NH Phase II Scanners?

[N4SRN]

I’m still learning about scanners and what they can do, deciding what I want to do with one. I read on the Internet (I know, that’s a bad start) that Phase II scanners are important for use in NH. What does that mean and is it true?

I live in Bedford/Hillsborough and expect handheld use to be between the NH/MA border and Concord, Keene to Portsmouth, hiking & camping with a whip antenna and maybe while mobile driving, on an exterior mounted antenna. At present, I would not rule out any RX capabilities on a handheld - that’s where I’m lost on what I do/don’t need in my operating area. I like the idea of integrated GPS. Some Close Call function to know proximity to me in the woods seems useful.

Thanks for comments/questions!

Bret/N4SRM

 

[W1KNE]

Morning Bret,
So Phase II refers to a specific type of trunked system. A Phase II scanner simply means the scanner can decode Phase II trunking. Where that would apply to New Hampshire would be Nashua, which has a Phase II trunk. (Remember Police are encrypted). Everything else is conventional, or Phase I (Manchester). Mass State Police are analog for most of the NH border, and almost every town/city along the border is conventional as well. Either digital or analog. New Hampshire uses a lot of P25, conventional. For your sake, if you were to buy a scanner, your best bang for the buck would be the Uniden 436HP portable. It has a great receiver, replays audio, handles P25 audio nicely. Uses standard batteries.

 

[N4SRN]

Morning Bret,
So Phase II refers to a specific type of trunked system. A Phase II scanner simply means the scanner can decode Phase II trunking. Where that would apply to New Hampshire would be Nashua, which has a Phase II trunk. (Remember Police are encrypted). Everything else is conventional, or Phase I (Manchester). Mass State Police are analog for most of the NH border, and almost every town/city along the border is conventional as well. Either digital or analog. New Hampshire uses a lot of P25, conventional. For your sake, if you were to buy a scanner, your best bang for the buck would be the Uniden 436HP portable. It has a great receiver, replays audio, handles P25 audio nicely. Uses standard batteries.

Thanks for the education! I was just looking at that 436HP on Scanmaster - lots of options! A few question:
1. Would DMR, NXDN and ProVoice be useful?
2. I’d plan to use the ARC Pro software - they make good stuff. If I did that, would having Scanmaster pre-load one county be any better or can I just do all that myself?
3. They sell an Austin Condor Wide-band Antenna - worth the $42 you think?

Thanks, BRET/N4SRN

 

[ecps92]

And altho Manchester is Phase I for now, they could migrate to Phase II, if you care to plan ahead

Thanks for the education! I was just looking at that 436HP on Scanmaster - lots of options! A few question:
1. Would DMR, NXDN and ProVoice be useful?
2. I’d plan to use the ARC Pro software - they make good stuff. If I did that, would having Scanmaster pre-load one county be any better or can I just do all that myself?
3. They sell an Austin Condor Wide-band Antenna - worth the $42 you think?

Thanks, BRET/N4SRN

 

[GraniteScanner]

1. Would DMR, NXDN and ProVoice be useful?

Thanks, BRET/N4SRN

So those are other digital modes like P25. Those would be useful if you decide you want to monitor digital systems that use those modes. DMR seems to be the most common here in NH from what I've gathered.

 

[Hit_Factor]

... Some Close Call function to know proximity to me in the woods seems useful...

Do not know why, but that comment reminded me of an incident in Chesire County, where a young boy was lost in the woods. We had lots of people searching the area. One of my Officers radioed me, "Hey Sarge, you are going to want to see this" I headed over to the location and some searchers found a marijuana grow on the side of a large hill. One of the growers was in the process of desperately harvesting (I promptly arrested the grower, and finished the harvesting. PD smelled awful from the fresh weed for months) . They would have liked knowing what was coming in the woods...

 

[hiegtx]

Thanks for the education! I was just looking at that 436HP on Scanmaster - lots of options! A few question:
1. Would DMR, NXDN and ProVoice be useful?

DMR would be useful in most areas. Some smaller towns use DMR because it's cheaper than P25 systems. Many businesses also use DMR, and you may find it in use by some school districts. I would also advise to not have the dealer add the DMR upgrade, as they will charge you $15 or more than your cost from Uniden direct. I also would not add that upgrade until after you have received your scanner, verify there are no problems with the unit (not that that is likely), and that it covers the systems that interest you, and don't plan to return it to, say, move to the SDS100.

I only see one NXDN system listed under your state's trunked systems, and it does not appear to be near you. At some future date, railroads will be shifting to NXDN, and it is already in use in a few areas. Looking at Railroads in your state, looks like they have not started to move to NXDN. You can always add that at a later date if & when NXDN starts showing up near you.

You have no listed ProVoice systems in your state. That system type is no longer supported by the manufacturer, and only a few scattered systems are still in use. Most are moving to some sort of P25 system as they take down their old ProVoice equipment. Save your money & skip ProVoice.

2. I’d plan to use the ARC Pro software - they make good stuff. If I did that, would having Scanmaster pre-load one county be any better or can I just do all that myself?

I recommend not paying ScannerMaster, nor any dealer, to pre-program your scanner. You're buying a database scanner. Everything you need to program it yourself is in the database in the Sentinel software. After you install Sentinel, & update the database, write that to the scanner. Then you can start scanning using your location, range, & service types you want to monitor. The dealer is simply going to append systems in the area you specify (from the main database) to a Favorites list. You can do that yourself easily. Lots of videos on YouTube, as well as articles in the Wiki, among other things, to help you get pointed in the right direction. Incidentally, you can download and install Sentinel before getting (or even ordering) your scanner, and begin to get used to it. A link on where to find it is on this Wiki page:

Sentinel for the BCD436HP/BCD536HP/SDS100/SDS200 - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

There is also an "Easier to Read Manual" for Sentinel.

BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual

You can download ARC536 Pro and use it for a 30 day free trial. The cost is about $70 if you decide to purchase it. The Pro version gives you logging & virtual control not present in the Basic version ($40) of the software.

Frankly, I prefer ProScan. It does everything (and more) than the ARC536 Pro does, and it's $20 less, with a purchase price of $50. ProScan also supports many other Uniden scanners (check {ProScan's webpage for a list), whereas ARC536 only supports the 436HP, 536HP, SDS100, and SDS200. It also has a 30 day free trial.

Both the ARC software as well as ProScan provide lifetime updates; these are free if you purchase one of the ProGrams. You must have Sentinel, in any event, to maintain the database, and also to apply any firmware updates that might be released. Sentinel is free from Uniden.

3. They sell an Austin Condor Wide-band Antenna - worth the $42 you think?

I have seen some posts praising this antenna. But I have one, purchased years ago, that very underwhelmed me. I was disappointed in its performance, and have not used it in a very long time. Depending on which frequency bands you need to cover, there are better antennas out there, most for less than the cost of the Condor.

 

[Firebuff66]

Bret Im in NH 6 or 7 times a year and use a BCD325P2 and BDC996P2 and they work great for NH.
I use ProScan to program all my scanners and it is well worth the $50 for 2 computers and lifetime updates, it has all the featurs of the ARC and much more.
Just less expencive option if you dont need the bells and whistles of a 436 but both are good scanners

 

[W1KNE]

I recommend not paying ScannerMaster, nor any dealer, to pre-program your scanner.

Also he's a premium member here, so he'll get the DB access in ARC or other software for free.

 

[hiegtx]

Also he's a premium member here, so he'll get the DB access in ARC or other software for free.

Good point,

Using ProScan or ARC536, he can directly import only the sites he wants. If appending a large regional or statewide system using Sentinel, you can focus on just the Departments that interest you, but Sentinel will still append every site listed for the system.

 

[N4SRN]

..., and don't plan to return it to, say, move to the SDS100.

As a matter of fact, I compared my new BCD436HP to my neighbors SDS100 just yesterday afternoon. He's a retired PSNH/Eversource guy and has great electric smarts. He bought a SDS100 and had his son program it, showing him how to update with the PC he's kind of scared of. The Navy taught him electric boats, but not communications electronics.

Scanning local Public Safety, the sensitivity seemed way better on the SDS100 with stock antennas and similar squelch. What was clear and continuous on the SDS100 was much less clear intermittent on the BCD436HP. UPS is coming to take that BCP436HP back to Amazon today and will bring me a SDS100 on Monday. I'm sure YMMV with each model and unit, but nothing like a side-by-side at my area of operation to confirm that choice.

Bret/N4SRN

 

[hiegtx]

As a matter of fact, I compared my new BCD436HP to my neighbors SDS100 just yesterday afternoon. He's a retired PSNH/Eversource guy and has great electric smarts. He bought a SDS100 and had his son program it, showing him how to update with the PC he's kind of scared of. The Navy taught him electric boats, but not communications electronics.

Scanning local Public Safety, the sensitivity seemed way better on the SDS100 with stock antennas and similar squelch. What was clear and continuous on the SDS100 was much less clear intermittent on the BCD436HP. UPS is coming to take that BCP436HP back to Amazon today and will bring me a SDS100 on Monday. I'm sure YMMV with each model and unit, but nothing like a side-by-side at my area of operation to confirm that choice.

Bret/N4SRN

Simulcast areas are unpredictable. You might find that scanners other than the SDS series can be made to work at home (or another fixed location), but the minute you leave the house, all bets are off.

Incidentally, if you can help your neighbor export his Favorites into one or more hoe files, that could give you a head start, or at least an example for programming your incoming scanner. Of.course, if you’ve created one or lists of your own, just change the Target model in Sentinel to the SDS100 instead of the x36HP scanners.

You might also check out the displays in Sentinel and adjust what data is displayed, along with positioning and color choices.

You’ll enjoy the new scanner.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Scanning local Public Safety, the sensitivity seemed way better on the SDS100 with stock antennas and similar squelch. ...

Do you need squelch on a digital signal?

 

[ecps92]

if you want your radio to "SCAN" you need to set it correctly, so YES

Do you need squelch on a digital signal?

 

[Isinglass311]

My personal opinion: If your budget allows go with the SDS100. Use Sentinel for programming. Don't buy DMR or NXDN until you find a frequency that requires it, and you will be monitoring often enough to justify the $50 & $60 price each. There isn't any ProVoice systems around here that I know of.

You can save a little money and get a great scanner by going with the BCD436HP. From the SDS the big downgrades are color display, and simulcast performance. You'll still have a zipcode scanner and Sentinel will work with both.

For lower cost and a much more compact scanner the BCD325P2 cannot be beat. You'll need a 3rd party programming software. This scanner does not have a built-in database.

None of the above have built-in GPS but an external one can be purchased. All three require the GPS to have a separate power supply so unless you're only using it in a vehicle that's a problem. I don't see a need to have a GPS connected while hiking unless you're doing a AT hike thru or something crazy like that. If you're going to drive a distance, then hike defiantly go with one of the zipcode models if the extra weight is acceptable.

I just finished programming my SDS100 and BCD536HP with separate favorite lists for each county in NH and ME. With a GPS connected, the scanner will avoid/un-avoid departments as I move through them. Without the GPS connected I can just enter a zip code for my location (or coordinates from Google/Apple maps) and the scanner will start scanning that area. You can select whether to use the full database or just your favorites lists that you've turned on.

Sentinel has a bit of a learning curve. I've used Butel products for years and immediately purchased ARC536PRO but switched to Sentinel once I learned it and haven't gone back. The Scanner Guys YouTube channel is a great resource for everything scanners.

 

[jmarcel66]

As a matter of fact, I compared my new BCD436HP to my neighbors SDS100 just yesterday afternoon. He's a retired PSNH/Eversource guy and has great electric smarts. He bought a SDS100 and had his son program it, showing him how to update with the PC he's kind of scared of. The Navy taught him electric boats, but not communications electronics.

Scanning local Public Safety, the sensitivity seemed way better on the SDS100 with stock antennas and similar squelch. What was clear and continuous on the SDS100 was much less clear intermittent on the BCD436HP. UPS is coming to take that BCP436HP back to Amazon today and will bring me a SDS100 on Monday. I'm sure YMMV with each model and unit, but nothing like a side-by-side at my area of operation to confirm that choice.

Bret/N4SRN

I've had the exact opposite experience. If it wasn't for the awesome display and display features on the SDS100, I'd have sold it already and got a BCD436 again. I find the image frequencies (like older programmable scanners), diminished reception, and oversized, proprietary battery packs annoying. I can't understand the Simulcast argument either. The BCD536 I still have doesn't seem to have any issues with scanning simulcast systems in multiple states (NH, MA, CT, FL, etc). Also since most of NH is conventional, that seems to matter even less.