Scanner question

[HamYankee]

Hello,
I have an old analog Uniden Bearcat Sportcat scanner. It can scan about 10 bands or so. I am considering getting the BCD436HP. But, I am having a hard time justifying the expense. It seems like my county emergency agencies have moved to APCO 25 Phase I or II.
Does anybody have an advanced digital scanner that can give me some advise?
Does this scanner also scan Ham and Aviation frequencies?
Thank you

 

[HamYankee]

Don't nobody got that BCD436HP scanner???

 

[Davis0023]

Check out RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference , it has everything you need.

 

[PistolBob]

The BCD436HP is the first scanner to incorporate the HomePatrol-1's ease of use in a traditional handheld scanner. Plus, Uniden's exclusive Close Call RF Capture feature, GPS Connectivity, Extra-Large Display, Radio System Analysis and Discover Modes put the most advanced scanner features ever right in the palm of your hand. The LCD backlit keypad elluminates the keys and screen helps you make favorite lists quick and easy to setup. The department/site Quick Keys makes for a quick call or tagging the system/channel number. There are five different frequencies that are covered with the BCD436HP (25-512 MHz, 758-824 MHz, 849-869 MHz, 894-960 MHz, 1240-1300 MHz). Other features: TrunkTracker V, APCO 25 phase I and phase II, X2-TDMA, CTCSS/DCS rapid decoding, P25 NAC decoding and simple-to-use Sentinel PC software to keep your scanner's database and firmware up to date. Receives conventional and the following types of trunked channels: •Motorola Type I •Motorola Type II •Motorola Type IIi Hybrid •Motorola Type II Smartnet •Motorola Type II Smartzone •Motorola Type II Smartzone Omnilink •Motorola Type II VOC •LTR Standard •Project 25 Standard •Motorola X2-TDMA •P25 Phase I and Phase II •EDACS Standard (Wide) •EDACS Narrowband (Narrow) •EDACS Networked (Wide/Narrow) •EDACS ESK On the following frequencies: (25-512 MHz) (758-960 MHz) (excluding cellular telephone bands) (1.24 – 1.3 GHz

Doesn't cover the amateur radio bands on HF but it will cover the 2m amateur band and the 70cm amateur band. Aviation is typically 136 Mhz to about 158 Mhz...so that's covered. Railroad freqs are in the 160 Mhz to 161 Mhz range...so you have them too.

 

[Plague421]

Hello,
I have an old analog Uniden Bearcat Sportcat scanner. It can scan about 10 bands or so. I am considering getting the BCD436HP. But, I am having a hard time justifying the expense. It seems like my county emergency agencies have moved to APCO 25 Phase I or II.
Does anybody have an advanced digital scanner that can give me some advise?
Does this scanner also scan Ham and Aviation frequencies?
Thank you

I own a BCD436HP scanner, it's awesome!
Yes it does cover aviation and HAM.
The scanner also allows you to load all frequencies within a specified radius, just type in your zip-code and it loads them up.
It also allows you to filter these frequencies by service type. Here is a list (pic) of all the "services" that are available:

I will warn you now, there are A LOT of frequencies to sort through with the Sentinel software.
It can be a little overwhelming sorting through them all at first.
Trying to do so with just the keypad (manually) would be a nightmare.
The software sorts frequencies in a drop-down tree style by country > state > county > city, which is convenient. See pic:

I have suspicions that not all of the frequency "settings" in the DB are accurate.
For example, my local PD is said to use 88.5 PL Tone according to Radio Reference, which is what the software DB says as well.
However if I use the software settings, I never pick anything up. If I manually entered in my local PD frequency without a Tone it works fine.
I don't know if this is just a local issue, or if there may be other errors like this elsewhere.

I bought the USB programming cable because I (stupidly) believed an Amazon review.
You DO NOT NEED the aftermarket USB programming cable, the USB cable it comes with is perfectly fine.

The things I like about it:

1. The display is amazing (IMO) because it tells you exactly what/who you are listening to.
2. Speaker is good and loud, very little distortion.
3. Battery life is pretty good, with aftermarket batteries. I take mine to work and listen to Chicago PD. (You wouldn't believe the things I've heard.) I can get about 2 work days of use out of 1 charge, which is roughly 20hrs total.
4. Construction is fairly solid, feels good in the hand. I doubt it would survive being beat around too much, but it's an electronic device, you can only expect so much.
5. I LOVE the recording feature, it acts kind of like a DVR, it's on all the time and if you want to hear it again just hit the replay button.
6. The "close-call" feature is pretty cool, however aside from me testing it with the CB in my jeep, I have not picked up anything worthwhile using it.
7. You can lock out/on frequencies by service type. For example fire, EMS, PD, Public Utilities, Military, Aviation etc.
8. The custom lists you can create are an awesome feature.
9. The software is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate for the most part.

The things I DON'T like about it:

1. You cannot listen to it AND charge it at the same time.
2. The menus can get annoying to navigate.
3. The antenna is okay, it works but it's not the best. I opted to purchase the RadioShack 800MHz Scanner Antenna after seeing a review of it on YouTube. I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you are going to listen to digital transmissions.
4. You pretty much HAVE TO use the software to setup favorites lists and lockout unwanted frequencies.
5. Batteries that come with it are trash, (at least mine were) buy a set of good Energizer rechargeables.

I ultimately bought this scanner because I didn't want to have to buy another (newer) one for a very long time, and I wanted it to be mobile.
I know it seems like a lot of money, but the scanner does a lot, and it does it well.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the purchase if you can afford it.

I can answer any questions you have about it you may have, as best I can.

 

[bwframe]

How long is this expensive radio forecast to be current with modern technology?

 

[Sailor]

These are great little radios, I suggest this antenna in your attic, Diamond® Antenna ~ D130J Super Discone Antenna Really brings it to life. I had my scanner running 24-7 and streaming to the web so I could access it on the road and at work.

 

[Plague421]

How long is this expensive radio forecast to be current with modern technology?

I think that would really depend on your location. Large (well funded) police/EMS/Fire departments are more likely to upgrade to newer radio tech or use encrypted channels.
However it is very expensive to upgrade, especially when it's a new or proprietary technology.

I'd guess this scanner is "future proof" for at least 5-10 years.
Even if your department decided to upgrade, there are still going to be thousands of other things to listen to.