Both radios have impressive feature sets. The features the Uniden has that the GRE doesn't include Fire Tone Out, GPS connection, Multi-Site,
and IF Exchange. The GRE has a couple features the BCT15X lacks, including "V-Scanners" (virtual scanners where you can load complete
radio memories for future use), a programmable Alert LED and on-screen help.
Display
The GRE display is a bit smaller than the Uniden and the main portion of the Uniden display (frequency and text tags) use larger characters.
The Uniden display is less cluttered but the GRE provides more instant information. The backlighting on the GRE is brighter and provides
more contrast than the Uniden.
The BCT15X display has six lines, they may display different items depending on the mode. During Scanning operations the display is set up
as follows:
-The first line displays such things as the signal strength, lockout and priority status.
-The second line has the System text tag or radio status.
-The third line displays the frequency, talkgroup, Group or Site tag.
-The fourth line displays the modulation type and the priority icon.
-The fifth line displays the System number.
-The sixth line displays the Group number.
Summary
The BCT15X is a fantastic radio that provides almost every conceivable feature you could want. Even so, it is not perfect. The DIN case allows
custom installation in the few vehicles that have this space available and it was designed to allow you to access to the programming and
earphone jacks from the front to accommodate in-dash mounting. The ability to use remote heads is a great idea, but it would have nice to
allow speaker audio from the remote.
Some people prefer the extra buttons instead of needing the Function and Menu buttons. The keypad is logically laid out but the constant need
to access menus can be frustrating at first.
Radio Sensitivity compares well with the BCD996T and the GRE/RadioShack models. The VHF High and UHF bands seemed pretty much
identical to the other radios, while the 800 band seemed to be slightly better on the BCT15X. I heard no unusual interference in my suburban
neighborhood. While mobile the radio did not suffer from any more overload problems than my PSR400 but the audio was not as good.
The Fire Tone Out feature is an ingenuous addition to the Uniden line of scanners. The new FTO Search makes it even better. I wouldn't
suggest spending $500 for the BCD996XT just for this when you can get a BCT15X with FTO for half the price..
The added memory allows one to program almost 9 times as many channels on the BCT15X than the PSR400. The PSR500 allows 1000
channels in ten banks while the BCT15X allows up to 9,000 in the radio, all of which could be active at any time.
Another feature that sets the Uniden radios apart from the GRE is the GPS connection. The ability to turn on and off systems automatically just
by traveling in an area is superb. When I first got a BCD996T I was wary about this, but after spending a little time putting together a file with
GPS coordinates for our statewide trunking system I was hooked. I can't imagine not having this now and use it for my BCT15X now.
The ability to use the innovative RH-96 Remote Head is also a huge plus for the BCT15XT. While the RH-96 is actually the same height and
width as the BCT15X, it is more practical for use in a car. Since the RH-96 does not provide speaker audio you will need to strategically mount
the radio itself however or run an external speaker.
Suggestions
If Uniden added up/down buttons as well as a few others to simplify programming it would be a great help. Sending speaker audio to a remote
head would be a great feature.
