Uniden BCD996P2 Digital Mobile TrunkTracker V Scanner, 25,000 Dynamically Allocated Channels, Close Call RF Capture Technology, 4-Line Alpha display, Base/Mobile Design, Phase 2, Location-Based Scanning

I have spent hours (adding up to days) trying to program this scanner. I have been able to hear State Highway Patrol, so it seems to function. I have yet to hear county or city law enforcement. I spent hours more watching videos and reading forums. All the experts agree it is easy to program, just download freescan. Except not if you own a MAC. I went to the Uniden website, which did not appear to admit they ever made this model. . There was an advertisement flyer in the box with a list of expensive upgrades I could get, but I dont know what they do or if they would help. Personally, I think it should be sold in working condition. If it needs a $90.00 DMR upgrade to operate, it should have it already. Why would I spend more without knowing what that even does. Im sure the P25 system is probably designed to be difficult to monitor. But dont claim your product can do it unless it can.

Purchased this scanner as an update to a BC125AT, if you are new to scanning, much like I am, the change to DMA memory and in my case the addition of trunking ability can be a bit overwhelming. Never one to shy away from a challenge I dove right in. I wouldnt recommend attempting to manually program this unit unless you have a lot of free time on your hands. Software is the way to go for this unit, I chose Freescan as their Beta version works very well with the BCD996P2. USB drivers to talk with the software can be a bit of a challenge but not bad if you are moderately adept with a PC. With the software installed and a significant amount of research I was struggling, I needed and example to go by and I couldnt find one readily available anywhere. So I broke down and bought a year subscription to Radioreference for $30, Freescan has a great import feature to pull in the programming directly from Radioreference. In 30 minutes I had the scanner up and running. Being able to review the programming made all the difference and significantly advanced my knowledge. Overall this is a great unit that is well built with a great display. Reception in my area with the stock antenna is great, but this hobby sucks you in fast, pretty sure I need to educate myself about antennas next.

Love this scanner. Havent had one for a while but since I retired I decided jump back in. I didnt even attempt to program it manually. I used the FreeScan software from the Radioreference.com site and it worked perfectly. Was up and running in less than a half hour.

While this is truly a pain to program, (and I’m a computer programmer), the customer support is top-notch and was patient with me and walked me through the stations I needed added. I would recommend spending more money to get the auto-programming ones based on your location.

Could not keep my freq. when I turned off my scanner. Had to start all over. Very distressing and nerve racking.

This radio works great! This was an upgrade for me from a 396T. I still use the 996T, but I got this to prepare for when Michigan switches to APCO 25 phase 2, currently the U.P. is still in Phase 1 as I write this now in 2016. 2017 looks like phase 2 will come here. Do yourself a favor, get freescan. Very easy to program with that free software. Also, subscribe to radio reference premium. With premium you can import the frequencies using the freescan software, its cheep enough, and well worth it. Depending on what system you are monitoring, I suggest getting an 800Mhz yagi antenna. That will only work for your area if you monitor 800 Mhz in simulcast. Otherwise you are only going to pick up whatever comes off of the tower you are aiming at. Use radio reference as a guide to help you, it can tell you in the forums, or in their database, what type of system is in your area. The scanner even comes with a programming cable, house adapter, and a car adapter.

Got for father in law to keep up

awesome scanner pain to set up and understand as a beginner but loads of fun you will want to throw this thing if you are new to scanners it takes patience to learn its a awesome scanner indeed it wasnt super hard to use freescan to program it ... the software makes it faster to program then the crazy menu but it can be programed either way side note youtube videos helpped me solve some of the hair pulling stress of it ... freescan is easy to use its the scanner controls that are a pain so far but takes time some stuff honestly isnt in the 100 or so page manual of the silly thing its ok though this is my first scanner and i managed to program trunked analog so far it took me 20minutes to do but im used to tinkering with hand held radios if your completely new to this just stick to the home patrol series of radios very simpler to program or pay to get it programed cause its complex comes with edacs free from uniden now i did a firmware update and it came free i read some were its free now so thats cool

While this scanner is not the most complex thing ever designed it does take time to understand and learn. Uniden has made a poor job trying to make sense of the terminology that this scanner uses, but once you trial and error you’ll understand it. My recommendation is to use RadioReference for information about scanners as well as this one. My last point is to avoid Priority Mode unless you actually know what it’s purpose is, and colour code your frequencies if you use a lot.

Excellent performance on most systems even with the small, cheap antenna that comes with it. I can receive many transmissions from dozens of miles away and in my basement. Programming with software is a must, a subscription to radioreference and programming software will get you running very quickly. Very satisfied with this radio even though I havent completely mastered using it. Using it is difficult to understand at first so if you want a simple scanner (if such a thing exists) get something else...otherwise its probably the best mobile scanner you can buy.