Best Radio Scanners You Can Buy
Mon 14th Dec 2020, 2:54am
The Best High-End Radio Scanners
The best radio scanners available on the market today are the ones in the $500+ price range. We looked at each of them and came up with this list of the 5 best radio scanners:
This is just the list, and for the full report, check out the review section down below.
What's the Best Police Scanner?
Thinking of why you should buy a high-end radio scanner? Well, if you're interested in always keeping up to date with what's going on in your neighbourhood, be it events or police chatter, a radio scanner is a reliable source of information. Most of what's happening in your area won't make it to the news, but if you have a police scanner, you don't even need to worry about the news. You'll know what's up even before they do, and sometimes you may be even able to help in some local emergencies.
Or, if you're planning a road trip, you can get the latest weather information and receive alerts for unexpected storms, long before the weather reports on the news announce it.
Police scanners in this price range are plentiful, so we've sorted through all of them and reviewed the 5 best options to help you narrow your choices down. The results are displayed in our table below, and for more details of the scanner, make sure to click on the model name.
Are High-End Radio Scanners Easy to Use?
Many people think that high-quality scanners with lots of features can be very difficult to use. But, that's rarely the case!
Let's take the Uniden SDS200, widely known as one of the best police scanners there is, as an example. It's incredibly easy to set up and use right out of the box and has received a lot of praise for it. Similar to it is its predecessor, the SDS100, which also has an amazing set of features and is very easy to use.
High-quality radio scanners like these two are very satisfying to use thanks to their wide range of features and well-thought-out design.
What you need to consider when buying a police scanner is the scanning and searching speed. If you want to search through more channels, it's better to get a scanner with a faster search speed.
Let's say you need to listen to 10 channels. In that case, you'll need to scan around 16 channels per second, which is pretty slow.
But if you're planning to search through a lot of channels, aim for the best radio scanners that can search up to 100 channels per second.
You can also benefit from having additional search mode features that allow you to go through pre-programmed frequencies and find the one you need.
Advanced Features to Look for in Radio Scanners
Let's go back to the SDS200 as it is the perfect example of advanced radio scanner features. It has a unique ability to connect to the Ethernet, which allows you to get the latest updates, program your channels, stream, and get advanced control.
In addition, there's also a fully customizable scan where you can set your own favourite channels, a backlit keypad that comes in extremely handy in dim lighting, a channel volume offset, PC programming options, USB connectivity and charging, and free Sentinel software that you can use to get weekly updates to your channel database.
Things to Consider When Selecting Radio Frequencies
What many people seem to forget is that all scanners cover a different frequency range, depending on their model. Different agencies, like fire or police departments, all use different frequencies.
So, before you buy a radio scanner, make sure to see all the frequencies used in your area to know which ones are used by the agencies you want to listen to. This will allow you to choose the most appropriate scanner. To look up frequencies in your area, click here.
Another important consideration is the type of radio scanner. Older radio scanner models only use a single frequency for each communication channel. This means that you can't use them to listen to a trunked conversation.
But what is a trunking radio system? It's where many different agencies use only a few frequencies.
So, for example, in a bigger city, frequencies can be shared. And, if you're using an older scanner model, you won't be able to listen to them.
But, if you have a newer model with a trunking option, you can listen to both trunked and conventional systems.
Best Radio Scanners Over $500
We've reached the fun part! Let's see the high-end radio scanners that are commonly used by professionals.
They are compatible with almost any channel, have unlimited channel storage, and an incredibly fast scanning speed. And although they can get pretty expensive, their value is unmatched if you're looking for a reliable scanner to use regularly.
Once you spend some time with the scanner and familiarize yourself with the features, the options are endless. You can customize your display settings, get regular updates, replay your latest transmissions, scan through channels with incredible speed, and so much more!
So, for top-of-the-line features and high-quality builds, you can't go wrong with one of these 5 best radio scanners over $500:
Uniden SDS100 Review
• Frequency Coverage: 25-512 MHz; 758-824 MHz; 849-869 MHz; 894-960 MHz; 1240-1300 MHz
• Frequency Steps: 5, 6.25, 7.5, 8.33, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 kHz
• USA/Canada Radio Database
• GPS Connectivity
The SDS100 from Uniden is a popular handheld radio scanner with very useful features.
It feels very sturdy in your hand thanks to the thick rubber handgrip moulded into the unit. There's even a rubber trim around the bottom areas to make it more durable, and carrying it with you is very easy. The housing is even water-resistant, which means you can use the scanner even in rainy conditions without worrying about it.
The keypad is backlit and has a fully customizable LCD display above it. As for the features, there's a true I/Q receiver that ensures you can get unmatched signal recovery and improved error correction. It's also great for picking up digital transmissions in difficult environments.
But the best part is that it comes pre-loaded with every radio system in the US and Canada. This entire radio database is updated every week with the free Sentinel software.
All in all, a great radio scanner with high-quality digital performance.
Uniden SDS200 Review
• 8GB Micro SD
• GPS Connectivity
• Trunktracker X
• Frequency Coverage: 25-512 MHz; 758-824 MHZ; 848-869 MHz; 895-960 MHz; 1240-1300 MHz
•Free Sentinel Software for Database and Firmware Updates
This is one of Uniden's best radio scanners. The SDS200 is their first scanner that had an integrated I/Q technology, making it the scanner with the best digital decode performance available today.
It has a standard mobile scanner design, with a keypad on the right-hand side, and a customizable colour display on the left.
Feature-wise, it has an instant replay of your latest transmission of up to 4 minutes of raw conversation, without all the quiet time. All these replays can be saved onto the 8GB microSD card, which also contains the entire radio database of the US and Canada.
The customizable colour display ensures this scanner is simple to use, as you can choose your own colours and placements for each channel. This allows you to always know what you're listening to by just glancing at the screen.
All these features might seem intimidating at first, but to start using it, all you need to do is enter your zip code. Leave the rest to the scanner, and you're good to go!
he SDS200 ticks all the boxes and it's hard to see past this one for the best radio scanner over $500.
Uniden BCD436HP Review
• Frequency Range: 25-512 MHz; 758-824MHz; 849-869 MHz; 894-960 MHz; 1240-1300 MHz
• Frequency Steps: 5, 6.25, 7.5, 8.33, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 kHz
• 4GB MicroSD Card with the USA and Canada Database
• Sentinel Software
The BCD436HP will always be remembered as the first scanner that featured the Home Patrol-1 from Uniden. This means it's one of the easiest scanners to use.
It has a large backlit LCD display on top and rubber buttons below that. The design is easy to follow and the quality build feels sturdy in your hand.
Like many other scanners from Uniden, it has the essential features, such as Close Call technology, Trunk Tracker 5, and GPS Connectivity.
Thanks to its GPS connectivity, you can rest assured and know that you'll always get transmissions according to your location. On the other hand, the Trunk Tracker technology ensures you can listen in to trunked systems, like APCO 25 Phase 1 and Phase 2, X2-TDMA, Motorola, EDACS, and LTR.
Overall, you get all the fundamental high-end features and the ease of use in the BCD436HP.
Uniden BCD536HP Review
• Frequency Coverage: 25-512 MHz; 758-824 MHz; 849-869 MHz; 894-960 MHz; 1240-1300 MHz
• Frequency Steps: 5, 6.25, 7.5, 8.33, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 kHz
• Pre-Programmed Database
• Sentinel Software
• Back-lit display and keypad
• 4GB MicroSD Card
Uniden has gone and claimed that the BCD536HP is "the easiest-to-program mobile professionalb scanner" that they ever made.
The design is typical of a mobile scanner, with a horizontal layout and multi-functional buttons and knobs. It also has a few slots for a microSD card, mini USB, and headphones.
Another important port is the one in the back where you can connect a Wi-Fi dongle and get access to the internet. Then, you can use the app from Uniden called Siren that allows you to listen to your scanner from anywhere in your home.
Other notable features of the Uniden BCD536HP include well-known Uniden essentials: Close Call RF Capture Technology, GPS Connectivity, and Trunk Tracker 5 Technology for APCO 25 Phase 1, Phase 2, X2-TDMA, Motorola, EDACS, and LTR.
Uniden BCD996P2 Review
• Frequency coverage: 25-512 MHz; 758-823 MHz; 849-869 MHz; 894-960 MHz; 1240-1300 MHz
• Frequency steps: 5 kHz – 100 kHz
• Frequency Span: 0.2 MHz – 500 MHz
• Scan rate: 100 channels per second
• Search rate: 300 steps per second
• Number of channels: 25.000
The Uniden BCD996P2 was created with serious radio scanner users in mind. It's a digital mobile scanner with an amazing set of features and plenty of storage. What sets it apart is its advanced dynamic memory system, allowing you to save up to 25.000 channels, all sorted into different categories.
And just like many other Uniden scanners in this high-end price range, it has the same advanced features you'd expect – Close Call RF Technology, Trunk Tracker 5, and the option to listen to trunked systems (APCO 25 Phase 1, Phase 2, X2-TDMA, EDACS, Motorola, and LTR), and GPS connectivity.
For navigating and using all these features, there are 3 knobs with multiple functions and 17 buttons that can activate different options depending on your listening mode.
Conclusion
The models we reviewed in this guide are some of the best options out there with the latest and most advanced features there are. Even if you're not looking for scanners in this price range and are more interested in scanners under $500,you really can't go wrong with any of these.
Hopefully, our guide has helped you make a better decision and get one of the best high-end radio scanners that can make you a master scanner user. Happy Scanning!