First Post......Uniden BC200xlt

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fotomatt1

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I just recently found my old BC200xlt from college, and was hoping to start using it again. I live in NYC. Is this scanner still usable? I'm completely out of the loop, so I'm not sure if anything in the world of radio has changed enough so that this scanner is obsolete? I tried entering a couple of NYC police precinct frequencies into the scanner and I just get Error across the screen. Any input and help is appreciated!
 

GTR8000

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The overwhelming majority of NYC is still all-analog on VHF and UHF, so just about any scanner made since the mid 70s/early 80s should work just fine. The BC200XLT covers VHF 118-174 and UHF 406-512, which would cover the ranges needed for FDNY and NYPD.

You may run into an issue trying to enter some of the newer UHF 6.25 kHz narrowbanded frequencies, in which case you should try rounding up or down to the nearest valid step the scanner will accept, and see if that works for you.

For example, FDNY Manhattan Dispatch 482.10625, try entering 482.1000 or 482.1125 instead and see if you're able to receive it. NYPD I believe is still on 12.6 kHz stepping, so you should be able to enter them directly.
 

fotomatt1

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So the BC200xlt only shows 6 digits on the display. So if I'm trying to enter 482.1125, it will only show 482.112. Will it accept the 7th digit even if it doesn't show on the display?
 

GTR8000

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Correct, as long as the scanner is showing 482.112, the undisplayed fourth digit past the decimal is implied to be a 5. In the end, the only thing that really matters is whether or not you can actually receive the transmissions when you program the closest frequency the scanner will accept...what is showing on the display is largely irrelevant.
 

fotomatt1

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Thanks! Now I just have to find a battery for it. The original only lasts about 8 mins!
 

GTR8000

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Unfortunately Uniden went with a proprietary design for the BC200XLT, and they run about $50 for new replacements. Google "Uniden BP-200" to see who sells them.

At that price, you're certainly better off just buying a new scanner. For example, you can pick up a brand new BC72XLT for $90 that covers the same frequency range as the 200XLT, but adds quite a few modern features. If you're looking to not spend a ton of money, and don't care about 800 MHz or trunking or digital, then the BC72XLT is your best bet. Don't let the NASCAR logo on the front fool you, it's a great little scanner, and it runs on just 2 AA batteries.
 

krokus

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Ham Radio Outlet sells some, and from the picture on their website, it looks simple to re-build the pack. If you don't know someone with the skills to do that, check with Batteries Plus, if you have one near.
 

GTR8000

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Ah, good call krokus, I didn't see the listing on HRO's site. If the battery case opens up that easily for the cells inside to be swapped out, then it should be an easy rebuild. Also that's a good price they have on their site.
 

fotomatt1

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Thank you for your responses. Does it make sense to look at the BC95 since it is capable of scanning in the 800Mhz range, and it's PC programmable? Is there a lot on that range in NYC?
 

GTR8000

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The thing is, the 95XLT does 800 MHz conventional only, not trunking. There is, generally speaking, very little to listen to in the 800 range that's conventional these days. In NYC there's almost nothing, at least as far as public safety is concerned. If you take a look at the Manhattan page in the database (New York County to the rest of the world) where all the city stuff is listed, the first thing you'll notice is that nearly everything is in the UHF band. There's no conventional 800 anywhere on the page.

So if we're comparing just the 72XLT and 95XLT and the goal is to listen to NYPD, FDNY and EMS primarily...then save the extra $20 and stick with the 72XLT. The 800 Mhz the 95XLT has won't do you any good, and even if you do get some hits on 800 MHz frequencies, they'll be trunked systems that the 95XLT can't track. Which of course will only leave you frustrated when you can't follow the conversations.

As far as the computer programming ability, again to be really honest I'm not sure you need it for a scanner that only has 100 or 200 channels and no alpha tags. All you're doing is inputting the frequencies, there's really nothing else to program for either model besides the basic settings. If you were purchasing a trunk tracking scanner, or one with alpha tags, then I would say yes the computer programming comes in very handy. But not for a basic $100 range scanner.

The 72XLT is the cheapest scanner out there with Close Call, which can be a lot of fun to discover frequencies in use nearby.
 

GTR8000

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Actually, now that I think about it, the extra $20 for the 95XLT might be worth it just to get double the channels, 200 over 100. That coupled with the PC programming ability and the 800 MHz ability (even though I still think it's somewhat pointless to have a non-trunking scanner with 800), as well as one feature I forgot the 95XLT has over the 72XLT, probably would make it worth the extra $20. The other feature I forgot about is the Do Not Disturb Close Call, which allows the scanner to check for nearby activity while you're scanning without interrupting any of the action you're listening to.

Uniden Close Call - The RadioReference Wiki
 

fotomatt1

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So basically the bigger jump would be to go to the BC345xt so you have trunk tracking ability?
 

FLA2760

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Looks like Amazon has the 95XLT on sale for $95 with free shipping. That would make it a no-brainer to me.

Amazon.com: Nascar Bearcat Portable Scanner: Electronics

I second that, I have the BC72XLT which is the same unit but with 100 channels. These little UNIDENS come with an AC adapter too, a nice unit for the money. I took mine to NYC last year and it worked well scanning NYPD, FDNY and EMS with the rubber duckie and even better when I put my Watson "TELE-GAINER" antenna on it.

http://www.scannermaster.com/W_889_Tele_Gainer_BNC_Portable_Antenna_p/28-541187.htm
 
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GTR8000

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The BC346XT would be the next step up as far as Uniden handhelds go, yes. Basically you can break it down into four categories with Uniden's current handheld lineup (all feature Low Band, VHF and UHF as well as Close Call, so I didn't list that to save space):

Basic, analog, non-trunked:
BC72XLT $90 (100 channels, no PL/DPL, no alpha tags)
BC95XLT $110 (200 channels, 800 Conventional, no PL/DPL, no alpha tags)

Advanced, analog, non-trunked:
SC230 $180 (1600+ channels, 800 Conventional, 1240-1300 Ham, PL/DPL, alpha tags)

Advanced, analog, trunk-tracking:
BC346XT $215 (9000 channels, 800 Trunking, PL/DPL, alpha tags)
BC330T $400 (2500 channels, 800 Trunking, PL/DPL, alpha tags, AM and Shortwave bands)

Advanced, digital, trunk-tracking:
BCD396XT $500 (25000 channels, 800 digital trunking, PL/DPL, alpha tags)

All prices shown are ScannerMaster's currently listed prices, just for reference. The price of the BC330T compared to the BC346XT is a bit misleading. The 346XT is actually a more advanced scanner in most respects, the shortwave capability of the 330T is what drives the price up so high.
 

fotomatt1

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So if you were to buy a scanner today, what would you get? I'd assume the BC396 is overkill for me. Is trunk tracking something that most people wind up using? I just don't want to buy a new scanner and then kick myself for not spending a couple of extra bucks for something that is useful.
 

GTR8000

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That's always the $64,000 question lol.

It really all depends on what you want to listen to now, and what you might want to listen to in the future. Being in NYC is for the most part a blessing, since everything is still conventional VHF or UHF. I mean realistically, that old 200XLT of yours should work just fine for listening to NYPD, FDNY, EMS, etc. You could very well decide to just order the replacement battery pack from Ham Radio Outlet and call it a day. Obviously you already have the AC adapter since you were playing around with it the past few days.

There are of course downsides to that old scanner. First of all, the scan speed is absolutely pathetic compared to new scanners. 15 channels per second on the 200XLT, compared with 50 per second on the 72XLT/95XLT and 100 per second on the 346XT. Replacing the battery pack will cost you between $35-$50 and even then, it's still proprietary NiCd, you can't just throw a couple of regular old alkaline AA's into the unit in a pinch (or power outage).

Anyways I would say yes for certain to the 396XT being overkill for the NYC area. There's not much of anything at all in the way of P25 digital in the city or surrounding counties. So unless you plan on traveling or moving to a place that has P25 digital systems, forget about the 396.

So it really comes down to the $95 95XLT, or the $215 346XT. Is it worth the extra $120? If you have the money to spend, I think the 346XT is a wise investment. Let's look at why:

- The 346 scans twice as fast as the 95

- The 346 features alpha tags, which is a huge plus seeing "FDNY Bronx" instead of just "482.00625" on the display.

- The 346 features PL/DPL, which comes in handy for locking out any potential interference from nearby users on the same frequency

- The 346 has a ridiculous amount of memory, so you could store basically the entirety of NYC in the thing. 100 or 200 channels fills up a lot faster than you might think.

- The 346 doesn't use the old channels/banks method, which can be limiting when trying to organize frequencies. With the 346, everything is organized into "Systems" and "Groups", so it's very flexible.

- The 346 features individual channel volume adjustments, which comes in very handy if there's a particular frequency that's always too quiet or too loud, you can adjust it so that it matches up with the rest of the channels

- The 346 is computer programmable and computer controllable. FreeSCAN is really nice software that is, as the name implies, free...and the cable comes with the scanner so you don't need to spend another $70 just for software and cable (you will need a computer with a serial port to use the included cable, it's not USB)

- The 346 features an attenuator, which can come in very handy in an urban environment. It basically reduces the signal strength either per channel or systemwide, so that very strong or nearby transmitters don't overpower the scanner.

Well, that's just a few of the pluses of the 346XT over the 72/95, and we didn't even talk about trunking. I think the 346XT is a good investment for all those points, as well as the fact that it does trunk track. I don't know what borough you're in, but if you find yourself in certain parts of the Bronx or Queens in particular, you might eventually decide to monitor Westchester or Nassau, both of which have trunked systems.
 

byndhlptom

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bc200zlt

You might want to double check, all of my 200's also cover the 800 band.

A couple of other scanners to look at are the Uniden BR330 (includes AM/FM, love mine), the Uniden 246T (same size as several of the other unidens, analog trunker), and the RS Pro-137 ( I believe it's on sale for less than $75 now). I believe they all are computer programable/Alpha tags, etc.You can find good deals on ebay if you are careful (less than $100 for any of them if you're patient)...... I have all of these and they work well.

good luck

tom
 

fotomatt1

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My BC-200 was modified when I bought it and it receives 800mhz as well as cellular (although there is nobody using analog cellular anymore). I suppose if I'm not going to do any trunk tracking I should just get a battery and use my BC-200 for now. I found some packs on ebay that will let me use AA batteries, so that's a good option.
 
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