How to Program the Uniden BC355N: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
The BC355N is programmed entirely from its front panel. Its owner's manual describes no computer connection, and its rear panel has only antenna, external speaker and DC power jacks. It has no numeric keypad, so you find a frequency by scanning or searching and then store it with PROG. Uniden states that it is not a digital scanner and cannot monitor P25, DMR or NXDN systems.
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What You Need
- Scanner: Uniden BC355N
- Frequency list: Analog, non-digital frequencies for your area (the manual suggests www.radioreference.com)
- Software and cable: None. The manual describes front-panel programming only
Step-by-Step Programming Instructions
Follow these steps in order. Steps marked "Optional" can be skipped.
Confirm Your Local Agencies Are Analog
Uniden states the BC355N "is not a digital scanner and is not capable of Digital Radio system monitoring (e.g. Project 25, DMR, NXDN)." Before programming, look up your county on RadioReference. Check that the agencies you want use conventional analog frequencies, not digital trunked systems or encryption.
Select the USA Band Plan
The BC355N can use either USA or Canadian band steps. To choose USA, press and hold UP while you turn the scanner on; for Canada, hold DOWN. The scanner remembers this setting when you power off.
Set the Squelch
Turn SQ fully counter-clockwise until you hear open squelch noise. Then turn it slowly clockwise until the noise just disappears, and set the volume to a comfortable level.
Scan the Preprogrammed Service Banks
Press a service bank key to start scanning. Each press of PD/FD/EMG cycles through Police/Fire/EMG, Police only, Fire/EMG only, and none. AIR/MRN cycles through Air/Marine, Air, Marine, and none in the same way. WX scans the 7 NOAA weather frequencies, and CB scans the 40 CB channels. Press other bank keys to add those banks to the scan.
Find the Frequency You Want to Store
You can store any frequency the scanner displays. To find one, press BAND to choose one of the 13 search bands and press SEARCH. Or press HOLD and use UP or DOWN to step through frequencies by hand; holding UP or DOWN for more than a second steps quickly. When the scanner shows the frequency you want, press HOLD.
Store It in a Channel With PROG
While on hold, press PROG ("CH" flashes). Then press the bank key you want: PD/FD/EMG, AIR/MRN or PRIVATE. The display shows the lowest available channel in that bank, and you can press UP or DOWN to pick a different one. Press PROG again to store the frequency. Then press HOLD to resume scanning.
Scan Your Stored Channels
Press PRIVATE to scan the Private bank. Frequencies stored in the PD/FD/EMG or AIR/MRN banks are scanned after that bank's preprogrammed channels. The advantage of the Private bank, per the manual, is that you can scan it with the service banks turned off.
Turn On Program Lock
Once your channels are stored, press and hold PROG for longer than 2.5 seconds. The display shows "on Prg-Loc," and accidental programming is blocked. Hold PROG for 2.5 seconds again to turn it off ("OF Prg-Loc").
Tips for Best Results
- There are 300 user channels in all: 100 shared by Police and Fire/EMG, 100 shared by Air and Marine, and 100 in the Private bank. The CB and WX banks cannot be programmed, and the scanner shows ERROR if you try.
- Uniden recommends against storing a weather frequency in the Private bank. Weather transmits continuously, so the scanner would stop there and never move to other frequencies.
- Close Call finds strong nearby signals. Press the Close Call key to cycle through Do Not Disturb, Priority and Off; press and hold it for Close Call Only mode. In Close Call Only, press it again for the menu, where C-C.bAnd chooses which bands (VHF Low, Air, VHF High, UHF, 800 MHz) are checked.
- Pressing L/O once locks out a frequency temporarily ("T L/O", cleared at power-off); pressing it twice locks it out permanently ("L/O"). Locking out a frequency in a service bank locks it out in all banks, but not in channels you have stored.
- To save a marine frequency to a channel, hold on it during the Marine search and store it with PROG. The manual notes it is saved in NFM mode.
Troubleshooting
These are the most common issues encountered when programming the Uniden BC355N and how to resolve each one.
The PROG key does nothing
Stop scanning or searching first (press HOLD); the manual lists this as the fix. If the display shows "Prg-Loc," Program Lock is on. Press and hold PROG for longer than 2.5 seconds to turn it off.
ERROR appears when storing a frequency
You pressed a non-programmable bank key. CB and WX cannot hold user frequencies. Press PD/FD/EMG, AIR/MRN or PRIVATE instead.
Pressing PRIVATE does not start a scan
The Private bank only scans once frequencies have been programmed into it. Also try adjusting squelch, and check that you have not locked out every channel in the bank.
The scanner stops on local police but there is no intelligible voice
The BC355N cannot decode digital systems such as P25, DMR or NXDN, and no scanner can decode encrypted traffic. Check RadioReference to see whether the agency has moved to a digital or encrypted system.
How do I clear everything and start over?
Turn the scanner on while pressing and holding PROG and L/O. This clears all memory, and the band plan resets to USA.
Related Gear
The cheapest upgrade after programming is usually the antenna; check that its connector fits the Uniden BC355N.
Sources
The steps on this page come from the manufacturer documents below, retrieved 2026-10-12. Menus can change with firmware updates, so check the current manual if a screen does not match.
- Uniden BC355N Owner's Manual (PDF, 2024 edition) Sections: About Your New BC355N Scanner (banks, band plans), Included in Your Scanner Package, Scanner Operation Overview (front- and rear-panel keys), Set Up (Adjusting Squelch), Operating Modes, Lock Out Channels/Frequencies, Close Call, Private Bank (Programming a Channel, Deleting a Programmed Frequency), Program Lock Feature, Clear All Memory, and Troubleshooting Guide.
- Uniden BC355N product page The "Non-Digital Scanner" statement (no P25, DMR or NXDN monitoring).
If Programming Doesn't Solve the Problem
If you have completed all programming steps correctly but still hear no intelligible audio, there are two likely causes. The Uniden BC355N is an analog scanner, so an agency that has moved to a digital system (such as P25, DMR or NXDN) will sound like noise or nothing at all, even when it is not encrypted. The agency may also be encrypted, and no scanner — regardless of model or programming — can decode an encrypted signal.
Check how your agencies are listed on RadioReference.com before assuming the scanner is at fault: whether each channel is analog or digital, which digital mode it uses, and whether it is encrypted. If your local police are encrypted, consider joining efforts to restore public access.
Learn how to fight encryption →