Thinking of a 996P2, have a few questions

[Skyd]

I'll definitely be programming it via software, I'll probably just go with freescan for now.

The SDS200 is purdy and has alot of beels and whistles but it's double the price and I live in an area that some PD's are still using analog even. I think it's more likely encryption will start to cause issues than anything else but time will tell. For now I think the 996 will keep me happy for a number of years. I may even order it this weekend, gotta check the mattress first.

 

[morrisr3nd]

You might want to consider a used one. I have a 996P2 and it's working great. All of my scanners come from eBay or RR Classifieds.

 

[morrisr3nd]

Uniden BCD996P2 Digital Mobile T.T. V Scanner with Fire Tone Out Search 50633650776 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Uniden BCD996P2 Digital Mobile T.T. V Scanner with Fire Tone Out Search at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Uniden BCD996P2 Digital Mobile T.T. V Scanner with Fire Tone Out Search 50633650776 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Uniden BCD996P2 Digital Mobile T.T. V Scanner with Fire Tone Out Search at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Uniden BCD996P2 Bearcat Trunk Tracker V Phase II Base/Mobile Digital Scanner NEW 50633650776 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Uniden BCD996P2 Bearcat Trunk Tracker V Phase II Base/Mobile Digital Scanner NEW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[morrisr3nd]

This is a really good deal on an SDS200

SDS200/DMR Entitlement/SOLD

For Sale is a barely used Uniden SDS200 base/mobile scanner. Scanner has the DMR upgrade and all the accessories to get you up and running. $600.00 shipped to you. CONUS only, no trades. PayPal (goods & services) or Venmo only. SOLD !

forums.radioreference.com

 

[Skyd]

I looked at used and it wasn't that big of a savings so didn't make much sense to me not to get a brand new one with warranty.

SOOO, anyway a brand new shiny BCD996PD is on the way and should be here Tuesday. Price paid - $370 shipped

 

[GROL]

I looked at used and it wasn't that big of a savings so didn't make much sense to me not to get a brand new one with warranty.

SOOO, anyway a brand new shiny BCD996PD is on the way and should be here Tuesday. Price paid - $370 shipped

Good purchase. You won't be disappointed with the BCD996P2 and current prices are very good. I have thought about getting a second one.

 

[Brales60]

I have a 996P2 as well, but my SDS200 just blows it out of the water in my area due to simulcast. The 996 works just fine on the conventional stuff.

 

[Skyd]

Ya I don't think Simulcast is an issue where I am, It's fairly rural here and most departments seem to use different frequencies for each tower location. My 996 should be here today or tomorrow - hard to say with USPS, they show up when they want to sometimes. haha

 

[scannersnstuff]

Not having owned a 996p2, I will say this. I don't think it's quiet the performer of the bcd536. I have heard some grumbling's about the p-II performance,and of course it is not going to be a stellar simulcast performer. Again, just my .2 cent's. I do have considerable Uniden experience. I have the bcd436hp, the handheld counterpart of the 536,and I am happy with it.

 

[trp2525]

Good purchase. You won't be disappointed with the BCD996P2 and current prices are very good. I have thought about getting a second one.

I looked at used and it wasn't that big of a savings so didn't make much sense to me not to get a brand new one with warranty.

SOOO, anyway a brand new shiny BCD996PD is on the way and should be here Tuesday. Price paid - $370 shipped

I recently looked at current pricing for the Uniden BCD996P2 and found a very good deal at Main Trading Company in Paris, Texas. They currently have the BCD996P2 for their regular price of $359.99 but if you use their mtc14 coupon code at checkout it brings the price down to $345.99 with FREE shipping included. (FYI coupon code mtc14 is valid through March 5th.)

For those who may be interested in having a look and/or buying one, here's the direct link: Uniden Bearcat Trunk Tracker V BCD996P2 Phase II Base/Mobile Digital Scanner

 

[Skyd]

Well I thought I'd just update with my initial impressions of the BCD996P2. I got it yesterday and opened it up last night. I have not done any programming on it yet to speak of. I plan to use Freescan to program it but for now I'm just farting around and getting used to using it and seeing how it works.

My first thoughts are this is leaps and bounds ahead of my Pro-106 in a number of ways right out of the gate. First of all I feel like my 106 has a very noisy front end, even with just the rubber ducky on it seems to pick up alot of RFI. I have the Uniden setup just using the included metal telescoping antenna. I've also only really been doing some limit searches and a little bit in the preprogrammed bands. The audio quality is much better, which is to be expected as my 106 is a handheld. Everything sounds "cleaner" so far but again I've not spent alot of time with it yet.

One thing I'm already kinda wishing it did was auto save frequencies found while doing the limit searches (custom search). I know you can do search and save, which is cool but as near as I can tell it doesn't actually play what it found, it just identifies a signal, saves it, and moves on.

Minor nit pick so far. Looking forward to programming it and letting it run for a while, but I'm already really liking this scanner.

 

[Brales60]

Well I thought I'd just update with my initial impressions of the BCD996P2. I got it yesterday and opened it up last night. I have not done any programming on it yet to speak of. I plan to use Freescan to program it but for now I'm just farting around and getting used to using it and seeing how it works.

My first thoughts are this is leaps and bounds ahead of my Pro-106 in a number of ways right out of the gate. First of all I feel like my 106 has a very noisy front end, even with just the rubber ducky on it seems to pick up alot of RFI. I have the Uniden setup just using the included metal telescoping antenna. I've also only really been doing some limit searches and a little bit in the preprogrammed bands. The audio quality is much better, which is to be expected as my 106 is a handheld. Everything sounds "cleaner" so far but again I've not spent alot of time with it yet.

One thing I'm already kinda wishing it did was auto save frequencies found while doing the limit searches (custom search). I know you can do search and save, which is cool but as near as I can tell it doesn't actually play what it found, it just identifies a signal, saves it, and moves on.

Minor nit pick so far. Looking forward to programming it and letting it run for a while, but I'm already really liking this scanner.

You're blessed not having simulcast. It basically makes my 996 useless, while my SDS200 never stops.

 

[morrisr3nd]

Well I thought I'd just update with my initial impressions of the BCD996P2. I got it yesterday and opened it up last night. I have not done any programming on it yet to speak of. I plan to use Freescan to program it but for now I'm just farting around and getting used to using it and seeing how it works.

My first thoughts are this is leaps and bounds ahead of my Pro-106 in a number of ways right out of the gate. First of all I feel like my 106 has a very noisy front end, even with just the rubber ducky on it seems to pick up alot of RFI. I have the Uniden setup just using the included metal telescoping antenna. I've also only really been doing some limit searches and a little bit in the preprogrammed bands. The audio quality is much better, which is to be expected as my 106 is a handheld. Everything sounds "cleaner" so far but again I've not spent alot of time with it yet.

One thing I'm already kinda wishing it did was auto save frequencies found while doing the limit searches (custom search). I know you can do search and save, which is cool but as near as I can tell it doesn't actually play what it found, it just identifies a signal, saves it, and moves on.

Minor nit pick so far. Looking forward to programming it and letting it run for a while, but I'm already really liking this scanner.

Congrats on the purchase. Freescan is fairly easy to use but I prefer Proscan. Much easier for me. YMMV. Enjoy sir.

 

[tvengr]

Freescan is fairly easy to use but I prefer Proscan. Much easier for me.

You can also use Butel ARC-XT. I use ARC-XT Basic for my BCD325P2 and BCD996P2. Both ARC-XT and ProScan have a free trial period for you to decide which one you like better.

 

[Remscan]

Per the last couple of posts. The SDS200 is the king of "buy now, or cry later." And I say that with two 996P2s at home and another dozen at work. It's a good scanner and I have enjoyed learning hw to program them with ProScan. But if you wanna almost future proof your scanning then a SDS200 should be it. Where I am a major city is moving from conventional non-trunked 450mhz to a Phase 2 system. We are holding our breaths waiting to determine that the 996P2 will successfully work. With six towers will it be the dreaded no audio, garbled audio, no control channel? The bosses won't be happy if they have to buy 6 SDS200s, but if you wanna hear the PD, FD and sheriff it may be necessary. Consider carefully, but whatever you do enjoy the new scanner.

What city are you in?? If I might ask, what kind of shop are you in that uses that many scanners?

John

 

[hiegtx]

What city are you in?? If I might ask, what kind of shop are you in that uses that many scanners?

John

He's in the DFW Metro area (as I am as well). One of the organizations he works with is the news department of one of the local television stations.

 

[Remscan]

He's in the DFW Metro area (as I am as well). One of the organizations he works with is the news department of one of the local television stations.

Just curious. I write scanner software for mostly News stations. Just about finished the one for the SDS200. Allows multiple users on 1 scanner, replays up to 500 audio recordings, and can jump to a channel using the FIND function. Also software for the 996.

 

[hiegtx]

Just curious. I write scanner software for mostly News stations. Just about finished the one for the SDS200. Allows multiple users on 1 scanner, replays up to 500 audio recordings, and can jump to a channel using the FIND function. Also software for the 996.

Several of the local media companies are using Rangecast setups to generate leads for possible news stories. But that is in use at a fixed location, not something that might be in a mobile unit where a reporter and/or photographer might be out in the field, to directly respond to an incident.

 

[Remscan]

Several of the local media companies are using Rangecast setups to generate leads for possible news stories. But that is in use at a fixed location, not something that might be in a mobile unit where a reporter and/or photographer might be out in the field, to directly respond to an incident.

Most of the stations use this at the Desk also. Not in the field. Main advantage is No long Delays in hearing the transmissions. (especially during pursuits!) Rangecast is pretty good for people that aren't scanner savy. Easy to use.

 

[hiegtx]

Most of the stations use this at the Desk also. Not in the field. Main advantage is No long Delays in hearing the transmissions. (especially during pursuits!) Rangecast is pretty good for people that aren't scanner savy. Easy to use.

That's true. Some time back, I was asked to look at one of these systems used by a fire & water damage restoration business. They were not receiving all of what they thought they should. Turns out that ScannerMaster programmed the old obsolete trunked systems for those cities, not the new combined system they had moved to. Unfortunately, the two largest cities on the new system are now fully encrypted for both Fire & Police talkgroups. (At the time I looked at their setup, one of them had not yet encrypted their fire talkgroups. Bit since then, all went 'dark'.)