Uniden UBC-125XLT Handheld Scanner

This is a great portable scanner. 500 channels over 10 banks. You can also get PC software to easily program it yourself. The software has all of the frequencies in lists of airports, military airfields, local frequencies etc. It will also pick up on strong local transmissions without you needing to do anything. It does come with a printed manual too.

I bought this item after my previous scanner died on me, and I did quite a bit of research before deciding on this one. It is a great scanner and has many sophisticated features which are often only found on desktop scanners. The sound quality is excellent, as are its speed of scanning and its sensitivity - even with its own antenna. I had to override the built in frequencies in banks 1 to 3 in order to enter my own. (On reflection I should have used banks 7 to 9 for mine, but banks 1 - 3 contain pre-programmed frequencies i wouldn't normally use and, if I ever want to scan these ranges, there are other ways of doing it). One gripe: It took me an age to enter and save my own first three frequencies - the manual is correct, but over-helpful and a little confusing. I wrote down my own shortened version and after following that, entering the frequencies and the name I allocated, was easy. A feature I have yet to try is the Close Call feature - which looks interesting! One thing I am not sure about with my own scanner is the charging facility; I used it for charging the batteries for the first time - the screen displayed "Charging". When the batteries are charged, it should read "Charging Complete", and it has never yet done that, even after several hours. I fully charged the batteries by using a separate charger, re-inserted them, but still the screen read "Charging" (It may be that the supplied charger is only 1 amp, much lower than other USB chargers I use). Apart from these minor issues, I can recommend this unit

Comparing it against my Grecom PSR295 scanner, the 125XLT is a much better size, the Grecom is like a brick and not that easy to carry around. The Bearcat is quite dinky and will go in a large pocket. The display is large compared with the Grecom and has fewer buttons to fiddle with. It may give the impression of far fewer functions but these are accessed by fewer buttons instead of having buttons specifically assigned to them.Using the manual, it took me a couple of hours to figure out how it works and not much longer to punch in my frequencies. I didn't by the software so I've gone the laborious route. Once mastered, it's easy to use.It picks up everything I've been picking up with the Grecom and doesn't seem to have any reception problems. I tested it against the Grecom on a sub-squelch transmission (an airport ATIS channel) and the Bearcat seems to pull in a bit more background noise than the Grecom but it's nothing major.The supplied antenna is actually quite good - although the above-mentioned ATIS transmission was barely audible, it does very well on above-squelch signals and I've been happily pulling in aircraft up to 80 miles away (if the reporting points are anything to go by). It is not as good as my MRW100 antenna but you won't be slapping your forehead in frustration as you might with most manufacturer-supplied rubber ducks.I've not used close call because i live in the sticks and am trying for distant signals. One plus is that unlike the Grecom (which has a glitch), I can pick up PMR446 transmissions. You have to press the function button then the rotary knob to access the squelch but I count it as a good thing - it means that I can't knock it too high by fumbling.Unless I've not found it yet, the Bearcat seems to lack an attenuation function, which the Grecom has. Airband freq 133.8 tends to need attenuating where I live or I have to lock it out so attenuation would be a handy feature.It ate the supplied alkaline batteries but does better with NiMH rechargeables (2500ma) so it's best to carry spares if you're going to be out with it for a while. I used a trickle or fast charger rather than charging them in the scanner.But in summary, I'm very pleased with the Bearcat, which is a great out-and-about scanner that works very well out of the box with the supplied rubber duck and I heartily recommend it.

I was recommended this scanner by a friend who used his for Aircraft in Wales. I was advised by him to upgrade the antenna as the one that came with the scanner was lacking in performance.He also stated that the instruction book was very complicated and suggested I watched videos on YouTube. I’m glad I did. I’m no tech genius and the instructions confirmed that fact. I was completely at a loss reading them, others may find them easier to follow.The batteries that came with the scanner took around the 16 hours to charge suggested, and they seemed to need 16hrs of charging continually, I made the mistake of turning off at the socket when I went to bed the first night. It then took a solid 16 hrs to charge. The batteries lasted about 6 hrs or so, a little disappointing.It seems that this is a very popular scanner, lots of the aircraft spotters in Wales use one, so clearly it appeals to a good audience. Would I buy another? The cost is fair, the actual receiving of signals is a bit hit and miss but clear when you do catch a transmission. It’s lightweight, sturdy, and well put together. I think I’d have a look at what else was available, but wouldn’t discount this scanner, 500 selectable frequencies would give most people what they require.

The scanner design has been around for some years but is still considered by many as the best available in its price area. It is not difficult to setup and learn, but I would suggest you consider some programming software as it makes it very easy to program. The supplier provided an email with some very useful info, and a message in the package with a phone number to ring for help, should it be needed.