Looking for the best scanner for me - a NEWBIE!

[Mobilman44]

Good Day!
I'm looking for the best scanner to suit my needs. I want a portable, a "phase 2", and need something relatively user friendly for this Newbie. I am computer and smart phone literate, but the world of radio has scared me off for many years - and now I'm ready to jump into it, at least for scanning.

Living in north Harris county (Spring, Texas), I want to access police/fire/ambo transmissions and the like.

Last week I bought a Uniden BC125AT, but soon realized that it was analog and would not capture the transmissions I am after. It was returned to the Factory Outlet Store (nice folks!) yesterday.

Best I can tell, the two likely contenders for a portable phase 2 capable scanner are the Uniden 436Hp and the Whistler TRX1. I've seen reviews of both, but as a Newbie I have no clue which would best suit my needs and more importantly, be easiest for me to learn.

I understand Uniden is coming out with a new one this summer, but I have no clue as to it being worth waiting for and in the same ballpark price levels as the two above I mentioned.

So, I'm asking for your opinions on the subject. I'm not looking to start a "us vs them" flame war, just looking for what you all think would do the job for a Newbie ............

Thank you!!!

 

[hiegtx]

Good Day!
I'm looking for the best scanner to suit my needs. I want a portable, a "phase 2", and need something relatively user friendly for this Newbie. I am computer and smart phone literate, but the world of radio has scared me off for many years - and now I'm ready to jump into it, at least for scanning.

Living in north Harris county (Spring, Texas), I want to access police/fire/ambo transmissions and the like.

Last week I bought a Uniden BC125AT, but soon realized that it was analog and would not capture the transmissions I am after. It was returned to the Factory Outlet Store (nice folks!) yesterday.

Best I can tell, the two likely contenders for a portable phase 2 capable scanner are the Uniden 436Hp and the Whistler TRX1. I've seen reviews of both, but as a Newbie I have no clue which would best suit my needs and more importantly, be easiest for me to learn.

I understand Uniden is coming out with a new one this summer, but I have no clue as to it being worth waiting for and in the same ballpark price levels as the two above I mentioned.

So, I'm asking for your opinions on the subject. I'm not looking to start a "us vs them" flame war, just looking for what you all think would do the job for a Newbie ............

Thank you!!!

Based on your location, where most of the agencies in the area use TxWARN P25, you definitely need a P25 Phase II capable scanner. The 436HP and TRX-1 are both handheld (portable) scanners, which have the RadioReference database loaded on a memory card. This can simplify your programming, as you can get started by updating the databases in the software for the scanners (software for both is provided by the manufacturer, and is included in the cost of the scanner), then updating the scanners themselves. Another handheld scanner, also with the database on a memory card, is the Whistler WS1088. The two Whistler scanners both can receive DMR using free firmware upgrades, although they don't actually track the systems directly. The TRX-1 also has an available upgrade for NXDN. For Uniden, the 436HP has available paid upgrades for both DMR and NXDN. The Uniden scanners track the systems, rather than simply receiving traffic . However, depending on the system, especially one without a large amount of users and radio traffic, the Whistler's do a creditable job. I have both the TRX-1 and two 436HPs; my 436HP both have the DMR as well as NXDN upgrades, and track my local systems (DFW Metro area) more reliably. All of these scanners have base/mobile siblings, if you're mainly using the scanner in your vehicle, or sitting on a desktop.

Another Uniden scanner that also handles your area systems is the BCD325P2. However, the 325P2 does not have the internal database of the scanners above, and would need to be programmed with your systems of interest. I have this unit as well, and it handles my local systems without a problem. It's also a small, very handy, size scanner, easily fitting in a coat pocket if so desired. I also have the optional DMR paid upgrade applied. If you decide to go with this model, there's a lot of helpful information available here on RadioReference, in both the forums, as well as the Wiki, to get your scanner programmed and operating. Extensive information is also available for the other models above. However, with an updated database, using your location code can get you going initially, and later you can fine tune what you are scanning.

While I have no problems with the scanners I have here in DFW, different systems, especially those that are Simulcast, can be problematic depending on your specific location. To get an idea of which models work best in the Spring area, search through the posts down in the Texas forum. You may also want to join the HoustonScan Yahoo group, to get the opinion of those in your area. If you want to ask this question in the Texas forum, don't start a new thread. Instead, click on the red outlined triangle in the upper right corner of your original post, and request that a moderator move your thread to the state forum. Someone in the area would be more likely to see it there.

The database scanners (Uniden 436HP, Whistler TRX-1 and WS1088) would be somewhat easier to learn, in that you can get started with an updated database, your location, range, and service types you want to hear (Law Enforcement,, Fire, EMS, etc). The Whistler scanners are somewhat more susceptible to overload from strong, nearby, transmitters, causing them to desense & thus be less effective. If you are too near tower sites, both for TxWARN, as well as multiple cell towers (which is my issue), the Uniden scanners may be a better choice. But that's why I suggest you look for more 'local' users to see if there is a significant advantage of one model over another.

 

[jonwienke]

I would vote for the 436, as it is fairly easy to get started with if you scan from the database. It has a better receiver than the Whistlers, and also can be connected to a GPS so that the scanner automatically scans local traffic, and if you're in a vehicle, it automatically turns things on and off as needed so you begin scanning things as you travel in range, and stop scanning things as you travel out of range.

 

[Mobilman44]

Hi!
To be honest, the decision to buy and what to buy is getting to me. The seemingly logical choice is between the Uniden 436 and Whistler TRX1. Seems like folks are pretty opinionated about one or the other - like the Ford Vs Chevy of my youth. In chatting with Zipscanners, they are very pro TRX1 to the point they put down the 436 in their comparisons. Yet, they sell the 436!

Another point they push is programming. While it would certainly take time, it seems that programming it yourself is the best way to learn. What do you all think about that - from a newbie perspective?

While spending $500 to get into the hobby is OK, I would hate to get into the hobby only to find out it was a "passing fancy". I wonder if most folks tend to stay or leave when they jump in?

Sorry to sound like I'm wishy washy, but I really want to do this right - if I decide to do it.

Hey, your comments are greatly appreciated!

 

[jonwienke]

The 436HP has a better receiver than the Whistler.

And the 436 has GPS-enabled scanning, which is not available on any Whistler. If you ever use the scanner in a vehicle and travel more than a few miles, this is a huge deal.

The 436 programming model is better suited to large statewide or multistate trunked systems.

 

[troymail]

Hi!
To be honest, the decision to buy and what to buy is getting to me. The seemingly logical choice is between the Uniden 436 and Whistler TRX1. Seems like folks are pretty opinionated about one or the other - like the Ford Vs Chevy of my youth. In chatting with Zipscanners, they are very pro TRX1 to the point they put down the 436 in their comparisons. Yet, they sell the 436!

Absolutely - there are folks strongly on one side of the fence or the other. Ford vs. Chevy is exactly the mindset. I prefer to look at each for what it does or doesn't do ... what you want it to do - what you need it to do. Ignore all the "bells and whistles" unless you plan to use them. There are many features of various things you can buy but how much do/will they get used (by you)?

I still constantly see people buy a scanner and then pay for upgrades for DMR, ProVoice, etc. and then say "now what do I do with it?" vs. the other way around - I have a ProVoice system in my area and I need that option.

Determine what you really want/need first...

What works for someone on the things they want to listen to nearly never 1-for-1 transfers into your wants and needs....

Another point they push is programming. While it would certainly take time, it seems that programming it yourself is the best way to learn. What do you all think about that - from a newbie perspective?

Exactly - learning to program is part of the hobby. Learning how to program a scanner manually via the radio keypad can be important to see how it works. Using the software takes time to learn also - and every piece of software is different. There will be things you like and things you hate - but very little you can do about it.

Understanding the systems you want to listen to is also a big thing. You can use the programming software or other "on board" import options but if you don't understand the systems - at least to some degree - you may end up unhappy with your expensive radio.

Things change on a regular basis and if you don't learn how to program your radio, over time, it's possible that as things change, you might start thinking your radio is no longer working but either needs updated programming and/or the systems themselves have changed and encryption has kicked in limiting what you can listen to.

While spending $500 to get into the hobby is OK, I would hate to get into the hobby only to find out it was a "passing fancy". I wonder if most folks tend to stay or leave when they jump in?

Sorry to sound like I'm wishy washy, but I really want to do this right - if I decide to do it.

Hey, your comments are greatly appreciated!

It can be a tough decision. Maybe take a look at some YouTube videos of various radios, their programming software and the systems/activity that some folks monitor. There's lots of tutorials and other things to look at that may help.

 

[sibbley]

Hi!
To be honest, the decision to buy and what to buy is getting to me. The seemingly logical choice is between the Uniden 436 and Whistler TRX1. Seems like folks are pretty opinionated about one or the other - like the Ford Vs Chevy of my youth. In chatting with Zipscanners, they are very pro TRX1 to the point they put down the 436 in their comparisons. Yet, they sell the 436!


Hey, your comments are greatly appreciated!

I have both. They compliment each other IMHO. If you want to analyze systems the Uniden's are the way to go though. For recording on the go, I like the Whistler's for the ease of parsing their recordings.

You can't go wrong with either, or both.

 

[Ensnared]

Patience

I have monitored TxWarn for many years. There have been many posts about the difficulties encountered with monitoring this relatively large system. However, monitoring the city of Houston can be a challenge depending on many variables. Up to this point, most scanners on the market seem to have difficulty with decoding and/or linear simulcast distortion. I have used a PSR 500 as well as two 436HP scanners with limited success.

Now, the game seems to be changing, for the positive. Now, Uniden seems to be leading the way with this model: https://www.uniden.com/newsroom/press-releases/sds100-coming-soon/

If I was tempted to buy a radio at this point in time, I would wait until this radio comes out. I am sure there are going to be issues that need to be worked out, but Uniden, in my opinion, listens to their customer's complaints & responds, for the most part. In time, the price will likely drop.

I surely wouldn't consider buying "Asleep At The Wheel", Whistler.

 

[tumegpc]

You mention in your post that you want "something relatively user friendly". I recommend the TRX-1 because is just plain simple to use and Whistler has had NXDN out for more than 18 months ahead of Uniden.
Uniden claims it will do NXDN trunking but that remains to be seen. Uniden's Sentinel software does not support NXDN programming.

Further more they just pulled a recent firmware release due to major problems where it screwed up squelch settings in the 436/536hp's.Just search the forums and see how many request's for help with Uniden's DMR and NXDN.

 

[tumegpc]

I surely wouldn't consider buying "Asleep At The Wheel", Whistler.

I think Whistler was just looking in the review mirror waiting for the competition to catch up.

 

[jonwienke]

Uniden claims it will do NXDN trunking but that remains to be seen.

It's a fact, not speculation.

Uniden's Sentinel software does not support NXDN programming.

Yet. An update to Sentinel is imminent. ProScan and ARC already support NXDN.

As to the firmware, an update was pulled on Friday due to a squelch bug. But Uniden has a history of fixing bugs of that sort quickly.

 

[Mobilman44]

I've hit a number of YouTube videos and "assume" I can make either unit (436 or TRX1) work for me.

Question.......who are the main dealers out there? I'm aware of Zipscanners and Factory Outlet but surely there are other major sellers.

Thank you!

 

[troymail]

Unication G1 G4 & G5 Pagers - Fire & EMS Services - Ray's Pager Sales

Excellent customer service

 

[FuzzyTexan]

I have the 436, works great here in East Texas on all the systems around here.

Very easy to program and use.

 

[Mobilman44]

Thank you all for the information and advice. I've decided to get the Uniden 436, and will do so as soon as "Factory Outlet" clears my return of the BC125AT.

Thank you again!

 

[Blaine]

You'll enjoy the 436. I love mine. Best scanning investment I've ever made. and I've been doing this for MANY years! I also have the DMR upgrade, and it works great. Figuring out different systems and even monitoring ham dmr is a blast. All kinds of stuff out there.... Have fun grasshoppa!....

 

[Mobilman44]

Easy question (?)........................

Can one "halfway computer literate" guy download NXDN and DMR from Uniden (to a 436)?

If so, I can hold off until I master the basics of the scanner. If not, I probably should pay up front for the seller to load them.

 

[Blaine]

Can one "halfway computer literate" guy download NXDN and DMR from Uniden (to a 436)?

The "download" that you speak of is actually done with the upgrade function within the radio. You purchase the upgrade from the web site, they give you a key, use the upgrade function on your radio, enter the key, and viola!. Its all very easy. And if things get difficult, there are You Tube videos and tech support on this web site (go the Uniden tech support forum) galore, so you shouldn't have any issues.

My advice though is to wait on any updates for now, being in the Houston area. If you are just wanting to listen to FD/EMS/PD, the BC 436 will be more than sufficient AS IS. It will also allow you to "learn" your listening area, and establish favorite lists of agencies, and prioritize (very important) :wink:. Take baby steps, utilize this web resource (RR), as well as Sentinel programming. Concentrate on just the agencies that protect your area first, and learn their dispatch/tone outs, procedures, patrol areas, channels, talkgroups, etc., then branch out. Eventually you will be a master at listening to police and fire in your area, then you can upgrade and expand your horizons. Enjoy!

 

[LEH]

Of the more recent scanners on the market, Uniden's 436 or Whistler's TRX-1 it can be a toss up. I have both and for local scanning both work equally well, especially with the DMR and NXDN upgrades to the Uniden (those are extra $ for Uniden and included in the Whistler).

If you travel a great deal or have an overly complex system to monitor, then I much prefer the Uniden. For the Harris County area, I would probably lean to the Uniden. I think their Favorite List, System, Department organization is easier and allows more systems than Whistler's.

Whistler is limited to 150 keyed systems (there are more, but they are used by the radio), the Uniden structure allows up to 100 (0-99) Favorites lists, each FL can have 100 systems, and each system can have 100 departments (there may be some memory limit on how many items in this you can have).

As an example, the area I live has a shared trunked system, it is used by two counties, two cities, a university, and a couple of gated communities (because of encryption, I only monitor the counties/cities). With the Whistler, I can either put all four in one key position or use four of the available key positions. If I want to separate fire from police/sheriff, then I have to use eight.

All in one, key 1 - York/JCC/Poquoson/Williamsburg
Individual jurisdiction keys 1- York County, 2 - JCC, 3 - Poquouson, 4 - Williamsburg
To break further down, you'd need a key for each break down (e.g., police and fire separated).

With the 436, I can set the overall system as one of my favorites list keys (e.g., FLK 1). All the system frequencies reside their, then I can develop four 'system quick keys' (SQK) under the FLK. Finally under each SQK I can have individual department keys.

The Uniden (for my area) resembles this:
FL SYS DEPT
1 York/JCC/Poqouson/Williamsburg 1 York 1. Sheriff 2. Fire
2 JCC 1. PD 2. Fire
3 Poquoson etc
4 Williamsburg etc

You would access JCC Fire by pressing "1.2.2" (the dots are important).

There is another option you may hear about, that is the Unication G4 or G4 voice pager. For reception, they blow Uniden and Whistler out of the water. They are NOT, I emphasize the NOT, scanners. You are limited to one system at a time. But if you only want to listen to the immediate local area, it would be something to consider. Check the Unication thread on Radio Reference, it is under the Commercial and Professional group in the Forums.

Pluses for the Unication, reception is great, they just put out their Phase 2 upgrade (if you hurry you can get a phase 2 upgraded pager for phase 1 pricing), outstanding battery life, great with simulcast systems, nice size. Cons are tedious to program (only by software that is tedious to enter info), no DMR or NXDN (their international version have DMR, but not available in the US that I know of), monitor only one system at a time, only P25 trunked capable, you cannot lock a single talkgroup or channel to be monitored; G4's are 700-800 MHz only, G5's are a choice of VHF, one of 3 UHF bands, and 700-800.

Choose wisely.

 

[SMBaugh2]

Absolutely - there are folks strongly on one side of the fence or the other. Ford vs. Chevy is exactly the mindset. I prefer to look at each for what it does or doesn't do ... what you want it to do - what you need it to do. Ignore all the "bells and whistles" unless you plan to use them. There are many features of various things you can buy but how much do/will they get used (by you)?

I still constantly see people buy a scanner and then pay for upgrades for DMR, ProVoice, etc. and then say "now what do I do with it?" vs. the other way around - I have a ProVoice system in my area and I need that option.

Determine what you really want/need first...

What works for someone on the things they want to listen to nearly never 1-for-1 transfers into your wants and needs....


Exactly - learning to program is part of the hobby. Learning how to program a scanner manually via the radio keypad can be important to see how it works. Using the software takes time to learn also - and every piece of software is different. There will be things you like and things you hate - but very little you can do about it.

Understanding the systems you want to listen to is also a big thing. You can use the programming software or other "on board" import options but if you don't understand the systems - at least to some degree - you may end up unhappy with your expensive radio.

Things change on a regular basis and if you don't learn how to program your radio, over time, it's possible that as things change, you might start thinking your radio is no longer working but either needs updated programming and/or the systems themselves have changed and encryption has kicked in limiting what you can listen to.

It can be a tough decision. Maybe take a look at some YouTube videos of various radios, their programming software and the systems/activity that some folks monitor. There's lots of tutorials and other things to look at that may help.

Well thought explanation. Well done.