I am also in ATL and looking for a scanner. It's down to the two mentioned in this thread, the 436HP and the 396xt.
I'm most interested in Zone 2 APD, then Fulton Co/Roswell PD as these are the two areas I work and live. I wouldn't mind listening to other systems in the metro area. I spend 90% of my life in those two places, but I occasionally travel to other places.
My question is this: why would I buy a 396xt when I can have a 436HP for $50 more? From what I understand, these two scanners can both pick up what I want to hear (unless of course APD and Fulton CO/Roswell go encrypted?). It seems to me that the convenience of the 436HP is worth the extra $50. As I am new to and somewhat daunted by digital scanning/trunked systems, ease of use and convenience are appealing. Not to mention that with two small kids, I don't have a lot of free time.
The only thing I'm really worried about is the encryption. I don't need a $450 or a $500 brick on my desk.