Freescan

[KC0CSE]

so every one uses Freescan for there 396xt? ....there is no other programming out there for these units?...

[kirk23]

Sure there are..but Freescan is FREE...and it works as well if not better than the other programs that they are selling out there...why would somebody buy a program when freescan is free?

[ka3jjz]

There are many others, as shown in our wiki...

Uniden DMA Software Support - The RadioReference Wiki

However, a couple of them - BCTool and BCProgTool, specifically - are no longer being supported and/or developed. I think you can say that the big 3 for the XT scanners, in no particular order, are FreeScan, ProScan and ARC-XT.

The article above lists only packages that supports more than 1 DMA scanner. There are several BuTel packages that support a single radio (or radio type, as some have an Euro brother) such as ARC246 and ARC330 that aren't listed there...Mike

[kirk23]

KC0CSE....
I replied to your PM..

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by KC0CSE

so every one uses Freescan for there 396xt? ....there is no other programming out there for these units?...

Besides FreeSCAN, you could also use ARC-XT or ProScan.

ARC-XT only works on the XT series of Uniden Scanners: BC346XT, BC15X, BCD396XT, and BCD996XT. There are two versions. The 'Basic' version does programming, including web-import for Premium Subscribers, and costs $39.95. To add virtual control, logging, & recording functionality, you have to upgrade to the "Pro" version at $69.95. A full breakdown on features can be found on Butel's site.

ProScan covers the XT scanners, but also covers previous DMA scanners such as the BR330T, BCT15, BCD396T, and BCD996T. Additionally, it also covers older 'bank' scanners BC796D, BC785D, BC780XLT, BC296D, and the BC250D. Besides web import and programming, it also includes virtual control and recording in it's $50.00 registration fee.

FreeSCAN is what I use 99% of the time. It does everything I need as far as programming, web import, logging, and recording. While it is free, donations are accepted, and I did make a donation to support the software. I also purchased ProScan because it supports two older scanners that I won, the BC780XLT & BC250D.

[ka3jjz]

And it should be mentioned that all 3 (ARC-XT, ProScan and FreeScan) support importing data from our database (with a premium subscription, natch), not just ProScan.

All 3 have links in the article I linked to previously...

Mike

[SouthSideScannerGuy]

Originally Posted by kirk23

Sure there are..but Freescan is FREE...and it works as well if not better than the other programs that they are selling out there...why would somebody buy a program when freescan is free?

Perhaps they don't care for the Freescan program and they think the XT-PRO is a better all-around program? Just a thought.

[doctordialtone]

Originally Posted by kirk23

Sure there are..but Freescan is FREE...and it works as well if not better than the other programs that they are selling out there...why would somebody buy a program when freescan is free?

I'm with you, Kirk.

Freescan is great, and I will promote it any chance I can. So great that I felt compelled to donate, soon after I started using it. It was the right thing to do for something that worked so well.

It helps you visualize your systems - not that the others don't - and as a bonus, the developer responds to questions and requests in his forums. Even the stupid ones. Frankly, I'd be lost without it. I can make minor tweaks and modifications on the fly, and I haven't had a single problem using it.

If I haven't made myself clear, I like it a lot and recommend it highly.

[bleague]

Ditto on the Freescan and ditto on donating to the developer - I did because it made my life SO much easier.

[kirk23]

Originally Posted by doctordialtone

I'm with you, Kirk.

Freescan is great, and I will promote it any chance I can. So great that I felt compelled to donate, soon after I started using it. It was the right thing to do for something that worked so well.

It helps you visualize your systems - not that the others don't - and as a bonus, the developer responds to questions and requests in his forums. Even the stupid ones. Frankly, I'd be lost without it. I can make minor tweaks and modifications on the fly, and I haven't had a single problem using it.

If I haven't made myself clear, I like it a lot and recommend it highly.

Thanks "Doc"..
Don't you love people that critisize you when someone asked a question and you offer them your opinion..?

[jsncrso]

I used FreeSCAN exclusively, but I purchased ARC-XT Pro when it went on sale for half off. Overall, ARC-XT is a better program, but it does come at a high price. My main reason for buying ARC-XT was it much easier to edit groups of columns versus FreeSCAN, where you can only change the parameters of something one cell at a time.

[doctordialtone]

Originally Posted by kirk23

Thanks "Doc"..
Don't you love people that critisize you when someone asked a question and you offer them your opinion..?

Kirk,
True dat. Most of us come here to try to offer constructive advice and positive encouragement in our spare time to help others. As a firefighter – it’s exactly what you do and have done. Some others might come here to debate, contradict and argue for the fun of it. I suppose it helps them figure things out in their own ways. I simply try to avoid the negative, because it’s just not constructive.

As Louis Armstrong once eloquently stated, it’s best to “Accentuate the positive, avoid the negative and don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.”

Slightly off-topic it seems. But the same applies to Assaf, who developed Freescan.
Go here and look:
http://scannow.org/forum/

[bear780ks]

S.S.G what if person like i has there radio programmed instead of using the free scan if i re-turn my homepatrol-1 for the 396xt i can have it programmed with our local frequencies and it would be done by a person that sells and knows about the radio.

I would like to program it my self but not knowing that much about it as i did my bc780 and my 296D that i had for a short time they were banked but they say once this scanner is programmed it's easy to run. But i was wondering about that and wanted to ask) And i would like to add nice radio shack.. b780

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by jsncrso

I used FreeSCAN exclusively, but I purchased ARC-XT Pro when it went on sale for half off. Overall, ARC-XT is a better program, but it does come at a high price. My main reason for buying ARC-XT was it much easier to edit groups of columns versus FreeSCAN, where you can only change the parameters of something one cell at a time.

Not sure what you're trying to change.

However, in FreeSCAN you can change multiple (conventional) channels or talkgroups at one time. Example: I've gone through my local conventional systems, which I know have updated to narrowband (NFM) from the old standard, FM. Holding down the <Shift> key, I can click on the top, and then bottom, entry in the system, so that they are all highlighted.

Now, press & hold down the <CTRL> (control) key instead of the <Shift>.
With all the lines still highlighted, and still holding down <CTRL>, use the mouse to change the top (or for that matter, any entry in the list) to NFM. Still holding down the <CTRL>, clicking the "Mode" cell for a different frequency will change the entire list (or all that were highlighted, if you're not changing all of them) to NFM.

You can do the same with any other cell. Highlight the ones needing to be updated, using either the <SHIFT> key, or holding down the <CTRL> key, if they are not contiguous. Then still holding <CTRL>, change the parameter on one cell (say, display color, on a 396XT), and then 'touch' the Alt Color cell for a different, highlighted, line, and all the marked ones will be changed.

[kbehning]

I actually bought ARC-XT (along with ARC780 and ARC250) during a 1/2 off sale from Butel. I did this before I knew there was a freescan. I am extremely happy with the SW though. I used to play with an excel program that a guy called Andy wrote to program the BC245XLT, that was my first radio programming via SW, and it was pretty clunky. I was just happy to find Butel's official software so I went for it. Haven't looked back... It's worth it at full price, once you get a few weekends of frequency tweeking and optimization. I is really nice to dial in your radio programming to match across radios and to fix those little things you notice, quickly and easily.

Whatever SW you choose, it sounds like they're all quite capable to manage your radios.

[ceburyda]

After a whopping one day experience with my BCD396XT and Freescan I was able to set my scanner up and running with the local frequencies using this sites premium service. If you want instant gratification it's a great tool. In time I will learn the scanner offerings manually. That being said, I will probably purchase the other programs later to check out their features then stick with one.

Originally Posted by KC0CSE

so every one uses Freescan for there 396xt? ....there is no other programming out there for these units?...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[KE4ZNR]

Moved to the Scanner Software forum.
Marshall KE4ZNR