I Need Help Programming My BC346XT Scanner

[OCO]

......"I have moved on to the GRE 800 for the digital channels, but it costs more, though it is a lot cheaper than the home patrol or the 396. If you want digital at the most reasonable cost the 800 is they way to go but the 346 is still a great little scanner......."

The 800 isn't that much cheaper than the Uniden products by the time you make them comparable in equipment....If you're making a purchase decision, 10 bucks on an almost $500.00 purchase shouldn't be the deciding factor. I'd compare all of the available features and decide from there. The 800 may still come out on top, but it won't be that much less in cost.

I used ScannerMaster for comparison, but all three of these can be bought for equally discounted prices elsewhere.
Scannermaster prices:
396xt............ = 469.00 + 26.95 for DC power cable............................................. = 495.95
Homepatrol = 489.95 AC adapter, DC adapter and batteries incuded............= 489.95
PSR-800..... = 445.00 +12.56 AC adapter + 12.56 DC adapter+ 8.95 batts... = 479.07

 

[kd8ati]

To kd8ati,

I see they have some nice scanners. Some of the basic things that I know came with my scanner seem to be things in which you have to pay over there, or are they optional items?

I am afraid you will need to be a little more specific. Basic things meaning.... ??? pay over where? I know depending on the scanner some come with the programing cable and some dont. Some come with extra accessories and some do not. It just depends on what model you buy, and from whoim you buy it.

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

The 800 isn't that much cheaper than the Uniden products by the time you make them comparable in equipment

I don't feel any need to do that, the equipment that comes with the GRE is all I need.
And I live in Canada and the prices differential is quite large - $469.00 for the GRE vs. $700.00 at the time I made the purchase, since discounted to 599.99 at Radioworld from where I bought the GRE. Price differentials in Canada were about the same at the other Canadian outlets I found. So that's a $230.00 price differential BEFORE GST and shipping charges which would widen the gap.

The GRE also fits in my pocket nicely, which it doesn't look as if the Home Patrol would. I like to take my scanner with me, and I don't travel by car.

The Home Patrol is probably even easier to use than the 800 and I'd love to have both. The 800 doesn't have the touch screen, but uses ipod style controls instead which are still a big improvement on the 346/396 style scanners so far as useability goes.

The 800 certainly has faults, and if the price differentials were the same in Canada as in the USA I might have decided differently. But the fact that the HP doesn't look like it will fit in my shirt pocket is a big problem for me. That doesn't mean it will be a problem for anyone else, of course.

 

[K7CAR]

afilli8ter, good that you are receiving. To get you up and rolling in the shortest time I would scroll down the Forum list and Post in your Tennessee Forum. Ask if someone can send you a Nashville frequency file for a Uniden radio. Sounds like you have FreeScan working with your scanner. If so it's easy to install once you have a file. At least you'll be up and scanning and can play around with the software and learn from there.

Have you tried scanning with Close Call? If you're in a City environment you should be picking up some thing there. Go to the Easier to Read manual and read up on Custom Searches. You should pick up dozens of frequencies in the 145-160 mhz range. I can understand your frustration, so hang in there.