Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner, 500-Alpha-Tagged Channels, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, Racing, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety.

I had a BC75XLT, which is also a good scanner from Uniden. But I upgraded my handheld ham radio and fell in love with the ability to assign an alphanumeric tag to each channel/frequency pair. The cheaper 75XLT allows you to assign channels to channel memory banks, but doesnt allow alpha tagging. You just have to know what the frequency means. Thats hard with 100+ civilian public service frequencies. So I wanted alpha tagging for my scanner too. The 125AT displays your tag as well as the frequency and the channel memory bank. for example, I have all of Chicago PDs District frequencies and their City Wide frequencies labeled, so I know where the reported action is by area. As a Ham, also nice to assign the actual callsign to repeaters. Same goes for using Amtrak route labels (AAR frequency codes) out of Chicagos Union Station, since I take trains to downstate Illinois. One thing it does NOT do though is allow you to assign an alpha tag to memory bank numbers. My Yaesu ham radio HT does support that. So I just keep a reference note on my cell phone listing what category of frequencies I chose to store in each bank. This and the 75XLT are both great radios for travelers. They can search for nearby signals and you can easily add those to memory, without traveling with a list of local frequencies or looking them up online. There is also a great feature called Service Search, which is preprogrammed to search the frequency ranges of government assigned frequencies for Ham Radio, Weather, Police, Fire, Racing, FRS, Aviation, Railroad etc. Then when you find a frequency you want, you can add it to memory. I use PC software to program it with the included USB A to USB Mini cable. You can buy software from various online sources. That makes data entry a breeze and most will support auto import of known frequencies when you put in a zip code. Also, Since this radio also supports rechargeable NiMH batteries (2 AA), I recommend you buy a AA rechargeable battery starter kit with 4 batteries and a charger included. That way you have a fresh pair to swap back in when the batteries die. It also takes disposables, but you must select alkaline versus NiMH using the tiny switch under the batteries. Now the negatives. Its expensive and has good competition from China. The 125AT isnt waterproof or made of metal, like most Japanese handheld ham radios, so that isnt a benefit over Chinese radios and scanners, which are pretty much all plastic and not water or shock proof, like the name brand ham radios are over their Chinese competitors. So never pay full MSRP for this scanner. Also consider a cheap $30-$50 Chinese multi-band ham radio, like a Baoefeng, Remember though, unless you have the right level of ham license, you CANNOT transmit on ham radio frequencies or you will face steep fines if discovered. But they make good generic police scanners too and can be programmed from a PC, usually requiring you buy a custom cable. But they are not durable at all.

It’s a descent scanner. Battery life is about 3-4 hours (rechargeable). Could be better. Lastly, I feel Uniden could have spent literally $3 dollars more and put in a 200% much much better speaker.

YouTube setup helped- but it was still difficult to set up, in our rural area we have quite a bit of static I purchased a “better antenna but really didn’t help”.

Son says this unit is just as good as the high-priced units that the RRs use.

This scanner is inexpensive for what it does. I purchased the scanner only to monitor ATC and other aircraft since I am a SUAS pilot. It works for what it need it for. The charging is a bit slow, but not a huge obstacle for me.

I purchased this product for use when I go out railfanning, to be able to listen in on where trains are located on my local rail line. The scanner works really well and is able to receive radio signals from a pretty far distance away when youre close to an active rail line. The build quality is good for the product, its mostly made of plastic. But thats not a deal breaker in my opinion, since the product feels very durable and doesnt feel like it will fall apart the second it falls onto a concrete floor. I found the interface very easy to understand, all the button functions are clearly labeled and are very easy to figure out all of the functions. The programming software was very easy to use as well, its very similar to using Microsoft Excel. I personally prefer the BC125 over the BC75, because the 125 can store a lot more frequencies and you also get the ability to add in custom names/alpha tags. The only drawback to the product is the range is not very good... But that comes with using the antenna that is provided with the scanner, since its not very long. The scanner can receive signals from channels I programmed as far as 10 miles away from my local railroad mail line, but that applies mainly frequencies that are used on my local railroad. Overall the scanner works very well for my uses, I am very happy with the product, and I would recommend any railroad enthusiast to purchase a radio scanner to use while railfanning. Since it will make your railfanning sessions a lot more fun, since you will know ahead of time whats coming in your direction.

Works for all frequencies, police, fire and ambulance

it took 4 of us (one is a phd teacher, one an Army mechanic, one with a degree) and a nerd to figure out we dont understand this at all, and returned it. I wanted a turn this on, watch it scan for emergency transmissions and go. NOPE, not this. Does not do that. Need to program it somehow.

As a lifelong rail fan, I am always looking for ways to improve my rail fan experience. One thing that I thought would advance my experience trackside was a scanner, which would allow me to listen to railroad operations in real time. When deciding on a scanner, I chose the Uniden Bearcat BC125AT because it was within my price range and had a good amount of useful features. I use my scanner almost exclusively to listen to railroad activity, but there are many other uses for the BC125AT. A scanner can be used to receive many different bands and activities; therefore, this product would be ideal for someone who is interested in listening to a variety of radio transmissions. The BC125AT is particularly good for those who are interested in storing their commonly used frequencies and taking their scanner into the field. Many Ways To Listen The BC125AT offers many different options to scan and listen to your desired channels and frequencies. There are nine channel banks with 50 presets each, which means you have the ability to store 450 channels in the scanner’s memory for later use. The BC125AT also comes with Uniden Bearcat programming software, which allows each channel to have an alpha tag or name so memorization of channels is not necessary. You are able to scan your saved channels to check for activity or scan all frequencies. Scanning all frequencies can be done by bank (in order of frequency) or by service. The BC125AT includes Police, Fire, HAM, Marine, Railroad, Civil Air, Military Air, CB, RRS/GMRS/MURS, and Racing frequencies, organized into banks. The BC125AT allows you to turn each bank of frequencies on and off individually, allowing for a very narrow scan if needed. I have found this very helpful, as I can scan only railroad frequencies when I am in unfamiliar territory. The only downside is that one knob controls almost all of the scrolling features, as well as the volume. This sometimes makes it difficult to adjust the volume or proper channel. The BC125AT also comes with a separate NOAA weather radio scanner and can be programmed to turn on in an emergency. Excellent Range For Size The range of the BC125AT is very good for the size of the antenna. Like most scanners, its range depends upon the strength of the output signal. In my current location with my scanner on the railroad frequency, I can listen to transmissions coming from locomotives about a mile away in either direction. I can always hear the dispatcher, due to repeaters along the tracks and a stronger signal. However, I have been able to receive spotty railroad transmissions from about 30 miles away in other locations, and I can receive a very strong signal from a police department in a county at least 30 miles away. Given the BC125AT’s size and large range of channels, the range is excellent and better than I expected. The range of the NOAA weather radio scanner is excellent. My previous weather radio only picked up weather in towns or locations that are at very high elevations. The BC125AT picked up a weather station in every single location I have tried it in, including some very remote canyons. Be Ready To Take Your Scanner Anywhere You Want The BC125AT is a very portable scanner. I have no problem taking it trackside or anywhere else. It is already a very small scanner, but the secret to its success is its detachable antenna. Once the antenna is detached, the size is comparable to that of a digital camera. The BC125AT can easily fit in any standard-sized pocket, and I routinely put my scanner in my pants pocket while riding the bus or shopping. The BC125AT fits comfortably in your hand or on your belt. It also comes with a headphone port, so it is possible to listen to your scanner in public areas without others knowing. Overall, the BC125AT is a great starter scanner for anyone who is interested in listening to radio traffic, whether that is railroad, police, HAM, or something else. It is an excellent portable scanner with ample range and options to make your scanning experience more enjoyable. Please reply to this review if you have questions about my experience with the BC125AT.

Nice little scanner. Ergonomics are good but it took time to get going. Unless you buy a much higher priced phone where it scan nearby signals right out of the box, every phone must be programed manually. In this case there is a sequence of buttons for first adding and changing search ranges and then adding and deleting scanning channels. I found it tricky to implement. So you must be patient. There is a PC interface but I havent tried that yet.