Request for Info on BC346xt

[SCPD]

I am considering a new scanner. I like some of the features of the GRE PSR-300 but I have a Uniden BC245xlt that is still ticking 8 years later..... So I lean toward the Uniden but understand it is a dog to operate.. Any comments concerning how they work, receive, audio quality, durability,etc.
Being a communication technical manager. How does it compare to a commercial radio quality wise.

ANY COMMENTS APPRECIATED and if there are any BC346xt users in South Carolina i would love to hear from you. Its ashame you have to buy before you try. I have had some good scanners that way but i did get a dog once.---- A BC160 that had a 3uv squelch sensitivity and a .5uv receiver unsquelched! A PRO-95 that a cellphone zapped while I was too ill to deal with it......

 

[ka3jjz]

I will let the 346 users comment on their radio specifically, but one point needs to be made most strongly - there is no way in God's green earth that a consumer radio is ever going to stand up to the kind of rigors a professional radio does. They simply aren't built for it. To expect any consumer radio to tolerate the kind of abuse a professional radio does, it's simply a poor assumption.

73 Mike

 

[SCPD]

PD7.. I had a 300 and it was a bear to program. If you did not hit the program button first you would have to start over to put in a freq. Also if you wanted to hold on to a talkgroup to listen to a good call you had to push a extra button to hold on to the talkgroup. Got rid of the 300 and got a 346T. The 346 is such a good radio I bought a 15X to go with it. Hope this helps you some.

Mark

 

[Haley]

Donald, I have had my 346XT for almost a year now, and without a doubt it is the best analog trunking scanner I have ever used. I would suggest looking through the WIKI section on the 346 to get a better understanding of ALL the functions. If you dont need digital for anything, in my opinion, the 346 is the best analog/trunking scanner out there. I will say that this scanner is built pretty rugged---better than most consumer models. But, as ka3jjz said, it wont compare to a pro radio. Mike

 

[SCPD]

Clarification of PROFESSIONAL Gear

It is obvious in most cases that consumer scanners are not built to the same grade as "Professional Radios" However some may come close without the extra durability. That is what I mean! I meant it relative versus exact.

For example a Cobra 36 CB Walkie talkie is not as durable as a simple Midland 75-785. The 75-785 is not as durable as a Motorola or Kenwood but is about as close as you can get where if the cobra is dropped right the plastic case cracks.

I would say the BC245 was built better than average but it would not survive a 200ft drop off a tower that I saw a Motorola GP300 do with no damage once by a tower crew!

Thanks for you comments! I was concerned about the sensitivity not being up to par also as the most say its not as sensitive as the psr-300!

Bottom Line Do I buy an Excursion or a Tahoe! both are good vehicles from what I hear?

 

[scannerman5555]

the BC 346 XT scanner i every got to use and buy would buy more if i could
here's a side note : I program this by hand to with no computer and it was easy too!

 

[Rodge]

Go with the GRE PSR-300 it's the best there is...

I am considering a new scanner. I like some of the features of the GRE PSR-300 but I have a Uniden BC245xlt that is still ticking 8 years later..... So I lean toward the Uniden but understand it is a dog to operate.. Any comments concerning how they work, receive, audio quality, durability,etc.
Being a communication technical manager. How does it compare to a commercial radio quality wise.

ANY COMMENTS APPRECIATED and if there are any BC346xt users in South Carolina i would love to hear from you. Its ashame you have to buy before you try. I have had some good scanners that way but i did get a dog once.---- A BC160 that had a 3uv squelch sensitivity and a .5uv receiver unsquelched! A PRO-95 that a cellphone zapped while I was too ill to deal with it......

I was in the same position as you untill made the plunge last week and bought the GRE PSR-300. Since using my "300" unit for a few days, I'm quite convinced I made the right decision. I can tell you first hand that the "300" is super sensitive and easy to program manually, or through a computer based program such as the "ARC300" software.

I kept hearing horror stories about programming the BC346 and tried to download the manual to see for myself. Much to my surprise, the 346 manual is only available via the CD that comes with the unit. I tried the same for the "300" and found the manual easily available in a PDF format.

I bought my "300" through "scannermaster.com" complete with the ARC300 software and the necessary cable to hook it up to my computer. Everything included, the "300" is still less expensive than the BC346.

Good luck with your decision....

Rodg

 

[magnumfloyd]

I went from a 235 xlt to a 346 and programmed with freescan and it was way easy and defiantly as good.

 

[kayi4cle]

the BC 346 XT scanner i every got to use and buy would buy more if i could
here's a side note : I program this by hand to with no computer and it was easy too!

I totally agree, and I program mine by hand too. The BC346XT is the best handheld scanner I've ever had, and i'm comparing it to the following: Pro-95, Pro-96, Pro-97, Pro-106, BC246T.

 

[Jakemcgraw]

the BC 346 XT scanner i every got to use and buy would buy more if i could
here's a side note : I program this by hand to with no computer and it was easy too!

I'll join and agree on that also...I've owned several different handhelds scanners made by gre and uniden over the past 15 yrs. and i believe the BC346XT is the best handheld i've owned to date ,,I really like my psr-300, and my uniden br330t, but the 346xt wins out over both in its ability to pull in more signals, and most of them clearly, and im using the maldol mh-255 short antenna. I live out in the country and still pull in frequencies of average 40 - 60 miles away on a regular basis scanning only conventional frequencies as we have no digital or trunking here..Hats off to uniden for a good job with the BC346XT !