Uniden BCD536HP HomePatrol Series Digital Phase 2 Base/Mobile Scanner with HPDB and Wi-Fi. Simple Programming, TrunkTracker V, S.A.M.E. Emergency/Weather Alert. Covers USA and Canada.

I love how easy it is to program this scanner by simply entering your zip code, but that may also overwhelm you with channels you dont care that much about which causes it to take much longer to scan through all the channels and you can easily miss parts of a conversation or updates about an event. So, youll still have to learn how to go through your channel list and block out the ones you dont want so you dont miss the important things you do want to hear (such as police band or fire and rescue traffic only). Otherwise you may hear the dispatch say something, then it takes so long to get back around to that channel again and you missed the response. My other major dislike about this scanner is it has no auto volume control feature. You set the volume to a normal level and then you have these very loud female dispatchers come on and blow you out of the room. You turn it down so it doesnt disturb everyone in the house and you cant hear anyone else. The extreme difference in volume levels during the same conversations on the same channels is more than annoying and a very good reason not to buy this scanner, it gets old very fast, especially at night when other people in your house may be trying to sleep. Almost everything out there in the market these days, tvs, stereos, etc has a very simple feature known as auto volume control or auto leveling for the audio output stage so your volume level will stay fairly consistent as you switch channels or input sources, and its usually enabled by default. I thought maybe I turned it off accidently somehow but after looking through a lot of the forums this seems to be a very common complaint with most of these scanners, the feature simply isnt there, and the company doesnt seem to care much about fixing the problem. Its hard for me to believe a scanner so technically advanced would not have this very basic and much needed feature, but do consider this before making a purchase. The only fix Ive found so far is to route the output audio of this scanner thru another (extra cost over the $500 you are spending) device that does control the audio output level and make it consistent. Overall, if you can live with the extreme volume level differences, then this isnt a bad scanner, but there are other brands out there that work just as well and dont have that type of ongoing unresolved issue. One last thing Ill say... youll be paying a whole lot for this scanner versus the price of an analog scanner or even digital scanners from some other companies. Its nice that they have released a product that is usable now, and has a builtin feature to upgrade the firmware as they continue to work on it, but in reality the software is an unfinished product and youll have to pay dearly to get the other features added to your scanner as they complete them. I thought I was paying a lot for a well supported product but right after I spent my money on this I learned there are a few updates available for it but Ill have to pay even more to get those. Thought I did all my research on scanners before making this purchase, but knowing what I do now, I think the choice would have been the other one I was looking at instead. For reference previous scanners owned were a Radio Shack Pro Base Station (still have), 2 Bearcat Mobile (still have 1), 3 Bearcat Handhelds (still have 1).

I purchased two of these units that were shipped via Amazon Prime (VERY FAST). They replaced two older scanners that would not receive P25 Phase II Trunked Radio Systems as our local law enforcement is all changing to a new system. I had previously purchased a BCD436HP so had already developed a basic load that would work in these radios. The reality is that these are much better than the portable - they do not seem to suffer from the VHF/UHF oscillator induced de-sense that plagues the handheld version. Their sensitivity at VHF and UHF is comparable to the GRE units that they replaced. I use one of these in my base station and one in my mobile. So far they are working GREAT!

I am a scanner newbie, I wanted something to listen in to local police and fire and air. My experience with scanners if very limited. I first bought the RS PRO-652 from my local RS store. I had a heck of a time trying to program this, I basically used search and tune and entered one frequency at a time. Very frustrating, even after reading instructions. I thought Id order this Uniden after reading how simple it was to program. I ordered through Amazon and got it next day. From the time I opened the package and got it working was like 30 minutes. I put in my zip code and it started loading the area database and I was in business. I even found this one picked up distant radios a little better as well. I returned the RS and havent looked back. I have a Apple iPad and can listen to it using the Siren app and even do some programming and other controls with it. I wish they had the Siren for PC or Android. WIth wifi it should be able to connect to the PC wirelessly. My SSID contains several lower/upper case letters and I was unable to figure out how to do caps lock or lower case. So I created a new one using all upper case password. I still am learning with this scanner but so far it seems to be light years ahead of others with the home patrol software built-in. I am able to pick up radios from two counties away, faintly, but I can hear them. So far Ive been very pleased with this scanner.

Great scanner but it took me a couple of weeks to learn how to program it. Picks up everything I need it to.

Very nice scanner with many options really a professional piece of equipment. Unidens sentinel program is a big help programming the scanner and also some very nice instructions on YouTube. I noticed that a lot of people on Amazon go for the pre-programmed option on Amazon this is not necessary with the Sentinel program. save yourself some dough and do it yourself this is my first Scanner and I figured it out The scanner comes with a microSD card whent you install the Sentinel program on your computer you can simply plug the micro SD card into your computer and program it for your area

Great scanner, easy to use with zip code based HomePatrol feature is great. Setting up your own lists with the software is a little tricky the first time but I was successful in completeing the task. It Has good receiver sensitivity even with antenna attached to rear of receiver. While I dont use the feature a lot the Siren App for my iPhone works great for monitoring the scanner within my Wifi network. The use of the app is very easy to understand. Wifi setup of the scanner was very easy and straight forward. Maintaining the frequency database and loading updates into the radio is very easy and straight forward, as are firmware upgrades. There have been two firmware upgrades that I have done so far in the last few weeks that I have.owned the scanner.

FINALLY! A Scanner with the durability of Old, and with the ease of HP-1 Programming! Yes, I do own a HP-1. It is an excellent scanner, but I always thought that the build was just a tad on the flimsy side, and not very durable. I use it primarily as a home base station, as its all plastic, hollow chassis does not make it a desirable choice for extended road trips. Now, the BCD536HP is my kind of Scanner! It practically screams Road Trip! Mount one of these puppies in your Car, Camper, or SUV, and with the right kind of antenna on your vehicle, and it will be the only radio your vehicle will ever need. This thing is built like a Cinder Block, and is just as durable. Of course, you dont want to spill liquids on it, but other than that, it is pretty resistant to road travel, has GREAT Audio, and what could be easier than traveling around the country, and the only thing you have to do to get pretty much ANYTHING you want to hear can be, just by punching in the Local Zip Code! Of course, this also makes a great home Base Station Radio as well, except for one glaring fault: The Wi-Fi Dongle feature is just about as useful as a Zebra on a Bicycle, unless they ever come out with a version of their SIREN App that is PC Friendly. Other than that, this is the most AWESOME, TOP OF THE LINE Scanner Uniden has ever made.

It has been almost 50 years since I owned a police scanner and man have things changed. In my first scanner, you had to add crystals for stations you wanted to receive. A later version was programmable. And now its as simple as typing in your zipcode and letting the scanner determine what channels are available in your area. I love the Uniden BCD536HP but you have to understand that these days there are a lot of frequencies that you cannot listen to anymore. One reason is that many of the state and local agencies are now using ENCRYPTED channels. These cannot be monitored with ANY public scanners. I would also suggest that you consider an external (outside) scanner antenna to increase reception.

recently got back into scanning, but in my absence from the hobby my local police had went to digital, so had to get a digital scanner. the BCD536HP was the perfect choice. comes with software that makes firmware and database updates a breeze. makes a perfect base scanner, well worth the money!