By Jason Reilly.....

 

 

 

The UBCD396T has been one of the most awaited handheld scanners since the UBC245XLT arrived on our shores.

 

 

Back in the late 1980s, Trunked radio systems started to take off, and with it came the desire & demand from scanner users to find a way to effectively monitor such systems. Uniden launched the UBC235XLT in response to that. While that particular scanner never did officially reach Australia, it was the first scanner available to be able to monitor and trunk-track certain Motorola systems. The UBC235 was followed by an improved version, the 245XLT, which was made available in Australia, and was able to trunk-track not only Motorola systems but EDACS and LTR systems too.

 

 

The bar was raised even further with the introduction of the 780XLT, an excellent little mobile/base scanner that takes trunk tracking to its highest form.

 

 

But then someone went and invented digital two way radio. Especially in the USA, this form of communication is becoming increasingly popular with law enforcement agencies, and like the trunked radio phenomenon before, scanner users have driven a demand for a way to scan the new digital waves. Enter the Uniden 785D, the first scanner able to (with the aid of an add-on card) listen in on APCO-25 / P25 digital signals. A similarly equipped handheld was also released, the BC-250D. And just like the very first trunk-tracker scanners, these first digital scanners were never officially released to the Australian market. That didn't stop enthusiasts from importing their own from the USA, of course.

 

 

However, Uniden Australia have come good with the UBCD396T digital capable, trunk tracking scanner. If first impressions count, this is one impressive little scanner.

 

 

The Guided Tour:

 

One of the first things you notice about the 396T is that it's quite small. Certainly not Icom R2 small, but definitely not anywhere as large as your average handheld from only 5 or 10 years ago. Its dimensions are 60mm wide x 108mm high (excluding top knob / antenna connector) and is mostly 29mm thick, except for a 6mm case projection out the back for attachment of a belt 'bollard' (which itself adds another 8mm). It weighs in at a comfortable 270 grams which includes the 3 x AA rechargeable batteries.

 

 

Of further note is how clean the scanner looks - no 44 digit keypad, no complicated or fussy look to it; this is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. The sides have a rubber surround which makes gives a feeling of security while holding the scanner, and the plastic case has a very firm solid feel to it. The left side has two rubberized push buttons, a 'function' button and a 'menu' button. Hiding underneath a rubber grommet on the right side is the computer interface connection, and below it without a grommet is the external DC power inlet (6v DC here, folks). At the top right corner there's also a point where a hand strap / loop can be attached. The top deck sports a rotary dial which you will get to use very frequently, a headphone jack, and a SMA antenna connection.

 

 

The keypad is nice and simply laid out, and while some keys are subtitled (and hence have a second function) other keys that have a second function are not subtitled, which is interesting. There were reports that the first generation of 396Ts had problems with the screen printing rubbing off, but Uniden has solved this little issue now. The display is a LCD dot matrix screen similar to a modern day mobile phones, and is divided into 4 or 6 lines depending on what the scanner is doing at the time. When you turn on the back-lighting for the display, you are greeted with a lovely cool cobalt blue light - which not only lights the display, but the front keys of the keypad too. The display lens also comes with an anti-reflective finish too. All this indicates that Uniden have put considerable thought into the ergonomics for using the 396T, making it to a high standard and as easy to use, given the complexity of the functions available at your fingertips.

 

 

What Can It Do?

 

What indeed! A quick run-down of the specifications is in order here:

 

• 25 to 512 MHZ, 764 to 956 MHz and 1240 to 1300 MHz.

 

• 6000 dynamically-allocated channels, though approx 3000 would be more typical

 

• 400 'systems' (banks, if you like) each with a maximum of 20 'groups' (or sub-banks, if you like)

 

• FM Wide, FM medium or FM narrow, and AM mode, or auto selection of mode based on frequency. Attenuator on a per-channel basis.

 

• 9 pre-set service searches, and another 10 custom definable search ranges

 

• Very informative dot matrix LCD display, with 16 character alphanumeric names for each channel, group & system.

 

• Small 5-bar signal strength meter

 

• CTCSS and DCS decoding abilities

 

• Close-call facility - lock on to and tune nearly instantly any nearby signal without knowing what the frequency is beforehand.

 

• Data audio skipping

 

• Repeater input checking facility

 

• Trunktracking abilities: Motorola Type 1, Type 2 or Hybrids, EDACS (narrow or wide, and SCAT), LTR

 

 

And of course the big new feature: the ability to decode & listen to APCO-25 / P25 digital signals. I must stress here that digital signals that are also encrypted can not be listened to, nor does the 396T have the ability for you to 'hack' it to do so. I must also stress it will not decode any other digital format, like the EDACS Aegis or ProVoice, nor can it do DVP, DES, OpenSky, Tetra and so on. Only un-encrypted APCO-25 / P25 signals are catered for.

 

 

There's also a few features that won't be of much use in Australia: the S.A.M.E weather alert system, and a two-tone fire tone alert system, both of which are used in the USA but few, if any, places anywhere else.

 

 

Using The 396T:

 

Not wanting to fall into the trap of turning a review into a re-write of the users instruction manual, I'm really only going to gloss over this aspect. Suffice to say, you will need to be comfortable using menus and delving deep into sub-menus to program and operate the 396T. Once inside a menu, the top mounted dial knob is used to scroll through these menus. For those who bemoan the complexity of these menus, this is a necessary evil as if each feature or function were given a dedicated button on a keypad, you would end up with a scanner with hundreds of buttons would end up being the size of a shoebox. This is the trade-off for having such an outwardly clean appearance and all the functions and other goodies crammed into the case. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Uniden have patented Dr Who TARIDS technology to be able to stuff all that they do into the increasingly unbelievably small casing.

 

 

By now, some of you will have noticed the lack of any traditional volume & squelch controls. See that top knob? During normal operation (i.e. not inside a menu) pushing down on this knob activates a digital volume adjustment. You then turn the knob to set the volume desired. Likewise, if you hold the side 'func' button and push on the top knob, a squelch adjustment is made.

 

 

Turning on or off the scanner is achieved by holding in the power button (bottom left button of the keypad) for two seconds. Tapping this button when in use activates the backlight. Speaking of the backlight, this can be configured to a toggle on/off operation, on for a short time, or automatically turn on when receiving a signal.

 

 

Of course you'd be interested to hear about such operator conveniences like channel lockout, keypad beep on/off, search lockout, and a few new features like audio auto-gain control (tries to keep the volume at a constant level) and channel alert where a user selectable audio alert is issued if a particular channel becomes active.

 

 

On a good set of NiMH batteries (2400mAH) I can get about 9 hours of moderate intensity scanning. Not a bad result at all.

 

 

Display Overload:

 

When you first turn on the 396T, a greeting note is displayed - the user can change this note to whatever they like. After that, a very busy 6 line display is shown. 

 

Going from top to bottom we have: channel status display (indications such as hold, lockout, priority etc) and signal meter & battery voltage. the next two lines will display system, group & channel names (if programmed) or frequency if no channel name programmed. the next line will display the receive mode, or the frequency tuned if on a trunked system the last two lines will show what systems & groups are selected for scanning.

 

At first, the user can be overwhelmed by the amount of information shown on the display, but you do get used to it after a time. The good news is that the display is clear and legible from a very wide range of viewing angles, and is quite well laid out.

 

 

Operators Handbook (or how the heck do we use this thing?):

 

Taking a flip through the 151 page manual, I can't help but get the feeling that some aspects of the scanner have been very well explained, while other aspects have been glossed over, or even totally omitted. Where the manual covers a feature, it is usually done quite well. But there's others, such as entering Trunked group 'wildcards' that have not even been mentioned. In fact, had I not been familiar with the UBC780XLT and it's wildcard entry scheme, I would have missed this on the 396T myself.

 

 

This in itself should serve as a bit of a gentle warning to potential owners. If you are at all uncomfortable with computers or other menu driven devices (perhaps you have trouble programming your VCR to tape a program while you're away) or have an aversion to tech-geek devices in general, perhaps this scanner isn't for you. There is a steep but easily mastered learning curve, but you do have to be confident with technology to be able to use this marvel of electronics and get the most out of it.

 

 

Take Me To Your PC Leader.

 

One thing that will help ease the pain of programming is the computer programming interface. In an age where any optional extra must be paid for, it's nice to see that Uniden include a CD ROM of programming software and a programming lead as standard - no extra charge.

 

 

The standard Uniden programming package gets the job done without too much fuss. You can save your entire 396T settings, channels, groups etc to a file for backup purposes or for sharing with your friends. You can download files from the internet for a single group or system, add it in to your own and write that to your 396T. And of course having a full computer keyboard to do the entries or editing on means that you can do this much faster than with the standard 396T keypad.

 

 

While I found the standard Uniden software to be quite adequate for my needs, others have been won over by other 3rd party software packages for the 396T. Gommerts ARC396T is highly spoken of, for example.

 

 

OK, Lets Take Her For A Spin!

 

Now a scanner with all these features available is going to be useless unless it does one primary thing: receive radio signals. This section is about how well it does this.

 

 

My previous handheld scanner was an Alinco DJ-X2000. While that scanner is full to the brim of features and functions, it didn't get a lot of use for two reasons: it was snail slow in scanning or searching, and the sensitivity wasn't great at UHF and above. So how does the 396T do, then? Simply put, the 396T has put the fun back into handheld scanning for me. The 396T is F-A-S-T when it comes to ripping through the channels while scanning or searching: 300 channels a second is quoted, and I think that could be conservative! Not only that, but the 396T doesn't appear to sacrifice sensitivity, either. It won't win any weak signal competitions here, but neither will it disappoint. The antenna will be a big determining factor on how well any scanner, not just the 396T, works at a given frequency. If your interest is only for UHF, then a 1/2 wave UHF antenna should be sought for best performance. For general all-round performance, the supplied Uniden antenna is OK; like the saying goes 'jack of all trades, master of none'. If you are a specification hound, I measured the following figures, each for FM mode, for 20dB quieting (selecting NFM improved these ever so slightly):

 

• 30.300 MHz - 0.39uV
• 70.325 MHz - 0.31uV
• 147.000 MHz - 0.35uV
• 260.500 MHz - 0.40uV
• 467.175 MHz - 0.45uV
• 868.2875 MHz - 0.62uV

 

 

But speed & sensitivity is only one side of the coin, we also need to consider selectivity and how it handles interference. The 396T is a curious mix in this regard. Selectivity, the ability to pick out just the one signal that’s crammed in-between other signals on adjacent frequencies seems to be quite OK for a handheld. In my use around town, I've not had any genuine adjacent channel or image frequency problems of note. And when used with it's own antenna, or indeed any other handheld antenna attached, no interference problems were noted either. But when an external antenna is connected, the 396T becomes a curious mix.

 

 

At my work location I have a good quality discone antenna, at about 10 metres above ground level, with some inch thick cable brining the signal down inside. This location looks out over the CBD, and is line of sight to many hilltop two way radio towers, some mountain top high power broadcasting sites, and is generally a bit of a challenge for my 780XLT to handle. The 396T behaved nearly perfectly when connected. Hardly any interference at all!

 

 

Yet, when connected to a short magnetic whip on the car, driving around the CBD, I do get some moderate interference, which seems to be equally spread around VHF & UHF frequencies. After having behaved so well with my discone, this result surprised me somewhat. Not that this is a bad result by any means, more a curiosity.

 

 

And finally, a comment on the squelch. There seems to be very little squelch range and hysteresis. At the highest squelch setting, quite weak signals are still able to be heard. This can be most annoying when used in a car, listening to fluttering signals.

 

 

Yet another aspect that we should consider is the audio quality. What's it sound like? Major players in the two way radio industry engineer or 'tailor' their audio outputs to a specific philosophy or purpose. The Australian division of Simoco (or Philips as they used to be known) tailored their audio to be as intelligible as possible when faced with a weak signal. Motorola took a slightly different approach, tailoring their audio to be most intelligible in the face of background ambient noise, such as a user might have to face when using their radio beside the road in heavy traffic for example. The 396T has a somewhat Motorola sound to it, though with a definite edge of harshness to it. I think this effect was unintended by Uniden, as using a set of headphones produces clear and natural audio. It appears as if the internal speaker is responsible for the slight edge to the audio - it's not unpleasant, but all the same there is a slight harshness there. I should also mention that the squelch snaps shut after a signal disappears without much of a 'tail', which is less tiring to listen to over a long period of time.

 

 

Does The Close Call Work?

 

Yes, and it works very well. Just imagine rolling up to an airshow, you know nothing about what frequencies are in use. Put the 396T into close call mode, and as soon as someone transmits, you'll hear them, and find the frequencies. My comparison tests between the similar 'flash' tune on the Alinco X2000 vs. the 396T showed the 396T was quicker to find the frequency and was able to do so at longer distances in every case. Now, of course, this feature will depend on many variables, such as background RF noise, number of other strong candidate signals in the area, antenna used, all sorts of things. Your mileage may vary. The best I've heard is an instance of an aircraft transmission being picked up a few km away late at night.

 

 

And What About Trunk-Tracking?

 

The 396T trunk-tracks EDACS systems very. I'm constantly amazed at how weak a signal from an EDACS control channel can be decoded and Trunked on.

 

 

As for Motorola systems, I can't say, as there's no Motorola Trunked networks near me at all. But, so I've heard, it does a reasonable job. One quirk that I have heard of is with the NSW GRN. Apparently that network uses some funny tricks to allocate frequencies that are outside the ACMA allocated bandplans, using what is effectively a negative offset from the base frequency. Control-channel only mode for this situation doesn't work too well, the solution being to program each and every frequency for a particular transmitter site (just like the EDACS setup requires).

 

 

Yeah, But We Really Want To Hear About The DIGITAL Bits - Does It Work?

 

I have to admit defeat here. The only P25 system that I have available for testing near me is the local Customs radio network. And that is encrypted - the 396T tells me so by illuminating a small 'ENC' designation. One evening a fairly strong propagation opening from Tasmania to Victoria allowed me to trunk track and attempt to decode the Melbourne MMR P25 network. As it turns out, this too is encrypted - at least for the Melbourne Police.

 

 

I've been unable to test the 396T with any unencrypted APCO-25 / P25 signals, but evidence abounds from those who do use it that it seems to work fine.

 

 

Playing The Numbers Game.

 

Just for fun, I'd like to rate various aspects of the 396T with a score out of ten, with a few qualifying comments. I should mention here that I'm pretty tough on my ratings:

 

 

A rating of 0 or 1 is abysmal, and any scanner that achieves this low rating, even for just one attribute, I wouldn't buy unless there's a really good compelling reason to do so.

 

 

A rating of 5 is average (and read average here as middle of the road, not average 'bad')

and a rating of 9 or 10 is 'the best I've ever seen'.

 

 

Physical appearance: 9 - simple, clean lines, but one look and you know this device means business.

Durability: 8 - for a domestic grade device, I think it's going to prove to be quite durable.

 

 

Ease of use: 7 - the menus might be a touch better laid out, but from a tech-geeks point of view, it's probably difficult to improve upon. If you find it hard to program your VCR, then score this as a 2. If you said "what's a VCR?" then score 0 !

 

 

Scanning speed: 10 - damn, the 396T is fast. Nothing this side of a rocket powered Ferrari can keep up!

 

 

Sensitivity: 6 - pretty much average. It's not bad by any means, but it's no slouch, either.

 

 

Selectivity: 7 - for a handheld, this is quite OK. It probably will suffer a bit in the really big smoke, though.

 

 

Interference handling abilities: 5 - dead on average. I was going to give it an 8 because of the very good manners when connected to the discone, but the poor showing when mobile let it down (and puzzled me somewhat).

 

 

Features: 8 - yep, this little handheld packs a punch with a lot of features. There's not a lot you will be left wanting for.

 

 

Frequency coverage: 7 - would have been nice to have some shortwave / HF coverage, and Uniden can do it as their BR-330T shows.

 

 

Audio quality: 7 - it's good, especially considering the size, but loose the harsh edge and it'd earn an 8 or 9.

 

 

'Fun' factor: 8 - it's a great little scanner to use every day, take with you anywhere, and it'd do just about everything you ask or need of it.

 

 

Value for money: 6 - at a list price of $994, it's not a cheap toy. But then, if you want the latest features and play with the big boys, you gotta pay the dough.

 

 

Some of you might have taken note of the bit about some enthusiasts importing scanners from the USA. Some have done this to get their hands on a Uniden (USA version) 396T, and at a cheaper price too than what is commonly available here in Australia. So you have to ask: is the USA version missing anything that the Aussie version has? Well, the differences are minimal, but worth considering in your equation:

 

 

The USA version will skip part of the Australian 800 MHz trunking band (specifically 869MHz and up) because of the US mandated cellular telephone block. Also, the US version will have preprogrammed searches not applicable to Australia. There may be some other minor differences, too, but its pretty much identical to the Aussie version. Is it worth saving potentially a few hundred dollars by going for a US version? Well, only you can answer that, it will depend on if full 800 MHz band coverage is important to you or not. If not, then importing is definitely an option.

 

 

How does one summarize the 396T? It's very difficult - this scanner has so many features, functions and capabilities that doing it justice in one short review is impossible. You'll notice that I've not been able to test two key attributes to the scanner - those being Motorola trunking and digital signal reception. Had I been able to test those, the review might well have been some 30 or 40% bigger! But, we're here to answer the tough questions, so here goes:

 

 

The 396T is a marvelous scanner in most respects that I've been able to test it with. It's a compact, fully featured handheld scanner that has acceptable RF performance, and is a lot of fun to use day to day once you get over the initial learning curve. Expensive, yes. Worth it? If you want to listen to any APCO-25 or P25 digital signals, then you certainly could do much worse. I'd say its the pick of the bunch for digital. For those who don't need digital signal reception, it might be seen as overkill - but it's still one hellava nice scanner.