Need a bit of help picking a handheld scanner

[Chernobyl]

Hey there, I browsed through a good bit of the threads here but I'm really new to all of this so some things were a bit unclear, so I'm making a thread to get some clarity. I recently picked up a Uniden BC125AT and realized it wont quite work for what I need so I'm looking for a better unit - the cost of them is really high though so I want to make sure I pick the right scanner before buying.

I'm in Benton county (Bella Vista/Gravette area specifically) and I just need a handheld scanner that can pickup the local police/fire/emergency broadcasts, I've looked at the frequencies page and was leaning towards a Uniden BCD436HP with the DMR upgrade but I did see on another page that Benton County uses Simulcast? I read that the BCD436HP might have distortion issues with Simulcast and I should potentially get the SDS100? I also saw that AWIN will be going to p-25 phase 2 within 5 years? Not sure if that will make something like the 436 obsolete and make the sds100 more favorable. I dont mind paying the 600 if it means I have a scanner that performs well and is future proof, but if the 436 can pickup all the local stuff I wouldnt mind not having to spend an extra few hundred. Any help at all would be great, other radio suggestions also very welcome (ideally handheld/portable) as well, I'm super new to everything radio but so far the community has been super helpful.



Benton Frequencies:

Benton County, Arkansas (AR) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Benton County, Arkansas (AR)

www.radioreference.com

I'm sorry if this is confusing lol, its early and I'm trying to get this out before going to work - tl:dr - In Benton County, need good handheld scanner, currently leaning towards either 436hp or sds100, just need advice which would work best for this area.

 

[03msc]

I know it's a bit more but if I was purchasing a single scanner to monitor everything I would go with the SDS line (100 for handheld or 200 for mobile/base). The thing is...there is a chance that you'd get, say, a 436 and it work fine but the 100 almost guarantees you won't have the simulcast issues that some experience. Since there is simulcast up there (props to you for researching!) then I would go with the 100 and not have to worry about it arriving and having reception issues from your monitoring location. That's my two-cents worth (previously worth only about half a cent before recent inflation).

 

[Chernobyl]

I know it's a bit more but if I was purchasing a single scanner to monitor everything I would go with the SDS line (100 for handheld or 200 for mobile/base). The thing is...there is a chance that you'd get, say, a 436 and it work fine but the 100 almost guarantees you won't have the simulcast issues that some experience. Since there is simulcast up there (props to you for researching!) then I would go with the 100 and not have to worry about it arriving and having reception issues from your monitoring location. That's my two-cents worth (previously worth only about half a cent before recent inflation).

That was kind of my thinking as well, pay the extra upfront and not have to worry about any potential issues and have a solid total package, just wasn't sure if it was 100% necessary in this area, I appreciate the reply - Ill keep checking back if anyone adds more info, so far the SDS100 is pulling ahead though