330T Questions

[Haley]

Wondering if anyone could answer a few questions about the 330T
BR330T - The RadioReference Wiki (from the wiki, for those unfamiliar)

I should start off by saying, I have always wanted one (just to round out my collection). I always found it's coverage interesting to say the least. I have PLENTY of radios that do everything I would EVER need (and then some), just ask my wife. Even with my newer models, my favorite two scanners of all time are the 346xt, and 396xt----just plain rock solid. The 330 appears, and seems to be more of a "cousin model". Ok , enough of my rambling. the questions.

Coupled with the right antenna (s), how does the 330 do on SW? I know it's limitations (no SSB). I have read the online owners manual several times. How about LW ? I assume the rest is more or less the 346, with MIL-AIR. I also listen to MIL-AIR frequently, any feedback on the 330 in the 225-400 mhz. range?

And lastly, the price. I want new, and yes I realize it was discontinued in March of 2007---so almost a decade ago. Scanner master somehow has always had these in stock----brand new. I have watched and waited, for the price to get down to a reasonable price (they were near $500----for years). They are at $295 now, brand new. I would be willing to pay that------BUT is there anything that could be potentially wrong with a scanner that old?? Even thought it's new?

Any input, or help is appreciated , I am not swayed one way or the other. And I know some on here, probably think I may be insane for considering it at all, but lot's of people i know think I am anyway!

Thanks Mike

 

[Nasby]

I think you would be fine buying a new one from Scannermaster.

I have a used 330T that I've had for six years and it runs almost non stop with no issues.

Like you said, the coverage is great. For some reason (perhaps because of the cheesy NASCAR logo) the 330T never seemed to be a very popular scanner. Few people ever even mention it.

I do recall a post where the big man from Uniden called it the best non-digital trunking scanner Uniden ever produced. Although I don't think Uniden sold a whole lot of them.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

I love my BR330T! I bought it used 7 years ago for $125 and use it almost daily. I have around 2200 channels and talk groups currently programmed into it. I do use it occasionally for SW and when connected to an external antenna it does very well. I can't comment on LW as it is not used in the US and I don't listen to Mil Air. I do listen to AM civilian air quite a bit and it works well. My only complaint is that I can't pick up AM broadcasts very well with the built-in bar antenna.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

Oh and a bit of black electrical tape will fix that "NASCAR" issue really well
That was the first thing I did with mine.

 

[Haley]

Thanks for the help Nasby and Steve, it really is much appreciated! If its anything like the 346 and 396 reliability wise, I'm sure it will be fine. That's why I was glad to hear from long term users of it! And The black electrical tape was the first thing I planned on doing to it ! Mike

 

[MarkWestin]

I am still using my BR330T which I bought new shortly after it first came out. It has been running almost continuously since I bought it. You could use a "Sharpie" to hide the Nascar Logo, it may be more appropriate than tape since I seem to recall that Sharpie was a Nascar sponsor. I have only had one "bug" with the scanner and that was fixed by a later firmware update. If you have the 346 and 396 XT, you will discover that the BR330T is much slower to load your programming into. It has the same transfer speed as the BCD396T. You can program the BR330T with Freescan or Butel's ARC330 software. I like my BR330T very much. You might also want to look at an Alinco DJ-X11t at some point. The DJ-X11 is a very good wide band receiver, but the software from Alinco for it leaves a lot to be desired.

Mark

 

[Haley]

Mark, thanks for the detailed response, I hadn't taken into account the software. That's good to know, although I did program the 396,346,246 and 125 all by hand,so I'm familiar with the layouts. Funny you should mention the Alinco, I looked at it a couple of years ago, and settled on a Kenwood thf6a (fantastic receiver ), one of the smallest HH that does USB/LSB/ CW. Really impressive radio , but doesn't trunk. The new Icom looks interesting also. The sharpie idea is a good one! Again, thank you for the suggestions and help. Mike

 

[dave3825]

And lastly, the price. I want new, and yes I realize it was discontinued in March of 2007---so almost a decade ago. Scanner master somehow has always had these in stock----brand new. I have watched and waited, for the price to get down to a reasonable price (they were near $500----for years). They are at $295 now, brand new. I would be willing to pay that------BUT is there anything that could be potentially wrong with a scanner that old?? Even thought it's new?
Thanks Mike

I have watched and waited, for the price to get down to a reasonable price (they were near $500----for years). They are at $295 now,Thanks Mike

Near 500 for years? Down to 295 now?


WOW,,,, I paid 254.00 BRAND NEW 10 years ago., Yes, I did get 30.00 off for applying for their card, but still, normal price was 299.99.


http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-thread-archives/36310-sweet-deal-br330t.html





..

 

[Haley]

Dave3825, You got a deal for sure, that's a great price , 10 years ago, even more awesome! For some stupid reason (probably that damn logo, what was Uniden thinking?), I bought a 246t------very happy with it , still have it actually. But many times through the years I wish I had bought the 330t. Oh well, like I said, it's more of a collector thing now for me, but I do want new, which is obviously going to cost me. I actually think at this point and time $150, would be more than enough. I dont fault scannermaster for charging what they can , it's whatever the market is willing to pay I suppose. Mike

 

[milcom_chaser]

BR-330T issues

The two issues with the BR-330T are:

-The display contrast/readability is not nearly the quality of the 346/396/396XT Radios.
The 330's display is darker over all.
-The speaker audio has a little bit of distortion vs listen thru the earbud jack.
BR-330T Yahoo Group has some audio files you can listen to for comparison.

Scanner Master wants way too much money for that radio.
eBay or RR would be a great place to start looking.

 

[Haley]

The two issues with the BR-330T are:

-The display contrast/readability is not nearly the quality of the 346/396/396XT Radios.
The 330's display is darker over all.
-The speaker audio has a little bit of distortion vs listen thru the earbud jack.
BR-330T Yahoo Group has some audio files you can listen to for comparison.

Scanner Master wants way too much money for that radio.
eBay or RR would be a great place to start looking.

Milcom Chaser, thanks for the pictures , helps a lot in comparing them side by side! I had wondered that about the display. Many people always said the 396xt was much better than the 396t (which I assume is the same as the 330t). I agree , scannernasters price is high, but I really would like a new one , if I even get one. Again I don't fault scannermaster that's their right. But , honestly I think $150 would be more than enough at this point. Mike

 

[Ubbe]

-The speaker audio has a little bit of distortion vs listen thru the earbud jack.
BR-330T Yahoo Group has some audio files you can listen to for comparison.

There is absolutly no distorsion in either of those audio samples.

The loudpeaker sound are more crispy, as needed with a small speaker as it cannot handle the low frequency audio power. To me it is much easier to listen to the loudspeaker audio when it is focused on the voice and not the full HiFi spectrum. The voice samples sounds different but there is no distorsion in the audio.

/Ubbe

 

[dave3825]

I have a Br330T and I love it. Audio always sounded good. Its funny, I was watching a show yesterday and they were doing a stakeout with an informant wearing a wire. They were listening on a 330 it seemed. It had the Nascar logo...

 

[Eng74]

The 330 is a great radio. It was way more than what your NASCAR fan needs in a scanner with the trunking and fire tone-out off the top of my head. Mine, the outside looks beat up, I got it for the fire tone-out when it came and it was a cheaper to get the 330 than the 396. Too bad it could not have the radio ID added in a firmware update. I have used it at California Speedway for races there and with a set of headphones is outstanding. Having the CTCSS/DCS option for racing is great. I don't know how it is at other tracks but in SoCal it cuts out a lot of other traffic. It surprised me how many of the teams use DCS.

 

[wtp]

if i remember

a 75xlt also had nascar on it

 

[AA6IO]

I also have a 330T and it does very well on civil/mil air. Screen is somewhat darker than a 396XT. But the Scanner Master price of $295 seems a bit high. If you want one just to have it, might be worth it, but in terms of practical scanning, probably a 396XT is a lot better deal and not much more expensive.
I have been playing with my x36HPs and TRX-1/2 more recently. But this thread about the 330T got me to take mine out again, put in some batteries, and listen for a few days. Still very nice quality. I think the audio sounds fine.

 

[Haley]

Thanks for all the input guys ! It really is helpful. I honestly think Uniden's marketing team missed the boat on this one. To me , it would have made a great analog do everything scanner. I know some of the features are dated (tv broadcast bands for example---all digital, for the most part). I actually like collecting the "oddballs", and I mean that in a good way.

I do already own a 346, 396 and 436 ( 246 also), they have all been workhorses for me. And I've said it on a half a dozen threads the 346/396 to me are the ultimate in reliability. Absolutely rock solid. Probably my all time favorite scanner. I do use quite a few models, see my sig line, every model in it , is still in use. Mike