Features:

• Continuous Band Coverage (25MHz - 1.3GHz)
• Preprogrammed Service Searches (10)
• 2-Line Alpha Display
• Backlite Full-Frequency Display
• S.A.M.E. Weather Alert

Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com Product Description:
Uniden's BC250D digital-capable handheld scanner can store frequencies such as police, fire/emergency, marine, railroad, air, amateur, and other communications into 10 banks of 100 channels for a total of 1,000 channels. With the optional APCO-P25 digital card (model BCi25D) installed you can monitor public safety organizations that use Conventional, Trunked at 3600, and Mixed-Mode APCO 25 systems. One touch weather automatically scans all National Weather channels with a single touch.

The scanner's continuous-band coverage allows coverage from virtually every frequency from 25 MHz to 1.3 GHz, excluding cellular bands and the UHF TV band, so you can tune into police, fire, weather, ambulance, aircraft, military, "Ham" radio, and much more.

Using TrunkTracker III, you can search for and monitor all the groups within a specific trunked system. Lock out unwanted groups during the search and save other groups to scan lists (Motorola, Ericsson, M/ACom, and E.F.Johnson). A handy control-channel-only mode lets you trunk certain systems by simply programming the control channel.

S.A.M.E. weather alert works when you input a six-digit F.I.P.S. code that designates a localized severe weather warning. This function will only alert you of impending weather conditions for your specific area code or codes. (The codes may be obtained from the National Weather Service Web site.)

The scanner's backlit full-frequency display shows the channels being scanned and the frequency entered into each channel with an easy-to-read backlit display for enhanced night visibility. You can also clone another scanner's programmed frequencies, though the two scanners must be connected by a cloning cable for the cloning process to take place.

The BC250D is PC programmable, which means you can remotely program and control the scanner using Uniden's included E-Scanner software. Optional baud rates include 2400, 4800, and 19200, operating through the scanner's DB-9 RS-232C port.

A trio of trunk functions includes: Trunk search (search for and monitor all the groups within a trunked system), trunk lockout (lock out groups you don't wish to monitor, including data groups, from the trunked system), and trunk delay (apply a five-second delay to trunking groups so that both sides of a conversation can be heard, even if the trunking frequencies change between replies).

With search plus you can program up to 10 search ranges, auto search and store, and chain search, while programmable search finds new frequencies in any of the bands. Using manual channel access you can go directly to any channel without stepping through other channels.

Turbo scan is lightning-fast technology that lets you scan and search nearly 100 channels or steps per second, while the ever-handy memory backup retains frequencies entered for more than three days without batteries or during a power failure.

What's in the Box
Handheld scanner, AC adapter, NiMH battery, rubber antenna, remote cable, belt clip, user's manual, E-Scanner programming software CD-ROM, trunk-tracker frequency guide, and other printed material.

Rating : - Does the job though some compromises
The Uniden 250D does a fine job of receiving the digital transmissions of my local police department (CT State PD). You should be aware that as this device ships it is unable to decode the digital signal. You must purchase an add-in board that is essentially the digital decoder. This approximately doubles the cost of the Uniden Scanner.

Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this device is battery life. If I get 4 hours that's a lot. This is fine when you are home bound and near the charger - however when you go on the road it is a pain as the device tends to eat the batteries rather quickly. And since Uniden uses a proprietary battery pack - your power choices are somewhat limited (meaning you can't just pop in AA cells like you can with the Radio Shack devices).

If you can get by the problem with the power, the only other issue I've had is the audio quality. Depending on your location and signal strength the audio on digital signals varies tremendously. It can waiver between a cartoonish pitch and near normal tone. This audio quality can be adjusted to some extent though a competing model from Radio Shack exhibits a much stronger audio quality that does not ever appear to require adjustment.

On the plus side, the 250D will decode I-Call (sort of a private side to the trunked frequencies that many agencies use without realizing how easily receivable they are). Competing similar radios from RadioShack do not offer the I-Call on their digital models (yet).

I would definitely re-purchase the 250D again -- and would be wildly enthusiastic about it if Uniden would chuck that awful proprietary battery pack and just go with rechargeable AA batteries.

A great scanner if you want to monitor digital signals and you have the budget. Read the technical details on this model to make sure it will receive the signals near your house. If you are going to monitor digital - remember you need a special board at an additional (significant) cost. Also the 250D won't monitor certain flavors of digital signals -- if you browse the net you can find plenty of sites with much more detailed techical reviews.