Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Uniden Home Patrol

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 Home Patrol
Reviews: 36MSRP: $500
Description:
The Uniden Home Patrol is a new scanner that includes the scanner database preprogrammed into its memory. This allows local programming via zip code or city county state locations. Updates can be downloaded. Easy setup and start scanning all services or just select law enforcement or others.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.uniden.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00363.6
KA9QPN Rating: 2012-03-07
Scanning is fun again! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The scanner itself is top-notch. The preprogrammed freqs have some holes...for instance, ISPERN is not identified as such and is buried in the Interoperability bank along with IFERN, ESMARN and IREACH. I'm sure that folks in other states have issues with 'universal' freqs like this. Good news is that it's simple to add these via software. The performance is excellent: sensitive with very little noticeable intermod issues. You need to RTFM, but it's fairly intuitive once you know where you want to be. Digital performance is far beyond my '396T and '396XT, as I didn't need to tweak anything in the menus to get something that I could listen to. The systems that are imported via software (ARC Patrol) come up and play properly. I suspect that this is more due to the quality of the RR submissions than the radio.
Things that I could quibble with: the AC wall wart died immediately, and a message to Uniden via their support website has not yet been answered. There is much discussion below about Uniden making the Extreme Upgrade a paid option. I imagine that one would not expect to pay for an upgrade this soon. The proof will come down the road. If Uniden continues to support this product over time, then many of us might not complain about a *nominal--not $100 a clip* cost to freshen the firmware. It was good for BuTel to recognize that purchasers of this item had already spent a pile of money, therefore keeping the ARC Patrol software reasonable in cost. I wish that there was some better way to attach a more efficient whip antenna, as the SMA elbows that I have will not remain upright and having the scanner on its end to keep the antenna vertical isn't right. Other than these 'growing pains' items, this is a sound purchase for either the new or experienced scannist.
KC2RGW Rating: 2012-02-28
Update to my first review after a year Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My first review is below and following are my updates to this unit after a year of steady use.

I paid the *Uniden Tax* and bought the "extreme upgrade" for the firmware. This firmware added all the missing features that I honestly had expected they would initially release. Much better and they got it by 99%.

The one missing feature still...no priority channel system. I'm puzzled by this.

The last straw for me for use in my shack is in addition to the horrible ground issue with the audio circuit, there is also RF spurious noise emitted any time the squelch opens.

It's very broad banded noise and I finally noticed it was the scanner while watching the SDR display and it only happens when the squelch is open. Needless to say it had to go from the shack.

Now it's my tabletop scanner in the living room and as a basic tabletop scanner...it works, but for all the money I have in it, a 996XT would have been a smarter choice.

For now my 396XT is in the shack with all the wires hanging off it for power, audio and antenna and that one is working just fine all around.

=================================================
Initial review
=================================================
So to add to information that is already out there about this unit.

I prefer to monitor specific PD/FD/EMS frequencies and tend to group them in increasing radius of distances. With this unit that is simply done using the Favorites lists which can be enabled one at a time or stacked up and enabled in groupings. This worked out well for me.

Setup is really easy and I got the Sentinel software installed, firmware and database updates all done in just a few minutes relative to unboxing the unit. There are some YouTube videos that will show you how to do this easily. I didn't even bother looking at any documentation and I was off and running.

Sensitivity is on par with my 396XT doing casual A/B comparisons with and without external antennas.

A few annoyances though which could be critical to some users.

No priority channel exists right now - I found this rather astonishing as I've used priority on every scanner I've ever owned.

No true direct entry way to add a frequency that is not in the existing database. For 'on scene' type use this is a deal breaker. With software like the free PowerPatrol from scannnow.org you can make entries though, just not with the unit directly. This SHOULD be fixed by Uniden in software, it's a big failing.

The headphone audio output is very poorly designed and you will likely have ground loop issues if you plug this unit into a powered mixer as an example. I had to put a Radio Shack ground loop isolator in line to fix this issue. It was not usable at all without this, the ground hum was louder than received audio, not just a mild buzz. After fixing this, the received audio is very nice and the standard AGC settings actually work. I don't have to run this one into my compressor to level it.

Overall this is a great new design, but Uniden really needs to extend the advanced menu options and add priority scanning and direct entry as options to make this unit a lot more complete.

This will not replace a 396XT 996XT etc if you use all the features they offer. It's a different feature set and approach.
VE3CNU Rating: 2012-02-28
This is the bees knees! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally got myself one of these scanners and I must say, Uniden has got a lot right with this one. It reveals a completely new way of selecting the channels you want to listen to, which, with all the trunking systems now, was needed. I am selling my Pro-106 now because this is so much more useable.

Sure, there are a couple of small things I'd change with it, but this scanner is so revolutionary it deserves all 5 stars.
N8TNJ Rating: 2012-01-28
Not to bad Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
One thing I have noticed, it will fall short on loading some of my local freqs. I had to plug them in manually which was no big deal. The case seems a little on the weak side, the internal speaker does not handle higher volume levels well. And it would be great if it came with the "extreme" software instead of a $100.00 extra. But after that it's a great scanner and would recommend as easy to program. I use it just for law enforcement and fire.
KC0JUX Rating: 2011-12-23
My experience with Home Patrol 1 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just received the Home Patrol 1 in the mail, I had read the owners manual on-line and was ready to program it when it arrived. I started the scanner, put in my zip code of 52240 for Iowa City, Ia, put the range to 10 miles, set the squelch till I heard noise than increased it by 1 bar. I also have a pro-106 digital scanner. The pro-106 is constantly receiving chatter, the Home Patrol just sets their scanning, occasionally stopping a a weak freq. I think the Home Patrol one is way over rated, now they are saying I need to purchase a extreme update which is another $100.00. If you have the pro-106 or similiar don't waste your money...
AE6TK Rating: 2011-11-29
Great unit but misses the mark! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Uniden HomePatrol scanner is the easiest scanner to use that I’ve owned. You can update its database with ease and it makes scanning fun. I’m even thinking of selling my other scanners and getting one more of these because it’s so easy to use and setup. So, why am I only giving it a three out of five? Even though I bought it for a great price and I love this scanner, the retail on this thing is over $500. You can buy an iPhone and get yourself a scanner App and be able to do a lot more. You also have to pay another $99 to access the “Extreme” features of this unit. For $500 Uniden should have included these features with it. The fact that you have to pay extra is an insult. The unit does however come with the following:

- 4 x AA size Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (2300mAh)
- AC Adapter (AC 120V 60Hz 9V 800mA Regulated)
- DC Adapter (DC 12V to DC 9V 800mA Regulated)
- 2 GB micro SD for storing favorites lists and recording transmissions
- Antenna
- Desk Stand
- USB Cable

Fairly generous compared to what I received with my RadioShack Pro96 scanner. Again, for $500 I would have also included the following:

- GPS Cable
- Mobile mount
- Protective case

By biggest gripe is this unit seems cheaply made and if I dropped it I think that would be it. It should have been made more rugged for $500 otherwise it is a fantastic unit.
WE8Q Rating: 2011-03-21
Some shortcomings. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I really liked the fact that all I had to do to program it was enter a zip code, then lock out the services that I did not want to hear...very neat! And the display is great!

What I did not like was that there is no scan delay and no way to add scan delay. This made for some missed callbacks. Also, it would miss some calls (not callbacks) or at least part of some calls that my BC898T never missed (sitting side-by-side with the HP1). The audio mute feature is worthless as it only mutes for a few seconds. I would prefer that it should stay muted until I hit "mute" again.

FYI, the only thing that I was monitoring was one EDACS system, and only four of the many services on that system.

Sold it!
AF4KK Rating: 2011-03-07
Excellent scanner!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Uniden has done a GREAT job with the Home Patrol! The touch-screen interface is excellent, sensitivity is great and you never have to worry about frequencies or talkgroups to begin scanning your local activity. The GPS functions works extreamely well! The update functions works very well.... I can go on and on but in a nutshell: If you want to scan your local heroes right away with less effort, buy this radio!!
KA7EKW Rating: 2011-02-15
Not there yet Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I took mine back after 3 weeks. It's a great idea, but there are some serious shortcomings. I spend a lot of time in the Reno, NV area, and had to lock out bank after bank of California services, but it didn't find anything near here (with the out-of-box programming). The programming software is Windoze only, so those of us with better operating systems are out of luck.

The miles-to-service idea sucks, big time, for anyone in a rural area. All of the Nevada Highway Patrol licenses are out of Carson City, too far from my ZIP Code for the HP1 to load.

I like the display and the user interface, but my 396XT is superior in every other way, so I'll hang onto it until the next generation shows up.
K5KMC Rating: 2010-11-27
very disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Programing is not NEARLY as described. I had to set range to 40 miles to get my city traffic, even though I live less than 5 miles from the primary transmitter, and less than one mile from the secondary. I can not receive the local university traffic- they have their own PD and fire departments. And, I get things like Bandera County, Texas which is over 600 miles from here! So I have to block 15 different Texas counties, even though I live in New Mexico! In addition, it lacks different memory banks. I routinely travel between two locations, and have to re-program each time. Just switching memory banks would be a huge improvement. In short, I would NOT have spent $500 on this scanner had I known the programming frustrations. I would much rather use one of the MSExcel-looking software packages and manually program frequencies, like i do with my HAM radios.