Optimize your scan list

First an update to my Pro-668 post yesterday.  My adapt level change isn't working out as well as I had hoped.  I am going to swing it the other direction today and see if that makes a difference (I  went from 64 to 16, now I moved it to 90).

I also forgot to mention that they Pro-668 battery life is much better than the 436, however it does have 4 batteries vs the 436's 3.

Optimizing your scanner
The nice thing about these new scanners is you can put in your zip code, everything in your area downloads and off you go.  The problem with that is the way it downloads is probably not the most efficient way to scan.

The radio scans in sequential order, and you hear the first active frequency or talkgroup it comes across.  By moving things you want to hear to the front of the list, you will improve your chances of hearing the things that are most important.  Things that are less important, or tend to hog air time, put them at the back of the list.  This applies to the system level as well.  Put your most important trunk or conventional system first.

This is particularly useful if your county or state is migrating to a new digital system from an old one.  Many times the old analog systems are simulcasted, either part time or full time.  This is the case for example with Somerset County, and often NJSP talkgroups show up in the NJICS 700 System.  By putting the newer system first, you increases the odds of listening to that particular talkgroup on the digital side, vs the analog side.  If you want to increase your chances even more, add a hold time (if you have a Uniden) of 3-4 seconds to the digital group.

You can also use this method to your advantage while mobile (especially if you use GPS scanning).  Many trunk systems have fill in sites, which are fill in sites for area's with poor coverage (usually referred to as IR Sites).  NJSP has them all over the place for the 800 system, and Bucks county has a couple as well.  Since they are only active when a nearby radio affiliates to it, they are normally not worth monitoring, since you only hear maybe 1 or 2 talkgroups and even that may be inconsistent.  However while you are mobile, by putting these sites first in the site list, you will be more likely to lock on to those when you are in an area where the main site has poor reception and hear the local traffic more clearly.    Your mileage may vary with this particular technique.   A good example of where this works well is the NJSP on route 78.  The Bedminster IR site was setup to improve coverage on Route 78 between Clinton and Route 287.  By scanning the IR site first, the 5 Comm traffic comes in much better, than when I was only relying on the main simulcast site.

Uniden BCD436HP Vs PSR-800/WS-1080/Pro-668 Revisited

When I got rid of my PSR-800 last year, I never thought in a million years I would discuss it ever again.  In the end it turned into quite a hate/hate relationship.  Thanks to Radio Shack blowing out the Pro-668 for $150, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.  The timing is actually perfect, considering Uniden's popularity right now is neck and neck with Congress.

I had a lot of issues with my PSR-800, and some of that has not changed.  One thing I have noticed with the new 668 is I don't have as much front end overload.  My 800 was an early model (with the faceplate issue),  and they have seemed to have made some minor improvements under the hood over the last couple years.

Since I deleted all my EZScan files, I had to start from scratch with the radio.  It took me a few days to get everything in order and to re-familiarize myself with the radio.

First thing I missed was the LED light.  Uniden gives you 2 options, 1 color and either flash or solid for 5 seconds, then it shuts off.  The 668 (going forward includes the PSR-800 & Whistler 1080), gives you the option of a solid light or flashing.  You can change how many colors to flash, and how fast.  You can even change the pattern.  It also stays on as long as the squelch is broken.  

Another thing is the Scan Lists (now called Play Lists for some awful reason).    You can setup a lists for specific purposes.  For example I have a slim list consisting of a few NJSP Talkgroups, and my local Fire/EMS/OEM frequencies, for when I don't want to listen to a whole lot and just what is happening locally.

There are also the V Folders, which lets you setup an entirely different configuration.  I always found this useful for when I am going away and want to setup the scanner in advance.

When I first got my 436, I thought the display was much better, a year later I am not so sure:
They both show pretty much the same information.
The 436 can show 23 characters vs 16 on the 668.
The 436 text is smaller and the fonts are thinner, the 668 has nice bold fonts which are easier to read.  The 436 does have text in 2 different sizes to differentiate things, where the 668 kind of runs together.
The 436 is not that bright, in fact the brightest level is the 668's lowest level.
The 436 light can come on with the squelch, but it is time limited, where you can set the light on the 668 to come on (per channel), and will stay on until the squelch closes.
I have to say I have changed my mind and I like the 668 display better now. 

Another pet peeve I had was the front end overload, and with that being toned down (It is still present, but nothing like before), the 2 scanners seem to perform very similar, with the 668 pulling in signals a bit better than the 436.  I did have some difficulty pulling in some TMDA traffic, but changing the DSP Level Adapt to 16 seems to have helped the situation.

There are still plenty of things I think the 436 does better, and I also prefer the HP Sentinel software, and I like the one touch recording, and being able to actually make changes without a computer.  That is the one reason why I would probably take the 436 with me on vacation vs the 668.  I was burned too many times when my programming wasn't correct on my PSR-800 and I had no way to correct it.

In conclusion, for $150, this is the scanner deal of the year and you can't go wrong.  You will not find a deal like this again anytime soon.  After a year with the 436 and Uniden's drama over the last 6 months, the 668 (and it's clones) have redeemed itself.