small size, big performance, January 23, 2007

As they say, “a little bit of knowledge goes a long way…” If you live in or near a big city, this scanner will do absolutely no good because large metropolitan police forces use a trunk communication system due to the large number of units at work at one time. These systems aren’t actually scrambled, but due to high volume of calls, it would be hard of a single scanner unit to keep track of them so while you might be able to hear one end of the converstaion, you won’t necessarily be able to hear the other.

This unit is perfect for smaller cities which use frequencies betweem 153.0000 and 169.0000 for their police communications. The unit is also good for tracking airport traffic and, as you know by now, NASCAR events. The best thing to do when scanning for new frequencies is to have access to a code book for your area so you’ll know what you’re listening to at the time.

If you’re technologically-challenged in any way, you’re better off letting someone who knows what they’re doing program the basic channels for you. I like the fact that’s it’s a lot smaller and not as heavy as its predecesors. It’s a conspicuous as a mobile phone and a lot easier to carry on your belt without it getting in the way.

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A real disappointment, March 20, 2007

My #1 use for this scanner is for public safety scanning – I have family in law enforcement & we like to listen in.

I own a Uniden BC248CLT, & for years I owned a BC80XLT handheld. My BC80XLT was recently damaged & needed replaced. I ordered this BC72XLT, & am ready to return it also. It is not anywhere near the quality my prior Uniden handheld was. My 80 picked up as well or better than my 248 does here at home. This 72 picks up maybe 50% of the traffic of my others–whether in the house, outside, or even right in town. The buttons on this are awful, too. I have to go through multiple steps to do things that took only 1 button press on the 80. The reception, though, is my biggest concern AND complaint. I never had to purchase any extra antenna or such for my other Uniden handheld to get the better reception. Also, the volume, even at max output, is only “normal” listening level–so if I am in a noisy environment, I cannot turn it up to hear it better. My old BC80XLT had much better volume.

An additional warning – Uniden’s Support has gone down the toilet. I thought Uniden was a company that would at least *acknowledge* my complaint, and maybe even have some suggestions of a better product – all I got was an auto reply that I should hear from Customer Service in 2-3 business days–and then I never heard a thing. I checked my support question on their site, and it was marked “closed.” Good luck!

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A SCANNER THAT EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE!, July 28, 2007

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Corey Bellarosa “yankeeman6389″ (New York) – See all my reviews

  

This scanner is everything that I expected it to be. It’s small and compact, it’s easy to hear, it’s easy to program, and it’s very useful. The price was very reasonable and it was well worth the money. I don’t go a day without listening to it and it goes everywhere with me. The only negative thing about it is the batteries don’t last long and when I have it in the car, the signal isn’t very strong. If you purchase it, make sure you use rechargeable batteries with it, or if you are home, just keep it plugged in using the adapter that comes with it. Other than that, I highly recommend this scanner to everyone.

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