The
BC246T is the new non-digital scanner from Uniden released late last year ... The 396 is the coming digital version of the above scanner from what I read.
The 246T comes with some fantastic new features -
- No set bank size or sub-group size (
Memory is used by channels and alpha tags and everything else ... They say 1600 - 2500 chanels/talkgroups typical)
-
Close Call - Picture a frequency counter with a speaker that decodes CTCSS/DCS, finds the repeater output of an input, and stores these automatically or let's you listen in
- Instant CTCSS/DCS decoding without having to know if it's CTCSS or DCS beforehand
- Plus all of the other features you could want in a hand-held scanner that has a super-small form factor, a 2 line LCD (with 16 character alpha tagging), and surprisingly loud audio
Let me explain the channel layouts a bit -
Banks are now called
Systems and a system consists of a trunked system or a gaggle of conventional frequencies
There are 10
quick keys (0 - 9) that can be assigned to one or more systems, plus an 11th (.) which indicates it's always scanned and can't be
quick-key'd away
For example, 5 different systems could be turned on with one quick key or each system could be assigned its own quick key
Inside each system you can have
groups ... Think of them as sub-banks on Uniden trunk trackers. There are 10 quick keys (Function + 0 - 9) you can assign to groups, plus the 11th (.) which works just like the system quick key. For me, this makes this scanner a
must have for conventional scanning! It's the equivalent of having a conventional scanner with 100 banks!
On top of all of the features, it performs side-by-side with my BC296 in terms of performance and audio quality... I've dragged it all over the country with me and it works wonderfully!
I
can't wait for the digital version and have already informed my girlfriend to be prepared when I buy one or more of em
- Mike