how good is this scanner for pima county?

[kaitlin4599]

ok so first off a little back story. i live in pima county tucson arizona 85712. and have been out of the scanner game since we switched from analog to digital a few years ago.

here are the basics for the Pima County Wireless Integrated Network (PCWIN) which is what TPD and many other agencies in the county use for communication.
Min Scanner Requirements - Decode APCO P25 Phase II digital Trunking

im looking for a police scanner that can pick up tucson police fire ems the airport as well as the railroad

budget is between 200-450 maybe 500$ not gonna lie tho the cheaper the better but if the price is worth it im willing to pay more for a better scanner

what scanner or scanners do you recommend id prefer either one i can carry with me on the public bus so portable or one i can sit on my desk at home thanks for your time

im open to either a handheld or desktop version as i spend most of my time at home due to being disabled so i dont get out much

my last scanner was an old non trunking analog but pima had since switched to digital

i wanna monitor all of pima county but mainly tucson i.e.

tucson police department all areas of TPD north south east and west tucson fire and ems local airports and railroads


edit if it matters i live in an apartment so if i do a base station i cant do any outdoor antenna

 

[Volfirefighter]

Are any of the trunked systems simulcast?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7735
Sites 1 , 2 & 3 on this system indicate they are indeed simulcast systems. Hard to say without monitoring them first hand but I'd say your best bet to monitor a simulcast system (factoring in LSM) would be the Uniden SDS100 (will run you about $649). Alternatively you could get a Uniden 436HP (handheld) for closer to your budget range but it might not be as solid of a performer on the simulcast systems if you're not in close proximity to the tower or if many towers are in close range to each other (might skip transmissions) I've owned both and compared them side by side on a local simulcast system. The SDS100 picked up transmissions that my 436HP missed.

Good luck on whatever you decide to purchase, hope your local agencies don't make the decision to switch to the big-E (encryption) anytime soon!

 

[DanRollman]

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7735
Sites 1 , 2 & 3 on this system indicate they are indeed simulcast systems. Hard to say without monitoring them first hand but I'd say your best bet to monitor a simulcast system (factoring in LSM) would be the Uniden SDS100 (will run you about $649). Alternatively you could get a Uniden 436HP (handheld) for closer to your budget range but it might not be as solid of a performer on the simulcast systems if you're not in close proximity to the tower or if many towers are in close range to each other (might skip transmissions) I've owned both and compared them side by side on a local simulcast system. The SDS100 picked up transmissions that my 436HP missed.

Good luck on whatever you decide to purchase, hope your local agencies don't make the decision to switch to the big-E (encryption) anytime soon!

I've used both on the PCWIN system. In my experience the 436 has mediocre (at best) performance on the PCWIN system, often missing entire transmissions that the SDS100, Unication G5 and my BKRadio KNG-P800 picked up fine, or experiencing broken transmissions and decoding and quality issues that the other radios didn't experience. For me, the SDS100 worked great however. OTOH, others have said the 436 works fine for them on PCWIN; that was never my experience with it.

 

[kaitlin4599]

I've used both on the PCWIN system. In my experience the 436 has mediocre (at best) performance on the PCWIN system, often missing entire transmissions that the SDS100, Unication G5 and my BKRadio KNG-P800 picked up fine, or experiencing broken transmissions and decoding and quality issues that the other radios didn't experience. For me, the SDS100 worked great however. OTOH, others have said the 436 works fine for them on PCWIN; that was never my experience with it.

what about these 3 scanners which one is best for PC win keep in mind i will be buying used off ebay since im tight on funds

Pro-668 Handheld iScan Digital Trunking Scanner

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD996P2

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD325P2

 

[doctordialtone]

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD996P2

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD325P2

I own these 2. Excellent scanners!

 

[kaitlin4599]

I own these 2. Excellent scanners!

which one would be best heres info on where i live its phase 2 https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7735

 

[doctordialtone]

which one would be best heres info on where i live its phase 2 https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7735

Both scanners will perform equally well. I would prefer the base model - just because it's more solid and less prone to dropping. etc.

The downside of the 325P2 is that it runs on 2 batteries, so I run mine on the USB cable from my laptop. Rarely on battery.

Both scanners receive equally well.

 

[DanRollman]

I own these 2. Excellent scanners!

How have you found them to perform on PCWIN? I haven't tried those on it.

 

[doctordialtone]

How have you found them to perform on PCWIN? I haven't tried those on it.

I am in CT.

 

[DanRollman]

what about these 3 scanners which one is best for PC win keep in mind i will be buying used off ebay since im tight on funds

Pro-668 Handheld iScan Digital Trunking Scanner

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD996P2

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD325P2

I haven't used those scanners on PCWIN. My experience is that not all scanners advertised as having Phase 2 capabilities perform equally well on a particular system, and in my travels a particular scanner model can perform very differently from one system to the next. So I try to only speak about particular models and systems I've used together.

 

[kaitlin4599]

I haven't used those scanners on PCWIN. My experience is that not all scanners advertised as having Phase 2 capabilities perform equally well on a particular system, and in my travels a particular scanner model can perform very differently from one system to the next. So I try to only speak about particular models and systems I've used together.

well what scanner do you use for PCWIN?

 

[DanRollman]

well what scanner do you use for PCWIN?

See post #4 above where I described that in more detail, but in short, again in terms of consumer grade scanners I've used the Uniden SDS100 with good results and the Uniden BCD436 with less good results.

 

[doctordialtone]

I would just pick up a 996P2 and try it out. If it doesn't work well on that system - just return it for a refund.

 

[cfsimmont]

I just bought a used 325p2 programmed the PCWINS sites and talkgroups since I knew I'd be down here today. Not going to say it works flawlessly, but it seems to do the job well. In the vehicle no external antenna standard Uniden antenna. No complaints so far.

 

[KB7MIB]

If you can get a used Uniden BCD-536HP or a BCD-996P2 (both are base/mobile models) with a generous return policy, do that.

The handheld models are the BCD-436HP and BCD-325P2 if you prefer a handheld.

Otherwise, the newest SDS-100 handheld or SDS-200 base/mobile would be a better choice, although you are looking at $649.99 and $699.99 respectively. (Many online retailers have no sales tax or shipping costs if you use standard shipping.) The SDS scanners are the latest models and are supposed to be the best for simulcast systems. I'm awaiting the handheld model myself for use up here in the Phoenix area.

John
Peoria

 

[kaitlin4599]

i have the chance to buy a used BCD325P2 scanner for 250$ Included is the 800mhz antenna so for 250 i get the scanner and the antenna

will be using the scanner for this https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=7735

 

[cfsimmont]

I just purchased a used one for the same price. I drove through Pima County today and monitored a few incidents that Pima County SO and Tucson PD were working, everything sounded good, as well as the coverage. I started hearing Tucson PD from Picacho peak and continued all through Tucson and south. I was in Santa Cruz county when I heard PCSO calling for extra manpower on a incident, never did hear them say where it was though. Honestly for the price I don't think it's a bad buy. Some will say that you need a more expensive and sophisticated scanner but I'm happy with the 325p2.

 

[kaitlin4599]

I just purchased a used one for the same price. I drove through Pima County today and monitored a few incidents that Pima County SO and Tucson PD were working, everything sounded good, as well as the coverage. I started hearing Tucson PD from Picacho peak and continued all through Tucson and south. I was in Santa Cruz county when I heard PCSO calling for extra manpower on a incident, never did hear them say where it was though. Honestly for the price I don't think it's a bad buy. Some will say that you need a more expensive and sophisticated scanner but I'm happy with the 325p2.

sweet

 

[kd7eir]

That scanner will work perfectly for the PCWIN system in Pima County.