Review on 📻 Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner: 500-Alpha-Tagged Channels, Close Call Tech, PC Programmable, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, Racing, Public Safety by Ben Diesel

I am an experienced amateur radio operator and have considerable experience with HF radio: If you have never owned this type of radio, you should know that such scanners are not trivial devices. A lot of people buy them thinking they look like Mr. Coffee, in other words you just plug it in and it works. To get the most out of scanners: 1.) they must be programmed. The PC software provided by Uniden is adequate and does the job however there is nothing special about it but it is FREE2.) Antennas are the key to any radio reception. Scanners require untuned wire antennas like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKDN6YK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_E41kDbJ7R53JF for $8 it's a steal. You should NOT REPLY to other comments you have read about using 144/440 tuned ham radio transmitting antennas. They work well when everything you want to receive is in these frequency bands, but remember that they are TUNED so their reception sensitivity drops off quickly when the antenna goes out of range. 3.) This is a fine piece of well-designed gear, and at $100 it's a bargain. It has excellent sensitivity in all areas. PROS: Super-fast scanning speed, smart keyboard design that allows you to access menu functions with just a few keystrokes. 4.) The downside, of course, is that they use AA NiMH rechargeable batteries. 4-6 hours is the maximum working time. Uniden made a poor design choice as this radio could easily have been designed to run on 18650 Li-Ion batteries then it could run for days on one device. If you use this radio on a daily basis, you'll need a full AA case and a Powerex charger to properly maintain it. They say it's a bad scanner. I suggest finding a local radio amateur who can explain some of the HF principles to you and help you program and operate this type of equipment. It's not rocket science, but there is a slight learning curve.