Uniden BCD436HP Radio Scanner

A railfan who also follows public safety, or who wants one radio for analog railroad channels and for P25 and trunked systems, gets both in the BCD436HP. It decodes APCO P25 Phase 1 and 2, X2-TDMA, Motorola, EDACS and LTR trunked systems and receives conventional analog and P25 channels, and a month-long owner reported good reception on VHF high and low (listening to fire and highway patrol, not railroad); railroad channels sit in the VHF high band. Close Call RF capture is included, which tunes to strong nearby transmitters.

The scanner runs on three AA batteries (rechargeable Ni-MH cells are included) or on USB power. The reviewer compared antennas by ear: the Diamond RH77CA (16.5 in) did best on VHF high and low, while a 26.5-inch telescopic antenna did best all around but could not be carried on a belt. Programming uses Uniden's Sentinel software. Location-based scanning by ZIP or postal code or by GPS, a Fire Tone-Out Alert and Radio System Analysis are built in. A forum thread tied to a Uniden repair page describes a repair campaign for failed real-time-clock batteries on this model family.

Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums: A month-long owner review reported good reception on 800 MHz trunked systems and on VHF high and low, good audio and easy programming with Sentinel, and concluded he was glad he bought it. Read the review

Suits a listener who wants railroads and local public safety in one handheld and accepts a more complex unit than an analog scanner. Someone who only wants conventional railroad channels can look at a cheaper analog model.

The Uniden SDS100 is the newer True I/Q handheld aimed at simulcast areas; its first reviewer found it runs warmer and has shorter battery life than the BCD436HP. The Uniden BC125AT covers conventional analog railroad channels in a smaller, cheaper unit.