Scanner is broken and won't restart working, what should I do.

[fireairmedlistener]

Hey everyone, my scanner that I use for Hamblen county E-911 has unfortunately broken down and won't work at all, I use a 90s Uniden Bearcat scanner and was wondering if I should have someone repair it if someone knows how to or if Hamblen is switching their radios out soon and it'd be better just to buy a new one.

 

[K4ZXT]

Either way I’d replace it. If they don’t change now, at some point they will. Plus the new ones have many more features.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

What model Bearcat? Look up model # here and see if Uniden will repair. Either way with current repair rates it may be more cost effective just to replace the older unit

 

[fireairmedlistener]

How much money would the difference be between having it repaired vs replacing it.

 

[fireairmedlistener]

What new features are you talking about

 

[KN4EHX]

Hamblen is switching to P25 Phase II in the very near future. As in likely the next three or four months when the system rolls out. I’ve not received any updates on how concrete that is but the budget was approved and a new license for 7/800 MHz has been granted by the FCC. The only agency still up in the air is EMS and Rescue but I would assume they will also make the change. The old system will be kept for a backup.

 

[fireairmedlistener]

Will it be encrypted and if not then what hand held scanners are available for it

 

[KN4EHX]

Will it be encrypted and if not then what hand held scanners are available for it

I don’t think it will be big E, but encryption will be available. As far as which scanner to use, I’m not a good resource, but likely someone else can give you a solid suggestion.

A lot of people like the SDS100 and BCD436HP. Probably some cheaper options available but shop around.

 

[fireairmedlistener]

I know Jefferson County uses the big E but it doesn't seem like Hamblen County would because I see no reason for it but all I use it for is for when UTLIFESTAR and other agencies are called to fly patients out of MHHS (yes if you have seen a certain teenager at MHHS when LIFESTAR and a med unit are there you probably have seen me)

 

[KN4EHX]

I know Jefferson County uses the big E but it doesn't seem like Hamblen County would because I see no reason for it but all I use it for is for when UTLIFESTAR and other agencies are called to fly patients out of MHHS (yes if you have seen a certain teenager at MHHS when LIFESTAR and a med unit are there you probably have seen me)

I can certainly appreciate your reasons for wanting to keep up with everyone. Jefferson County is on LandAir NXDN UHF system so totally different creature, but UT LifeStar is a TACN user and it is very common to hear them on P25. They operate in the clear and have some pretty cool comms on occasion. A lot of the pilots and navigators are prior service military and it shows by their radio etiquette. You’ll hear them almost daily in the Hamblen County area.

THP District 5 (Fall Branch) and District 1 (Knox) are both on TACN and in the clear for the greatest majority of their communications. They actually aren’t as exciting as you might imagine unless they end up in a wide area pursuit on the interstate.

BCD325P2 will work with TACN but I don’t think it can cover more modes like DMR and NXDN. It will of course work with all the P25 stuff on Phase I and II. It has more of the classic orange screen and buttons. If you’re more of a traditional look and feel kind of guy that might be the ideal scanner for the money. Just shop around and look on the for sale ads on here too might be worth your while.

If any of these new scanners last as long as your old one you’ll be doing very well.

 

[fxdscon]

BCD325P2 will work with TACN but I don’t think it can cover more modes like DMR and NXDN.

The BCD325P2 definitely can monitor DMR and NXDN systems with the paid upgrades from Uniden.

 

[tvengr]

Hey everyone, my scanner that I use for Hamblen county E-911 has unfortunately broken down and won't work at all, I use a 90s Uniden Bearcat scanner and was wondering if I should have someone repair it if someone knows how to or if Hamblen is switching their radios out soon and it'd be better just to buy a new one.

What model scanner do you have? What do you see on the display?

 

[buddrousa]

It is a Uniden 780 or older and would not be worth it to me as it does not support as much. Looking at repair of the scanner and add about $250 and you would be ready to go with upgrades to add on if needed.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

What new features are you talking about

That depends on what model you decide on. See this wiki page for a breakdown of Uniden's current & historical offerings

 

[fireairmedlistener]

What model scanner do you have? What do you see on the display?

I can't exactly remember the model but one like mine is in the picture

 

[fireairmedlistener]

I talked to guy that works for MHEMS in the barber shop yesterday and he said that Rescue is defenitly switching but EMS probably won't switch and that it would be patched for EMS to talk on analog to the other digital and I can't remember if he said EMS analog to digital would be trunked or if the whole system will but he doesn't think that there will be any encryption so would I need a analog for EMS and digital for the rest.

 

[fireairmedlistener]

I can certainly appreciate your reasons for wanting to keep up with everyone. Jefferson County is on LandAir NXDN UHF system so totally different creature, but UT LifeStar is a TACN user and it is very common to hear them on P25. They operate in the clear and have some pretty cool comms on occasion. A lot of the pilots and navigators are prior service military and it shows by their radio etiquette. You’ll hear them almost daily in the Hamblen County area.

THP District 5 (Fall Branch) and District 1 (Knox) are both on TACN and in the clear for the greatest majority of their communications. They actually aren’t as exciting as you might imagine unless they end up in a wide area pursuit on the interstate.

BCD325P2 will work with TACN but I don’t think it can cover more modes like DMR and NXDN. It will of course work with all the P25 stuff on Phase I and II. It has more of the classic orange screen and buttons. If you’re more of a traditional look and feel kind of guy that might be the ideal scanner for the money. Just shop around and look on the for sale ads on here too might be worth your while.

If any of these new scanners last as long as your old one you’ll be doing very well.

By in the clear do you mean you can hear them clearly? I use a scanner because I like to go out on landing zones and to hear what's going on in my area and to keep statistics on response times and what incidents commonly happen and if potentally a crime or emergency has happened at friend or relitives house. I'm not sure how long my scanner actually worked (my dad bought it in early 2000) and used it a lot until my dad put it up around the time I was born (2006) and pulled I got it out in late March of this year and used it until Monday when it broke down so in terms of continuous use I'm not sure how long it would have lasted but it was a good one and easy to operate and program. From listening to MPD it's just a bunch of boring traffic stops and ocassionally a vandalisam call or something

 

[tvengr]

I can't exactly remember the model but one like mine is in the picture

The scanner shown is a BC60XLT from about 1994. It is analog only conventional (no trunking) with 30 channels. There is another scanner that looks identical to that one except it is analog only conventional (no trunking) with 50 channels and the addition of 800 MHz. That one is the BC80XLT from 1995. Which scanner do you have and do you need the manual?

 

[fireairmedlistener]

The 30 channel from 1994, I have the manual

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but (understandable for an almost 30 year old scanner)...