My Pros and Cons for the Home Patrol-1

[BamaScan]

Here is my list of Pros and Cons for the Home Patrol-1. You may have a different list. Hopefully this list will help you decide to get a Home Patorol-1 or Not. Here are 10 Pros and 10 Cons.

Pros
1) Size. Easy to hold in one hand.
2) Touch Screen. You Can lock in one county or department and scan the county or department with out scanning everything else.
3) Easy to update from Radio Refernce.
4) Replay feature is a nice option. My only scanner that can do this.
5) UHF recieve is wonderfull. Best UHF Reciever I have ever listened to 453 mhz and 460 mhz come in strong.
6) Have every frequency in a catagory.
7) Temporary Lockout
8) Range feature. Even though I leave my range most of the time to 30 miles.
9) Help feature is a good option to have for new users.
10) Mute feature for 30 seconds. This comes in handy for those regular daily fire page test.


Cons
1) Base. Has to be number one. Radio does not even snap in the plastic base. A slight bump will knock it out of the base.
2) No mobile base in the box. A mobile base will have to be bought.
3) Small base antenna. Could have been larger. At least 18 inches and not 6 inches.
4) SMA Connector. This makes you buy a SMA to BNC Connector.
5) Battery Life to Small around 8 hours.
6) National Database is incomplete. No common Air to Air and etc.
7) Left out of Radio Regular Ham Radio, CB, GMRS, and Marine Frequencies.
8) Forced to buy a third party software to program the scanner they way it should be.
9) Clock is not on the screen while you are scanning.
10) Audio is not totaly clear even though I have full bars on recieve compared to a Uniden Bearcat BCD996T.

 

[ratboy]

I agree with you for the most part, but have a few comments.

The "cradle" thing is pretty useless, partly because it doesn't even have any way of being attached to it, as you said, but the main issue with it is that it doesn't work if you want to put the radio at eye height, like on a shelf above your desk! If you put it up there, you can't see the display well at all. An adjustable one would be somewhat useful, but threaded inserts on each side, and/or some sort of thing like a tripod mount like camera has would be better.

The display should change orientation, when you put the unit on end, and the end opposite the antenna should be FLAT, so you can stand it up like a handheld. Almost all cellphones do this, so the HP-1 should too.

I personally would rather have the SMA than a typical Uniden or GRE junk quality "forked" BNC connector. If they would use a good "ring" type like Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu does on their handhelds, that would be fine, but the SMA is a better choice if the alternative would be one of the normal ones Uniden uses.

The stock antenna is pretty lame, a telescoping 18" one would be better. I put a 2M/440 SMA "duck" antenna I had for my HT and it worked great, and a telescoping whip I've had for years worked even better.

So far, with autodim and power saver turned on, I've gotten about 6 hours battery life with new Duracell Alkaline batteries.

Side by side with my GRE PSR-500, RS Pro 106, Pro 197, and Pro 96, the digital quality isn't as good on the HP. Most of the time, it's ok, but on borderline stuff, it falls down. It's not a signal strength issue, I had several FD units talking and one of the mobile units sounded fantastic, a couple sounded ok, copyable, but not great. The dispatcher was almost totally muted on the HP, and 90%+ copyable on the GRE radios.

The squelch is the best on any radio I have ever used, regardless of cost. I work in a very bad place for scanners, dozens of PCs and monitors, under flourescent lights. My GRE radios all sputter and stop scanning constantly, and I have to lock out about 30% of all the channels I have in them, because the digital hash is annoying as hell. The HP is unimpressed and just scans away, not a peep. A couple of things are unpleasant to listen to because of the hash, but nothing like the GRE radios are. In fact, I just heard a second or so of control channel breakthrough for the first time in the three days I've had it!

All in all though, this could get a lot of people who gave up scanning when trunked and digital came out back into the hobby.

 

[N3LLO]

Thanks for taking the time to post this info... It's all good-to-know.

 

[Larry1014]

Just a suggestion on the cradle thing. I bought a ram suction cup 6 inch gooseneck mount on a glass shelve above my desk. A little costly but works great for me. Adjust it any angle you want.
RAM-HOL-UN4U UNPKD RAM UNIVERSAL PLASTIC ATV HOLDER
RAP-105-6D224U UNKP RAM 6" FLEX ARM W SUCT BASE
RAM Mounting Systems, Inc.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Cons
8) Forced to buy a third party software to program the scanner they way it should be.

Power Patrol from Freescan/Assaf is free.
And I am confused by the "program the scanner the way it should be" comment.
If you are talking about adding custom favorites Lists and the like that is an advanced feature that the primary userbase of the HP-1 will not need.
For those that want to do that they can use either Power Patrol (FREE) or
ARC software (costs $).

Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[kc2rgw]

What's a bit frustrating is that the RR db evidently has a limited scope by policy I just found out, so even if one submits things that are missing, they won't be added.

Specifically amateur repeaters. With the GPS function of this scanner, it would be really cool to be able to have it auto switch to repeater banks based on location. I was told RR has a policy not to store general repeater information, though this would be very useful in general. The scanner has the category and service type, but with little to no entries in the db, it's not going to be used very well.

PowerPatrol works great though, thanks to Assaf, so at least a user can override this limitation.

I'm hoping Uniden updates the firmware with an expanded Advanced menu. They could greatly expand the appeal of this unit by allowing for panel programmability. It's short sighted to not even have the option in it. Add priority channel to it as well. Totally mystified that this is missing, even crystal scanners had that option.

 

[BamaScan]

Hey Good Point KC2RGW about a Priority Scan. I left it off my list. What I ment by "8) Forced to buy a third party software to program the scanner they way it should be. " Is FreeScan falls short of getting the HP Programed they way I like it.
If you just count on getting all your frequencies from the Updates through Sentienel you will get bad frequencies and miss a lot of agencies that you can hear.
Don't get me wrong the HomePatrol is a good radio. I would not say great it is a step in the right direction. I don't regret my purchase. I would recomend it to someone who hates to program systems, and talkgroups. I just wonder sometimes if they rushed this radio to the market before it was ready.

 

[KE5TLF]

Couldn't agree more about the stupid cradle. Should have been attachable to the unit and made to where it's angle could be adjusted from it's current angle to at or nearly verticle. Mounting options in general could have been improved exponetially by incorporating 2 or 3 hard points into the case design too. One of those minor details that's worth a 1000 times it's weight in gold.

No real problem here with the SMA but the location of it is totally dumb. I mean who the heck has amassed a collection of swivel antennas. Are there even any really good ones out there?
Every new scanner made should be designed around the most excellent RS 800 MHz antenna even if it isn't actually included. They should also make and SMA version of that antenna too.

The touch screen is both a blessing and a curse. Trying to find something specific has made me want to throw the thing into a wall on more than one occasion.

They could have easily made this thing to please more advanced users. If by no other means than some super secret dual boot mode only to be revealed in places such as this where advanced users congregate. But hey, why do that when they can release a standalone advanced model to those users next year for full price again. Either that or charge you some outrageous price for an advanced user firmware update. Either of which is quite likely to happen.

I don't mean to totally rag on the thing. It does the job it was designed to do well enough. It's just that a few relatively minor things could have made it SO much better than it is. Hopefully they can and will add a few refinements via firmware update, but I don't really expect much. (if anything at all)

 

[LiberaFan08]

I must say that I was very disappointed to see Uniden market a scanner that cannot be field programmed without a computer and an internet connection. I will certainly NEVER buy one. This puts scanners into the same category as commercial radios, NO flexibility. I'll keep my 396XT, thank you. I hope this isn't the trend of the future.

 

[MarMatthias]

I must say that I was very disappointed to see Uniden market a scanner that cannot be field programmed without a computer and an internet connection. I will certainly NEVER buy one. This puts scanners into the same category as commercial radios, NO flexibility. I'll keep my 396XT, thank you. I hope this isn't the trend of the future.

GRE's latest is the same way. It looks like a blasted MP3 player... I agree, if this is the future for Uniden and GRE, AOR may get a new customer... My biggest issue is what if you don't have a computer (or electricity, like a two week blackout), then all you have is a worthless $500+ paper weight.

 

[Larry1014]

If you don't have electricity just means you can't update for 2 weeks. It will work fine. Just MY opinion

 

[rdale]

This puts scanners into the same category as commercial radios

Completely wrong... This scanner was marketed to people that don't have any need or desire to program it. As such, it does what it is supposed to.

 

[ST-Bob]

Buying a HP-1 is like buying a fully-loaded every-option-imaginable car. You can't add stuff to it (nor should you need to). But if you just have to have some new thing, you must go to some effort to add it.

There's absolutely no need for the majority of users to ever add or change anything on the HP-1 unless something changes in their local radio spectrum. When it does the RR database is usually updated very quickly and the Uniden mirror is updated every Monday. With a computer and Internet connection you can fix your scanner easily yourself to update to the new frequencies or whatever. Or you can take it to the retailer where you bought it for updating (like most Radio Shack scanners).

Without a computer and Internet connection, you'd probably never even know something changed till you noticed something was gone after a couple of weeks. Without a computer, how would you know what or how to update any scanner to the new frequencies? Where is this information going to come from? Thin air?

Your whole statement is so full of holes it's not worth arguing over. If you don't like the HP-1, then don't buy one. But you could have kept your acid-filled opinion to yourself. I think the HP-1 will open up the scanning hobby to a larger percentage of people who know nothing about radios or scanning. With modern computer technology (which most cannot live without these days) they don't need to know anything. They just buy a pre-programmed scanner and keep it updated by plugging it in occasionally.

And if there's no power for 2 weeks, how are you going to be running your scanner anyway??? Won't you be too busy cutting firewood to worry about a scanner?

 

[nosoup4u]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. I've been in the market for a secondary scanner and I have been on the fence with all the good and bad reviews I have seen.

I guess my question is with power patrol, can I essentially negate using the database and only add in my own stuff the way I want it?

 

[ST-Bob]

Actually my favorite is Butel's ArcPatrol for the HP-1. Yes you can create a favorites list yourself that's based on either the RR.com database or your own data. It's actually quite easy and relatively inexpensive. It's akin to buying a radio with no knobs other than the volume on/off control. When you turn it no it just works for most people. Adding channel knobs and a keyboard (analogous to 3rd party software) costs you (but not everyone else) a few bucks but gives you so much more for your money than a simple control panel...

 

[Star56]

I am as "hard-core" a user as anyone on this forum. I own every imaginable scanner/wide-band receiver (well about 90% of them). I have had a HP-1 for 24 hrs now.

Fantastic device. Excellent sensitivity, excellent P25 decoding of the challenging Lucas county Ohio system.

I even like the cradle

Tom

 

[yehtkuhn]

jury is still out

I built my first monitor in 1963 a Knight 30-50 base tuneable Vacuum TUBES,which still works,and have been with the hobby since.Just got my HP-1,not real impressed with it.They say no computer needed.However you really can't really get what the radio has to offer unless you do.The screen is quite usless in a sunny car,which was found out today.Also noticed no real difference if using duckie or top of roof mobile mount.Vocabulary is differant-Law instead of police,also Federal and goverment which, state or what.Otherwise like most advertisements,gets you motivated and then "is this all their is?"Good luck,when cometh HP-2?

 

[Larry1014]

I love mine also, good to hear I am not alone. I have owned alot of scanners over the years and this is the best for me.I like the digital display.

 

[MarMatthias]

And if there's no power for 2 weeks, how are you going to be running your scanner anyway??? Won't you be too busy cutting firewood to worry about a scanner?

Solar power and rechargeable batteries go a long way.

Depending on the circumstances, like the storm in 1998 that knocked parts Omaha out (including police/fire), emergency frequencies were set up. The HP-1 would have serious issues here...

 

[KE4ZNR]

Thank you Bob for a well thought out and reasoned response.
Happy Monitoring (and HPing)
Marshall KE4ZNR

Buying a HP-1 is like buying a fully-loaded every-option-imaginable car. You can't add stuff to it (nor should you need to). But if you just have to have some new thing, you must go to some effort to add it.

There's absolutely no need for the majority of users to ever add or change anything on the HP-1 unless something changes in their local radio spectrum. When it does the RR database is usually updated very quickly and the Uniden mirror is updated every Monday. With a computer and Internet connection you can fix your scanner easily yourself to update to the new frequencies or whatever. Or you can take it to the retailer where you bought it for updating (like most Radio Shack scanners).

Without a computer and Internet connection, you'd probably never even know something changed till you noticed something was gone after a couple of weeks. Without a computer, how would you know what or how to update any scanner to the new frequencies? Where is this information going to come from? Thin air?

Your whole statement is so full of holes it's not worth arguing over. If you don't like the HP-1, then don't buy one. But you could have kept your acid-filled opinion to yourself. I think the HP-1 will open up the scanning hobby to a larger percentage of people who know nothing about radios or scanning. With modern computer technology (which most cannot live without these days) they don't need to know anything. They just buy a pre-programmed scanner and keep it updated by plugging it in occasionally.

And if there's no power for 2 weeks, how are you going to be running your scanner anyway??? Won't you be too busy cutting firewood to worry about a scanner?