Uniden BCD396XT or HomePatrol 1

[Joshua Nall]

I looked into getting a scanner a few years ago, but couldn't decided between digital and analog. I've decided to go digital and get one of these units, but I'm having a tough time understanding how close call and location based scanning works. Here's what I have read. The handheld will close call, and will work with a GPS. The Home unit will work with a GPS, or you can enter a location such as zip code, but will not close call. I'm wondering what will be better for chasing. Since I'm generally solo it would be great to receive some reports in a timely fashion. I figure a scanner would be a good way to hear what others are seeing.

Here are my questions if anyone has experience with this. By location based scanning I understand that the unit automatically scans broadcasts in the area, but does that mean spotter and mobile units as well? I've read that the homepatrol already has frequencies stored, does that mean all of them? I assume you have to program the handheld unit. From what I've read about programming it sounds complicated. On the other hand the handheld unit has the close call feature that seems really handy. but does it actually work well in a chase environment? The signal has to be a close strong signal... how close? Would it pick up a mobile unit in a firetruck a mile away that might have a better view of a developing tornado. I really don't want anything I would have to mess with or adjust once I'm near a storm, but if I could just turn it on and receive some reports now and then that's what I'm looking for. Any information from scanner users would be helpful.

 

[rdale]

Neither is going to automatically get spotter reports. HP is useful if you're traveling a lot and have it hooked up to GPS. XT is better overall, but you need to program it ahead of time.

 

[Joshua Nall]

Maybe I should not have said spotter reports. Let me use an example. Last year I had reports from the local radio station that spotters were tracking a tornado. I noticed a volunteer fire truck parked at a big Y in the road so I drove up and asked if the tornado was still on the ground. Up to this point I only had the local radio stations to confirm if there even had been a tornado with this particular storm. He said yes it was on the ground and I could hear folks talking over the radio. I'm assuming that these people were using two way radio, ham radio, amateur radio... what ever is best to call it. And I understand this can be picked up with a scanner just like the big networks such as Arkansas wireless information network. After about 5 minutes I could make out the tornado in the distance and was able to sit there and watch it for probably another 10 minutes. I was going to sit there and wait for the storm no matter, but it would be really handy to have first hand accounts of what was going on just out of my sight, a couple of miles away. the XT with Close Call sounds good on paper, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it actually working. Homepartol hooked to a gps sounds good, but if it does not include these small networks then I don't see how that could be particularly helpful. Say if you wanted to program your unit.... how do you program for small nets all across the plains? I don't really know enough... to ask the proper questions probably. Or what I'm wanting may be impossible to do.

 

[rdale]

Close call won't do that. You can program the 396 yourself by using the Skywarn list and entering the frequencies of the areas you are going to be in.

 

[Joshua Nall]

Ok I will be looking into what all is involved in programing, thanks. By the way radio shack has the 396 on sale on Ebay for anyone might be interested.

 

[Brad Goddard]

I used the home patrol last year. It is the perfect scanner for chasing IMO. It's preloaded with the entire radio reference database. You just hook up the GPS and drive. It automatically switches the freqs it scans as you enter new areas you just don't have to even think about it.