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

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.

This scanner is great for small town cities but not for the big cities. Its a great scanner for what it does. Probably one of the most affordable scanners available. But if youre looking to get big cities you probably want to go with a digital scanner. Because that is what most emergency services today use. You will still get to listen in on some agencies. But most are digital and this is only analog. If you are wondering if your favorite em. service is using digital, look it up online. Thats my one piece of advice. But its a great little scanner! It has a BOATLOAD of programmable channels that you can designate. It also has a feature built into it where you can select what you want to listen to (i.e. fire, police, air, marine,.....) and it will scan certain frequencies that the selected agencies use. which is very handy! So if youre looking for a great, affordable, and easy to use scanner for every day use, this is for you (depending on your wants and needs (Digital or Analog))!

since the FCC have changed the frequency and codes for scanners and 2 way radios i have been looking for an updated radiio. since mine are older models they will not except the codes because of different frequency. off and on i would check amazon to find a good radio that will except the the frequency and reasonable price. i finally found one and yes it was refurbished but it was at a reasonable price i can afford. i contacted the seller to find out if it will except the updated frequency and within the next business day i got an email stating yes it does. so i ordered and got it in a few days. yes it took some time to figured it out and to reprogram it but in a half hour i had the frequencies put in. so now instead of listening to my officers i now can here the dispatch as well. the only thing that i have to say negative is that for some reason the town that is my county has a different frequency which i can still pick up on my older model but not on this one. they are the only town that has its own code # but i dont think it has to do with the radio itself. i love and i love the honesty when emailing back and forth with the company i bought it from. thank you guys.

I was under the impression that this was a two-way device, but thats okay. I can delve into that technology later. I purchased this particular model with some apprehension after reading third party reviews saying that it would be difficult to program...then charging $100s to program. Thankfully I didnt solicit any of that help, but instead performed my own internet research and read the owners manual. The software that can be installed onto a computer to communicate with this scanner via USB is easy to understand and intuitive enough for the basic/advanced computer user. I still have a lot to learn about the different uses and technologies in general, but thats part of the fun.

First of all, dont use free shipping because its garbage, 2 day is totally worth it unless you plan on being lied to about arrival dates. That being said I love this scanner so far it has exceeded my expectations. I read tons of reviews and watched videos on programming it and everyone makes it seem super complicated and stuff. Youd have to be stupid to not be able to program it. Its so incredibly easy, like if you can use a cell phone, you wont have a problem programming this scanner. I bought this ahead of the 2016 great Tennessee airshow so I could watch all of the planes come in and get some badass videos to Get my snapchat game strong. Which I did btw. I was able to hear the air boss at the show which was cool and was also able to hear the tower and emergency comms when the unfortunate Blue Angel #6 mishap occurred. Sometimes you cant hear Aircraft if theyre really far away but you can hear the tower talking to them. Other than that its not bad at all. Its got give or take a 20-25 mile Range. I dont fully understand all the capabilities of this thing yet but I guess Ill get there eventually.

I bought this to replace my old Bearcat scanner with 200 channels. I am a crew chief for a race team in SCCA so I need a scanner that I can lock down a channel and adjust the volume with out looking at it. This unit has volume, squeak, and SEL all on one knob, just last week on Homestead I had to adjust the volume and it change the channel not the volume. Bottom line if you use this to list to the track in one ear and your driver in the other ear, this is not the unit for you.

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.

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.

I like how it is hand-held, but I dislike how it does not come with any batteries or chargers. If you use normal, non-rechargeable Alkaline batteries, you will need to replace them after a couple of days, max. I use mine for just a couple to a few hours a day. I turn it off at night or when I leave for work or school or errands. Yet after two days it continuously beeps indicating a low battery. Rechargeable batteries at least save you money but dont last any longer. So I had to make a separate purchase for a car charger and wall charger for it. I have yet to find a docking station setup which would be handy. But overall I like it. Ive been wanting one for quite some time but never knew what kind or how much to spend. I do wish it had better reception and longer battery life, but at least it was under $100.

This unit eats batteries. AA alkaline do not last more than 6 hours. I will try rechargeable batteries. Another negative is, as others have said, it is not easy to program. I have some experience with scanning radios and bluffed my way through it but have a hunch I still dont understand all its features. It works for my limited purposes. Lastly, the clip is not very strong and the unit frequently falls from my best. So far, no breakage. On the good side, the reception is stronger than either a paging radio or the scanner I have. It seems to filter out some noise. I use it to monitor two (only) fire frequencies, as I work part time in a fire house with no in-house alarm system and I like to know when the troops are going to converge. It has good range and for a user who must keep track of many frequencies yet be able to set one as a priority, this works just fine. I would buy it again...four starts despite the shortcomings.