Review on 📻 Uniden BearTracker Scanner (BCT15X) - 9,000 Channels, TrunkTracker III, Close Call RF Capture - Black Color by Edwin Cen

Very happy with this excellent radio! Programming was initially time consuming as it could be done using the front panel controls (we are a Macintosh family and MAC software NOT INCLUDED), but in literally less than 5 minutes I spent reading the "Online User Guide" I flipped through your laundry list of Cal Fire and National Forest Service frequency lists and adding radio groups and subgroups to the practical sections. "Easy as pie" is how I would describe the programming process, so I find it strange to read complaints that the programming process is too complicated. (I imagine at 12:00 a VCR flashing nearby as these people write their misleading comments about how this product is too difficult to use!) Like I said. Once you learn the process and the scanner's user interface/controls, it all becomes perfectly clear, and while it would be nice to have a computer that would input all of the scanner's frequencies and transmit them to the device with a single command, you DON'T HAVE to NEED a computer to program this radio! In terms of design and frequency input scheme. It's also great to be able to place USERNAMES on each frequency you add to the radio and group them based on the agency(s) using those frequencies. Unlike using an internet relay, this allows us to see who is broadcasting at any given time. And besides user-programmable frequency bins, you also have "pre-set" buttons for police/CHP/city authorities, etc. It is almost mandatory to own such a scanner to get REAL-TIME related news and fire. And the actual fire departments and dispatchers working on the latest wildfire in our area have reached our ears. We actually bought this radio two days before the Willow Fire broke out less than 8 miles from our home and our new radio has proven effective. it costs 100 times more than literally a "crucible"! :o) The reception is impressive for our location, but a charged rod and/or disc antenna is even better! The included WHIP antenna works pretty well in our area, but we also purchased a RadioShack® antenna for the indoor telescopic scanner for backyard use. when we take the radio out onto the patio to listen outside while we watch the air tankers do their thing! And for indoor use as a base station and for the best possible reception performance, we have purchased a super discone outdoor antenna and installed it on a 20-foot mast. This commercial antenna setup allows us to connect BOTH sides of a call between Cal Fire and Les. Local maintenance controllers, air-to-ground teams, firefighters and battalion crews are actually in the line of fire in difficult and remote areas where their transmission capabilities are limited. Having a quality super discone antenna makes a HUGE difference in listening to ALL wildfire suppression efforts. Which is not just entertainment for us, but can quickly become a drama of life and death for us, our friends and neighbors! Our only regret is that we waited so long to finally buy one of these! But we are very happy that the brand and model we chose turned out to be the perfect choice for us!