Uniden BCD325P2 Handheld TrunkTracker V Scanner. 25,000 Dynamically Allocated Channels. Close Call RF Capture Technology. Location-Based Scanning and S.A.M.E. Weather Alert. Compact Size.

I have had several Uniden scanners, and this scanner is a major step back for Uniden, And I am surprised that Uniden actually markets it. First, contrary to what the manual says, it will not operated without batteries; The USB cable can also be used to power the scanner when the batteries are removed. Plug the USB cable into the scanner with no batteries and No Battery will display. Press and hold the power button to turn on the scanner., that is an out-and-out lie. Second it EATS batteries. With the cheapo rechargeable batteries that comes with it, plan on 30 to 45 minutes of listen time, then a 14 hour charge time. If you buy better rechargeable batteries, then you get up to 3 hours of listen time, then a 14 hour recharge time. And if you decide to use regular batteries to avoid the 14 hour outage to recharge, then buy stock in a battery company because you will make them richer having to continually replace the batteries.

Scanner works well, can be a bit of a challenge to program, but on the whole, easy to operate.

It was just what I expected, but I wished I had looked harder at whistler scanners. They dont have the alpha labeling like Uniden, but they are simpler to program, I think. I had the BC346XT before this, and the programming is the same.

Ive been using this scanner for 2 years now. Prior to that I had no scanner experience. The learning curve was steeper than I was expecting, but not because the scanner was poorly designed. Here is some of my experience and advice. The Scanner is Too Hard to Program This is true, not because the scanner is poorly designed, but because the nature of digital systems are so much more complicated. Most states are, or already have, converted from analog to digital systems. The reason is because coverage is so much better (by a factor of hundreds!). This also means users need more knowledge about how these systems work. You cant just buy a scanner, turn it on, and listen. With digital, there are THOUSANDS of frequencies. You have to tell the scanner what you want to hear. If youre not familiar with digital systems, youll want and need help. Fortunately, there is an excellent place to get it. Youre also going to need a computer. If thats a problem, dont buy a Digital scanner, buy an analog scanner and save several hundred dollars. Go to radioreference.com. Do it before you even buy your scanner. Youll find tons of useful information for beginners. The site has separate forums for each state that tell you what frequency is used by which talk group (they all set up their systems differently). It also has many different forums, some organized by scanner manufacturer, where you can ask questions about specific models. Theres even a forum for PROSPECTIVE Uniden buyers where you can ask questions before you buy. Theres also a forum for beginners where experienced users answer questions. Most of it is free, but they sell a one-year membership for $25 that lets you download frequency tables. Its worth it. The time savings of downloading over manually entering data is enormous. Another major help to me was links to “easier to read owners manuals”. The guy that wrote them sells them on different sites for about $30. RR.com has a link to many, at no cost. They still dont tell you WHY you might want to use one option over another, but they will tell you HOW to set it up in fairly easy to understand terms. Software You dont have to use computer operated software to program your scanner, but doing so will save you hundreds of hours of tedious data entry. Download Freescan (yes, its FREE), and read about it on RR.com. It really simplifies things. One great thing is that if you have Freescan, and you read the forum for your state, its possible you could find someone nearby willing to email you a copy of the Freescan file theyve created that you can simply download to your scanner. Its a lot easier to start with a working copy someone else is already using, than to try to build your own from scratch! Once you have one, you can tweak it to suit your preferences. Batteries When I first got mine, I thought the battery life was short too. I dont know if that’s true or not, as now, the same rechargeable batteries typically last 4-5 hours. Best to buy enough to last you a day. I listen to mine from 5 to 8 hours a day, and can easily do this with 4 rechargeable AAs. The Stock Antenna is Crap! This is my one big gripe about Uniden scanners, or at least the BCD325P2. The photos show the unit with a 6” black “rubber ducky” antenna. If you take a scissor and cut off the black plastic an inch or so above the base, youll find that the actual antenna (the cable wire inside the plastic) is actually only an inch long. This greatly reduces the scanners ability to pick out radio transmissions from the air. In order to receive the frequencies the scanner is capable of transmitting, youll have to buy an after-market antenna, at a cost of around $30. I bought the Remtronix REM 800B, available on-line (see scannermaster.com) and noticed the difference immediately. Why Uniden would build a great scanner and put such a crappy antenna on it is a mystery to me. Its an insult to customers, and given the high cost of digital scanners, the added cost for a good antenna would be minimal. Bottom line: expect to spend another $40 to $60 over and above the cost of the scanner for a decent antenna, batteries, and possibly a subscription to RR. Its a relatively small (but irritating) amount to spend to get the most out of your scanner investment, but once you get your programming catered to your interests, you wont regret it. On the plus side, this scanner is $100 cheaper now than it was two years ago!

The setup is familiar with Uniden scanners. This about where the similarities to previous Uniden scanners end. Historically you could just plug in a scanner and it would charge. For some reason, Uniden decided that it would ask whether you want to charge or not. Seems silly and is a pain. The most important CON to this scanner, it fails when it comes to working a simulcast system. On my system, its performance is about a 3/10. I emailed Uniden to see if they had any planned firmware updates to address the inadequacy of decoding simulcast systems...it was met with no response. For what its worth, they do have a scanner that is supposed to be better at simulcast systems, but this scanner is not the answer. If you are in an area where simulcast is not the system in use, go for it, if not, skip this one...it will only disappoint.

Capable of everything I want just very hard to program

This scanner is impossible to program without a lot of training. I expected with modern tech that I would just sync it to my computer and it would sync the necessary frequencies for my local trunked system. Not so. It says its programable via PC, but the software is not from Uniden and obsolete. I was trying to replace a nearly 30 year old Radio Shack trunk tracking scanner that was simple to program. I will be returning this. Update: Purchased the SDS 100. While it is twice the cost, it is well worth it.

This is a damn good radio, no question, but the battery life SUCKS, and the usb charging, lord is just as bad. The radio is all around good for use. But keep extra rechargable battiers on hand in case. Decoding digital p25 and dmr is fantastic. If you can receive on the 400 mhz then you are very lucky, it lacks the reciving on that band (where most dmr is) But the 700 and 800 mhz is really good. And the 150 mhz band as well. Ease of use: Well its not easy to program if you are new to this so its not cut and dry. But it had a 3.5 out of 5 for me. Wish they would resolve the battery issue and the mute 450 band.

You have to know how to program this type of scanner before you decide to buy. Very complicated if you are a beginner. Although a nice scanner here is what I don’t like *The fact that the batteries will not charge when the scanner is on. * Why do we have to push yes to charge? It should automatically go into charge mode when plugged in. * I use to listen to my old non digital scanner steady so I was able to keep it plugged in and automatically turned on when it received power from the vehicle. This scanner does not do that and you have to physically turn it on and off each time.

Great scanner battery life not good though