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

hello i recently bought this scanner for my uncle. Since buying this item i have found myself listening it just as much as he does. When we got the scanner it was programmed out of the box with some preset codes that work perfectly for our area, the box came with all the accessories to hook up to a car or home and is loud enough that anyone can hear it. My only complaint is that the antennae does not pick up alot of traffic if you live outside of a town but that can be corrected by buying a bigger antennae. Another problem is if you already have codes to program in, there is no key pad to program them in to the private bank but beyond these problems this is a good beginner to intermediate scanner for anyone. Still i like it and am happy i bought it.

Before I purchased this unit I read many of the reviews. I suggest that anyone considering a purchase do the same and after the purchase take the advise of several of the more knowledgeable reviewers. Being a Uniden I expected quality and some frustration. I was not disappointed. This is a very nice scanner and a good value if (repeat, if) you are patient and understand the limitations of the radio and the manual. If you want a be-all-to-end-all scanner, then spend $400-$500. This $100 unit will not suit you. Based upon my limited use so far I have found that the sensitivity is good and adjacent channel rejection is good. The functions are clearly marked and the display is clear and easily read. The speaker is terrible (normal for smaller radios) and you should purchase an after market speaker. The included accessories (antennas, DC power options, etc.) are good. An external antenna (AntennaCraft ST-2 for instance) is a good idea. Given the price I would say: Appearance - 5 (Nice smaller unit) Features - 4 Sensitivity / Rejection - 4 (This is based upon limited use so far and is subject to later revision) Ease of Use - 3 (Needs better manual. Programming is a pain, but worth it.) Overall - 4

I bought this for my local fire department and ems communications to listen to in my vehicle and when I get home. The sound quality is amazing and it is really easy to set up with the right support from YouTube videos!

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.

My husband is having an issue programming this scanner and it is currently sitting unused until I try to program it myself as he gets frustrated too easily

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.

Bought this for myself then decided to give it to my son for Christmas. WE have such a horrible fire season here in Northern Calif, every home needs a scanner to know what is going on around them.

I had a Bearcat decades ago. Back then everything was unscrambled. The scanner had birdies. Frequencies that obviously mixed with local oscillators and stopped scanning a range. You HAD to lock out that frequency to continue scanning. This unit is new so I pick up oddball pulses on various bands. I wish to tell you all to buy a BNC male to SO239 female so the antenna can accept a PL259 male (AKA CB antenna) adapter. Living with electronic noise in house will drive you nuts. The display isnt big to say the least but for the money, you may hear an airplane of tones from Rescue 51 or 1-Adam 12. Now I have to go 10-7 and go QSX. aka Satellite*

I use this scanner in my Jeep. It was easy enough to mount next to the CB. Antennas for fiberglass shells are hard to come by, so I got creative with a magnet mount, and a little hardware. Seems to receive signals satisfactory.

Do a search online for what frequencies your town uses for fire and police. radio reference dot com is the one I used. Go down the list and find your town, to the right of your town , in the mode section if it says P25= this scanner will NOT work. means its Digital/private. This is a analog machine. If however it says FM under mode area for your town, you WILL get that station just fine, meaning its analog. You can buy scanners that pick up the P25 digital mode but they are alot more money. Hope this helps new customers in deciding as my town has the police in p25 mode and i cannot listen with this machine, but the fire is in fm so i can listen. ..........im still learning, but as for trying to GET TO A SPECIFIC STATION=... hit the band button and toggle it to the basic area you want say 100 to 200 , now hit scan, soon as your near the number you looking for hit the HOLD BUTTON, and use the up or down arrows to get to it. thats all, when someone talks on that , it will come on automatically. ........ as for saving a favorite to your bank... same deal as above, go to Bank, select the area you want example 100-200, search, soon as near number hit HOLD, use up down to get to number you want...Now hit the PROG button, then hit the PRIVATE BUTTON..there you can put it in the bank you want(it blinks to select a bank think you ca nstore 100 on here or something) now Hit PROGRAM again , and it saves it ..so next time you can just hit private and your saved banks of liked frequencies are over there, .. mine just wont work right with my saved ones but im not sure if it will listen to all my saved ones when one is activated or what yet as still learning this machine(grumbles lol) also that cc weird thing on bottom left I read will go to any live talk or something, non stop?, in reviews above, but i havent tried it out yet. Well thats all for now, if I figure anything more , ill update this post if need.