Sadly, HRO has very little in the way of scanners right now.
Phoenix Arizona Area - Police and Fire
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It's an excellent time to consider a Unication radio. There are plenty in stock, competitively priced to scanners, function as well and in most cases better than any current scanners, and there are some exciting things happening with firmware development that will make these already-outstanding little radios even better.
Mountain343
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Am I missing something here? I've seen a few people recommend these as the latest, greatest, and best thing to happen to the world of scanning, and I'm not sure why these would be a good replacement for a hobbyist scanner. I can understand an agency w/special needs & requirements justifying the cost and limited use, but am I missing something else?
I'll just talk out loud here for a sec and maybe someone can chime in:
A BCD325P2 can be found for under 300 bucks used and on sale, 400 at most.
It has
- 25,000 channels
- Weather alert
- VHF Lo, VHF Hi, UHF, 700mhz, 800mhz, MilAir
- Analog and Digital, Trunking, P25, Phase 1 and 2, DMR, EDACS, NXDN,
- GPS support
- Computer control
That means for one price, I can use it to listen to all of the different trunk systems like AZWINS and RWC and MCSO, as well as the UHF DPS and AMR, the VHF A Deck Fire, Rural Metro, PHI medevac, and all of the forestry stuff. I can also put in the Luke AFB milair and trunk stuff and the phx air stuff and basically listen to just about anything,
Unication G5 dualbands are about 600-700 bucks, and do either VHF and 700/800 or UHF and 700/800, and only 256 channels .
So you can listen to RWC, AZWINS, MCSO... but have to choose.. some vhf..... or the UHF stuff... but not both. Forget milair... and if you choose the one that can trunk Luke, you can't do DPS or AMR.....
No computer control at all.
You do get rugged housing though, built in recording, and bluetooth.
If I was an agency, this would be a no brainer... scanners are toys meant for hobbyists and some professionals.... but I keep seeing people saying the Unication is a great scanner for hobbyists and I feel like I'm missing the how and the why. I feel like I'd be spending more money on something that would let me hear less, and that's never a good thing.
Does it listen to to multiple things at once? Like if I put in RWC and set K1 and K6 to record, will it record both so I don't miss a call on either? Will it monitor both RWC and say A6 at the same time and output the audio on both?
Those things might be worth the added price... otherwise, it's really a great tool for agencies who need the pager stuff, who need to give their guys a way to listen to things without spending thousands on a radio.
But maybe I'm missing something.
The thing about Unication pagers and SDS100/200 is how well they handle simulcast distortion. Which the Phoenix trunked system is notorious for causing issues with other scanners. I’ll have my Uniden 436 sitting right next to my unication and the unication will pick up a transmission an entire second or more before the Uniden does even with a much larger antenna.
I have two Unications and only use my Uniden for site/talk group tracking to update my unications.
Yes, Mountain343, you're definitely missing something. These things are awesome. If you can ever get your hands on one you'll see why so many people rave about them. It's not a fluke that you hear so much chatter about them. Are they scanners? Nope, nor do they pretend to be. Personally I tried several scanners (including the BCD325P2) to monitor Phoenix Metro traffic and got dismal results despite trying all sorts of technical gyrations. The Unication came along and completely solved my problems and literally revitalized my interest in the hobby. I could actually hear complete, crystal clear conversations again. I bought my Unication before the SDS series came out so I was literally out of options if I wanted to monitor anything. I've since purchased a SDS200 and I'm very impressed with it, but the Unication still beats it. (For the record, I have no affiliation with Unication -- but I probably should as much as I promote their radios...)
Mountain343
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So how does the Unication beat an SDS by having less coverage, less frequencies, No computer control, No GPS, less capabilities for scanning? Do you miss stuff with the SDS? Does stuff still come in garbled with the SDS?
Not harping, but you said it does and I'm curious how if I'm going to spend that much money on something that would do so much less and require I carry multiple radios instead of just an SDS or a 325P2.
Right now that I'm in AZ instead of my usual SoCal I just have an old 396xt I brought with and compared to the APX8k I've been assigned while out here (which is a really nice radio), I haven't had too many issues... it's definitely not perfect, but useable. I've also used two SDRs with SDRtrunk and those things are great for 30 bucks a piece, especially since i'm just using little rubber duckies suction cupped to a window.
The Unication does one thing: monitors specific systems types, but it does it exceedingly well. The only way to beat the reception of a Unication on a P25 simulcast system is by an actual system radio, no scanner can match its performance.
The SDS100 and SDS200 are the only scanners that consistently perform well on simulcast systems, *almost* as well as the Unications. They give a lot more flexibility and features at a similar cost.
The SDS100 and SDS200 are the only scanners that consistently perform well on simulcast systems, *almost* as well as the Unications. They give a lot more flexibility and features at a similar cost.
- If you want a small/compact one trick pony (well a racehorse...) get a Unication.
- If you want to get good simulcast performance but with the rest of the scanner features and capabilities we have come to enjoy and desire (field programming and selection, searches, closecall, etc. etc. etc.) get an SDS100/200.
- If simulcast and the fancy color screen are not issues for you then a 325 or 436 will be fine.
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This is the key.
Mountain343, you are comparing two devices based on breadth of features. Those who rave about the Unications do so primarily for its P25 simulcast decode quality, not its breadth of features. If you need a single device to monitor police on a P25 simulcast system, scan multiple systems simultaneously, search for new aircraft band frequencies, listen to HF bands, try to pick up signals from aliens, and reliably cook scrambled eggs for breakfast, the Unication radio definitely isn't it. But if you're just trying to listen to your local police on a simulcast P25 system and are tired of how terrible it sounds and how many transmissions you miss, the Unication is worth considering.
The Unication does one thing and does it really, really well. Consumer grade scanners do lots of things and do them with a quality rating that ranges from terrible to ok, depending on the scanner and the feature at issue.
Continuing the theme of a focus on P25 monitoring performance rather than breadth of other features, I have an SDS100, a Unication G5, and several BKRadio KNG radios (which are public safety grade P25 trunked radios that, unlike Motorola P25 radios, have a true receive-only programming option that disables transmit and system affiliation and avoids the need to hack system keys to program, rendering it truly just a scanner/receiver).
I use my KNG radios for most of my monitoring and P25 scanning, because they perform the best for that function. But they are really expensive.
I use my Unication pager for monitoring when small size is valuable to me but I still want high performance P25 decode.
I use my SDS100 when P25 quality is not as important and I need to leverage the myriad other features in this consumer scanner that aren't present in a KNG or a Unication.
Something for everything, though not everyone is prepared to spend money on multiple radios (I know people who have a car for comfortable/efficient commuting during the week and a pick-up truck for its utility on the weekends - I don't need two vehicles personally, but I can see how each serves a purpose better than the other one for some people).
I use my KNG radios for most of my monitoring and P25 scanning, because they perform the best for that function. But they are really expensive.
I use my Unication pager for monitoring when small size is valuable to me but I still want high performance P25 decode.
I use my SDS100 when P25 quality is not as important and I need to leverage the myriad other features in this consumer scanner that aren't present in a KNG or a Unication.
Something for everything, though not everyone is prepared to spend money on multiple radios (I know people who have a car for comfortable/efficient commuting during the week and a pick-up truck for its utility on the weekends - I don't need two vehicles personally, but I can see how each serves a purpose better than the other one for some people).
Paysonscanner
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I've been struggling with choosing a Phase II radio for about a year now. I just ordered a BC-996. I'm in Payson and the Maricopa County S.O. system has a repeater site on Mt. Ord. I think it is part of the eastern simulcast. Topography is such that Ord is likely the only site we can hear, given the mountains blocking transmissions from the southwest. I finally chose the BC996 as I figured if we can only hear one site, simulcasting won't be an issue. Daddy has been wanting to hear Maricopa County again and there aren't any other simulcast systems up our way yet. We also want to hear the APS Phase II system which I don't think is simulcast. I'm trying to save money and I'm wondering if I made the right choice. Sorry to hijack the thread more.
Assuming you mean the BCD996P2, as the BCD996XT does not track Phase-II. As has been discussed too many times to count on these forums your radio will most likely lock up on signals if you're trying to pick up a simulcast system on a non-SDS unit, have a read here. A number of work arounds have been suggested, they've worked for some but not for me. If you want to be able to track that system without missing a beat, save up and buy an SDS100 or 200. System engineers certainly don't design these systems with the hobbyist in mind, that's for sure
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@Paysonscanner, I think another problem you may have is the antennas on the Mt Ord transmitter may be directional to the West/South to cover Maricopa county. Signal to the East/North of Mt. Ord may not be as good if that is the case.
You should not have simulcast distortion at your location as this is probably the only transmitter you will receive on the Maricopa County P25 system. If you can receive enough signal, you should be good with the BCD996P2.
APS Site 1010 Corporate HQ (Downtown Phoenix) is a simulcast site, but the others are not. You should be good for the APS P25 system with the BCD996P2.
You should not have simulcast distortion at your location as this is probably the only transmitter you will receive on the Maricopa County P25 system. If you can receive enough signal, you should be good with the BCD996P2.
APS Site 1010 Corporate HQ (Downtown Phoenix) is a simulcast site, but the others are not. You should be good for the APS P25 system with the BCD996P2.
Paysonscanner
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Yes, I ordered the P2 model. I didn't notice any 996XT's when I began to search. If Gila County gets the urge to make its radio system like the big boys to the west, I think it would not be simulcasted due to terrain. But, I have to remember I don't really know much about this. I'm pretty sure we will be able to listen to APS and it will be interesting to see how it works on the Maricopa SO system.
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