Bought this for my husband a while back as he was bedridden and thought it would help keep him occupied.. Never could get it to get the Richardson departments as well as some others. He passed away and I found this the other day; trying to get it to work. I've read about the Richardson P25 thingie (my technical term) and something about trunked, but I really didn't understand any of it. I read about some downloading to do with this 'trunked' broadcast, but didn't understand that either. I couldn't even find a USB port on the scanner. Can someone tell me where to start? Thanks.
Hi Sandy
Welcome to RadioReference.
You can find the manual for your scanner here:
https://www.uniden.com/File Library/FooterNav/Product Information/Owners Manuals/BC355Nom.pdf
Unfortunately, that scanner is analog only, not able to receive digital (P25) frequencies. It is not a trunking scanner either. Both of those things mean that you could not monitor Richardson Public Safety (Fire, Police, and EMS). That also rules out neighboring cities Garland, Addison, and Plano, among others.
You could, however, listen to Dallas Police and Fire, as they currently use Uhf conventional (not trunked) frequencies. Dallas County Sheriff, which handles motor vehicle accidents on many of the area freeways within Dallas could also be entered.
To receive Richardson, you would need a digital scanner, capable of tracking the P25 trunked system used in your city. You could, however, listen to Richardson Police on your phone, tablet, or pc via this online feed:
Richardson Police Dispatch
