It’s that time again. Get your popcorn, get in your seat. A new Danny video has arrived!

Instead of trains, we got training! 😁 Thanks, Danny!

This videos gives a lot of good information. Let my add my $0.02. The best way to program the BC-125AT is to use the PC programming to enter all of the AAR analog channels into the radio. I program the "splinter channels" in, along with the standard channels. The BC-125AT has plenty of memory channel space available (500 channels). I put the AAR channels into the radio in AAR channel order, and that doesn't "mix" splinter channels with "regular" channels. I also enter the Alpha tag for the AAR channel--e.g.--AAR 097 for AAR channel 097. NO ONE in the railroad industry except a radio tech EVER refers to a railroad channel by its frequency; they always use the AAR Channel Name. I also program in the UHF digital train telemetry channels. There are 6 of them--one for Head-Of-Train device, one for End-Of-Train Device, and 4 for Distributed Power. I usually program those into channels 2-6 in the BC-125AT, and start programming the voice channels with AAR 007 in Channel 7 of the radio. Channel 1 I program for a Weather Channel. When railfanning, I just add or subtract channels on the scan list from the keypad, depending on what channels that I plan to use at the time. On final caveat about the BC-125AT: Never, never, never use the USB adapter charger to charge rechargeable batteries in the radio. Besides being abysmally slow to charge the radio (usually 8-14 hours to charge it), at least some of the BC-125AT's have defective charging circuits that will allow the charger to overcharge the batteries, overheating them, and causing a potential fire hazard. Mine did that several years ago. It had started to melt the case and could have started a fire if I had not smelled the hot electronics and plastic and unplugged the radio from the cable. Just take the rechargeable AA batteries out of the radio and charge them in a separate charger. Or just use regular AA batteries and replace them as necessary. Now, briefly about NXDN digital. There are a few railroads using NXDN, but very few and for generally limited applications. I'm quite familiar with NXDN and have been using it and programming radios with it for 10 years. I own one of the Uniden SDS-100 scanners that has optional NXDN capability. I'll be blunt about it. For railfanning, it is a lousy performing, obtuse to use and program, overpriced radio. For the same price or less, one can buy a high quality Icom or Kenwood commercial two-way VHF NXDN portable radio that will perform much, much better than the SDS-100 (those commercial models will not monitor UHF train telemetry, however). The bad news in that they must be PC programmed by someone who has the software AND knows how to program them correctly. Finally, for the record, I've worked in the railroad industry and also have maintained radio systems--including base stations, mobile radios, portables, and repeaters. I've been using 2-way radios and scanners for both business and pleasure (including railfanning) for almost 40 years. EDIT: There is a newly released Uniden BC-160DN scanner that will receive NXDN digital transmissions. I have seen no testing or reviews on this radio, but it looks intriguing. Reading the specs between the lines, I suspect that it was designed with railfans in mind. It's name BC-160DN may be a subtle reference to the beginning of the railroad VHF channel spectrum in the 160mHz frequency range.

For those of you who intend to use this scanner while mobile, I would highly take Danny’s advice to get an external antenna. Inside my car, I can’t hear diddly squat (even with a train a train a mile or two away) unless I roll down my window and stick the antenna (and my hand/scanner) out the window 😂. The range in a vehicle without an antenna is AWFUL.

It is a complex little scanner to program but if you hook it to a PC it is much easier to program.

Six more frequencies I highly recommend you add. I put these into Bank 3 (channels 101-106) so it's easy to turn the bank on/off. HOT 452.9375 and EOT 457.9375. Also DPU1-4 as 452.9250, 452.9500, 457.9250, and 457.9500. HOT/EOT are the communications on trains without DPU and it's between the lead locomotive and the FRED (Flashing Rear-End Device). The DPU channels are the communications on trains with DPU and it's the signals from the engineer to those remote locomotives mid/end of train. All of these are great for (somewhat) short-range confirmation that a train is near. I get about 4-5 miles of reach on these signals, though I live in a rougher terrain area (hills/mountains, trees) and flatlanders might get more range. None of the audio is "intelligible"; we call them "blips", but they go off every 20-40 seconds for DPUs and 45-60 seconds for HOT/EOT. However, if things are changing (locomotive commands being sent, brake pipe pressures changing, end of train starting to roll or stopping), these channels go crazy. Hence, sometimes it's useful to disable bank 3 and just ignore those for a while, especially near yards and such. I have also heard these channels go a little crazy when there is truly no train near by. The Gold Bar mini-yard on the BNSF Scenic Sub is one example. Can't figure that one out. But having this bank enabled is great for that short-range confirmation that a train is nearby, and often is a great reminder that if you hear the blips, get to the tracks quick!

This scanner is also great for listening to aircraft traffic. I set up a different bank for my local air traffic control frequencies. BTW, if you don't have time to learn how to program it yet, you can just hit Func > Svc and it will scan all "service" frequencies. Deactivate everything except service bank 5, which is the railroad freq bank, and it will search all railroad freqs in your area. Useful if you have no idea which freqs your local railroad is using.

I want to say you can program BC125AT direct from your computer. I would give the software link, but YT will block this. The software is on the Uniden sight. (UnidenMan4/BC125AT) At this point it is just cut/copy/paste and save it to the BC125AT. Takes a few minutes to program the BC125AT from this point on. You can also save programs, One for NASCAR and One for Railroads etc.

Danny always puts on a great show for us! Hope you’re doin great Danny!

Wow! A Danny video without a train in it? Gotta be some kind of record! All that aside, very good informative video for all railfans that use Uniden scanners.

Great video as always! This scanner got me into one of my favorite hobbies! I never would have been interested in amateur radio if I hadn't bought this scanner for railfanning.

I use this scanner a lot - it's a neat way to augment my railfanning and train riding enjoyment. I do all of my scanner programming via the Uniden app on my computer. I have all of the AAR channels programmed into banks 1/2 like shown here, but I use other banks for specific trains/routes, so I don't need to scan all frequencies all the time. So when riding Amtrak, I have specific banks programmed for each route, so if (for example), I'm on the California Zephyr, I can set only that bank to active, and it only scans the frequencies that the California Zephyr uses on its route. I can also change the tags for that bank to show that it's CZ AAR 13, etc. Adding tags to specific bank frequencies also really helps identify specific railroads if you often railfan in a location that has multiple railroads. So if you have a bank with only local railroads A, B, and C, you can add tags in that bank to show which railroad it is, along with the AAR number. If you have all the AAR freqs in banks 1 and 2, then if you add regional/train freqs to other banks the software will let you know that it already exists, but that's fine, because you're setting up a bank for specific uses without needing to scan the whole set of AAR freqs.

I have this exact radio! The best way to program it is to download the Bearcat BC125AT app to your PC. NOT smartphone! It only works on PC! Once you enter in the frequencies and the names you want, and then connect the USB, it automatically programs it for you!

I bought my BC75XLT a couple of years ago, and had it pre programmed with the 97 AAR channels. It was worth it!

Another great instructional video from the one who spurred my purchase of the "125" and started my railfan journey. Great idea to program ALL of the AAR channels, never thought about that since the short line next to the house just uses one. As I've ventured out, and found 2 Class 1 roads close by, scanning them all is very helpful. Think I will round out my scanning banks with the HOT and EOT frequencies. Thanks Danny! Superb video as always.

The 125 is a great scanner and it is what I use when I go out to photograph trains. If you want to listen to railroads on a small budget ($35 or so) get one of the Beofeng UV5R ham radio transceivers and program in the AAR channels. If you program using the CHIRP software, you can disable the transmit function on the rail frequencies, just to be in the safe side.I saw a person using a UV5R when I was out watching trains a few weeks ago. He could hear everything my 125 could hear. The UV5R is a terrible transceiver, but it is a good utility FM receiver for not a lot of money.

I got one of these for Christmas and I love it. I?'m looking forward the the software programming video. I use that method and it's amazing how easy it is. If you use your scanner for other things, like police/fire, or auto racing it's awesome to be able to tag the channel so you know what you're listening too. This one is SO much easier than the old 80"s era BC 200 I started out with .

Danny love your voice and presentation in all your videos! You did a great job explaining quickly and succinctly how to properly program this scanner for Railfans.

Thanks for the tips Danny. Really hoping to meet you when you return to Ohio.

I use software to program my BC125AT and it's very easy to program and use, great video Danny!!!!

Thanks, great info, I muddled through programming mine. I'm going to go back in and redo with your info.

You taught me something helpful with my 125 as when I got it, my dad told me that the higher the squelch the better it will work, but now that I know that's not the case I'm going to have to fix that as I'm sure my scanner could pick more then it does, at first I thought it was the antenna, but maybe now that I think about it it was the squelch, thanks Danny, you sure do have some helpful tips and information, and if I didn't discover your channel, I would never have known half of the things I know now.

I highly recommend the Uniden programming software Danny recommends. You either type in the info from your PC channel by channel, or you can cut/past frequencies and names from an Excel spreadsheet. It sure beats entering 97 frequecies and text names by hand! Just cut and paste the AAR database into an Excel spread sheet, then transfer to the Uniden software, upload to the scanner and you are done in about 5 minutes. There are also two other BC125AT apps I have discovered so far. One is Scan125 by Nick Bailey (very nice, and free, but consider donating) and the other is ARC125 (which will ask for money eventually).

What better way to enjoy your breakfast, lunch, or dinner break period then watching the latest upload from Danny Harmon.

Well done, Danny. I add the EOT/FRED telemetry frequencies on a separate bank to clue me in when a train is near.

Danny, thank you for making this video. As a Dad, it was very helpful to use in setting up my son’s scanner. I like to extend an invitation to come to Ashland, Virginia for Train Day on April 27,2024. My family would love to show you around. Thanks again for your help.

Two things I can recommend... I leave the AA batteries out of the BC125AT. I purchased a short mini USB B to USB cable and a cigarette lighter USB car charger adapter and power the scanner from the vehicle. Also, I have a magnetic mount external antenna thats sized to railroad radio frequencies. Going to an external antenna helps reception a lot.

This is awesome. You are so thoughtful to explain how to program our scanner Danny. Thank you so much for filming this video and sharing with us. ❤😊

Really good info. My hope is the railroads don’t go to digital encrypted and shut us railfans out of what’s been a really big part of the railfan experience.

Danny you are such a great source of information. I have been railfanning for years and never bought a scanner, always afraid I wouldn't know how to use it. I'm now seriously considering one. You seem so comfortable with it and once it's programmed it looks easy; now will I be able to program it !?!

I bought my scanner 3 years ago just for listening on train frequencies along with police ones. It does have a few hiccups. Sometimes the frequency catches up the weather broadcast which interrupts the CPKC Laredo Sub. Other than that, the scanner helped me and my railfan friends inform.

Awesome Danny. I really like that you did this. I also use the BC125AT but I wanted to point out that the 125 already has the railroad frequncies programmed into it. Its under one of the pre-programmed service banks. Selecting function and selecting the Srch/SVC button will allow you to switch to the railroad service bands. If I'm not mistaking it does have the channels in order the ARR has them on paper.

Daniel-San, you've really got to stop bombarding me with the potent memory-triggers riddled throughout these superb vids you favor us with!! I still miss the good old Bearcat I got for my 10th birthday. It picked up everything - fire, police, railroads, truckers, air traffic control, and even the odd ham radio broadcast on occasion. Living where I did in St. Louis, I had the Mopac, Frisco, and the Terminal Railroad Association as my first three "presets." On clear nights in the summer, I could also pick up the B&O, Illinois Central, Southern, and the Louisville & Nashville terminals on the east side of the Mississippi river - I once tracked an SR 4501 excursion from Carbondale Illinois all the way down to Paducah Kentucky, before the signal gave out! That Bearcat was as rugged as all get-out; it was with me for a full 30 years, and loyally served all through my brief time as a collegiate, plus a half-dozen moves from one side of the Midwest to the other and back again, whilst also functioning as a dandy sidekick during my road-rat days as a blues band drummer {to the tune of an easy 50,000+ miles documented in my driver's logbook}. When it finally gave up the ghost in 2008, I knew that it would be a right pain in the Vertical Smile to find something half as durable and reliable in this day and age, but Uniden seems to have proven me wrong - my BCD 996 hasn't had one single issue during its' first 15 years of service, and remains virtually maintenance-free in the bargain. Oh yeah - just like his predecessor, my current rig is a breeze to program. 10-Q Sir, and mega-kudos to Uniden!! 😎

Hello Mr. Harmon, up here in Southeastern Pennsylvania the New Hope & IvyLand RR have gone to IDAS/NXDN. I know that SEPTA Regional Rail serveral years ago have replaced their Motorolas with ICOMs, since ICOM's IDAS is compatable with Kenwood's NXDN. I was lookig around on Ebay for an ICOM or KENWOOD VHF portable to add AAR channels and a group of MURS for casual chit-chat. Talk to you later

Thank you for this information on programming the BC125AT, Danny.

Manually programming any scanner can be a nightmare. A PC interface is worth its weight in gold

Y'know it's a good day when he uploads!

WOW...I just bought a Uniden SR30C, simple. I only scan local UP, BNSF anyway. Thank for the info

Fantastic and Helpful video by the man, the myth , the legend the one and only Danny Harmon

THANK YOU, Danny! You made programming my BC125AT a LOT easier.

As a railroad buff, I am excited for this video. I just ordered mine. Thank you for this video as I have been waiting on a recommendation of a radio...Thank you

Wow thanks Danny, I will be programming my Uniden now.!

That was a "Fantastic" video Danny! Thanks so much, I sure learned a lot! Had Steve program my BC125AT for me! (Dave).

Watching this as I’m stuck in traffic waiting for a train to move past!

Slammed the Like Button on this video! This is one very helpful video as I just moved to Raleigh and am rail fanning starting from scratch. Thanks again Danny!

great video Danny !!! I am actually looking into buying a 125 to use this summer at the Indycar race in Toronto to hear the teams radio transmissions and I would like to be able to switch quickly back and forth to each teams radio... and I hit the thumbs up button before I even start watching your videos as I know I am going to like it a lot... Thanks Again Sir Tim in Toronto

I prefer to punch in my frequencies with the keypad, saves me time and is relatively simple. And to answer what priority DND is, it will scan your priority channel but it stops if you’re receiving transmissions from another channel. Hopes this helps and another great video Danny!

Great video for scanner beginners, Danny. Using priority "Do Not Disturb", or "DND" would solve the problem you mentioned, about the scanner jumping to a priority channel when you are listening to another active channel. Priority DND lets you set the Priority feature to check each channel set as priority, every 2 seconds as long as the scanner is not receiving transmissions. If the scanner has stopped on an active channel (or frequency) the priority feature will pause until the activity stops. I suppose it could still jump to a priority channel if they pause too long between replies.

My head was spinning when i first got the 125, but then I found the software and it was so easy. I have the banks set up in a few different ways, and the software makes it easy to visualize.

Always so Good...nah GREAT...THANX Again Mr. DANNY HARMON

Hi Mr Danny hope your having a good Tuesday

I used the bearcat software, simply cut and paste the list from radio reference into to program and save and write. easy peasy

Great Video, made it easy to program the Bearcat 125. Thanks!!

Thanks for the video. Got a good idea how to manually program the scanner. I have already programmed some frequencies through the software. I think there is a benefit to making a frequency NFM or AM. It keeps other transmissions from affecting the channel. If you made all your 97 channels Auto that is making the scanner work harder and longer. And we all do this but I try not to use the letter O for the number zero. Thanks for the video.

I don't have a scanner Danny but rest assured when I do, I'll be returning to this tutorial video. Be well!

Thank you Danny! I have the BC125 and use it at the race track, and it is the perfect little entry scanner. With the links provided I will be able to bulk load the AAR frequencies using the software. Appreciate it!

Great info on the 125!

Another great video. Getting a scanner soon.

Nothing like another great video by ya Danny! This "Legendary Cheering Railfan" gives ya another woohoo for keeping these great videos coming! :)

Good stuff Danny, THANKS for sharing!

If your in Canada, the Canadian Trackside Guide has all of the frequencies. But you have to order the book. The 2024 edition is in pre-order now.

Thank you Danny! It's great to be on the same frequency! 😉

Thank you so so much for making this video. I bought this exact model and I've got to work a few times, but it never really felt consistent and I was never confident enough to keep it with me out on the road. Can't wait to try it again!

New subscriber here, I gotta say, this has to be my favorite railfan channel on the internet! All of your videos are super informational, entertaining, and enjoyable! Thank you for the great work!

Danny uploaded !!!!!!!

Thanks again for another great video! I use my computer to program mine, 😊

I used the app. I actually used MS Excel first, then exported the list into the app, then right into the scanner. Much easier doing this on a PC.

Danny, from what I understand, the first six channels are reserved for Canada, but don't quote me on this. Thanks for the video. Jon

Danny, thanks for the hand holding. Had the BC125AT for two years and never used it. Appeared to work following your instructions but weeks later I find all the frequencies gone, replaced by something from the factory? However, I did discover “services” (Func followed by Srch = Svc) and band 5 Svc is Railroad! Check it out. Maybe not as flexible as your approach but, in my case, hopefully more durable!

Danny, thank you for this video. For the life of me I could not program my Christmas gift radio. I now have it programmed. Can't wait to use it. Take care.

Thank you so much. I'm an operator of complex industrial controls and systems. I'll be darned if I can figure out the 125. Unlike Jawtooth, I'm not a Ham Radio Operator.

Great info, Danny. This should give everyone a good start. Thanks!

This is a great video Danny! I got this scanner a while back based on your recommendation and I've got a few other modern handheld scanners already but I've dedicated this one just for the rail band. If you're going to enter the entire AAR channel list in, you should use a computer and connect the scanner via USB. There are a couple different pieces of software you can use but I like the plain old BCT125AT SS. If you want to do it by hand I'd recommend finding the most used channels that are local to you and doing those first in their own separate banks to get started. In my case I did BNSF into Bank 1, Union Pacific into Bank 2 so I can easily switch on/off the one I'm not near. Then i programmed the rest of the AAR channels into other banks. Easy to flip on/off any of them when railfanning out of the local area. Also the 'close call' feature worked GREAT to find the channel for a local short line that the conductor and engineer used to keep in touch while switching!

The BC125AT is a great scanner. I will point out that you can also connect the BC125AT to a computer via the USB. There is free software to enter frequencies which I find less tedious, especially with adding text tags. I use the software since I also program Air Traffic Control frequencies in addition to AAR frequencies for railroads.

Great video, and very helpful.

Thank you for brilliant video Danny

Thanks you sure are on top of your game with this video Danny! Any chance we will see you on The Scanner Guys, or Train Aficionado real soon? You qualify for both! 🤠 I have used both the BCT125AT and BCD160DN track side and will be sticking with the 125 for me it out performs the 160! Sure hope Uniden doesn’t stop production on the 125 it’s still the best out there for Railfans at this time!

There’s another function on that radio that makes listening easier. There’s a function called service bands. You could actually scan the entire band for police, fire, aircraft, railroad, and also public service. If I’m in an area, I’m not sure of what the railroad frequencies are I will just set it to railroad and leave the scan going in one direction. As soon as a transmission is picked up, I can hold and then save it later on because it is a frequency that is within the area that I’m listening to.

Thanks Danny great video

Thanks Danny for that information i will put them all in I've been missing conversations and didn't know why

Great video Danny. I may have to purchase one of these since NS is sending atcs monitor bye bye in my area. This is a great help. Thanks.

Only got 2-3 hours using generic batteries. Switched to Panasonic Enloop and improved to 6-8 hours. Also used feature that allows you to remove batteries and power thru usb with pocket battery bank when out all day.

Great stuff Danny, thanks!

danny always puts a great show for us great video

Programming software for the 125AT is available. Found some on eBay for $25. Software makes programming almost any radio soooo much quicker and easier.

As A Railfan And Someone Who Also Enjoys Listening To Scanners I Approve This Video. On My BC125AT I Have The Railroad Lines That I Frequently Go To Saved On My 125, But When I’m On A Line I Don’t Know The Road Frequency To, I Rely On The EOTD Device Frequency, Or I Turn On My Close Call Mode To Hear Any Train Talk Nearby.

Thanks Danny

Enter the Uniden BCD160DN. Will be available this month and is basically a 125 with a NXDN and DMR upgrade. You're welcome. 😉

Everyone drop what they’re doing, Danny has a new video up!

Thank you Danny I need to buy a BC125AT scanner

Thx for the tutorial on the uniden Bearcat BC125AT scanner danny I already had mine for a long time and I love it thx for the help danny!

Thanks very helpful for new folks

Very good information THANKS !

One other beginner mistake I made: not setting the squelch at all! For the first 24 hours my device would not scan, and I thought it was defective. It turns out the device holds on a channel until it no longer hears anything, delays for 2 seconds (by default, but you can change the time) after which it resumes scanning. If the squelch is set to 0, it decides the noise is a real, non-ending transmission, and never steps to the next channel. So, adjusting the squelch up is necessary if you want the device to scan.

I had no problems at all programming my BC125. The only issue I had was not finding the software to program it using a computer.

Another great info video !!!

Great video Danny! Will be trying this out next week on the Seligman and Needles subs, and the following week in Colorado and Wyoming!

Plug it into your computer and use chirp to program it. Also, upgrade the antenna, the stock antenna sux.

Thank you! I am excited to program my radio and go railfan seriously on the CN

Thanks Danny you are the best