Uniden police scanners: APCO 25 Phase I/II

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studio460

Well-known member
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Jul 9, 2014
Messages
281
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Uniden HP-1 [APCO25 Phase I-only]:

While not really an FFE-specific "mod," I thought maybe some others here may be interested in hearing about Uniden's latest APCO25-capable digital scanners (note that old analog scanners can no longer receive current digital radio transmissions). I chose the Uniden Home Patrol 1 (HP-1) mainly because RAM makes a suction-cup mount especially for it (you also have to buy the BCKHP-1 bracket, which is made by Uniden). Plus, it has a large, color display, making identification of transmitting agencies easy. Instead of looking like an old-fashioned police radio, it looks more like a modern, mini-navigation system. To assemble everything as shown in the photo below, I had to order from three different places:

Amazon: Uniden Home Patrol 1 ($383.70).
RAM mounts: RAM-B-166U/RAM-HAR-MET-NCB ($27.67)
Ham Radio Outlet: Uniden BCKHP-1 bracket ($12.99)

ram2.png


The HP-1 is super-easy to use. Just enter your zip code and go! But while the Uniden HP-1 is only capable of receiving APCO25 Phase I transmissions, Uniden's newest scanners are hardware-capable of receiving APCO25 Phase II signals as well, though according to user reports, Uniden's Phase II implementation is still a bit sketchy (however, many, if not most, agencies are still using APCO25 Phase I, and I believe LAPD is still using Phase I). Again, I chose the more limited HP-1 mainly because of the available RAM mount and its slick, easy-to-read display.

Uniden APCO25 Phase I/II scanners:

Uniden BCD536HP, base station ($568.33)
Uniden BCD436HP, handheld ($459.49)

Uniden's X36 series of scanners are "brand new" (in the world of scanners), released in January of 2014 (the HP-1 was released in the fall of 2010, but also sports "new" features, similar to those in the X36 series). Both the 536 and 436 have a host of modernized feature-sets for a product category which has previously been steeped in "old-tech." The 536/436 both sport power-over-USB (the HP-1 does not), improved displays, plus other neat, updated features. Note that Uniden's much ballyhooed iOS "Siren" app is still yet to be released for these scanners (and may continue to be delayed for some time).
 
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