Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Bearcat BC246T

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 : Bearcat BC246T
Reviews: 7MSRP: 199.00
Description:
Bearcat's new trunking portable.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0074.6
WB6MND Rating: 2008-08-10
An excellent unit that requires thought Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This scanner does have direct frequency entry; from scanning mode, press hold, then enter the frequency with the number keypad, and store the frequency entered to the quick store group. It also has 10 custom search ranges one can program.

Which points up an issue with this scanner: it’s complex and has deep, new functionality that is not easy to mine. There are new concepts that require time and effort to comprehend: such as groups and systems, rather than memory banks and numeric memories. Uniden has re-thought the user interface for a scanner, and come up with something very different from past units, something that is hard to understand at first, but once understood the new system is much more powerful and economical of memory locations.

There’s no substitute for studying the manual and practicing with the unit. I keep discovering new functions after a week of use.

Like most new consumer electronic products these days, it uses nested menus and keys that perform multiple functions. Having fewer keys allows a product to be smaller (as this one is), which is good. But not every function has a single dedicated key, and multiple keypresses are needed to get things done. This type of user interface is harder on the user, I think, but does have advantages as noted. Using these new units is like playing three dimensional tic-tac-toe, where the user has to do more thinking.

CloseCall is great; if somebody nearby transmits, you can usually find their frequency. That’s extremely useful when frequency tables don’t work or aren’t available.

The basic scanning functions, sensitivity and ability to track trunked systems, are excellent.

It’s a bit sensitive to overload and intermod from what I’ve seen, so with an outdoor antenna and strong signals you may encounter some images. But it’s not really designed to perform as a base with a good antenna, it’s intended as a handheld unit with a simple antenna.

Overall this is an excellent unit if you don’t need to hear digital systems.
KC9IMT Rating: 2008-07-18
Just what I need Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Living in the Chicagoland area, some of the local agencies are switching over to trunked systems, and even fewer are going digital. Since none of the agencies I enjoy listening to are digital, I had no need for a digital scanner. The BC246T fits the bill.

I find it extremely easy to use, once I got used to it. I definitely recommend the ARC software for programming it - ARC plus RadioReference made things extremely easy and fast.

The only downside to this scanner is the lack of direct entry using the keypad. What's the point of a numeric keypad without direct entry?
CSTARR Rating: 2008-05-25
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
At first this scanner can be very hard to understand. But after a very short time and a short learning curve it is by far one of the best out there. I don't use it for trunking, just basic conventional scanning and it works excellent and it has so many great little features, I learn something new almost everytime I use it. Software is a must and I use ARC246, it is very easy for a beginner to understand and grow with. The audio is crisp and clear and the menu is easy to understand, it's all common sense. I highly recommend this scanner to anyone looking to upgrade.
KC9LKW Rating: 2007-05-13
VERY GOOD SCANNER.. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love this scanner. It is a little intemidating
at first. Took me a while to figure out how to program it. Love the size also. Lots of nice features. We have it hoocked to a old astroplane right now,and pick up all kinds of stuff. I also like how wide banded it is. Will hold almost anything a person would want to put in it.
VA3SAX Rating: 2007-01-15
needs a better manual Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'd say they did a fairly good job at what it's supposed to do picks up good public sevice communication however the manual that is included with the scanner is nigh on unreadable. http://marksscanners.bravehost.com/246/246.html
try this manual it's much much more readable than the one that's shipped with the receiver
KC9AXZ Rating: 2005-10-23
AMAZING!!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is probably the best scanner I ever bought! The dynamic memory is just outstanding. The price wasn't that bad either. I've spent more money on scanners of lesser quality. If you don't need APCO25 capable scanner, this is the one you need.

Jon KC9AXZ
www.kc9axz.com
K6LCS Rating: 2004-12-23
Very Exciting! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned many, many scanning devices the past 20+ years. I was excited with the first handheld programmable scanner...and the first desktop programmable scanner...and then trunking scanners...

But this BC246 is a new, different kind of excitement.

First is the physical size. We've been "subjected" to the same size of handheld scanner for years. The BC246T breaks that mold, with its approx. 3x5" size.

No - this model doesn't do APCO25. But it performs excellently on Motorola, EDACS, and LTR systems. And conventional systems, too.

CloseCall is an amazing feature. It's a frequency counter on steroids. It HEARS nearby transmissions, and with one keypress, SHOWS you the frequency. And it RECEIVES the audio, too! As well as the CTCSS/DCS tone in use, if any. This feature has worked, for the most part, perfectly for me. There have been a couple of mis-ID's freqs (usually with the 4th significant digit to the right of the decimal point - like 462.1375 being "off" .0005kHZ), but I am not complaining. This is an amazing, powerful feature.

BE CAREFUL with Uniden's software that's is freely downloadable on their Web site. IT IS DEMO SOFTWARE, and not fully-functional! You must purchase a license for $29.95 for a key - and it's well worth the money to invest in the software. But until you purchase a key, you are limited to what you can program to the scanner.

(BuTel has a Freeware "backup" utility [you can back up the memories, and restore - but no editing]. A nice backup to the Uniden software.)

Over 1600 memories...NO memory numbers! (a new philosophy - you'll get used to it!)...11 pre-programmed search services...uses 2 AA cells (either included 1800mAH NiMH, your own NimH, or alkalines)...a lot more.

Covers 25-54, 108-174, 216-225, 400-512, 806-956, and 1240-1300mHZ - cell blocked, of course.

Available at HRO and better dealers everywhere. It's going to be a very popular Christmas present! (By the way, THE POUCH's G71 model is a PERFECT FIT neoprene case for this unit!)

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359