uniden home patrol is garbage

[crash_iam]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

 

[JamesO]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

Granted this is the Tavern, but this is your first post/comment on the RR site and you have nothing good to say about something that you probably have programmed wrong and do not understand. The Home Patrol scanners HP1/X36HP are complicated and can EASILY be programmed and configured wrong.

Yes there have been some Home Patrols with issues, but I have one that works just fine. You need to spend some time to determine if the scanner actually has problems of the problem is pilot error.

So if you want help and want to get it working correctly, suggest you play nice and post in either the Tech Support forum and or spend some time reading on the Home Patrol web site - HomePatrol

BTW, ALL antennas shipped with most scanners are junk. Plenty of decent aftermarket antennas for under $25 that will do a much better job.

 

[Bearcat1207]

The HomePatrol is NOT garbage. I have 2 as well as both the new ones and they all work as they are suppose to. Just because you can't operate something properly doesn't mean it's garbage. There are no perfect scanners but Uniden is on the top of the tech scale with it's scanners. Learn how to program the scanner and or invest in the Butel software and it's a perfect match. Granted I still like my GRE PSR 500 it's a great scanner as well but the screen is small and offers little info while scanning. I was greatly disappointed in the PSR 800 because of the face plate issue that was never corrected before GRE went south. But even then I wouldn't call it garbage it's a great scanner it just took a few hours of work to remove the silk screen that was defective from day one. Whistler will come out with a similar model no doubt hopefully without defects since they have GRE tech people working with them on the new models. I have over 150 scanners and none of them are garbage. I still have my first Bearcat scanner bought when I was 10 yo more than 40 years ago before Uniden when my mom took me to the factory when it was located just west of where I live in Indiana. It still works as do all my scanners even though the vast majority aren't used much. I still use my Robin with the multicolored lights and crystals it's more than 35 years old now works and looks new. even though we are digital here with a state wide multi site system there are plenty of things you can still scan with a crystal or touch pad scanner that's not digital. $500 bucks isn't much money my smart phone cost more than any of my scanners. I even but the extreme upgrade on both HP-1's and they work as they are suppose to. Granted your mileage may vary with any product but you get what you pay for generally. If you hate it so much return it or sell it or give it away then maybe your pain will be relieved.
73

 

[phask]

Popcorn time -

I have 2 HP1 - and no issues.

The OP probably has no idea how radio works, wouldn't know what to do with the extreme if he had it.

 

[SCPD]

Home Patrol

Whats so different about the home patrol?If you want it to work like any other scanner,get Butel's ARC PATROL,I had it head to head with a GRE PSR-600 and it picked up the same.Programmed exactly the same.If you want top notch performance,get an outdoor antenna,no rubber duck piece of crap is going to work good.The Radio Shacks were made by GRE,they are a little more sensitive is all.Maybe a hair,if it doesnt work good the home patrol,send it back and get another.Do you have it next to a MAC computer?Is it near TVs and electronic equipment?This could be your issue!move it.

 

[JamesO]

Home Patrols are different as you can filter or limit what the scanner will receive very easily if you do not understand what you are doing. More ways NOT to hear activity than there are TO hear activity. 1 right way and 1000's of wrong ways to set the scanner up. Most people are not Lottery winners, so there is a high likelyhood that they have configured the scanner in anything but the correct way. I have done it my self with both Uniden and GRE/Radio Shack scanners, partly the fault of the NON INTUITIVE software with NO clear examples or explanations.

With these scanners, you have to attend, and graduate, from the University Of Hard Knocks before you can get everything working correctly.

Service Types and Distance are filters and you can end up painting yourself in the corner.

Did the OP install the Sentinel software? Update the Master Database? Update the HP1 firmware? Properly write the updates to the scanner?

Who knows??

Also the OP likely is comparing the HP1 to an older conventional and/or analog trunking scanner. Very different things going on from 10+ years ago to today.

The OP may be hearing digital channels that are not decoding properly or listening to the control channel. Might be dealing with Encryption or Phase II issues.

Without any USEFUL facts and details it is hard to help someone what just wants to complain.

Again, we do not even know if the HP1 is new or used and if the radio can pick up a NOAA or FM broadcast.

Could be a DOA out of the box, it does happen, but complaining will not fix or resolve the problem.

If the OP wants to get rid of his new HP1, he can send it to me, I will take good care of it and make sure it works properly!

 

[daveharpe]

Confucius says: "Garbage in, garbage out."

 

[JamesO]

^+1000!

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk

 

[SCPD]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

I was once a new home patrol user... although not a perfect scanner I found 99%of my issues were in mis-programming and range being turned too far up...
yes the antenna sucks in some instances... ex. I live in a home with aluminum siding and receive barely anything while my bcd396 is crystal clear...
place scanner on window sill
if static is still there go outside and try using it away from your home
how does it work at a local park?
if this only happens at home or in a car then its probably a cable or power line issue/sheildin in a cabletv/satv coax
it will wipe out 800 and cause you to miss transmissions because of the tones that are emaitted from them,
if its the case have cable company/or an electric engineer come in and check your coax/wiring
check outlets for dirty noisey POWER
all these factor in.
also not we had dirty power comping into our house and the light company came in and fixed the main wiring from outdoor meter to breaker box...replaced a transformer... BAMM issue was solved..
and our slowy creaping up light bill dropped by 50.00 on average a month

 

[scannermanner1]

I totally agree with all these guys...... back in the days I bought the Pro 164 Radio Shack scanner and tried to program a trunking system with the keypad .... no darn way I fought that thing for months . and I actually returned the scanner after two or three months of fighting with it nowadays I just have to laugh at myself because for one I did not understand the trunking system !! and now I have a Uniden bcd396xt and I love the scanner what made it really easy for me as I bought this scanner from someone who already had it programmed for my area so I didn't have to fight the programming process and then the meantime I learn more and more about how that trunking systems work and to program them

 

[scannermanner1]

so my point is give your gear a fair shot before you get rid of it .... you know I was totally ready to swear and curse at Radio Shack but now I think of it and it was not their problem

 

[Jay911]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

If you're trolling, go away.

If you're looking for help, we can help you, but you need to tell us specifically what your problem is. 9 times out of 10 with this radio, it's just not set up right.

What exact system are you trying to listen to? What zip code did you put in? Is that the zip code of the place you're at?

 

[crash_iam]

install the Sentinel software? Update the Master Database? Update the HP1 firmware? Properly write the updates to the scanner? I have done all of that.

I didn't say it did not work, i said it works like crap. I get some things to work just does not come in very clear.
my radio shack is clear as heck compared to home patrol. Maybe you guys don't think 500 bucks is much, but for that much it should be a lot better. I wish the thing would have picked up genesee county, but they changed things. As crooked as they are i can see why they don't want most to listen.

Sorry about the rant, but its just not worth the 500 bucks.

 

[dmg1969]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

I have had a HP-1 for about 2 months now and love mine. Either you are not in range of the signals you are trying to receive or there are some settings that need changed.

 

[crash_iam]

Ty all for the tips. i do have everything updated, and will buy buying a better antenna
and go from there. And again sorry for the rant.



This is a really nice site a lot of good info here! TY

 

[biomedbob]

I've had my HP-1 for about 3 years, and almost weekly learn new things about some of the features. Just hang in there and read these boards.

kf4br

 

[WILSON43]

Most likely a Troll looking to fire up the anti - Uniden sentiments...

While I've had concerns, issues and complaints about the current X36 HP models, this thread is about the HP - 1.

I have three and they all work flawlessly. Excellent receivers as well. A learning curve? Yes, but I suspect not as bad as the X36 series.

 

[mciupa]

It would be interesting to see if that person's ISP matches another account, perhaps a banned one. :twisted:

They joined yesterday and posted their comment about two minutes later and checked back today to see if the post catches fire. (You know, like a pyromaniac.) :roll:

 

[Ensnared]

HP Frustration

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

Deja Vu. I had a similar reaction when I purchased my digital radio. I referred to it as a $500 paperweight. However, I stayed with it & learned a great deal about my extremely powerful receiver.

Give it some time. If you are in an area with other radio enthusiasts, have a cup of Joe with them & let them help you out. This is why RR Forums is so very helpful to users.

Some, get an extreme upgrade to make the HP even more powerful. The days of simply turning a scanner on to hear action are long gone. Now, due to advancing technology of Law Enforcement/First Responders, you have to adjust things to get it to work right.

Good luck and welcome to RR.

 

[KevinC]

Very disappointed on the uniden home patrol. 500 bucks on a scanner that works like crap.
If your thinking of buying one DONT. I have it set up right and the static you get when a channel is on is total garbage. And they want a hundred bucks for a upgrade? what are they smoking. My old radio shack works ten times better. Even the antenna that comes with it is garbage. Never will i buy a uniden junk again.

You are 100% correct! You should immediately send it to me to rid yourself of it.