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

I needed a three band scanner for use at the Reno Air Races. Did some looking and found this one to be the best value of those that would serve the purpose. Installed a set of NiMH batteries which would last about 5 hours on a full charge. Rather than rely on battery power I connected it to a 30000mAh power bank and was able to use it all day long.Software was a little difficult to find but once I had it downloaded it was simple to program the frequencies I needed to monitor and setup the scan function to walk these channels.Only real downside is that the scanner will not charge the NiMH batteries while it's on.I'm pleased with the purchase and would recommend this scanner to any Reno Air Races attendee or volunteer who'd like to be a bit more aware of what's going on behind the scenes.

The Bearcat BC75XLT is a great starter scanner for the beginner.I am finding this device to be a huge asset when it comes to knowing what is going on around me.Search my name, the make and model of this scanner on Youtube for a complete in-depth video presentation.Features I like about this radio:* Searching through the VHF/UHF frequencies is very fast.* 300 Memory Channels* Priority Channel mode.* Close Call mode.* Great reception when compared to my other HTs.* Customized Search feature that can be done directly on the radio.* Ten Service Bands, makes finding certain frequencies that much quicker.* Delay...oh how you need this.* Good build quality.* Uses 2 AA batteries, either Alkaline or NiMH.* Smart Charger built in for the NiMH batteries.* USB power can supply the radio enough power to run without battteries.* USB connectivity to the computer for downloading and uploading data to the scanner. Free software download.* Included USB cable.* Headphone jack is excellent, no noise, clean sound.* Nice and evenly lit LCD display.* Scanning stored channels is a breeze, and can be customized.* Temporary and Permanent lock out feature.* Informative Manual, lots of detail.Features that could be added or improved on:* A separate squelch knob would be fantastic.* A monitor button.* A full stop on frequency when searching. This would be nice so you don't have to have your finger resting on the hold button all the time.Overall, for the cost of this portable scanner, I am very impressed and recommend this as a first scanner to purchase and learn with. Just enough to keep you busy for months. I am surprised by the amount of analog activity that still exists around me.

This is my seventh hand held scanner and tenth total, and I must admit, even for a seasoned user, programming frequencies in this scanner is not as straight forward as others I have owned. The good news, great news actually, is that Uniden provides a free download for both the drivers to connect the scanner to a PC and a FREE software package that is super easy and fast to use. I use this type of scanner mainly for listening at auto races, and after ham thumbing the first three of about sixty frequencies I needed to load I figured it would be easy and quicker to download the driver and software and go from there. The programming software is super intuitive, will run on anything from Windows XP to 8.1, and you can save the frequency package as a file, which means you can have multiple files of frequencies at the ready. It uses a standard USB cord, included. The only reason I did not give this unit five stars is the somewhat cumbersome method of manually loading frequencies, and I have not yet been able to determine how (or if) you can page through your frequencies one by one, versus having to use the hold, channel number, hold method. A little awkward, but no big deal. Amazon's shipping was stellar as usual, and the unit was mint fresh new!EDIT: I have changed my score from four stars to useless. I am very careful with my equipment. I used this radio a dozen times at most, and the display became erratic, showing only half the characters. I did further review, and discovered this is a constant complaint regarding this specific model. I disassembled it, and it is not in any way a user repairable item because of the way they connected the ribbon cable to the chassis. So this is now a piece of junk. Do not buy!

Not a bad little scanner. I only wish it gave you a different power option instead of batteries all the time. My next scanner I will be sure to check if it comes with a power cord.

Scanner works very well. If you want more range definitely by optional antenna. I'm able to pick up people all around EMS, electric companies, Small Town Police. And the airplanes if I want to listen.