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

Have owned this for 2 years, still happy with product. Only complaint is a small one - it was a little difficult to program originally and had a little trouble with reception but I believe this is due to living in a rural area. We just had to find the best spot in the house to position it for the best reception. Now, it works perfectly and we pick up everything.

I’m not up on the programming. Had to have someone do it for me

This is a great scanner. I would highly recommending downloading freescan software and a premium membership to radioreference.com. Once I download the software and learned how to use it, programming was quite easy

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.

Probably not the best selection for my first digital scanner. Its not easy to program, I ended up paying for a subscription to radio reference. Anothing thing I wish I thought about before buying. At the time I bought this I pay 383.00 then realized that then gps is vitial in my situation. Another 100 bucks there. Hindsight I should have bought a newer model with gps built in and the radio pee programmed. Dont get me wrong, it seems like a solid radio.

Does everything Im asking it to do

This is a good scanner. However like just about all scanners I have used, Simulcast distortion is an issue.I currently have 2 large simulcast systems in range of my location. One is the county system the other is the Detroit system. The county system works well most of the time but the Detroit system has considerable distortion. I am planning to add a yagi antenna system and I hope that will resolve the issue. The other concern I have is not performance related but the cost of upgrading the radio for DMR/NXDN. If you want those upgrades it will cost you an additional 100 dollars. Overall I would recommend the Scanner and as I said all scanners I have ever used have the same simulcast distortion issue with the stock antenns. All conventional and DMR. Systems have worked very well.

If this is your first digital, pray for patience. I thought I was prepared. Had watched a lot of videos on programming but it still took a while. First just go ahead and pay the subscription for radio reference. Before you receive it, find free scan and the driver for the scanner. If after you install the driver the computer won’t recognize the the scanner. Turn the scanner off and back on. It’s funny how those few words took so long to to learn. The reason I gave it 5 stars for ease of use is because any frustration I was having was just because of inexperience. Now I love it. Now the filing system makes sense. When you first import from radio reference use your username and not your email. No when you import from the p25 system, to me it was messy. But it was working. So I took time and learned how to put together a more organized system. I like being able to record the feeds, and this past weekend while running the sound through the computer I was able to listen through Bluetooth. Hope this helps and hope y’all have a blessed day.

There is a learning curve in programming it. However, it is much easier to program with the Computer and upload the information. I bought ARC-XT Pro to program it, and a Radio Reference subscription. I am happy with both. This scanner is very sensitive, has good quality audio and enables you to listen to almost everything the Police and Fire use. I am also receiving commercial and military aircraft, trains and HAM Radio. With the included antenna I could hear the local police and fire easily in my basement. With an outside antenna I now hear the state.

The scanner hobby has been a part of my life since I built a SuperRegen Receiver at age 13. I an now 65. For scanners/receivers I have, and have owned Patrolman PRO-2 & 3, Patrolman 9 &10, PRO-2006, PRO-95, AOR1500, AOR2500, AOR3000A, AOR8200, IC-R1, BC200, BC780XLT, URR35C, and many more I cant recall. I have owned the BCD996P2 for three years now. I purchased it to receive P25 Phase II, which my older BC780XLT would not. Yes, it has wide frequency coverage and lots of cool features. But here in a metropolitan area, it overloads with tons of Mixing Products causing a desensing. This masks the weaker signals from farther away. I could barely receive the local NOAA Weather Broadcast at 162.55 mhz, and could not hear either 162.475 mhz or 162.525 mhz on the BCD996P2. This is with an Outdoor Antenna connected. The Front End in this scanner is very sensitive and overloads if you live in a major metro area and you connect it to an outside antenna. I solved the problem by using a Splitter/Attenuator between the antenna and the scanner. I use a -20db port on the Splitter and it works like magic. As soon as I added the Attenuator I could receive signals from stations up to 70 miles distant! I am delighted with the BCD996P2. KG7M