Uniden HomePatrol-2 Color Touchscreen Simple Program Digital Scanner, TrunkTracker V and S,A,M,E, Emergency/Weather Alert, APCO P25 Phase 1 and 2! Covers USA and Canada, Quick Record and Playback

I really wanted to love this scanner......in fact based on other reviews I was fully looking forward to giving the product 5 stars.......First off, it IS and excellent scanner!!! Probably the best and quickest set up out of the box I have ever owned....That being said, the actual operation of the machine is rather lame......Great sound, range, reception.....BUT for some reason it will not remain operational while charging via computer......It is a bit tiring to leave the unit on for several hours only to have the batteries deplete and have to shut the unit completely down to re- charge It will NOT charge while in operation (via usb/computer)......There is an after market AC power source available which I intend to try....but it is odd that Uniden does not provide one.......This is a great little scanner!!! Too bad the ergonomics of its operation get in the way of its possible 5 star rating!!!

This is the first digital scanner I have owned but I have used all kinds of VHF analog scanners. Over time most of the departments have switched over to VIPER or other digital systems and I could not hear them without an online app. Online apps suck! They are delayed and often dont have anything broadcasting. The homepatrol is fairly expensive so I put off buying for a long time. It has a lot of nice features but some of them are difficult to use such as the favorites. Be prepared to update the unit right out of the box because it doesnt have a current database. This in itself was a bit of an undertaking because of some feature in windows that had to be turned on in the system settings. Luckily there was an online tutorial on how to do this. The stand is really nice and the playback feature is awesome. The best way to learn about it is to sit down and explore what it can do. I usually set mine to Viper NC which gives me most everything of interest in my area.

I have owned many scanner radios over the years, including Regency crystal type. I have a 396xt which has been THE scanner to receive most digital signals, in my county. Cincinnati Police are partially encrypted so most reception is Hamilton County Sheriff as well as surrounding counties. This is the scanner to own, for the majority of users. As to install, it literally took me 1 minute to getup and running. At this time, im going with the factory firmware and not connected to a laptop. The display is superb, finish and build quality very good, and the reception of digital signals very clear. The one thing I miss is the loss of search function. You cant set a lower and upper scan range looking for new frequencies. The signal strength meter is way to small in the upper right corner. Setup is very easy. Punch in your zip code.. The scanner will load all local frequencies from a 4 gig micro sd card, located under the right side batteries. 2300 Mahr nimh AA batteries are included. After loading your frequencies, you then can go into the meny and adjust distance from transmitters to your home and pick what type of freq. to load. When doing setup just go past the page asking for user info, either attach USB to computer to download Sentinel off Unidens web site. I did not use Sentinel. A better choice would be Scancat. Sentinel will not run properly in XPpro, especially if you have a lot of drivers loading. I strongly suggest you install into Win 7-8.1. I have seen issues involving corruption of the sd card, especially if nimh batteries are nit loaded. An AC failure seems to corrupt some cards. Honestly,the radio is fine with original firmware. So, if you have no laptop handy, use as is. The clarity of digital signals is better then on my 396. Now the bad- get an extendable whip antenna and toss the rubber duckie. Universal has a fine antenna with the correct sma connector and swivel. Consider getting a Uniden extension speaker, especially in autos. The gps option automatically changes freq. depending on location. Be gentle installing the two connectors to the radio. Jacks have been reported to fail when excessive presure is applied. The gps uses a very clunky interface needing a separate power connection. I would recommend not leaving scanner on dashboard in summer. I have not encountered any software bugs with original firmware. The ver. 2 has a charge indicator on the front panel. The scanner is currently overpriced. If you dont need it now, wait until the prices come down. For the average listener, the zip code feature issuperb. I had to pay to program previous Unidns. They were terrible even using scanning software. I wouldve given five stars, except for the price. ADVOCATE USE REPORT- after living with the HPII, I become more impressed everyday. The scanner was so easy to setup. No computer required. Tone quality superb even on APCO 25 phase one. The scanner also decode phase 2 being used in some large cities. This is first trunk tracking HP. Graphics in color are EXCELLENT. Sensitivity excellent. Setup SUPERB. If you use matching speaker, sound is fantastic. You can alter to exact mile away from transmitter that you will receive. Start with zip code. Then go into menu and fine tune distance. All the negative issues concerning jacks failing is not really correct, at least on my sample. You do not have to immediately use a computer. You dont have to enter your info. Bypass these screens and enjoy. I was particulary impressed by clear reception from other counties. I do recommend you dump the rubber duckie. Universal sells a superb telescopic whip that cones with a swivel sma plug. You can use and charge, if you AC adapter is rated 1 amp @5v. Next use test will be new uniden trunking five handheld.

This is my second radio scanner,(My first was a whistler TRX-1). This unit is super easy to use and program. Gets great reception and seems to pickup better and faster than my TRX-1. The speaker is louder and having the replay option is really nice so you can listen to the last transmission that came through if you missed somthing or want to make sure you heard correctly.

I own both the Home Patrol 1 and 2. This is a super easy way to listen to your local police, fire, EMS activity. No more keying in frequencies as all data is periodically updated from a free download site. Connect your HomePatrol-2 to your PC using the included cable and you can update frequencies as well as any firmware fixes from Uniden. The interface is a little bit tricky to get used to but once you do, you are able to navigate listening to exactly what you need to hear (town by town) is easy. I use the sleep timer which will turn the scanner off after up to 3 hours of listening. Handy for listening at night before bed. Device uses batteries (seem to last 6-8 hours though I have not tested thoroughly) as well as an included AC Adapter. I typically keep it plugged in. This is a great choice for anyone who wants to listen to the emergency services without having to guess at what the most recent set of frequencies is.

This is a fantastic radio. So easy to use! The unit is heavy/sturdy and built well! I would recommend it to anybody who is interested in scanner listening.

these work great for someone that cant program them. i had to add a preamp to it so i could get all the local sight towers to come in to work. once set up it does nice, i program and fine tune my scanners, but for someone who doesnt understand how or know what to put in these work good, data base in already on them, put a zip in and range and go, there is a lot of unused stuff but you can trim it down once get the hang of it. using the software it makes it so much better, or even some better software program it right from the beginning, clean, and it will pick up half way decent. i like it. battery will last about 8 hours, so i keep mine plugged in to usb power. it runs 24/7 no problem. if i could have the screen turn off and keep scanning the battery would last longer.

This is a great little radio. I was thrilled to finally have a scanner but disappointed to find out many local communications agencies are going to be encrypted so I had to return the radio. The radio is easy to program using your zip code. It gets a little more complicated using your computer to create a favorites list, but there several youtube videos explaining the process. I was really bummed out that I couldnt keep the radio because it is such great product

Biggest complaint is if you want full access to its features you have to pay 50$ more once you own it. Decent scanner. But I cant stress enough that your area determines a scanners functionality. I rate this the best out of the other 4 Ive purchased and returned due to low performance. 4 because hidden and pricey software upgrades. (Not required) but will peak your interests

Upgraded the rating to four stars after investing in a super antenna and learning how to use this scanner. The lack of supplied antenna quality and an operators manual drops the rating one star. The real key for me was the use of the sentential software and the use of custom user database or favorites. This allows me to load only the frequency/ agencies that I need without the extra frequency alacations the standard database loaded. The use of the Target frequencies makes this scanner much faster, almost as fast as the analog scanners that I have. The addition of a good antenna will made a world of difference in the quality sound, went from garbled sound to reviving crystal clear sound. I have owned scanners since the late seventies and this by far is the worst scanner I have ever owned. This scanner has terrible reception and sound, entering zip code does nothing, reducing the range does nothing. Don’t waste your money on this scanner. The scan speed is so slow that my 17 year old Radio Shack scanner picks up the channel 3 seconds before this scanner locks on. I have no idea how this scanner got all of the 4 and five star ratings with such terrible performance.