Looking to get a BC246T...

[eecame]

Does anyone have any experience with these? What are your thoughts?

Where is the best place to order from? I'm looking at Scannermaster.com and CEI. Has anyone used these companies before? What are your experiences like?

Also, for PC interface which software should I use? I noticed that the software offered from Scannermaster and ECI is different. Which is better? How are they different?

Thanks for the input folks.

I live in Vancouver, WA and currently have a BC72XLT and since the local pol/FF are all trunked, non-digital, I thought upgrading to something a little for sophisticated would be fun.

 

[captclint]

This topic (246 and where to buy) has been discussed at great length. Use the forum seach feature to see what others have said. Personally, I think the 246 is a great scanner for the money. There are also Scanner Reviews

Since there are trunked systems, you might want to purchase software. Here is a list of software: http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BC246T#Supporting_Software My favorite is ARC246 by BuTel. It allows a automatic download of any or all frequencies in your county and state from this site, and sets up trunking TGID's & para's(this is a big help). It is $40, but well worth it. It has a neat virtual control panel that works your scanner from the keyboard., but the best part is that it logs all the information(freq & PL) and lets you see your scanner window in a much larger scale that you can actually see clearly. The logging is great when searching, but it is also handy for normal scanning. Often, I do not look up in time to see what agency was just talking, so I just look at the log. See the the examples on their web site http://www.butelsoftware.com/ You can download it on a free trial basis to see if you like it.

There are also free programs, such as FreeSCAN and BCtool, that do the same thing. Uniden also has free software, called UASD, but it does not download from this site, and does not have any logging and controls. Also, if you have a new PC or lap top, you will need a serial to USB converter from Uniden http://tinyurl.com/2cqyu4 or Radio Shack: http://tinyurl.com/2gpbsp . Another source is http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10311&cs_id=1031104&p_id=2276&seq=1&format=2, for quite a bit less. It is reported to work.
Note: You would need to become a paid subscriber to this site to get the automatic down loads, but this is also very reasonable($7.5 for 3 months). This can save you countless hours of programming and frustration.

 

[cpuerror]

I have had my 246 for a while and can give you my low down of it:

Pros
-Small and highly portable
-2500 Channels
-DMA design
-Runs on 2 AAs
-Wideband coverage from CB to 1300Mhz
-BNC Antenna
-Good speaker
-Great display, although only 2 lines so it doesn't display the frequency

Cons, compared to a 396 (Not many)
-No military air band coverage
-Analog Only
-Quick keys limited to 10