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

This scanner is fabulous. I love not having to enter all the system info. I can just let it scan. It even works well with my Mac using Parallels desktop for Windows. Syncing isa very easy. The only things I wish it had were easier way to manage favorite lists from the scanner itself and the ability to set priority channels. I miss not having it switch to a priority channel when theres activity.

I recently purchased a Uniden Home Patrol 2 and am sorry to say I am very disappointed with this scanner. Upon setting it up, it required a Sentinel download and an update. When attempting to update the firmware — on two separate computers — It was impossible. When trying to register the scanner, it would not allow me to register because i was unable to upgrade to 2.0. Looking further into the Uniden website, firmware 2.0 could be purchased for $49.99. Seeing the 2.0 came out in 2014, you would think that by 2022 it would come with the latest update. I guess my complaint is that I thought I was upgrading my old scanner, but now I realize I’m no better off after spending $400, even without the $49.99. Reception is no better than my two Realistic Pro 2005’s that are over 20 years old.

I had been wondering why a trio of emergency vehicles would rush past my house about once or twice per week lately. Watched this thing forever on my watch list, realized it just isnt going to go down in price much, so I bought it. Functions as promised, you can dial in your local channels and fine tune down to a smaller list. Before you buy, check the scanner guides for your local system. I did, saw nothing in Atlanta is Encrypted except Homicide and Detectives in Atlanta. I was still worried it wouldnt work, but it did just fine, right out of the box. The charging is funky and can seem problematic, as others have commented. One important key is to get a definite high capacity USB cable, because this unit can tell the difference and wont charge well on an older/cheaper cable. Experimentation will be required. I was so confused at one point, I requested a replacement, which Amazon promptly sent. Then I decided my original worked just fine, so I sent the replacement back and kept the original unit. Touch screen and graphics could be better, but not an issue in using it. I have mine tuned to my local precinct, which is only a mile away. I pick that up, as well as counties north and south of me. With the aftermarket antenna, Im pulling in way more than I can ever listen to. Discovered the emergency activity around my house was a interdepartmental drug task force. They send the cop in for the drug bust and have fire truck and EMS standing buy for gunshot wounds, I guess! They must have got those folks, because the activity dropped way off. Show it to your friends, just leave it on so they hear it when they come in. They will be amazed.

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

I purchased a bearcat scanner a few months ago not knowing how radio scanners worked. I wanted to get police transmissions but it only picked up fire and EMS. Turns out there is a new digital signal type called P25, which the HomePatrol 2 picks up! Check the radio reference website (google it) to see channels in your area. If your police has P25 next to it, this scanner will pick up those signals. If it says P25E next to it, then your police use encrypted radio signals and no scanner out there will pick it up. HomePatrol 2 is extremely easy to use. It picked up over 300 channels automatically on first boot. I modified my channels down to about 10 (police/fire/EMS) and Im a happy camper.

Very nice unit. The AC charger was nice on the HomePatrol-1 (doesnt come with this one). However, you can take the USB cord and plug it into any USB wall charger you may have (like for iphone). It self detects whether the charger has enough current to power the unit & charge at the same time. If not, its one or the other. If you plug it into a computer, it is one or the other (at least on my MacBook Pro). Of course, this unit doesnt support Apple and Safari, so thats another problem. Luckily, I had another Windows computer to do the firmware/database updates. If it had an AC adapter and Apple support it would be a 5 star.

If youre looking for an easy to use scanner, look no further. Simply turn it on and put in your zip code. You can then tell it which types of transmissions you want to hear and how far away. Awesome little unit. There are some complexities involved with how various agencies utilize radio channels and they are always evolving, so no system is perfect or will work in every area. But this Uniden covers the most up-to-date types of radio frequencies. The unit takes rechargeable batteries which are included. If you plug it in to a usb outlet or computer, you can recharge the batteries. It only charges via a micro usb port, but you can plug it into a wall charger if you have a usb converter.

I recently purchased a Uniden Home Patrol 2 and am sorry to say I am very disappointed with this scanner. Upon setting it up, it required a Sentinel download and an update. When attempting to update the firmware — on two separate computers — It was impossible. When trying to register the scanner, it would not allow me to register because i was unable to upgrade to 2.0. Looking further into the Uniden website, firmware 2.0 could be purchased for $49.99. Seeing the 2.0 came out in 2014, you would think that by 2022 it would come with the latest update. I guess my complaint is that I thought I was upgrading my old scanner, but now I realize I’m no better off after spending $400, even without the $49.99. Reception is no better than my two Realistic Pro 2005’s that are over 20 years old.

I havent had the Home Patrol 2 only for a few days and was surprised as the size and weight of it - a little bigger than I thought (thickness) and has a little heft. But, after installing the supplied rechargeable batteries, it didnt take very long even without reading the manual to set it up. As soon as it powers up, there are a series of questions that are quick and easy - the easiest is to input your zip code and it will load all of the surrounding channels automatically. I have an external antenna on my vehicle since Im always running to shoot video of fire scenes and it seems to work well with that (they include the adapter to connect to a typical BNC plug). Essentially, its giving me everything I was looking for. One problem that Ive already encountered was a ROM memory issue which a Google search turned up others with the same problem. Youll get an error message on a white screen and it locks up. I removed the batteries, then removed the micro sd card for a few minutes. After re-installing everything, the scanner came right back up and has been working fine. Not something youd expect from a scanner in this price range but something that Ill keep an eye on.

I have owned many scanners and this one is my favorite so far. It is very easy to use, compact, and has a nice backlit color display. It did not take long to get it up and running, programming was fast and simple, and the receiver seems very good as I am picking up transmissions from surrounding counties using the supplied antenna. The unit can monitor APCO 25 trunked and conventional systems, Motorola analog and mixed digital systems, narrow and wide EDACS, LTR, Conventional and phase 2 TDMA systems so there is not much it wont do. Note that it cannot decrypt encrypted communications or receive blocked frequencies such as cellular systems. When the scanner finds something it displays a lot of useful information. I have it plugged into a power strip that has USB charging ports and it charges fine while in use. The only reason that I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the Sentinel software is a bit lacking in capability - they could do better. Overall I am very pleased with the unit and would recommend it to others, especially those that dont want to spend a lot of time programming frequencies manually.