Hennepin County - Scanner Recommendation

[JBWayzata]

Afternoon,

I am trying to decide if upgrading from a Uniden BCD396XT is worth the investment.

I only listen to ARMER channels and do not travel ( HFIRE's, PTAC's, LTAC's, HSWRFC TAC's ).

1.) Will I notice a significant improvement between a 396xt and something else?

2.) What is the best scanner for decoding the ARMER system ( E.g. SDS 100, G-Series Voice Pagers, BCD436HP )

3.) What are the drawbacks to the G-Series Voice Pager ( Which is best for the ARMER system ). Do these double as a fire pager? Can you add alerts for specific sets of tones on HFIRE1?

Thanks in advance

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

2.) What is the best scanner for decoding the ARMER system ( E.g. SDS 100, G-Series Voice Pagers, BCD436HP )

Given the fact that Hennepin County consists primarily of simulcast cells I'd go with the SDS100 to overcome likely simulcast distortion

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

3.) What are the drawbacks to the G-Series Voice Pager

Read the features, similarities and differences (some drawbacks) to a traditional scanner in the Unication wiki here

 

[ofd8001]

If you are listening to a specific set of talkgroups, like just Hennepin Fire, then the Unication G-5 might be a good choice. However if you are wanting to scan a wide variety of talkgroups, such as some Minneapolis and some Hennepin County, then the Uniden SDS model would be my recommendation.

Reason being Minneapolis talkgroups typically use the Minneapolis NS tower/site. Hennepin typically use Hennepin East (or West). As I understand it, the Unication "locks in" on a tower/site and stays there. If will only look for another tower/site when the signal goes below a certain level. So if it has locked in on that Minneapolis tower, you probably will not receive many (if any) Hennepin County talkgroups. With a regular scanner, it spends a few seconds on one site, then moves to another, then moves to another, etc.

I've listened to the ARMER system in the twin cities over the years with several different model scanners. The SDS line is the best and the 396XT not too great. That is due to the nature of simulcasting that is done in the cities. Sometimes you can get lucky and be in a good spot where you are not receiving multiple towers, however.

 

[bearcatrp]

Since you don’t travel, get the SDS200 plus proscan. Leave it on 24/7 to log everything it receives. Pretty cool to check the logs from overnight while you were asleep. Don’t need a powerful computer to run proscan.

 

[wogggieee]

I'd go SDR. It's cheaper and performs as good or better than a scanner. Get an airspy and run it was trunk recorder or SDR trunk.

 

[JBWayzata]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!

I went with the G5 for now as it has the option for fire page alerts. Hopefully I can make it work on the digital Hennepin county fire main.

Also researched the SDR option and have a airspy on the way! Cool to see SDR has come a long way since I last was in the market for a scanner 15 years ago

 

[JBWayzata]

Quick update:

G5 is amazing. Clear audio, no dropping signals, and monitors everything I need it to.

FD paging set up on the HCPage TG and is working flawlessly.

 

[garage_logician]

I am all set to order the sds200. Do I need DMR, NXDN or Provoice? I am torn between the DS200 and SDS100 but like the idea of logging everything and being able to check it the next day (or can the SDS`100 do this too?). Are there any other differences between the two?

I am anxious to get the scanner and get started!

 

[bearcatrp]

You can use the SDS100 to log but its awkward. If you don't need mobility, get the 200 and proscan. I've been logging last 2 years 24/7.

 

[garage_logician]

thanks for the feedback. Proscan looks great, but it seems it is Windows only (I am on a mac). I do have Parallels and Windows 11 that I can use but would prefer a mac app, are there any?

Also, is Sentinel adequate for programming, or should I be looking at something else?

 

[ofd8001]

Unfortunately scanner programming is a "Windows world". None of the big 3 programming software packages (Sentinel, ProScan, Butel) are Mac oriented. So you gotta do those work-arounds.

Sentinel is a bare bones basic program that will get your scanner running. You can update firmware, master database, create Profiles and Favorites Lists with it. Sentinel would be your first choice for programming.

ProScan and Butel are more feature rich programs that will allow you to do more with Favorites Lists, and computer control of the scanner. Owing to how serious you will be, these are excellent additional software packages. Only one is necessary. ProScan may be a little more advanced with some features that Butel does not have. Also ProScan will handle most all scanner models (if you have several), where with Butel, you may need several versions depending on which model scanners you have.

 

[wogggieee]

I am all set to order the sds200. Do I need DMR, NXDN or Provoice? I am torn between the DS200 and SDS100 but like the idea of logging everything and being able to check it the next day (or can the SDS`100 do this too?). Are there any other differences between the two?

I am anxious to get the scanner and get started!

If you're really interested in logging an RTL-SDR stick with Unitrinker is a better route.

 

[garage_logician]

I have an RTL-SR but want something more. I like the idea of a unit like the Uniden SDS-200 that I can just plug in, turn on and go. The logging would be an added benefit, and from what I can tell, I can "publish" my scanner with ProScan so I can monitor (and control) remotely.l

 

[bearcatrp]

go find yourself a cheap windows machine. Don’t need a powerful pc for proscan. Win 7 or higher. Check Craigslist. You will like the SDS 200 and proscan. Been logging over 2 years with mine. I have my Mac mini, my gaming rig and a cheap HP win10 computer sharing one computer screen.

 

[garage_logician]

I think that is a good idea. I am also getting started with Ham radio (had my ticket for a few years and just now putting it to use). It seems like all the ham stuff is Windows too. I might have to augment my systems with a Windows laptop.

 

[bearcatrp]

Laptop isn't made to run 24/7 if your going to be logging.

 

[wogggieee]

I have an RTL-SR but want something more. I like the idea of a unit like the Uniden SDS-200 that I can just plug in, turn on and go. The logging would be an added benefit, and from what I can tell, I can "publish" my scanner with ProScan so I can monitor (and control) remotely.l

You can remotely monitor and control an rtl-sdr and you wont miss things like you will with a conventional scanner like an sds-200

 

[garage_logician]

What would the SDS200 would miss? If the SDS200 is connected to the network and logging to a PC, it would capture everything.

 

[garage_logician]

Laptop isn't made to run 24/7 if your going to be logging.

I think the laptops of today are just fine. I have a MacBook Pro that I use as a desktop replacement, and it runs 24x7, just like my previous Mac did as well.