HP-2: Homepatrol 2 issues compared to 436HP

[Clats97]

Hi, first time poster, lots of good info on here. I have a Uniden HomePatrol 2 and a Uniden BCD436HP. I have one discone antenna on my balcony.

I have it plugged in to the 436hp because it was the first scanner I got and I like the features and stuff, then I got a HomePatrol 2 as a "base station" scanner if you know what I mean. With the stock antenna, the HP2 barely receives anything. I can be listening to EMS dispatch on my 436hp hooked up to the discone and it's talking non stop, while the Homepatrol with the stock antenna OR whip antenna is dead silent. They were both programmed with the exact same favorites list, and if I plug the discone in to the Homepatrol, the homepatrol talks its head off. Why is the 436hp able to receive transmissions with just a whip antenna and the Homepatrol requires the discone? I'm really dissapointed, I want to return it but I got the damn upgrade which would be money down the drain.

Any advice or help would be great

 

[jtwalker]

Get a multiplexer for your antenna and hook both to external antenna.

 

[Guccisock5]

Rubber ducks are generally trash. Aside from this I’ve had my share of concerns with hp2 ability to receive as well.

 

[Clats97]

Rubber ducks are generally trash. Aside from this I’ve had my share of concerns with hp2 ability to receive as well.

Is there a solution or do I return it? I have 30 days amazon policy. This is frankly not receiving properly without a discone. I kinda want my scanner to work lol.... And not have it tied down to the discone cable

 

[Clats97]

Get a multiplexer for your antenna and hook both to external antenna.

I kinda want a solution so my Homepatrol receives without the discone like the 436 does so it's not 600 dollars down the drain

 

[Guccisock5]

In your experiment, did you use the same crap antenna on both?

 

[Clats97]

In your experiment, did you use the same crap antenna on both?

Yes. The crap antenna will work on the 436hp but not the Homepatrol. The discone works amazingly on both. It's the HP2 that isn't receiving much. Only really strong signals and it appears like control channels as well.... Cause sometimes I just hear noise

 

[hiegtx]

I kinda want a solution so my Homepatrol receives without the discone like the 436 does so it's not 600 dollars down the drain

Whether an HP=2, or any other 'base' scanner, will perform well for you at home depends on a number of things. If your house has metal siding, or foil backed insulation in the walls, that will degrade any scanner's reception, not just the HP-2.

As JT has noted, your best approach would be to use a multi-coupler so that both scanners have the benefit of an external antenna.

In your experiment, did you use the same crap antenna on both?

Try the HP-2 on your external antenna & see if it's reception is similar to your 436HP.

Is there a solution or do I return it? I have 30 days amazon policy. This is frankly not receiving properly without a discone. I kinda want my scanner to work lol.... And not have it tied down to the discone cable

Depending on what bands you are scanning, a telescoping antenna such as this might be what would work.

Or, if your main systems of interest use 700 and/or 800MHz frequencies, this one might do the trick. This antenna has a BNC connector..To use it with your HP-2, you would need to use the SMA->BNC adapter that came with your HP-2.

I've got both the HP-1 & HP-2. While these are not ideal when dealing with simulcast (neither is your 436HP), they perform well with a decent antenna, even though my residence has aluminum siding. Neither is on an external (rooftop) antenna.

 

[Clats97]

Whether an HP=2, or any other 'base' scanner, will perform well for you at home depends on a number of things. If your house has metal siding, or foil backed insulation in the walls, that will degrade any scanner's reception, not just the HP-2.

As JT has noted, your best approach would be to use a multi-coupler so that both scanners have the benefit of an external antenna.

Try the HP-2 on your external antenna & see if it's reception is similar to your 436HP.

Depending on what bands you are scanning, a telescoping antenna such as this might be what would work.

Or, if your main systems of interest use 700 and/or 800MHz frequencies, this one might do the trick. This antenna has a BNC connector..To use it with your HP-2, you would need to use the SMA->BNC adapter that came with your HP-2.

I've got both the HP-1 & HP-2. While these are not ideal when dealing with simulcast (neither is your 436HP), they perform well with a decent antenna, even though my residence has aluminum siding. Neither is on an external (rooftop) antenna.

I have gone outside with it, I have tried other antennas, the only time it receives well is when it's on the discone. I need an antenna that works well so I can use it outside of my house. I don't want or need to connect 2 scanners to the discone. I just want my damn honepatrol to receive. It won't even receive unsqulched. All I can pick up is powerful systems, like vehicular repeaters, the city's P25 system, weather, etc. But when it comes to the stuff I scan the most it simply doesn't receive. I've compared them side to side, with every damn combination of antennas and variables changed and the fact is the Homepatrol is not receiving anywhere close to how the 436 is.

 

[tvengr]

The Homepatrol is not receiving anywhere close to how the 436 is.

Make sure that you did not accidentally turn on the attenuator on the HP-2.

 

[mass-man]

Why would you go outside with the HP2…the 436 is designed as a portable, handheld scanner! Might wanna rethink the use of each…then again the HP2 is some pretty old tech for a scanner, practically useless on Phase2 systems. I have 2 and had to realize that unless it was hooked to an outside antenna it was not much good so bought a 325P2 to carry around!
if you spent $600 on it get a refund and buy a SDS100!!!

 

[mc48]

Have you adjusted the decode or filters on the HP2?

 

[Ubbe]

I've compared them side to side, with every damn combination of antennas and variables changed and the fact is the Homepatrol is not receiving anywhere close to how the 436 is.

They both use SMA for the antenna so take the 436 antenna and put on the HP-2 in exactly the same way without any extra adapter and hold it with the antenna up like it was a 436 and try the reception.

I have the HP-1 and sensitivity are good but are the receiver that will get overloaded and be interfered the first when I turn up the gain on a preamplifier. It's almost like your HP-2 have a blown transistor in its input stage. There are several cases where people have had bad reception with their 436 and then Uniden have replaced the Q1 and Q2 transistors in the input amplifier. It could be a similar design in the HP-2.

/Ubbe

 

[Clats97]

Make sure that you did not accidentally turn on the attenuator on the HP-2.

Attenustervhdvffy

They both use SMA for the antenna so take the 436 antenna and put on the HP-2 in exactly the same way without any extra adapter and hold it with the antenna up like it was a 436 and try the reception.

I have the HP-1 and sensitivity are good but are the receiver that will get overloaded and be interfered the first when I turn up the gain on a preamplifier. It's almost like your HP-2 have a blown transistor in its input stage. There are several cases where people have had bad reception with their 436 and then Uniden have replaced the Q1 and Q2 transistors in the input amplifier. It could be a similar design in the HP-2.

/Ubbe

Didn't work 😔

 

[tvengr]

I have the HP-1 and sensitivity are good but are the receiver that will get overloaded and be interfered the first when I turn up the gain on a preamplifier. It's almost like your HP-2 have a blown transistor in its input stage. There are several cases where people have had bad reception with their 436 and then Uniden have replaced the Q1 and Q2 transistors in the input amplifier. It could be a similar design in the HP-2.

I seem to remember a couple of posts about the antenna connection to the circuit board breaking on the HP-2. Remove the cover and take a look at it. A bad solder connection could still be capacitively coupling a weak signal to the RF amp.

 

[Guccisock5]

Have you adjusted the decode or filters on the HP2?

I’d like to learn more about this and the possibility of bad connections internally.

 

[Brales60]

I can't get anything inside my house with the stock antennas on my 996 or SDS200 due to the house being foil wrapped insulation. I put up a Omni X outside, and wala, non stop talk on the scanners.

 

[Clats97]

Have you adjusted the decode or filters on the HP2?

No idea what that is. All i know is the stock antenna will receive 1/10 transmissions that are made but when connected to the discone its picking up 9/10 transmissions if you know what i mean. No antenna but the discone will allow it to receive well. I have tried a bunch of different antennas.

 

[Clats97]

I can't get anything inside my house with the stock antennas on my 996 or SDS200 due to the house being foil wrapped insulation. I put up a Omni X outside, and wala, non stop talk on the scanners.

yeah my bcd436hp receives no problem, its just the HP2. I have a comet w100rx on the 436 and it picks up friggin everything its close to the discone in terms of receiving. But the HP2 is a nightmare without the discone antenna. It only receives weatherradio, air traffic control, and some trains. but theyre transmitting with like 300w of power. Its almost like the attenuator is on, and the scanner is ignoring distant signals. As i said, discone on, and the thing doesnt stop talking.

 

[Guccisock5]

yeah my bcd436hp receives no problem, its just the HP2. I have a comet w100rx on the 436 and it picks up friggin everything its close to the discone in terms of receiving. But the HP2 is a nightmare without the discone antenna. It only receives weatherradio, air traffic control, and some trains. but theyre transmitting with like 300w of power. Its almost like the attenuator is on, and the scanner is ignoring distant signals. As i said, discone on, and the thing doesnt stop talking.

Try running it on batteries only. My p25 reception is complete trash inside the house while plugged in.