Uniden Bearcat BC75XLT Handheld Scanner, 300 Channels, 10 banks, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, NOAA Weather, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety

One of the reasons I chose this over the BC125AT is that the display is bigger. Where the 125 uses 2 lines to display frequency and an alpha tag, this one uses the space for 1 line. I have used scanners enough in my county so I know what frequency is what. Also 500 channels is way more than I need. I had a 20+ year old Bearcat scanner that still worked, but the rechargeable battery was gone, so I had to leave it plugged in to use it. Its nice to have a portable scanner again.

Ive had mine perhaps a year or two. Bought it to listen to railroad chatter on trips. The first time I traveled, I wound up putting it away because I couldnt figure out how to use it at all and I was pretty annoyed. The second time I traveled, I figured out that watching YouTube videos helped (especially when adding the word railfanning to the search), as did writing the Uniden tech support, where an employee really went the extra mile to try to be helpful. An individual named Charles explained things in plain English and was patient with my ignorance. I still had a little trouble, frankly. Then I learned that I could use it easily enough at home with a bit of a shortcut--pressing the function key (which is orange) and then the Svc button. By pressing those two buttons, I did not have to program anything but I automatically got to hear transmissions within range of us. That is all I had to do. So this is something like simply playing movies on ones VCR, DVD player, Blu-Ray player, etc., without even trying to use all the extra functions. The manual isnt all that useful as a guide even though it does label buttons and so forth. I had to acquire somewhat of a knowledge base before I understood what the manual meant (this is not the first time I had this experience with a manual). To be fair, I just didnt know anything about scanners, electronics, ham radios, etc. As far as I could tell at the time, this seemed to be the highest rated radio of its kind (in its price range) and the most talked about, and apart from the expected updated model of this same unit, that still seems to be the case. At the same time, there is a bit of a hurdle when it comes to entry into this type of hobby. We do not receive police transmissions. It seems that those in our area are encrypted now, so we wont be getting them. In a fairly highly populated city, there is still a limited amount to listen to (I am using the stock antenna) but we do get weather reports and a few other things. If I expected nonstop talking and wanted to listen to it for an extended time, I would have been disappointed (but that wasnt my particular interest). We turn it on around dinnertime and listen to the weather, etc. for ten minutes or so. Realistic expectations all around may be the key to enjoying this radio, which we now do. Now that I finally know more about how to use it, I am hoping that I will be able to listen to railroad chatter on our next train trip. That is the real reason I got it and I havent been able to do that yet. There are a number of YouTube videos that explain how to listen--which I didnt know when I bought this. Its helpful but still not a straight path to success. As for the unit itself, it seems fairly durable and it appears to work as intended. The buttons do require some pressure when you push them to get a response but that seems more or less like a good thing. Be aware of the button you need to slide inside the unit to indicate whether your batteries are rechargeable or not (its not hard). I am not a patient person and usually return electronics that I cannot quickly figure out. So it has been a bit strange that I have picked this up from time to time and tried again to use it. All in all, would probably buy the same unit all over again. Knowing that all I had to do was pick it up and press the two keys I mentioned earlier would have been of considerable help. But, from my experience as a novice, this isnt really an easy hobby to get started with, and if one wants to, some trial and error, with a considerable amount of non success, may be called for enroute to this goal. Up until now, I sort of regretted buying it. Reading the Dummies on two-way radios and scanners (this is not a two-way radio but the book has some content on scanners) helped me understand some of the backstory that eventually helped me use this. So, I wouldnt say dont buy it but I would say understand what the path may be like if you dont have related expertise, and go from there.

Seemed like a good little scanner. The programming software was intuitive and easy to understand. There are plenty of helpful videos on YouTube that aided in the setup process. I ultimately returned the scanner because I live in an area that runs full digital 800mhz truncated emergency communication systems and this scanner is not compatible with 800mhz systems. Only four starts because I never really had a chance to actually use it so I cant say how well it works.

Once you figure out the tricks, it works quite well. We use it for Train Spotting. Update, Nov 2018. This little unit still works great. Have had no problems with it at all. Once you learn how to select you frequency ranges, it works very well. We have had this for maybe 3 years.

For the price, this thing works great. I am a rail enthusiast, and this thing works great for use in the car when Im out looking for trains. The only thing I will say to detract from it is that the antenna that comes with the unit is not the best for any one frequency range just because of the design. An antenna designed to pick up such a wide range of frequencies is just not going to receive as well as one cut specifically for that frequency. Id recommend investing in an antenna more specifically attuned to the frequencies youll be scanning, but other than that, this is an excellent little scanner for the price!

There is nothing wrong with the actual device. Im using it to listen to railroad communications. I live about 3.5 miles from the rail lines and I get a decent signal after adding a different antenna. Its easy enough to carry in my car when Im at the tracks taking video or photos. The instructions are a little vague so I watched some YouTube videos and that helped out a lot. Im using regular Amazon brand AA batteries and am getting a decent run time. I also live next to a small airport so I can listen to some of the communications from the small aircraft. The issues I have are that most of the police/fire departments around my area have gone digital and thus, this wont work for them. So again, there is nothing wrong with the actual device. Just know what your area has before you get caught up in the Police, Fire advertising/description and avoid disappointment. I havent really had any good luck with weather info and quite frankly its just easier to use my smartphone to get actual weather information. So I dont see that as a selling point either. I do wish there was a way to have the back-light of the screen to be on longer than it is. Too often its hard to see what the station is when Im using the search mode to then lock in that station. Overall, its a decent enough first time scanner for me.

This was a last-minute purchase for a Nascar race. The scanner arrived in just two days, with no expedited shipping. I have used several other scanners in the past, and their programming and use were not intuitive at all. This is not the case with the Uniden radio. With just a few minutes in the manual, I was able to quickly program over 75 channels and, more importantly, able to easily transition from one to the other. Once you get the hang of the tri-function knob on the top, its a piece of cake to change channels, adjust squelch, and adjust volume. Great value for the money.

I needed a three band scanner for use at the Reno Air Races. Did some looking and found this one to be the best value of those that would serve the purpose. Installed a set of NiMH batteries which would last about 5 hours on a full charge. Rather than rely on battery power I connected it to a 30000mAh power bank and was able to use it all day long. Software was a little difficult to find but once I had it downloaded it was simple to program the frequencies I needed to monitor and setup the scan function to walk these channels. Only real downside is that the scanner will not charge the NiMH batteries while its on. Im pleased with the purchase and would recommend this scanner to any Reno Air Races attendee or volunteer whod like to be a bit more aware of whats going on behind the scenes.

This little scanner offers a lot of features at a decent price, and gives you the option of convenient portability. Not much to say, other than that it works like its supposed to. The only thing to keep in-mind, particularly if you are not already experienced with scanners, is that you will not get great range or reception with the included antenna. If you need range, be prepared to install and use a larger/outdoor antenna, which is not difficult to accomplish.

I am really enjoying this police scanner. The only thing that I am not happy with it is that normal radio stations can not be programmed in to it (they are capable of being programmed in this unit) like my old table top scanner. More features than I expected especially for the price. Sound is great, size is great, easy to use and it is truly portable with rechargeable battery power and car battery power. I like using the close call option to capture frequencies. For me the 300 channels are way plenty. It also can be used as a back-up charger for AA rechargeable batteries for use in other devices. Bottom line, very happy.