Uniden BC355N 800 MHz 300-Channel Base/Mobile Scanner, Close Call RF Capture, Pre-programmed Search “Action” Bands to Hear Police, Ambulance, Fire, Amateur Radio, Public Utilities, Weather, and More, Black

This unit is versatile in that it is easily moved from a desktop installation to a vehicle installation - and it is ALMOST a portable unit except that it needs an external power connection. It is small and light enough to be moved about easily, and compact enough to fit in many cubby holes. Unlike some mobile units, its exterior is clean enough to look fine sitting out in the open on a desktop, yet it can be quickly/easily attached to a (pre-installed) mount in a vehicle, although it does require manual attachment of the power and antenna cables. Of course, the mobile mounting bracket could be used instead to mount the unit, say, under a shelf or whatever. Functionally, it works well in most respects. I was a little surprised that it seems to be a bit less sensitive than the old crystal-controlled scanner that it replaced. The backlit display is readable under most lighting conditions, but some indicators would seem quite small for quick reading in a mobile installation - unless the unit can be located fairly close to the observer. Fortunately, its not necessary to see them clearly during normal scanning mode. I havent yet used my unit in a mobile installation, but Im wondering if the buttons will be easy to see and access under poor lighting conditions. The buttons are small enough and spaced tightly enough that they might be difficult to use in a moving vehicle and/or with a gloved hand. Generally speaking, the unit is easy to use, but some of the functions dont seem to be intuitive - and so I often have to pull out the manual to do the operations that I use only rarely, in order to get all of the necessary steps in the correct sequence. The most tedious aspect is when manually programming (or removing) specific frequencies. While not particularly difficult, the process is time-consuming. It would help a lot if this unit had the ability to be programmed from a computer, because this likely would save a lot of time in the process. Meanwhile, programming frequencies by capturing actual transmissions is straight-forward, quick and easy - so long as the someone cooperates by transmitting on the desired channel when you want to capture it. I am still rather confused by how the channel banks interact with each other - and how to configure them properly. But, Ive been able to get the unit set up to do almost all that I need it to do. (The missing piece is that I dont know how to access the PL channels that are used in this area). The unit does retain its programming when power is removed - although I havent confirmed this over the long-term. The only problem Ive run into is being unable to find any specifications for the necessary impedance of the external speaker, and wasnt even able to find out from Tech Support. This isa rather concerning. Hopefully, they will be more helpful if there are any other support needs. Overall, I do like this unit, and I feel it is a good value.

Got this for listening to GMRS and HAM analog transmissions. Once you get the hang of programming the channels, its a snap to add all the ones you want.

Programming can be a bit confusing to figure out at first but once programmed you wont need to do it anymore. A numeric keypad would have made it easier and faster than scrolling to look for the one you want to save. With the speaker being on the bottom of the unit you must use the fold-out stand to avoid the sound from being muffled and doing so makes the telescopic antenna extend at an angle instead of straight up so it takes up more space than its footprint would lead you to believe. But the unit is tiny so this shouldnt be an issue for most though I would assume that reception would be slightly better if the antenna was straight up and down instead of at an angle. Having small feet on all four corners or having the speaker come out of the top of the unit would have been a better idea. You can also use an external speaker to avoid this small issue. I have no idea on its range as I live relatively close to the repeaters in my town but it seems to do pretty well. I can hear car communications just fine too. Having 800MHz capabilities is not useful where I live but most scanners at this price point dont have that frequency range so it might be useful for some. CB is a feature that I will probably never use. I tried it and got nothing. CB is pretty much dead anyway. Overall its a decent scanner and you wont find very many others with all of the features that this one has at this price.

Although this scanner is compact and seems senitive, it is poorly designed. It claims to be 300 channels, BUT this is misleading. 100 channels are shared between Marine Band and Aircraft. In order to use these channels you must let it scan through the pre-programmed frequencies first. On aircraft that means it takes 27 seconds before you even get to your frequencies. In my case, all 27 seconds were dead channels. The same is true for Police &Fire except there are many more pre-programmed frequencies to scan through. If you turn these banks off you can only scan 100 channels. Unless you are willing to use this as a 100 channel scanner, the wait time of going through thousands of dead frequencies is ginormus! You better have the patience of a saint.

It is hard to figure out the search and scan. I read the manual several times and i am still confused. also cant figure out if it has a channel priority and it scans really slow.

I only get one channel out of this scanner. Is this an analog? We hear nothing. Very disappointed.

Exactly as expected...

The sound is great programming is not difficult but UHF only no digital

I plan on doing a longer review on this product very soon but for now these are my thoughts after 3 days of use as a desktop unit. 1- Programming: I almost did not buy this item after reading the reviews about programming it. The thing was though that the BC355N fit my needs and area to perfection so I went ahead and bought it knowing that as an Amazon Prime member it could be returned without much hassle. My worries went unfounded as it was a breeze to program after watching the Uniden You Tube Channel video on how to do so, it is less than 2 minutes long. After about 10 minutes I had all my local channels programmed in and was listening to them. 2- Antenna: I also bought an aftermarket antenna for $10 to see if it was all it was described as in the reviews for it since I do live pretty far out in the country. Hands down it out performed the stock antenna this unit comes with but that is not a bad review on what it comes with as it worked as well as the other as far as reception but it did not have the adjustments that the aftermarket one has and you will need that with the angle that the BC355N sits on your desk at. 3- Overall: Very happy with the quality / feel of the unit, it looks good sitting on my desk in my office and matches all the other electronics that surround it as I do both FM and Internet Radio. Shipping was fast with Prime 2 Day and it was packaged very well.

It works well. My only complaint is it came through the mail in it’s original packaging- just the scanner box with a shipping label popped on it. Not even an extra strip of tape to hold it closed for sure. We’re lucky it wasn’t damaged , anything missing from inside or totally stolen. We had a good laugh thinking, well it sure came fast because they just printed our address and put it straight on the box, no added hassle or time.