Vintage Uniden Scanner Question (specifically about packaging)

[edp211]

Hello! I am a law student doing some research on Uniden Bearcat radios from the 1990s. Specifically, I am wondering if the Uniden Bearcat BC 145xl 10 Band 16 Channel Scanning Radio Scanner would have come with the serial number written on the packaging (rather than the radio itself). I would really appreciate any insight you have.

More generally, I'm wondering if Uniden put the serial numbers on scanner boxes/packaging in the 1990s? And if so, would it have been printed directly onto the box or would it have been applied as a sticker that could be removed from the box?

For context, I am investigating whether a scanner box found without the scanner inside would have had the serial number printed on it anywhere in order to match it to the scanner itself.

Thanks so much for any help or ideas you might have!

 

[trentbob]

Hello! I am a law student doing some research on Uniden Bearcat radios from the 1990s. Specifically, I am wondering if the Uniden Bearcat BC 145xl 10 Band 16 Channel Scanning Radio Scanner would have come with the serial number written on the packaging (rather than the radio itself). I would really appreciate any insight you have.

More generally, I'm wondering if Uniden put the serial numbers on scanner boxes/packaging in the 1990s? And if so, would it have been printed directly onto the box or would it have been applied as a sticker that could be removed from the box?

For context, I am investigating whether a scanner box found without the scanner inside would have had the serial number printed on it anywhere in order to match it to the scanner itself.

Thanks so much for any help or ideas you might have!

Yes, in that time frame, the serial number on the box should match the radio.

In case you didn't know, to help you, Uniden bought the bearcat scanner lineup in 1983 from the Electra company in Cumberland, Indiana.

Towards the end of Electra they started making radios overseas, Puerto Rico.

The real transformation was the Electra Bearcat 210, after that those radios were Uniden, they had great technology and expanded on what they inherited to produce many "Great Radios". The Electra bearcat 210 was the first keyboard programmable radio, GRE also kept up with the technology.

HTH.🙂

 

[BinaryMode]

I just now looked at my brand new, never used Uniden Bearcat 55 XLT and it has no serial number on the box once so ever. It's on the scanner however. Very bottom of the scanner near the battery compartment. The copyright on the box says 1989 Uniden America Corporation and there's still a Walmart sticker on the box.

Keep in mind you said 1990s and this radio sold in the 1990s even though the copyright is 1989...

This was actually my very first scanner model I had owned and I bought it used at a pawn shop circa 1997. Though, this one I have here is not my original and is just a keepsake in all it's non used and original package glory. Anyway...

 

[Ronaldski]

Having an issue with seller? Just curious as to why asking about the serial#.

With box listing and pictures:

Uniden Bearcat Scanning Radio16 Channel Programmable BC145XL Vintage | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Appears to be new old stock. Enhance your radio communication experience with this vintage Uniden Bearcat scanning radio. It boasts 16 channels of programmable memory, allowing you to store your favorite frequencies for easy access. This...

www.ebay.com

Uniden Bearcat BC145XL BC 145 XL Complete w/ Original Box & Instruction Manual | eBay

Uniden Bearcat BC145XL BC 145 XL Complete w/ Original Box & Instruction Manual . Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Ground Advantage.

www.ebay.com

Doesnt seem to be on it.

Serial # from another 145xl listing

 

[harryshute]

In the 90's Uniden did not have a serial number label on the scanner box. I had wished that they did. Not sure when they started but I checked the boxes of two BCD 785D radios and even then they were not on the box.

 

[KevinC]

I am a law student

Hopefully not from Florida.

 

[Skip_Wilson]

Yes, in that time frame, the serial number on the box should match the radio.

In case you didn't know, to help you, Uniden bought the bearcat scanner lineup in 1983 from the Electra company in Cumberland, Indiana.

Towards the end of Electra they started making radios overseas, Puerto Rico.

The real transformation was the Electra Bearcat 210, after that those radios were Uniden, they had great technology and expanded on what they inherited to produce many "Great Radios". The Electra bearcat 210 was the first keyboard programmable radio, GRE also kept up with the technology.

HTH.🙂

Just for fun, do you remember what the 210 went for? Thanks

 

[trentbob]

Just for fun, do you remember what the 210 went for? Thanks

Yes I had two of them and I'm going to say $399.99, keep in mind the Bearcat 210 was made by Electra company, similar units after that like the Bearcat 220 or Bearcat 250 Bearcat 210 XL and 210 XLT were made by Uniden. I didn't own those. Also the keyboard programmable handheld made by Electra the Bearcat 100, was redesigned by Uniden under the same model number and I didn't own that one I owned the original Electra and they had the serial number on the box.

 

[Skip_Wilson]

Yes I had two of them and I'm going to say $399.99, keep in mind the Bearcat 210 was made by Electra company, similar units after that like the Bearcat 220 or Bearcat 250 Bearcat 210 XL and 210 XLT were made by Uniden. I didn't own those. Also the keyboard programmable handheld made by Electra the Bearcat 100, was redesigned by Uniden under the same model number and I didn't own that one I owned the original Electra and they had the serial number on the box.

Thank you! My habit began with one (given to me as a gift). Was working as a firefighter and one of the guys at the house had one. It began there......

 

[kruser]

Yes I had two of them and I'm going to say $399.99, keep in mind the Bearcat 210 was made by Electra company, similar units after that like the Bearcat 220 or Bearcat 250 Bearcat 210 XL and 210 XLT were made by Uniden. I didn't own those. Also the keyboard programmable handheld made by Electra the Bearcat 100, was redesigned by Uniden under the same model number and I didn't own that one I owned the original Electra and they had the serial number on the box.

The Bearcat 220, 250 and at least the 300 were all made by Electra.
I have two BC-250's made in 1979 by Electra.
Now those with the XL or XLT suffix were likely made by Uniden. Not sure if those used any Electra designs.

 

[trentbob]

The Bearcat 220, 250 and at least the 300 were all made by Electra.
I have two BC-250's made in 1979 by Electra.
Now those with the XL or XLT suffix were likely made by Uniden. Not sure if those used any Electra designs.

I respect your observations and have to assume they're true but that's not my recollection. The first, keyboard programmable scanner, introduced about 3 months before GRE introduced Radio Shacks equivalent was the Electra Bearcat 210. Followed by the Uniden, after the takeover, Bearcat 210xl and then the Uniden XLT distinctly made by uniden based on the exact design of Electra. How would the Uniden 220 or 250 be introduced before the 210?....Before Uniden bought Electra in 1983? I distinctly remember those radios being in the mid-80s. They were Uniden radios.

Don't know how old you are but.. going by memory here, as a mature adult, the Electra Bearcat 101 programmable scanner using tabs was 1975.. had three of them in my twenties, I remember the Electra 210 being the next radio I bought.

I still have my two Electra Bearcat 210's and at least one of the three Electra bearcat 101s. What a great radio.

I don't care and I'm not going to research it but if you want to check out rig pics, I'd like to know if I'm losing my mind. I'd appreciate your help on that.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, that will be very alarming to me and will be proof, I'm finally totally losing it.

Not.

 

[trentbob]

Addendum, I went in the garage and found a bearcat 300 and it was made by Electra... before the takeover. Large radio, overheated, did have Alpha numeric display. Got my numbers mixed up. I remember it being a useless radio and a loss, as far as the Bearcat 210 and 210 XL and XLT they were a completely different design, more modern, and I believe that time frame is accurate, electric Bearcat 210, then after the Takeover 210 XL and 210 XLT. All at the same time Electra made the 300.

Forgot about that electra 300, it was a piece of crap.😄

Don't talk to too many people who remember this stuff, I didn't.

 

[kruser]

I respect your observations and have to assume they're true but that's not my recollection. The first, keyboard programmable scanner, introduced about 3 months before GRE introduced Radio Shacks equivalent was the Electra Bearcat 210. Followed by the Uniden, after the takeover, Bearcat 210xl and then the Uniden XLT distinctly made by uniden based on the exact design of Electra. How would the Uniden 220 or 250 be introduced before the 210?....Before Uniden bought Electra in 1983? I distinctly remember those radios being in the mid-80s. They were Uniden radios.

Don't know how old you are but.. going by memory here, as a mature adult, the Electra Bearcat 101 programmable scanner using tabs was 1975.. had three of them in my twenties, I remember the Electra 210 being the next radio I bought.

I still have my two Electra Bearcat 210's and at least one of the three Electra bearcat 101s. What a great radio.

I don't care and I'm not going to research it but if you want to check out rig pics, I'd like to know if I'm losing my mind. I'd appreciate your help on that.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, that will be very alarming to me and will be proof, I'm finally totally losing it.

Not.

Yes, the 210 was the first of the more modern direct keyboard entry Electra made programmable models after the 101.
The 250 in 1978 and then the 220 followed in 1979.
I'm not sure what year the 300 came out but like you found, it is an Electra made model as well. One of my 300's has a 1981 date code.
The 20/20 was also a late 70's Electra made model but I never owned that one.

I still have several of the 220, and 250 and 300 models hooked up and working here. I run all on external 12VDC power to reduce some of the heat and I turn off the clock display on the 250 and 300's to keep heat down. I've had to repair most of them over the years due to heat related failures.
I did have a 210 also but it died. The 210 has a chip that failed fairly often which was custom and no longer available. That was the end of my 210.
The 220, 250 and 300 also contain custom chips. Running those models on external power may have extended their lives and explain why they still run just fine to this day for me. I also beefed up the power supply sections in all three models and replaced some of the zener diode controlled voltage regulator sections with more modern linear regulators which run much cooler. I'm sure this also helped keep these old things running. My two 300's work just fine and with minimal heat!

My age, I'll just say that I've been around a while!
I started with tunable receivers as scanners were not a thing yet. I can't even recall my first crystal scanners but I do have several old Regency and Bearcat Electra crystal models. Some still hooked up and in use for dedicated things like VHF Fire tone dispatching, railroad and some other common mostly VHF Hi and Low band analog stuff still in use here.
I just looked again and I've packed the Regency models away but left out an old RCA and a Robyn model both hooked up and filled with still active 10.7 MHz IF crystals cut for the analog stuff still in use. The crystals would have came from my Regency crystal stock.

The old Bearcat III's are full of mostly VHF low band crystals along with some railroad. I fire these up on weekends mostly when the state patrol here runs a low band test of Sunday's usually.

Other than that, I think your memory is just fine! I find it's very easy to get confused on what we remember from our younger days regardless if you are "loosing your mind" or not! Scanner model numbers seem to blend together over time in my mind.

 

[trentbob]

Yes @kruser we are in the same league, I started with slide rule dial tunable radios also, then the Electra Bearcat crystal radios, the big breakthrough was the Bearcat 101 by Electra, programmable with tabs and a code book.

I did forget about the 300 but it was a problematic radio for me prone to overheating. I also had the Electra Bearcat 160, a mobile mount scanner that believe it or not, had a hum.

That's when Electra started making radios in Puerto Rico and not Cumberllland, Indiana and it was towards the end when they were bought out in 1983 by Uniden. It was in the early '80s that I had both the 300 and the 160. Also Electra introduced the keyboard entry handheld Bearcat 100 which I had and it was a hot mess.

Battery compartment falling out all the time, no volume, failing Crystal liquid display, proprietary antenna mount.

Uniden redesigned the Bearcat 100, securing the battery compartment and making it BNC.

Now as far as the Bearcat 210 made by Electra, the bearcat 210xl was made by Uniden along with the XLT also made by Uniden. That I remember clearly and I do remember serial numbers on the boxes of Electra products.

Again, when Uniden took over they had a lot of talent and really produced some great radios from that point on, adding trunking and pl tones Etc, we all know the models.

Original poster, I don't remember if the Uniden radios after 1983 had the serial number on the box, I can't confirm that, I just don't remember but I do remember them on the Electra Bearcat radio boxes up to 1983.

@kruser, thanks for jarring my memory, I'm not losing my mind after all, or am I😄

 

[buddrousa]

Yes I had the old Bearcat 100 with the old threaded antenna that scanner stunk compared to my HX1500

 

[edp211]

Yes, in that time frame, the serial number on the box should match the radio.

In case you didn't know, to help you, Uniden bought the bearcat scanner lineup in 1983 from the Electra company in Cumberland, Indiana.

Towards the end of Electra they started making radios overseas, Puerto Rico.

The real transformation was the Electra Bearcat 210, after that those radios were Uniden, they had great technology and expanded on what they inherited to produce many "Great Radios". The Electra bearcat 210 was the first keyboard programmable radio, GRE also kept up with the technology.

HTH.🙂

Thank you so much for the info!!

 

[edp211]

I just now looked at my brand new, never used Uniden Bearcat 55 XLT and it has no serial number on the box once so ever. It's on the scanner however. Very bottom of the scanner near the battery compartment. The copyright on the box says 1989 Uniden America Corporation and there's still a Walmart sticker on the box.

Keep in mind you said 1990s and this radio sold in the 1990s even though the copyright is 1989...

This was actually my very first scanner model I had owned and I bought it used at a pawn shop circa 1997. Though, this one I have here is not my original and is just a keepsake in all it's non used and original package glory. Anyway...

Awesome, thank you so much! And yes, I was incorrect in saying the 90s, thank you for clarifying that!

 

[edp211]

Having an issue with seller? Just curious as to why asking about the serial#.

With box listing and pictures:

Uniden Bearcat Scanning Radio16 Channel Programmable BC145XL Vintage | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Appears to be new old stock. Enhance your radio communication experience with this vintage Uniden Bearcat scanning radio. It boasts 16 channels of programmable memory, allowing you to store your favorite frequencies for easy access. This...

www.ebay.com

Uniden Bearcat BC145XL BC 145 XL Complete w/ Original Box & Instruction Manual | eBay

Uniden Bearcat BC145XL BC 145 XL Complete w/ Original Box & Instruction Manual . Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Ground Advantage.

www.ebay.com

Doesnt seem to be on it.

Serial # from another 145xl listing

Thank you so much for your help! I'm doing some legal research tyring to figure out if one would be able to match an empty Uniden Bearcat Scanner box found in one location to a scanner without a box found in another location.

 

[edp211]

In the 90's Uniden did not have a serial number label on the scanner box. I had wished that they did. Not sure when they started but I checked the boxes of two BCD 785D radios and even then they were not on the box.

Thank you very much!!

 

[garys]

But it looked nice! It had a lot of features, but was poorly made with an almost deaf front end. OTOH, the 101 had a hot receiver both electronically and physically. We sent a number of them back to Electra for repair because they over heated and shut down.

Did you ever use or own any of the Tennelec scanners? TS1 and TS2. Great concepts, lousy construction.

Or the Regency "Touch" scanners?

Addendum, I went in the garage and found a bearcat 300 and it was made by Electra... before the takeover. Large radio, overheated, did have Alpha numeric display. Got my numbers mixed up. I remember it being a useless radio and a loss, as far as the Bearcat 210 and 210 XL and XLT they were a completely different design, more modern, and I believe that time frame is accurate, electric Bearcat 210, then after the Takeover 210 XL and 210 XLT. All at the same time Electra made the 300.

Forgot about that electra 300, it was a piece of crap.😄

Don't talk to too many people who remember this stuff, I didn't.