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.

Amazing piece of equipment but might not be ideal for everyone. The 536HP (and its sister 436 handheld) incorporate Unidens HomePatrol technology that esentially allows for anyone to turn it on and listen to just about anything you choose based on your zip code (including APCO 25 trunked systems in use by many agencies). However, programming the unit to isolate your favorites can prove to be a nightmare as many reviewers have noted. The old methods of programming banks with your favorites is complicated and essentially requires that you use software to achieve what used to be possible with direct entry. Specifically, Uniden has a free software application called Sentinal (PC only, no MAC) that allows for programming and managing the various profiles lists and systems that correspond to your listening requirements. Within those categories you must also customize in order to match the units performance with your desires. Once programming is completed in Sentinal, the choices are transferred to the units micro SD card via the included cable. The entire process can be frustrating for those without the willingness or patience to persevere. Having said all that there are various third party resources that can help you understand the process if youre determined. If you make it through all that youll be rewarded with what I believe to be a remarkably competent piece of equipment that will provide what is arguably the best consumer grade wideband base station listening experience on the market. But for its complexity I would have easily given it 5 stars.

First a word of caution: Please be aware that many of the reviews on this page are not for the BCD536HP. Many are for older models of Uniden scanners that have very little in common with the BCD536HP. Why these reviews are here I do not know, but they are. Now for my review. This is a great scanner, easily the best Ive ever owned, and I have owned quite a few dating all the way back to the 1970s. That being said, I will also say its easily the most maligned piece of electronic equipment Ive ever heard of, and that reputation is not entirely unwarranted. This scanner debuted in early 2014 with early adopters finding a number of problems, including defective headphone jacks, and problems with SD cards becoming corrupted. Uniden made good on the headphone jack issue and repaired or replaced the affected units that were returned. The SD card issue seems to be hit or miss, but many who have had the problem have reported that replacing the SD card that came with the scanner with a new one has helped or eliminated the problem entirely. More recently some users have reported that the LCD backlight has dimmed over time. This is worrying, and I find myself trying to use the radio with the backlight either off, or set to its dimmest setting in order to preserve the life of the backlight. Again, this may be an issue that affects some units and not others, but I don’t want to find out the hard way. Another worrying issue is the clock battery. Some have reported their clock battery going dead after a period of months and have been unable to recharge it, or get it to hold a charge. If the clock battery is dead, the radio will require you to enter the date and time each time you turn it on, so while this doesn’t kill the radio it will suck some of the fun out of it. And then of course it took Uniden a year to finally release the Siren app for iPhone, something that was touted as a major new feature when the radio was released. OK, so all that stuff sounds bad, and it is, but I still think this is a great radio. The Siren app is out now and mostly works, at least within your home WIFI network. The headphone jack on my radio is fine. I’ve re-programmed the radio multiple times and had no card failures (I’m using a 32GB card I bought new, keeping the supplied card as a backup.) My clock works fine. The Uniden Sentinel software that comes free is bare-bones but usable. It updates the radio’s firmware easily. The radio scans quickly, it’s UHF and VHF sensitivity is better than I expected it would be based on user comments I’d read. The radio looks and sounds great! It does not look like the “Pinto” of police scanners, which let’s face it, it kind of is. it looks more like a BMW. Very nice fit and finish, very nice design. The feel to the controls is nice & solid, and the very nice display offers more characters to use for your Alpha Tags than ever before. It’s really a wonderful, even refined, radio. I would easily give it 5 stars if it weren’t for all the design and quality control issues that have plagued it, at least did in the past. Now I will say I think a lot of folks will be disappointed in the “Home Patrol” aspect of this radio. Yes it’s touted as a major feature, and yes you can enter your Zip Code and be scanning your local police and fire in minutes. But what I’ve found is it tends to load up a lot of stuff you will not enjoy listening to, which forces the scanner to work its way through a lot of unnecessary channels, slowing the scan cycle way down. Yes, you can hit “Avoid” on stuff, and yes you can select only the types of communications you’re interested in. All that will help, but scanners work best when you PROGRAM THEM. When YOU put in exactly what YOU want to listen to. So my advice is to take the time to learn how to program the radio properly with Sentinel, or with the Butel software (a subscription at radio reference will help if you use Butel). You will enjoy your radio infinitley more when its set up properly. If this is your first scanner, and you live in an area with complex communications systems, you should expect that learning how to program it is going to take some time and effort. It will be time well spent though, and there’s lots of resources online to help. The Marks Easier To Read manual online is a good place to start. Also RadioReference.com is a huge compendium of help and information and informative users. Hope that helps.

Top of the line digital scanner including phase 2 digital, with a corresponding top of the line price. Have a lot of phase 1 and 2 systems in the area and the radio has clear p25 reception. The benefits of the HP-1 in terms of loading systems but still having the control over the system like the 966xt with a very similar menu system. Appears to be at least as sensitive as both of those radios (have both). Can create your own favorites listings of frequencies, systems etc regardless of whether they are in the downloaded regularly updating database. Have been using scanners since crystals and have a dozen of them. This is one of my favorites. Still waiting to find out what they do with the Wifi, which connects to my home network but doesnt do anything yet.

This is truly a fantastic scanner! As others have said, it does have a very steep learning curve but the good news is that it is usable out of the box. Simply enter your zip code and it will find many frequencies used in your area. Obviously, this is only the tip of the iceberg as to what is possible with this unit. Once you become more familiar with how many of the digital systems operate, this scanner will make it possible for you to monitor them. There are also optional, pay to unlock features availiable. Both Provoice and Dmr are systems that you can monitor once unlocked. Using the Sentinel software, included, this scanner is easier to program and both the firmware and databases can be updated. This unit features included Wi-Fi, works great and includes a dongle you just plug into the back. There are tons of menues and this scanner is very customizable. This unit includes a usb cable to connect to a computer. The manual isnt the best but I hear there are better ones out there. YouTube also has many videos on how to operate and program. This scanner with its rich set of features shouldnt be outdated for several years at least. Again, expect to spend some time learning how the new digital systems work and you will be rewarded with a scanner that has all the bells and whistles.

My family and I enjoy listening to the scanner. Helps to know whats going on around you. This scanner is really clear to hear and understand.

Ive had this scanner for a month now and have had zero problems with it. I never tried the zip code programming as I installed the Sentinel software first thing, updated the database and firmware and was off to the races from there. Programming the unit with the Sentinel software is very simple. (Sentinel software is included on the SD card that came pre-installed in the unit.) My only complaint is that DMR functionality is a paid upgrade. Would highly recommend downloading ProScan and using it instead of Unidens Siren app because it sucks. I run the scanner 24/7 piping it through my desktop computer with the ProScan software functioning as a web server. I can listen to the scanner from anywhere in the world through the browser in my phone. Buyer beware though, if your local public safety system is encrypted you are out of luck so do your due diligence before buying.

Works Great:I have had this for 3 months without a glitch. If you need to listen to a Motorola or Harris P25 public safety system this is the best way to go for most people. Previously I was using a Motorola Spectra to listen to this system in analog mode (I have skills). But the county switched to P25 and shut me out. So this Christmas after a long delay I treated myself to a BCD536HP. Pros: Very sensitive receiver Receives analog and P25 digital and capable to upgrade the common digital modes Provoice and DMR at small cost. Small, well appointed controls, WiFi connectivity for Android and IOS. Powerful audio (when used with an external speaker) Easy to upgrade firmware and channels using Sentinel. Cons; You will have to get latest firmware and channels using Sentinel to get started. Not hard to do, it requires a PC and a USB cable (supplied). Ditch the internal speaker, plug in an external communications speaker 3 or 4 inch diameter. Getting Started Programming can be somewhat frustrating for the newbie. I am used to programming commercial LMR radios and understand all the parameters. So I would say I am expert, however this experience turns out to be unneeded and perhaps misleads me. This radio is quite different in that Sentinel will download a fire hose full of nationwide channels. Your radio will require you to provide your Zip code (or connect optional GPS) and it will activate all the systems in a radius you provide. This will probably be way more than you need. The solution is to use Sentinel to create a Favorites List and use Quick Keys to activate only the channels or systems you wish. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time pressing the Avoid Button to ignore the dog catcher (no kidding). The database comes FREE from www.Radioreference.com Visit that site, the forums etc, and learn about the system you wish to monitor. Simulcast Systems You will hear a lot of favorable and unfavorable things about this receiver. The largest complaint is the reception of P25 simulcast systems. It is true that the scanners available today (Both Uniden and Whistler) use a discriminator to decode the P25 signal. This is not the best way to decode P25 in a simulcast system. The best way is a DSP receiver, and you can only obtain that by buying a Motorola, Harris radio (which you cannot legally program properly), a Pricey Unification Pager, or set up a software defined radio (for geeks). Personally my experience is that my radio works fine on my local simulcast system and I am in an overlap area. Occasionally the bit error rate is high and the audio garbles. P25 itself is not a perfect mode and you will find dispatchers and officers sound like the have marbles in their mouths. It is the nature of P25. If you have any concerns contact local users and ask them their experience with this scanner in your area. Encryption If your local agency uses encryption on some or all of their talk groups you will NOT be able to decode them. The radio lacks an encryption card and even if equipped you would NEVER be able to obtain the lengthy 256 bit key. It would be illegal as well. If I havent scared you off, you will be very pleased after you get it up and running. Uniden also makes a portable version of this radio, the BCD436HP. I bought the mobile/base version as then I do not have to worry about batteries and the BCD536HP has better shielding and so receives with less noise.

Once I figured out how to block channels, it was a bit easier. A quality unit.

The BCD536HP and its portable variant the BCD436HP are the only consumer scanners that Im familiar with that can operate in a P25 simulcast environment. Signals on the same frequency from multiple sources cause time delay distortion that will render less advanced receivers useless. You can try all of the tricks with attenuation and directional antennas and they wont solve much. So if you live in a area that has simulcast P25, you youll need to spend the extra $$$ to purchase the Uniden 536/436. These are incredibly feature rich radios, far beyond the tech of last centurys programmable scanners. The downside is that they arent easy to program let alone use the high level features. Yes, you can activate a scanner configuration from your zip code. I consider it more of a gimmick that allows the radio to start receiving after its just been removed from the box. Much of what gets loaded is fluff. Scanner programming software and some familiarity with trunking, frequencies and talk-groups are a must. This information is available. You will learn a lot in the process. BTW, the manual leaves much to be desired. I hope that Uniden has plans to release a less feature rich and complicated receiver line while retaining the superior receiver/processing power of the 536/436. This is the most advanced digital scanner in the consumer market. It works VERY WELL! Youll need to be patient though, and spend HOURS becoming familiar with this radio and the programming process. For those reasons only, I rated this with a 4 stars rather than 5. Im very pleased with my initial purchase and actually own two now!

Not cheap, but wow! Can actually work right out of the box, and with your zip code it sets itself up for everything in your area ... of course, you can make personal lists of what to monitor as well quite easily (but you need a PC or laptop to do it easily). very happy with this Christmas give I gave to myself. :)