Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Uniden BC-780XLT

Category: Receivers: Scanners

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Uniden BC-780XLT
Reviews: 26MSRP: 529.99
Description:
Base/Mobile Trunk Tracking Scanner with backlit keypad and 25 - 1300MHz coverage (less cellular). Tracks Motorola Type I, II and hybrid, GE and EF Johnson LTR systems.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.uniden.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00264.7
W7RJR Rating: 2003-05-09
Cadillac of scanners Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Uniden BC 780 XLT is likely the most comprehensive and functionally detailed scanner on the market. Quality of construction becomes evident when you first pick it up. No cheap plastic case here! The keypad and function keys are large, easy to see and tactile. The tuning and volume knobs are a bit too small. The built in speaker works well, but is underneath the unit. Would have been better on top. The display segments are plentiful making them crisp and easy to read.

There are no trunking services in my area, so I cannot comment upon this feature of the scanner.
The first accessory I added to this was the procurement of software to control the scanner.
I am using ARC780 from Butel and I am very pleased with it. With an RS232 serial cable connected between the scanner and an available COM port of your computer, you're ready to go.
There are TEN banks available for storage of frequencies in memory. Each can be selected from the front panel simply by pressing 1,2,8 etc.
Each memory channel can be independently configured.

Audio output is excellent, even with the internal speaker underneath. The front end of this scanner is HOT. So hot, in fact, that any kind of external antenna will result in the dreaded intermod from pagers, particularly on VHF. There is a built in attenuator that can be applied individually to each channel, which helps. I have also jury rigged a hardware attenuator at the antenna input. I have not tried one, but would recommend a PAR filter for use with the BC-780XLT.
Another problem that I have noted was adjacent channel inteference is sometimes severe with this scanner. It is almost imperative that VHF frequencies be stored in the NFM (narrow) mode.
This helps a lot but does not completely solve the problem.

If you are looking for a high quality, full featured scanner with acceptable wide-band performance, then this is the one. If some intermod and adjacent channel interference are a concern than perhaps you should look for something else. I love this scanner but gave it a 4 because of the interference issues I have mentioned.

73, Bob, W7RJR
http://WWW.W7RJR.COM

WV1K Rating: 2002-12-11
Keeps on ticking. Once you repair it yourself. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had a 780 for a year. Would I buy another ? Yes, if there was nothing better. When I bought a new handheld, not needing APCO 25 readiness, I went for the new PRO-95. Just didn't want to chance it with another good scanner out there NOT made by Uniden (yes, I know Uniden makes it, no wait, GRE makes it, no Uniden, no GRE..)

I did, however, suffer a major disappointment in my first Uniden scanner.

After a few months it develpoed the now cliched volume control problem.

No !

Yes !

Mine was one of the ones after many reviewers and pundits on the internet and Uniden itself said the problem was gone. Then I started to recheck the reviews on here. Judging by the others contemporary to me (and mine was one of the corrected serial numbers) it was still happening.

So, having reviewed the records on here thoroughly, and the Yahoo groups, I decided to fix it myself even though it was still within warranty.. figured it was better than joining the ranks of people who had had their 780s misplaced or not repaired once and for all...

Once it was fixed (man am I good), it never came back again. It has been on CONTINUOSLY (no power faiures with a back UPS) for at least 8 months since I repaired it.

Impressions ? Never receives a false talkgroup... when it does, some wunderkind has switched to the wrong talkgrup for REAL.

I only use to monitor a few PD and FD talkgroups, but it does it well. Signal strength indication is a GREAT feature, even if it isn't 3db an s unit...
W4RP Rating: 2002-12-07
great scanner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Had mine since it came out. Love it -- it does everything you would want.

as for software, I tried them all. I settled with ARC780 from butel.nl --- it has the spreadsheet style programming, and the best realtime control/display.

Only way to improve this is by adding digital modes -- and they did! guess the new 785xlt will be the best

If you want a good scanner that covers everything and trunking -- cant go wrong with this one.
K2KOH Rating: 2002-12-06
Kewl! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Tracks all three system types with no problem. I have an LTR system nearby, and after I figured out how to get the frequencies in where they belong, tracked the system well. A nice feature is the extra long delay time of 4 seconds, where most scanners only give you two seconds. Audio drives the speaker in my car with no problem and beats out the road noise. Reversed squelch control? No big deal...I got used to it. VFO? Well, it has one, but remember, fellow amateurs, scanners DON'T usually have a VFO...however, in this unit, push the top left button and voila, it changes from channel knob to VFO knob.
If you have trunked systems in your town, then this scanner is for you...at least until the 785 shows up!
KC9AXZ Rating: 2002-11-11
I love this radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned many scanners in my time. This is a awesome scanner. I can't find a single complaint! Only suggestion is watch for the new 1000 channel version.
DT593 Rating: 2002-10-14
Alot for the Money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had mine for almost 2 years..Not alot of trunking around here (Buffalo/Niagara Falls NY Area) But I have used it to monitor most of what does exist. (Cant figure out the Johnson LTR systems as of yet..maybe out of range).
Does beautiful job with common scanning.
Super easy to program with available FREE software
Anything one could want to know about running this radio can be found on various chat/info group pages.
Nice radio ..will probably go down in history as a classic (much like the Pro-2006 did)
Only thing I dont like is cheap case/knobs and the fact that it is designed such as to look like someone has kept a heavy weight on top of it and "Squished" the case in the middle.
It could have a few extra buttons eliminating the complicated out of proportion number of uses for each existing button

Roger "Bear" Yurek
Western NY
KC5NYO Rating: 2002-03-08
Great Scanner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked one up 3 weeks ago. It will pick up everything within 15-20 miles of my location with only the little stock antenna. Excellent reception! No trunking here, so can't comment on that. As per the review below, the squelch is backwards from what you'd expect. And the VFO requires simply pushing in the knob, from Channel to VFO operation.

The first night of listening, heard a high-speed chase involving a drunk driver, that ended with the occupants bailing out. A foot-chase ensued with the eventual capture of suspects. Kewl. Between all the police, city works, medical, business, and other frequencies I've found, seems there's never a dull moment around here. ; )
KD5RBB Rating: 2002-02-07
Push the VFO knob Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In order to switch the scanner from memory mode to VFO mode, and make the knob work as a tuning control instead of a memory selector, all one has to do is press it. When you press the VFO knob , you will notice that the display changes between "CHAN" and "FREQ." When the display says CHAN it will select between the 500 chanels, and when it says FREQ it will operate as a digital VFO.

The only thing I would really like to see on this scanner is a way to go directly to the first channel of a bank while in manual mode. If I want to go to bank 3 in order to manually listen to the frequencies there, I have to type in 101 (50 channels in each bank), MAN, then I can use the VFO knob to scroll through the bank. I would rather just be able to push a BANK button and then press 3 in order to have the scanner go to channel 101, the first channel of bank three. That aside, I think that this is a great scanner.
KG4MRV Rating: 2001-12-01
BC-780XKT Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The features on this scanner are great. The only minus is the small, clumsy vfo knob. The squelch knob is reversed, but I got used to it.
KC2FHT Rating: 2001-10-05
Great Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I could not believe this radio, it is easy to use for the novice, yet packed full of features for the expert. I had about 20 common freq programmed in the radio in minutes. The reception is excellent even with the little stock antenna; I can't wait to hook it up to the roof antenna. In my area we don't use much trunking, but it was still worth the price.

There a few problems as mentioned the vfo, and volume knobs, could add more channels epically more banks.