB tables)
There will be a learning curve involved, especially for those without experience with the DMA (Dynamic Memory Allocation) programming architecture that the HP-1, HP-2, x36HP & SDS series scanners are based upon
Suggested reads:
SDS100 - The RadioReference Wiki
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With one of the Uniden database scanners (HP1,HP2,x36,SDS) you can start by scanning using your zip code, but this isn't the be all and end all. It is just a starting point for day one. You will need to understand how to program these scanners with provided software (or acquire one of the pay options) running on a Windows pc, or you will lose interest and either sell the scanner or give it an honored place on a shelf in the closet.
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