Serial Port on Bearcat BCD996XT Connector Gender

[N3GPA]

Hi,

I am the proud owner of my first scanner and need some advice on adapting it to my computer. I purchased a USB to Serial adaptor, which actually arrived today with the scanner. My problem is this:

The serial adapter ends in a MALE connector the SAME as The SCANNER. Do i need to use a "Null Modem" cable to change the gender or should I use a "Straight Thru" Female to Female gender changer?

Thank you for your help,
Jennifer -N3GPA

[bernietr]

I tried straight through with gender adapter. Did not work
I think it might need null modem.

[lep]

I am confused. The USB connector is a "mini" on the front panel of hte 9996XT just next to the HOLD on the lower right and almost under the function knob. I have never seen a cable with the reverse of the panel connector. It ends in a normal USB connector for attaching to your PC.

Maybe we are talking about different things.

[N3GPA]

Hi,
I thought you had to use the serial port on the back of the device, i read that somewhere. Perhaps it was referring to a different model. Ya gotta love radios that do not come with any instructions and have pretty weak web sites to boot.

Thanks! I'll head down to the local radio shack tomorrow and pick one up.

Programming is not to difficult. I have had the scanner for five hours now and it is already working On my home counties trunked system. I think the fact that it is my first scanner Helps out, did not have any expectations on how it "should" work. I guess thirty years as a computer programmer helped a little

Thanks again!
Jen - N3GPA

[fxdscon]

Originally Posted by N3GPA

Hi,
I thought you had to use the serial port on the back of the device, i read that somewhere. Perhaps it was referring to a different model.Jen - N3GPA

Either the front port or the rear port can be used for programming, but only the front port can be used for firmware updates.

[lep]

Originally Posted by N3GPA

Hi,
I thought you had to use the serial port on the back of the device, i read that somewhere. Perhaps it was referring to a different model. Ya gotta love radios that do not come with any instructions and have pretty weak web sites to boot.


Jen - N3GPA

Instead of a printed manual, Uniden supports this model through a twiki. The current firmware is v. 1.06.00 (2012).
The 98 page printed manual sold by ScannerMaster is dated May 2007. In other words this is a scanner that has been on the market for more than 5 years.
In addition to this rr.com discussion there is a yahoo group/BCD996XT also.

Enjoy.

[ka3jjz]

And one of our members published the Easier to Read manuals, the links for which can be found at:

Uniden DMA FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

Yes, the Uniden TWiki is pretty poor - and it's VERY slow. Ironic, since the word 'wiki' comes from a Hawaiian word that means 'quickly' or 'fast'. It sure isn't.

Mike

[cronst10]

Jen you can use a serial port adapter from staples, model 18762. I used it on mine to do the firmware update using the rear port and had no issues.

[cronst10]

Jen, stand corrected, it is used for the front port, my mistake.

[N3GPA]

OK, so i can use the serial port adapter I already purchased. So I am right back to my original question:

The USB to Serial adapter i have has a male connector on it, the scanner has the same. So do i need a straight thru female/female adapter or will i need a null modem adapter (one that crosses a couple of the pins)?

Thanks again,
Jen - N3GPA

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by N3GPA

OK, so i can use the serial port adapter I already purchased. So I am right back to my original question:

The USB to Serial adapter i have has a male connector on it, the scanner has the same. So do i need a straight thru female/female adapter or will i need a null modem adapter (one that crosses a couple of the pins)?

Thanks again,
Jen - N3GPA

Your scanner should have come with a cable that has a female DB-9 on one end. Plug that into your USB adapter and the other end into the front jack on the scanner.

[cronst10]

Jen, use the cable supplied with the scanner and plug the smaller end in the port on the bottom right side of the front of the scanner. Then the adapter cable to that, should be male to female, then to the computer.

[ka3jjz]

This is VERY important - don't connect anything to the PC until the drivers for the cable have been loaded. You can use Windows Device Manager to see what changed.

That's discussed here...

Connecting scanners via USB - The RadioReference Wiki

HTH...Mike

[cronst10]

Thank you Mike, sure she doesn't need anymore problems.

[Kingmobileaudio]

You should upload a photo of your cable your using.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[Redneck0410]

I bought a DB9 to USB adapter from OfficeMax right after I bought my BCT15X and the drivers didn't work for Win7, so I had to use the drivers from the Staples equivalent. That worked perfectly and now no more problems! USB / Serial Portable Adapter | USB Cables | Computer Cables | Business | Products | Belkin Australia Site this is the link to the one I have. Used the cable supplied along with it, installed drivers from Staples equivalent of the same, and it reads my scanner flawlessly. Your mileage may vary.

[Redneck0410]

Originally Posted by Kingmobileaudio

You should upload a photo of your cable your using.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

I don't want to assume she has the wrong USB cable, but that's what it almost sounds like. With the link I gave along with the cable that comes with the scanner she'll be reading on the computer in no time.

[kb2vxa]

Perhaps something nobody has thought of, Uniden scanners don't like USB adapters. I tried several on mine and used the latest drivers to no avail, the solution was to install a serial port card in the computer. I would have used COM 1 but for the fact the header on the mobo is way up front and I would have to make a cable to reach the back panel. I disabled COM 1 and installed the card, the machine found it and the ports (4) and I'm in business.

[Redneck0410]

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Perhaps something nobody has thought of, Uniden scanners don't like USB adapters. I tried several on mine and used the latest drivers to no avail, the solution was to install a serial port card in the computer. I would have used COM 1 but for the fact the header on the mobo is way up front and I would have to make a cable to reach the back panel. I disabled COM 1 and installed the card, the machine found it and the ports (4) and I'm in business.

I was just linking to the one I have that worked for me, hence the "Your mileage may vary." at the end of my post. I wasn't saying that's the only one that'll work by any means. Everyone's situations are different. What works for me on my BCT15X might not work for someone with a 396 or 996 series. I purchased my cable to make programming a little easier for me because I had a couple hundred channels I had to put in all at once. Any small "tweaks" I have to do to my scanner are done by hand. Since there's no new firmware released for the scanner thus far, there's no reason for me to constantly have the cable on it unless I'm using it for my feed. If I had a room full of scanners to provide my feed, I would, but as is the case with a lot of people in this hobby, I don't have a boatload of money to sink into a bunch of radios. I'm ready to sell off my stock in order to get digital scanners.

[kruser]

Originally Posted by lep

I am confused. The USB connector is a "mini" on the front panel of hte 9996XT just next to the HOLD on the lower right and almost under the function knob. I have never seen a cable with the reverse of the panel connector. It ends in a normal USB connector for attaching to your PC.

Maybe we are talking about different things.

The front port is NOT USB. It is SERIAL using a hirose connector on the radio end.

The cable Uniden sells called the USB-1, I think, is just a USB to serial adapter with the hirose connector on the scanner end.