Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner, 500-Alpha-Tagged Channels, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, Racing, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety.

Way better on analog VHF and UHF Airbands than my Uniden SDS100.

This is my 3rd bearcat scanner. This is a very portable scanner and works well. Ive had a scanner since I was 14 and Im 63 now. You cannot pick up all the police and fire frequencies with this scanner.

Great sensitivity, even with the supplied antenna. (Better still with a better antenna.) The user interface is clumsy, especially to adjust the squelch, but its not too hard to learn in a day or two of using it. Sound quality is good. Its a really good basic analog scanner, especially considering its small enough to easily take just about anywhere. I do have a couple complaints... it takes 7 or 8 seconds to turn on and boot up before received audio starts coming from the speaker. I think thats too long. And, there isnt much useful info on the display while its scanning your programmed frequencies. It only says Bank 1 or Bank 2 etc. while its scanning. You cant change the name of the bank to something more helpful, like HAM or Aviation for instance. So you have to remember what youve programmed into each bank. I hope your memory is better than mine. It has to stop on an active frequency before the display will show the channel, the frequency, and whatever label youve assigned. Otherwise just the word SCAN scrolls across the display. These complains are minor, but still a bit annoying. BTW, one reason I bought it was to see if having a CB radio in the car would be helpful for long trips. After a weeks driving on the interstate while scanning the CB channels, the answer seems to be no.

I am an experienced HAM Radio Operator and someone with substantial RF radio experience: If you have never owned radios of this type then you should know: Scanners, like this one, are not trivial pieces of equipment. many people buy them and think they are like a Mr Coffee appliance, in other words you just plug it in and it works. To get the most out of Scanners: 1.) they require programming. The Uniden supplied PC software is adequate and will get the job done, however it is nothing outstanding but it is FREE 2.) Antennas are the key to any radio reception. Scanners require NON-TUNED wire antennas like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKDN6YK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_E41kDbJ7R53JF for $8 it is a bargain. You should DISREGARD other comments you read about using 144/440 tuned ham Radio Transmitting Antennas. They will work fine if all you want to receive is in those frequency bands, but realize they are TUNED so their reception sensitivity will fall off rapidly when the antenna is out of its designed band. 3.) This is a fine piece of well designed gear, and for $100 it is a bargain. It has excellent sensitivity across all bands. PROS: Super fast scan speed, Clever well laid out keypad design that gives you access to menu functions with just a few simple keystrokes. 4.) Of course the CON is that they are using AA NiMH batteries. 4-6 Hours is top run time. Uniden made a bad design choice there, as this radio could have easily been designed to accept 18650 Li-Ion batteries then it would have run for days on one set. If you are going to use this radio on a daily basis then you will need a pocket full of AA and Powerex Charger to properly maintain them. I read many comments here in these reviews from well meaning folks that are simply in over their head and then say this is a bad scanner. My suggestion is to find a local Ham Radio Operator to explain some of the principles of how RF works, and to help you with programming and operation of this type of equipment. It is not rocket science, but there is a little learning curve.

This radio has been great. I have been studying for my FAA 107 Certification and purchased this radio so I can get used to monitoring flight traffic in the area. I have a private airport near by and this radio helps me know when aircraft are coming in and when there are ski divers close by. So useful. The setup is not hard but yo do need to read the manual. We are actually about 20 miles from the private airport and I can listen to the tower from here. I also have our community security programmed in so I can catch anything of concern here. The only upgrade i hope to see in future models is a usbc charging port. I will have to carry an extra cable to charge this radio. If this review helped you in any way please let me know below. If you would like to see more of my Tech product reviews, click my logo to check my account. Really want to see more? - Search for AlTone Tech on Youtube! Thank You

The interface is very complicated, but its a good scanner, and works for my needs (monitoring Airband).

As a lifelong rail fan, I am always looking for ways to improve my rail fan experience. One thing that I thought would advance my experience trackside was a scanner, which would allow me to listen to railroad operations in real time. When deciding on a scanner, I chose the Uniden Bearcat BC125AT because it was within my price range and had a good amount of useful features. I use my scanner almost exclusively to listen to railroad activity, but there are many other uses for the BC125AT. A scanner can be used to receive many different bands and activities; therefore, this product would be ideal for someone who is interested in listening to a variety of radio transmissions. The BC125AT is particularly good for those who are interested in storing their commonly used frequencies and taking their scanner into the field. Many Ways To Listen The BC125AT offers many different options to scan and listen to your desired channels and frequencies. There are nine channel banks with 50 presets each, which means you have the ability to store 450 channels in the scanner’s memory for later use. The BC125AT also comes with Uniden Bearcat programming software, which allows each channel to have an alpha tag or name so memorization of channels is not necessary. You are able to scan your saved channels to check for activity or scan all frequencies. Scanning all frequencies can be done by bank (in order of frequency) or by service. The BC125AT includes Police, Fire, HAM, Marine, Railroad, Civil Air, Military Air, CB, RRS/GMRS/MURS, and Racing frequencies, organized into banks. The BC125AT allows you to turn each bank of frequencies on and off individually, allowing for a very narrow scan if needed. I have found this very helpful, as I can scan only railroad frequencies when I am in unfamiliar territory. The only downside is that one knob controls almost all of the scrolling features, as well as the volume. This sometimes makes it difficult to adjust the volume or proper channel. The BC125AT also comes with a separate NOAA weather radio scanner and can be programmed to turn on in an emergency. Excellent Range For Size The range of the BC125AT is very good for the size of the antenna. Like most scanners, its range depends upon the strength of the output signal. In my current location with my scanner on the railroad frequency, I can listen to transmissions coming from locomotives about a mile away in either direction. I can always hear the dispatcher, due to repeaters along the tracks and a stronger signal. However, I have been able to receive spotty railroad transmissions from about 30 miles away in other locations, and I can receive a very strong signal from a police department in a county at least 30 miles away. Given the BC125AT’s size and large range of channels, the range is excellent and better than I expected. The range of the NOAA weather radio scanner is excellent. My previous weather radio only picked up weather in towns or locations that are at very high elevations. The BC125AT picked up a weather station in every single location I have tried it in, including some very remote canyons. Be Ready To Take Your Scanner Anywhere You Want The BC125AT is a very portable scanner. I have no problem taking it trackside or anywhere else. It is already a very small scanner, but the secret to its success is its detachable antenna. Once the antenna is detached, the size is comparable to that of a digital camera. The BC125AT can easily fit in any standard-sized pocket, and I routinely put my scanner in my pants pocket while riding the bus or shopping. The BC125AT fits comfortably in your hand or on your belt. It also comes with a headphone port, so it is possible to listen to your scanner in public areas without others knowing. Overall, the BC125AT is a great starter scanner for anyone who is interested in listening to radio traffic, whether that is railroad, police, HAM, or something else. It is an excellent portable scanner with ample range and options to make your scanning experience more enjoyable. Please reply to this review if you have questions about my experience with the BC125AT.

Other then the its not a new scanner and 11 years old, its not bad! It cuts out a lot of the time!

1st scanner purchase for me. I bought it mainly for airshow events. But, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and theres a lot of other interesting chatter going on-shipping, military, ham, etc. The radio has a steep learning curve, not so much with regards to radio freqs, as to Unidens method of user interface. Not intuitive at all. Read the manual closely, and also do a search for radio forums with this as a topic. Itll take a few days for you to get to know the ins and outs of using the radio. I like the battery feature. You can use regular alkaline AAs, or a rechargeable set. The radio can recharge these while installed, and it has a switch inside depending on which you use. I try to choose electronics that use AA batteries in order to streamline my battery needs. I see some folks have purchased an aftermarket antenna for it. I myself havent had any problems with the stock antenna. I havent been out much with it, but it seems to pull down signals fine from my patio. The only thing that annoys me about the radio is that stupid electronic squawk when you turn it on. My Uniden CB does that too. What is up with that, Uniden? Ugh. Not a fan. Other than the above, thats all I got. Seems to be a good radio so far.