UNIDEN BC-246T Compact Hand Held Scanner

List Price: $249.99 Discount Price: $206.69

Features:

• 1600 dynamic channels
• Trunk tracker III technology
• Close Call­™ technology, instantly tunes to signal from nearby transmitters
• 10 programmable search ranges / 11 preprogrammed service searches
• SAME weather alert

Accessories:

3-Year Extended Service Plan - Covers Electronic Items $201-$500 - Repair

Customer Reviews:

BC 246T scanner [Posted on 2007-10-05]
the scanner works great not to hard to program without the computer program has a lot of great feature's the owners manual could be a little more user freindly

Very pleased! [Posted on 2007-10-06]
Been using the BC-246T for a couple weeks now. We love 'true crime' and this is our first scanner. I got it working within a few minutes thanks to additional purchase of compatible ARC software [...].However, using the software, I spent a few additional hours grouping things just the way I wanted them for my local area (Charlotte, NC).

This scanner is ideal for my area. The Charlotte, NC area is completely analog trunked system and digital is not on the immediate horizon, so I expect at least a few years of complete service from this scanner. We live in the nothern part of the city and I'd say the range is about 15-20 miles, which pretty much covers all of metro Charlotte. I've set it up so that the first 3 systems are local police, with local fire and EMS in separate systems. I have a system for the airplane to tower communication and get some hits, but don't find it all that interesting.

One of the most impressive things we've experienced so far is a stakeout and the following of a suspect in an undercover pursuit that lasted a couple hours and ranged from about 10 miles north of us to about 15 miles south. We caught all the conversation mong the 6 or 8 cars involved. We also enjoy SWAT hits and pursuits that involve Helicopter and K-9 units. Most of the conversation is mundane, but it doesn't take long before interesting stuff pops up.

I tried a Radio shack 800Mhz antenna to see if it helped the range, but it did not seem to so I returned it. We tried it once in the car, but it does not seem to have much range there at all. So my next research is to find a compatible car antenna.

The rechargeables seem to last through about 2 nights of constant use with backlight always on.

Only gripe for me is that I'd really like backlit buttons. Also, I can't seem to get any hits using 'Close Call'. So my actual rating is 4.5 stars, but giving it 5 here since no 1/2 star option.

Thanks,
John

Bearcat Trunk Tracker [Posted on 2007-11-02]
This model is great for scanning trunked systems (800mg). It has an unbeliveable amount of power included. I am picking up freqs over 30 miles away. It is easy to mix conventional and trunked systems. It has a steep learning curve however, you need to use it for a while before settling on what and how you will enter the systems. You need to do the planning they suggest. Suggest you use radioreference.com(free) to get data, you don't need to subscribe to anything else. This model is half the size of my old Bearcat with 30 conventional channels. You won't be disappointed.

VERY NICE SCANNER, VERY FLEXIBLE [Posted on 2007-11-22]
If you are looking for a handheld scanner without digital, this is as nice as they get in my mind. Yes it is not very intuitive to program, I did my homework, and purchased the Butel ARC246 software, and after learning that I can make my scanner be configured exactly how I want it to function. I am also looking now at purchasing the BCT15 for the vehicle. The ability to have Dynamically Allocated channel, is the best thing anyone has come out with, allows you to have complete flexibility on what you scan and how you use the scanner. Only gave a 4 cause it has a learning curve for newby's especially to trunking. but the software made that much easier.

Great performance but ..... [Posted on 2008-02-09]
Great performance but programming learning curve is a little long for novices like me, due to product manual complexity. I bought the ARC 246 software which has its own learning curve but is quite helpful in the long run. The stock antenna is good but the Austin Condor all-baud portable antenna from ScannerMaster is even better. In the final analysis, the 246T is certainly worth the investment of time to learn and the fair price from Amazon.

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