How to Program the Uniden BC365CRS: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
The BC365CRS is programmed from its numeric keypad: you type a frequency directly into a channel. Its PC jack is listed in the manual as "only used for firmware updates," so there is no PC programming to set up. Uniden describes it as a 500-channel conventional analog scanner that cannot monitor P25, DMR or NXDN systems.
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What You Need
- Scanner: Uniden BC365CRS
- Frequency list: Analog conventional frequencies for your area (the manual suggests www.radioreference.com or the FCC's database)
- Software and cable: None for programming. The PC I/F jack is only used for firmware updates
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 BC365CRS "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.
Plan Your Banks
The scanner has 500 channels arranged in 10 banks of 50: bank 1 is channels 1–50, bank 2 is 51–100, and so on. The manual suggests making a list of your frequencies and organizing them into groups before you start. For example, put police in one bank and fire/EMS in another, so each bank can be switched on or off while scanning.
Switch to Scanner Mode
Set the Time slide switch to Clock, then set the MODE switch to Scanner. The MODE switch selects FM, Weather or Scanner, and the manual notes it only works with the Time switch set to Clock.
Enter Program Mode and Choose a Channel
Press E/PGM; the PGM icon appears. If the current channel is not the one you want to program, type the channel number and press HOLD.
Type the Frequency and Store It
Enter the frequency with the number keys, using the ./Clr key for the decimal point, then press E/PGM. To program the next channel, press ▲ or ▼ and enter another frequency. To jump to a different channel, type its number and press HOLD. Press HOLD or SCAN to leave Program mode.
Scan and Choose Which Banks Are Active
Press SCAN. The scanner scans all unlocked programmed channels in the banks that are turned on. While scanning, press a bank's number key to turn that bank on or off.
Set Priority Channels (Optional)
You can make one channel in each bank a priority channel. Select the channel, press E/PGM, then press PRI; a "P" appears when the scanner stops on it. While scanning or holding, press PRI to switch between Priority Scan, Priority DND and Off. With Priority Scan on, the scanner checks priority channels every 2 seconds.
Save Frequencies Found by Searching
To find frequencies you don't know yet, use Limit Search or Service Search. For Limit Search, press SEARCH then HOLD, enter one limit and press E/PGM, press ▲ or ▼, enter the other limit and press E/PGM, then press SEARCH. For Service Search, press SVC, then the Police, Fire/EMS, Air, Ham or Marine key. To save a find, press HOLD, then E/PGM. The display shows the lowest empty channel; use ▲/▼ to choose a channel and press E/PGM.
Tips for Best Results
- A programmed channel automatically has Delay turned on, so the scanner pauses 2 seconds after a transmission to catch replies. Select the channel and press DELAY to turn it off.
- To clear a channel, enter 0 as its frequency in Program mode. Any frequency you program replaces whatever was in that channel.
- Up to 50 frequencies can be added to the skip list for Limit Search and Service Search. Press L/O when the search stops on one you don't want.
- If you power the scanner from the AC adapter without batteries, turn it off with POWER, not by unplugging. The manual warns that unplugging could corrupt memory.
- Weather alert detection works only with the MODE switch on Weather, the Time switch on Clock, and the power off.
Troubleshooting
These are the most common issues encountered when programming the Uniden BC365CRS and how to resolve each one.
The scanner beeps and shows a different channel when I store a frequency
That frequency is already stored in the channel shown (the Duplicate Channel Alert). To store it again anyway, press E/PGM a second time.
A programmed channel is never scanned
Check for the L/O icon on that channel. If it is there, select the channel and press L/O to unlock it, or press and hold L/O for 2 seconds in Scan mode to unlock all channels in a bank. Also check that the channel's bank is turned on: press that bank's number key while scanning.
Can the BC365CRS be programmed from a computer?
Not according to the owner's manual. Its specifications list the PC I/F jack as "Only used for firmware updates," and all programming steps use the keypad.
The scanner stops on local police but there is no intelligible voice
The BC365CRS 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 reset the scanner?
Disconnect power and remove any batteries. Then hold down 2, 9 and HOLD while reconnecting power. All memory is erased 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 BC365CRS.
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 BC365CRS Owner's Manual (PDF, 2024 edition) Sections: Precautions (AC adapter warning), Features, Controls (key and switch functions, PC I/F), Using the Scanner Memories (Programming Memories, Scanning Memory Banks, Locking/Unlocking Channels, Using Priority Scan, Setting Channel Delay), Searching for Active Frequencies, Listening to Service Channels, Weather Alert Detection, Resetting the Scanner, and Technical Specifications.
- Uniden BC365CRS product page The "Non-Digital Scanner" statement and the description as a 500-channel conventional analog scanner.
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 BC365CRS 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 →