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

It is an awesome awesome scanner once you get through the learning curve and the software its an Breeze highly recommended

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UPDATE February 2020: Tried to get it to work after we moved from NC back to Florida. It scans the Ocala area data base, but only brings in a couple of weather channels. Only transmit static on all 100+ stations in the area. Too much money to spend for a device that lasts only 3 years. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I received and set up my Uniden HP-2 scanner yesterday. Let me tell you, after trying out a couple of scanners 15 -20 years ago, this one is so easy by comparison. You just put in the zip code, or the name of your town, or your coordinates, and any stations within 10 or 20 miles will be scanned. Then you can easily weed out the less useful ones. I got this model to use as an appliance, not a as a hobby. I will use it as an info gathering tool so I can know what is going on around me in the event of a local or regional disaster, be it an ice storm or forest fire (the most likely disasters in this area) or something worse. I wont be spending weeks and months honing my skills on it. I got it so I can make it useful in the least amount of time. Its perfect for that.

Easy to use and good design. It did not work for my area however with simulcast. Make sure it will work for your area before buying.

Number one, you dont just enter your zip code and away you go unless you just want to listen to every possible transmission source. I received a lot of transmissions i didnt want to hear so i had to make favorite lists and only have those scanned. Included instructions werent that detailed so i played with it until i figured it out myself. (Yes i know i can go online and find a manual). Number two the included antenna is almost useless. Im in a large suburban area but i usually have 0 bars lit up. Now i have to buy a larger antenna. I read a number of other people have the same problem and are buying the same antenna as me. They should include a good antenna for the $400+ dollars this unit costs. I also had a Uniden BCD996XT I programmed operating nearby and it received many more transmission signals with its larger antenna than did this HomePatrol. Hopefully when my antenna gets here Ill find i no longer own a $400+ paperweight.

i enjoy the quick start guide and the computer interface.. packed with features, and easy to grow into this unit while i gain experience.

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.

Bought this radio and for the price youd think this thing would be loaded with features. Turns out my old RadioShack digital scanner can do more than this thing. If you dont know how to use a radio scanner and your just starting out this works good but for advanced users even with the extreme package this thing lacks a lot of good features. Was hoping for fire tone out and some other good features but they were not included. Was a big waste of money for me being an advanced user and the sound quality is not the greatest. Sounds harsh and poor quality. If uniden could make a nice scanner with plenty of features i would pay more for it! Update 2020: After using this for a little over a year I have really messed around with it heavily. As stated before I wish I had gotten something else. I ended up buying a Uniden BCD436HP. It has some of the features I really enjoy. I have noticed after light use the factory batteries are completely shot. Online forums say dont even try to charge rechargeable batteries in the scanner, some can get extremely hot. My overall take on this scanner: If your a beginner its a good scanner, if your advanced, its not too bad. But for the money this thing costs Id expect more especially from Uniden.

I own both the Home Patrol 1 and 2. This is a super easy way to listen to your local police, fire, EMS activity. No more keying in frequencies as all data is periodically updated from a free download site. Connect your HomePatrol-2 to your PC using the included cable and you can update frequencies as well as any firmware fixes from Uniden. The interface is a little bit tricky to get used to but once you do, you are able to navigate listening to exactly what you need to hear (town by town) is easy. I use the sleep timer which will turn the scanner off after up to 3 hours of listening. Handy for listening at night before bed. Device uses batteries (seem to last 6-8 hours though I have not tested thoroughly) as well as an included AC Adapter. I typically keep it plugged in. This is a great choice for anyone who wants to listen to the emergency services without having to guess at what the most recent set of frequencies is.

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.