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

These things have come a long way over the years. This scanner is definitely high quality and is what I was looking for. The only downside to it, is that there is quite a learning curve, specifically on programing it. There are YouTube videos out there on how to program and operate it; some are more helpful than others. Overall I am pleased with it.

Ive owned two homepatrols and had reception trouble with both. I thought the home patrol would be easier to program. It is not! The preprogrammed part loads hundreds of unwanted frequencies. The software that comes with it is so confusing to use its crazy! But on to the B996P2. This scanner has great reception with included antenna. Between Radio reference and freescan, programming it was a breeze. Just watch some YouTube videos to get familiar with freescan. And its highly suggested to pay for at least 6 months of radio reference to obtain the correct frequencies in the order and format that the scanner requires its $15. Well well worth the money! The people who give bad reviews of this scanner have no patience or interest in learning a few things. My only gripe is updating the firmware and installing the drivers. I had trouble with it but maybe I was doing something wrong? I dont think so but maybe. It might be a USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 compatibility issue. Once that was completed the rest was easy.

Could not keep my freq. when I turned off my scanner. Had to start all over. Very distressing and nerve racking.

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.

Replaced my BCT15X with it, programming is much the same, however programming trunked systems is a major pain, even with the software. It helps to a ton to have a subscription to radioreference dot com. Dont even try without it. My only problem is Ive not found a good way to program talk groups, so i get everything, Police, Fire, EMS.... Sometimes all i want is Fire, i get tired of listening to the cops writing speeding tickets. If anyone knows how to do that, please leave a comment.

Would not recommend for a beginner

The trunktracker verisions that are a little less expensive than the homepatrol models come at the added cost of having to either program yourself or pay for someone to send you a preprogrammed unit. If you can follow a few simple you tube videos it is not hard to program this unit yourself, and as an added benefit you can then decide to only add the channels you want. If you manage to limit that to what is in your reachable area rather than everything youd get on a zip code search on the home patrol model you can end up with a setup where you have a higher probability of constant traffic. Once I figured out the frequencies used closest to me Ive been able to setup my scanner such that it is almost constant traffic, rather than traffic with periods of dead air I experienced with my home patrol model. My home patrol model was much easier to setup, and only needed my zip code, but along with that you may get more frequencies enabled than you might prefer.

I have spent hours (adding up to days) trying to program this scanner. I have been able to hear State Highway Patrol, so it seems to function. I have yet to hear county or city law enforcement. I spent hours more watching videos and reading forums. All the experts agree it is easy to program, just download freescan. Except not if you own a MAC. I went to the Uniden website, which did not appear to admit they ever made this model. . There was an advertisement flyer in the box with a list of expensive upgrades I could get, but I dont know what they do or if they would help. Personally, I think it should be sold in working condition. If it needs a $90.00 DMR upgrade to operate, it should have it already. Why would I spend more without knowing what that even does. Im sure the P25 system is probably designed to be difficult to monitor. But dont claim your product can do it unless it can.

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

Purchased this scanner as an update to a BC125AT, if you are new to scanning, much like I am, the change to DMA memory and in my case the addition of trunking ability can be a bit overwhelming. Never one to shy away from a challenge I dove right in. I wouldnt recommend attempting to manually program this unit unless you have a lot of free time on your hands. Software is the way to go for this unit, I chose Freescan as their Beta version works very well with the BCD996P2. USB drivers to talk with the software can be a bit of a challenge but not bad if you are moderately adept with a PC. With the software installed and a significant amount of research I was struggling, I needed and example to go by and I couldnt find one readily available anywhere. So I broke down and bought a year subscription to Radioreference for $30, Freescan has a great import feature to pull in the programming directly from Radioreference. In 30 minutes I had the scanner up and running. Being able to review the programming made all the difference and significantly advanced my knowledge. Overall this is a great unit that is well built with a great display. Reception in my area with the stock antenna is great, but this hobby sucks you in fast, pretty sure I need to educate myself about antennas next.