New BCD325P2

[Voyager]

The 436 gets about 10 hours on 3 cells with that hude display and backlight on. 2 cells should last about 6.5 hours or more.

 

[sibbley]

The 436 gets about 10 hours on 3 cells with that hude display and backlight on. 2 cells should last about 6.5 hours or more.

I don't think I've ever had more than 5 hours with my 125AT conventional. 6.5 is a real stretch IMHO. I guess I should add, the 5 hours is with the rechargeable batteries the 125 came with. Maybe it would last longer with the black eneloops or alkaline batteries.

 

[K2KOH]

The 436 is a more advanced scanner that includes a more advanced price tag - that's why.

As for why they chose this form, well, the display is larger than the 396 series. Maybe that's why. It's also a bit shorter, but I think a bit wider - at least on the top.

Look on ebay. Brand new 436's aren't going for much more. Found them in the 439 to 449 range.

 

[Voyager]

I don't think I've ever had more than 5 hours with my 125AT conventional. 6.5 is a real stretch IMHO. I guess I should add, the 5 hours is with the rechargeable batteries the 125 came with. Maybe it would last longer with the black eneloops or alkaline batteries.

Keep in mind that the 325 is likely more closely related to the 396XT than the 125. True the outside is 125, but the guys are likely based on the 396XT design. It's definitely different since it decodes P25 and covers 700+ MHz.

 

[Boatanchor]

Look on ebay. Brand new 436's aren't going for much more. Found them in the 439 to 449 range.

Yes, and $439 (with shipping) on Amazon.

Like I've said, unless the 352P2 retails for considerably less than $399, few (in the know) will buy it.

At worst, the 352P2 will be sold initially for roughly the same price as the 436HP and and best (after the 352P2 price begins to be discounted) a roughly 10% difference in price differential between the 436 and 352.

This for a scanner with only 2x AA batteries (likely sub-par battery life)
Limited memory and most likely system capacity.
Probably a lack of true NFM filtering.
No advanced features.

Even before it hits the shelf, the 352P2 fails in my my mind. It just doesn't offer enough bang for buck to even seriously compete with the 436HP for price/performance.

The replacement for 396XT had to be damned good and I may be wrong, but the 352P2 does not appear to be the radio we were looking for..

Which begs the question. If the 352P2 is not the intended replacement for the popular 396XT, how could Uniden squeeze such a replacement into their expanding product line now? Where would it fit pricewise?

It would obviously be more expensive than the 352P2, but then you start encroaching on 436HP territory.

It seems the only way Uniden could now release a 396XT replacement would be to actually make it more expensive than the 436HP and thats actually fine in my book as long as:

* It had excellent RF performance incorporating improved selectivity from multi-pole IF filters and true NFM filtering.
* It was built solidly with a tough exterior capable of taking a few knocks.
* It had excellent battery life.
* It had best in class simulcast and recovered digital audio quality.
* It was in a similar form factor as the existing 396XT.

And other factors that make the unit stand out as a premium heavy duty, high performance, quality scanner without the added, largely unwanted, bells and whistles of the HP series.

Such a unit may well retail for $550, but I guarantee many thosands will be sold.

 

[Boatanchor]

It doesn't have to be another XTL2500, that is not the idea I am promoting here.

I'm sick of people saying that Uniden could do this or that, but it would cost $1000 per unit.

Uniden can produce a good quality 396Xt relacement, without going overboard on R&D and manufacturing costs and still sell retail the unit for circa $500. There is a happy medium, without going full retard.

Cut out some of the costly bells and whistles of the x36HP and instead concentrate on the basics of durability and performance. If Uniden produced such a scanner, it would be a guaranteed hit with enthusiasts and industries that utilise scanners on a daily basis.

Such a scanner would be their Global model. Capable of being sold around the world, not just in North America like the HP style units.

 

[Triangulum]

Such a scanner would be their Global model. Capable of being sold around the world, not just in North America like the HP style units.

I don't own any of the the xHP scanners, but I was curious if you could expound a little further. What makes the xHP series North American-only for the most part.

If you are talking about DMR/NXDN capable then I understand your point. If it goes beyond that, please explain further.

 

[Boatanchor]

The HP style scanners will still work in other countries (mostly) but the Homepatrol style user interface, based on entering the users zipcode, is only of benefit to North American users.

For others, outside of NA, the HP scanner's contain a useless database and while users can use sentinel to add local systems manually, it is clunky and not particularly user friendly. For those users the XT style memory architecture seems to work better and is more easily adapted to suit local conditions. I'm sure some x36HP scanners have been sold overseas, but they would be a very small minority compared with the XT scanners.

As for DMR/NXDN, I'm not sure what you are referring to.

Yes, it would be nice to incorporate those modes, but I don't think Uniden has any appetite for including those modes in any of their scanners for the foreseeable future. They have their hands full, trying to put existing fires out without adding more gas.

 

[Voyager]

The second receiver required to properly implement priority, WX Priority, and Close Call alone would likely cost $150 over the current models, and then you have licensing costs which could be a couple hundred more. GPS - another $75 or so. That's only three aspects, and you're already approaching $1000 if you add that to the 536 price.

I'm sick of people expecting all these features for free.

 

[Triangulum]

For others, outside of NA, the HP scanner's contain a useless database and while users can use sentinel to add local systems manually, it is clunky and not particularly user friendly. For those users the XT style memory architecture seems to work better and is more easily adapted to suit local conditions. I'm sure some x36HP scanners have been sold overseas, but they would be a very small minority compared with the XT scanners.

Can someone explain why the XT scanners seem to be more versatile when it comes to adapting to local conditions regardless of living area? I know the xHP series does heavily revolve around the radioreference database, but manually programming with all the variables we face would be very trying.

I ask because my habits often will revolve around Close Call/Spectrum Sweeper. So I will be going off the known database quite a bit during my time with the scanner.

 

[Boatanchor]

The second receiver required to properly implement priority, WX Priority, and Close Call alone would likely cost $150 over the current models, and then you have licensing costs which could be a couple hundred more. GPS - another $75 or so. That's only three aspects, and you're already approaching $1000 if you add that to the 536 price.

I'm sick of people expecting all these features for free.

Didn't I mention not 'going fully retard'?

Never go 'fully retard' man!!!

Actually I said 'without going overboard' but, you get the idea

 

[Voyager]

So solving the most common complaints is going overboard in your opinion. Noted.

 

[ColonelMike]

So solving the most common complaints is going overboard in your opinion. Noted.

Boatanchor, Voyager does nothing but troll the forums bashing anyone who expects anything from Uniden. They can do no wrong. Arguing with him is only wasting your time.

 

[Voyager]

If you read my posts, you know I do the same for GRE/RS/Whistler. Although I understand some only care about my defense of Uniden since they are biased against Uniden. I also you're ticked because I called you out on some of your trash talk. For that matter, your post above is nothing more than trash talk.

 

[trido]

NO price yet as this model has not been FCC approved yet.

Looks like there's another new Trunktracker V (P25 Phase I and II) handheld coming soon, using the BC125AT style case.

BCD325P2 Plus 15 shipping coming soon : The Hamstation!, Your one stop on-line source for amateur radio fun.

 

[UPMan]

xHP slightly more versatile outside North America than the XT series. It happens to include the entire USA and Canada radio system database, which makes it more usable in North America, but outside this region, your are basically in the same situation with either series (you have to program all your own stuff manually or using PC software). But the xHP series has much larger (practically unlimited) memory / channel limits, recording, etc that the XT series does not have.

 

[richee2000]

so, do i understand this correctly to mean the new BCD325P2 DOES NOT t use the RR Database to program the unit?

 

[Voyager]

Your SW may use it, but the scanner is basically the same as the XT line, so it cannot hold the entire database. In fact, it can hold 'only' 25,000 channels.

 

[phask]

It can actually use whatever you want that will work with it. It does NOT come pre-loaded with a copy of RR's North American database like the HP series.


Example; could use Freescan to download (with a premium RR membership) or use Freescan and no membership (mucho harder IMHO).

It's just like a 996 series.

so, do i understand this correctly to mean the new BCD325P2 DOES NOT t use the RR Database to program the unit?

 

[richee2000]

so, will the bc436/536 "sentinel" work with the BCD325P2 ??