Uniden BCD325P2 Handheld TrunkTracker V Scanner. 25,000 Dynamically Allocated Channels. Close Call RF Capture Technology. Location-Based Scanning and S.A.M.E. Weather Alert. Compact Size.

Been using radio scanners for over 30 years now. Lifelong passion of mine. Licensed Amateur radio operator, computer science degree, etc. Some have said that this radio is impossible to figure out but that wasnt my experience. It was a little difficult but only took about a day for me to master. However, the P25 digital audio quality was pretty terrible so I ultimately returned this scanner. Sad because I really, really want a good P25 scanner. I wonder how much of the audio problem is due to the scanner and how much is due to the general design of P25. I really miss the days of trunked radio systems with convential analog audio. Btw I could probably work with this scanner if it was like $150 or $200 but I just couldnt bring myself to deal with the bad audio for $390 with tax. The audio often sounds like the adults in a Peanuts cartoon...

The battery life is not good, I wouldn’t know it didn’t come with any. Also we had to pay someone to program the channels. It’s sometimes really hard to clearly hear what is being said compared to our base scanner.

Great radio but NOT for the un-tech savvy! Youll need to download FreeSCAN software and subscribe to Radioreference.com! Theres youtube videos that show you how to do this! This is not your daddys scanner or your grandpas!

I am pleased with the BCD325P2 scanner.This is my first digital scanner. I have two analog scanners, only one is still working. I found this rather easy to program manually from the keypad, despite what other reviews have indicated. I was able to program an analog system in about 45 min out of the box. I spent a good deal of time studying the manual online a month before I purchased it, so I was familiar with the radio. I wanted a scanner I can program the systems I want to scan, and not worry about national databases, sd cards, and all the clutter I will not use, so i chose this unit. The only issue I have with it is the receiver. It works very well in a quiet RF environment, but gets wiped out near cellular base stations. This happens on both digital and analog. I live less than a block away from a cell tower, and had to hunt for a spot that it will receive the control channel. I have not had any issues with lsm distortion, as i live 2 miles away from the main site. I am happy with the unit, and would recommend it to anyone.

I have had several Uniden scanners, and this scanner is a major step back for Uniden, And I am surprised that Uniden actually markets it. First, contrary to what the manual says, it will not operated without batteries; The USB cable can also be used to power the scanner when the batteries are removed. Plug the USB cable into the scanner with no batteries and No Battery will display. Press and hold the power button to turn on the scanner., that is an out-and-out lie. Second it EATS batteries. With the cheapo rechargeable batteries that comes with it, plan on 30 to 45 minutes of listen time, then a 14 hour charge time. If you buy better rechargeable batteries, then you get up to 3 hours of listen time, then a 14 hour recharge time. And if you decide to use regular batteries to avoid the 14 hour outage to recharge, then buy stock in a battery company because you will make them richer having to continually replace the batteries.

Ive been using this scanner for 2 years now. Prior to that I had no scanner experience. The learning curve was steeper than I was expecting, but not because the scanner was poorly designed. Here is some of my experience and advice. The Scanner is Too Hard to Program This is true, not because the scanner is poorly designed, but because the nature of digital systems are so much more complicated. Most states are, or already have, converted from analog to digital systems. The reason is because coverage is so much better (by a factor of hundreds!). This also means users need more knowledge about how these systems work. You cant just buy a scanner, turn it on, and listen. With digital, there are THOUSANDS of frequencies. You have to tell the scanner what you want to hear. If youre not familiar with digital systems, youll want and need help. Fortunately, there is an excellent place to get it. Youre also going to need a computer. If thats a problem, dont buy a Digital scanner, buy an analog scanner and save several hundred dollars. Go to radioreference.com. Do it before you even buy your scanner. Youll find tons of useful information for beginners. The site has separate forums for each state that tell you what frequency is used by which talk group (they all set up their systems differently). It also has many different forums, some organized by scanner manufacturer, where you can ask questions about specific models. Theres even a forum for PROSPECTIVE Uniden buyers where you can ask questions before you buy. Theres also a forum for beginners where experienced users answer questions. Most of it is free, but they sell a one-year membership for $25 that lets you download frequency tables. Its worth it. The time savings of downloading over manually entering data is enormous. Another major help to me was links to “easier to read owners manuals”. The guy that wrote them sells them on different sites for about $30. RR.com has a link to many, at no cost. They still dont tell you WHY you might want to use one option over another, but they will tell you HOW to set it up in fairly easy to understand terms. Software You dont have to use computer operated software to program your scanner, but doing so will save you hundreds of hours of tedious data entry. Download Freescan (yes, its FREE), and read about it on RR.com. It really simplifies things. One great thing is that if you have Freescan, and you read the forum for your state, its possible you could find someone nearby willing to email you a copy of the Freescan file theyve created that you can simply download to your scanner. Its a lot easier to start with a working copy someone else is already using, than to try to build your own from scratch! Once you have one, you can tweak it to suit your preferences. Batteries When I first got mine, I thought the battery life was short too. I dont know if that’s true or not, as now, the same rechargeable batteries typically last 4-5 hours. Best to buy enough to last you a day. I listen to mine from 5 to 8 hours a day, and can easily do this with 4 rechargeable AAs. The Stock Antenna is Crap! This is my one big gripe about Uniden scanners, or at least the BCD325P2. The photos show the unit with a 6” black “rubber ducky” antenna. If you take a scissor and cut off the black plastic an inch or so above the base, youll find that the actual antenna (the cable wire inside the plastic) is actually only an inch long. This greatly reduces the scanners ability to pick out radio transmissions from the air. In order to receive the frequencies the scanner is capable of transmitting, youll have to buy an after-market antenna, at a cost of around $30. I bought the Remtronix REM 800B, available on-line (see scannermaster.com) and noticed the difference immediately. Why Uniden would build a great scanner and put such a crappy antenna on it is a mystery to me. Its an insult to customers, and given the high cost of digital scanners, the added cost for a good antenna would be minimal. Bottom line: expect to spend another $40 to $60 over and above the cost of the scanner for a decent antenna, batteries, and possibly a subscription to RR. Its a relatively small (but irritating) amount to spend to get the most out of your scanner investment, but once you get your programming catered to your interests, you wont regret it. On the plus side, this scanner is $100 cheaper now than it was two years ago!

works but hard to program and after year tech support dont want to help

I payed full price for this scanner which is listed as new but it is clearly not new and on top of that it says batteries included both in description and in the manual, but there are no batteries and the box is smashed a little and there are scratches on the screen. The manuals are dirty like someone has handled them a lot. Also the twist tie that is on the USB cable looks like it came off a bread wrapper it is not what they use in packaging these scanners. I will see if it works after writing this review. The Scratches are hard to see when I took pictures but the slightly damaged box and bread wrapper twist tie are easily seen. There was no plastic protective bag on the scanner and no protective film to peal off of the screen.

Either I cant read correctly, or the instructions dont match. Put in numbers for my county and nothing happens. Cant pick up anything, not even planes.

Great little scanner for the money