Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Uniden BCD436HP Handheld Scanner

Category: Receivers: Scanners

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Uniden BCD436HP Handheld Scanner
Reviews: 16MSRP: 499
Description:
Handheld Trunktracker V scanner. DMA based scanning. Uses a 4
GB microSD card to store the entire USA and Canada database.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.uniden.com/scanners/uniden-bcd436hp-homepatrol-series-digital-handheld-scanner-/invt/bcd436hpg
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00163.8
N8PX Rating: 2020-03-27
Good radio but a bit large for a handheld Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Radio receives and functions well. I do have a couple of small issues with it though. 1. The radio is too big. The display is large, but the information is small and hard to read. If they are going to use such a large display, make the information larger and easier to read. 2. Does not charge the batteries while you monitor. My BCD396T is the perfect size for a handheld scanner and has worked well for years. I wish I could upgrade it to P2. Again, it does receive well and I did a DMR upgrade to monitor my work place and the DMR reception is good.
KG7QYJ Rating: 2017-12-18
Great product Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought the 436HP because I have the 536HP base and the Sentinal software works great on both. Battery life could be better but not enough to dock it a star. The supplied antenna could be better, but isn't bad at all. My 536HP is connected to a discone at 20ft and the 436HP catches much of the same sitting on the desk.
W2MB Rating: 2017-05-08
High Tech Scanner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This thing is amazing. I love the Home Patrol function. It is so much more advanced than my first scanner, an Electra Bearcat and my subsequent Uniden BCT15. Mine was manufactured in 2016 and apparently that was after display and clock issues on earlier models had been resolved. Sensitivity seems better than the BCT15 that it replaced. I like the fact that it comes with a printed user's manual but found that it was simpler to operate than what the manual would lead you to believe. It gets a ding for the un-intelligent battery charging scheme.
N8OFP Rating: 2017-02-05
Nice scanner with a few issues Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have owned this scanner for a little over 6 months and am happy with the scanner. It receives very well and decodes P25 very well.

It didn't get a score of 5 because of a couple issues.
1) The Sentinel software is somewhat lacking. Should be able to import directly from Radio Reference, instead you can only up date via the Uniden server once a week.
2) Like most hand held radios and scanners the antenna that is supplied is pretty much useless. I replaced the stock antenna with a Diamond SRH999.
3) And the worse thing about this scanner is the POOR battery life. For a hand held / Portable scanner you would expect the batteries to last at least 24 hours.
KE4NPR Rating: 2016-08-22
Very good scanner Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've become a fanboy of the Uniden scanners. I own the BCD996XT, BCD325P2, and now the BCD436HP. I ended up buying the BCD436HP because of the EDACS Provoice support, which works great.

I've used this scanner for about 3 months and am very pleased. It seems to receive as well as the other 2 scanners. But this is subjective as I have not done any true experiments. (I listen primarily in the 700MHz+ range with a RS 800 MHz antenna.)

I won't try to cover the many features of the radio but here's a few I really enjoy as compared to my other scanners.

* The radio reference DB is used to update the scanner database and all of the USA and Canada is stored on the memory card in the radio. I no longer have to worry about programming sites and frequencies prior to a trip.

* I love the 3 line display which provides complete alpha/numeric data about the systems I am scanning and receiving. The other scanners have character limitation and truncate much of the data.

* Basically have unlimited storage for TGIDs and can share these with multiple sites. One of the counties I scan has more TGIDs than I could store per site in my old scanners.

* Record and play back features are very nice and seem to work well.

Over I am a happy camper with my purchase.










K2KOH Rating: 2016-01-18
Post Recall Review Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a second review of the gee whiz handheld BCD436. My review is post recall campaign to fix the fading display the address the real time clock issue. According to the repair receipt, the control board was replaced. The LED's are a different color, a dull bluish green. Despite the color, the screen is readable and there is no fading. The radio is keeping time again, which is important for the recording as it uses time stamping. Maybe it's me, but the receiver also seems more sensitive...for the better. I have been very happy with this radio, and it's big brother, the 536. Glad Uniden fixed the problems.
K9XYZ Rating: 2015-08-26
Good radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The BCD436hp is not deaf. The first thing you do when you by a handheld scanner(any of them)is take the stock antenna and put it in your junk drawer...don't toss it just in case you need it. Buy a decent antenna like the Watson regular gainer or super gainer or a Diamond these are of course if you don't have an outside antenna. The only gripe I have with the 436 is the display is not bright enough. Just bought a new one two days ago hoping Uniden had corrected that since the early edition I had....nope. Called Uniden they are aware and are waiting on brighter leds to come from wherever overseas. They will then under warranty if you are fix it for free if not it will cost you a couple bucks.The curved screen that some complain about I find no problem with viewing angles My WS 1080 is so bright on high at night it will light a room. But the 1080 is one fugly radio...I want a full keypad on my scanners. Just ordered a Home patrol 2 it's coming tomorrow....yey!! Will spring the $50 bucks for the extreme although I feel like that should come on the scanner like the 436 did although it doesn't have all the features. Uniden is unmatched when it comes to scanner technology. With a decent antenna the 436 is a good scanner not great yet because of the dim display. If your over 40 or 50 like me you can't see it well......
KD6URO Rating: 2015-07-15
Back from the dead. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought Uniden BCD436HP after reading the reviews on the web and overall they weren't pretty. A LOT of owners had problems with the SD cards becoming corrupted and I became one of them on day one. I have had many scanners in the past and let me honestly tell you this radio is a whole new kettle of fish. It's programming and file set-up is a STEEP learning curve. Me being mister know-it-all basically bricked it (or so I thought) the second day. This video https://youtu.be/yGFI1D8Zzj0 saved my day. After multitude of web searching and trying every suggestion I found with no luck, I stumbled on the video above and dangit I was back in business!
I am in the Los Angeles area and I find the front end performance outstanding using the stock antenna which on every other scanner I have was always poor and have had to upgrade. I'm sold. A speedy purchase from Zip Scanners @ $399.99
N0FPE Rating: 2015-05-30
Just OK Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been out of the scanner world for years. Just never saw the need for a new one after i got rid of the old Radio Shack 2036. So I decided to take the plunge after playing with a friends 436hp. seemed ok for the casual user like me. The one thing i find a real killer tho is the battery life of the rechargeables that come with the unit. Cant even get a whole day of use out of them. May have to look for something else.
Other than that is ok for the casual user...I dont demand high end receiver because i have regular 2way radios for that.

KI6ASP Rating: 2015-03-18
Best Scanner Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've owned many scanners from the 1970s to the present time, and the BCD436HP is the best of the bunch. Covers all the bands I monitor. Sentinel makes programming a breeze since I use favorite lists exclusively when at the QTH. When traveling, all I do is turn on the nationwide database and enter the local zip code and I am back to listening far away from home. I charge batteries using an external charger. I have never had a problem with the stock SD card (I always make sure I eject the scanner from the computer after using Sentinel). Uniden hit a home run with the BCD436HP scanner. The only negative is the dust behind the bezel. Will try to seal the edges of the bezel with a thin bead of RTV.