Home Patrol 2 just purchased!

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Mojo2017

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I purchased a Home Patrol 2 a couple weeks ago. Using the stock antenna and living 12 miles from the nearest police dept. I was ready to put the scanner back in the box and request a refund. Being a new user, I read many forums to see what I was missing. I dowloaded the extreme upgrade after finally learning how to enter the scanner number into the Sentinel software to unlock the key. The only scanner I every owned before the HP2 was a 12 channel analog Uniden bearcat self entering frequencies on an outside antenna. I knew what a difference an outside antenna could make. After finally ordering the right adapter to hook to my outside antenna (female SMA to female F) and receiving it today after ordering the wrong one the first time. I found out that a female looks like a male and a male looks like a female when it comes to coaxial connections. I got the Uniden HP2 hooked up on the outside antenna today. I have decided to keep it. It is picking up great. I can just imagine what it would do with a discone or well built antenna. You should see my dinky antenna on my roof. Anyway just thought I would post some info because I did read lots of posts from people who were soured on the HP 1&2 and ready to box there HP1 and HP 2 up and ship them back requesting a refund. If you’re new to scanning, read the forums and gather all the knowledge you can before sending your scanner back. I’m hoping to learn more about analyzing frequencies on HP2 extreme upgrade.
Things I don’t like about the HP2: you cannot run it off AC current. The touchscreen is not large enough to see what frequency is transmitting when your scanner is on a desk at a distance. It doesn’t come with the 50 dollar extreme upgrade! The holder is dinky!
 

Mojo2017

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Thanks Chief21 for that info, that would be great for me. I am not mobile enough to do hardly any running around in a vehicle anymore so that would be great and save lots of trouble of taking batteries out of the scanner to charge them. Would you post a picture, the brand name or item number on that Walmart USB connector to post? Does that USB ac connecter plug into the same scanner jack as the USB that we use to update and use the Sentinel software? When I plug the one in that comes with the radio, the computer recognizes the scanner and gives the option of CHARGE or MASS STORAGE. From there I’m not able to listen to the scanner! Thanks again!
 

popnokick

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What is your outside antenna? Asking because it will help to emphasize your point that nearly ANY outside antenna is better than the one that comes with the radio (assuming you are not in an area where you already have very strong signals or LSM / multipath interference).
 

Blackswan73

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The stock antenna that comes with the HP2 in short, sucks. I replaced mine with a Remtronix 800(same as theRS800), and have never looked back. The only problem I have had with my HP2, is the rubberized coating. It wears off very quickly, in just a few months, actually. I finally removed it all and it looks ok.
 
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Mojo2017

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Popnokick actually the old 25 year old antenna has one of the elements broken off but it still does 98% better than the stock mobile antenna! muskrat39 you are too right, the stock antenna is not much!
 

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popnokick

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That antenna looks like it might have once been a TV antenna.... and TV antennas make great scanner antennas. So replacing it with a new TV antenna would not be too expensive or difficult... and would increase your reception even more. However, it would be directional but if the majority of what you listen to comes from the same direction, no problem.
 

chief21

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Mojo -

I didn't say 'Wal-Mart', I said 'wall-wart'. These are the type of power supplies that plug into a wall outlet and can be used with nearly any type of USB-powered device. Get one of those and use the original USB cord to connect to your HP2. When the USB cord is not connected to a PC, it should work fine to power your HP2 without the MASS STORAGE message.

These USB-type power supplies are common. Be sure to get one that is rated for 1 amp output. Here is a link to one example...

5W USB AC Power Adapter
 

Ubbe

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That's no tv antenna, isn't a ST-1? 3, or possible 4, dipoles in parallell, 40MHz, 150MHz, 450MHz and possible a tiny 800MHz. Having an antenna high over the roof, even a broken one, will beat any on-scanner antenna inside the house.

/Ubbe
 

Mojo2017

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Thanks for the link Chief21, I’ll probably order one.


Ubbe you are right, that is an old antenna made for the old bearcat manual entry analog scanners, it's ancient, but it works 100 times better than the one that came on the scanner, especially if your house has a metal roof AND ALUMINUM SIDING!
 

Spirit

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Home Patrol 2

So what happens if the PD, FD changes TG ID's or frequencies on the Home Patrol 2? How easy is it to manually program them in or can you re-enter your zip code and will it add new id's or freq.'s? I ask because I end up adding & deleting a lot on my Pro 106/197. I would have to plug it into the outlet as I would keep it on 24/7.
 
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