Best USB to serial for BCT-15

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Napalm

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Hi folks,

Recently moved to the US from the UK, and I am really missing my old PC - it used to have a serial port which meant programming and controlling my radios was easy.

I'm now stuck with my Windows 7 netbook with USB only - so, my question is, what's the best USB/serial adapter for this task? I can see lots of different USB-serial adapters on google/ebay but no idea which one is most compatible.

David.
 

ka3jjz

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There are a great many that are compatible - probably the most direct way to go would likely be the USB-1 from Uniden; I believe they're available from Scanner Master. But there are several generic ones that have been reported to work well, and those links can be found in our wiki...

Connecting scanners via USB - The RadioReference Wiki

best regards..Mike
 

cdknapp

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Radio Shack has a good one that's called Gigaware that runs around $40. Beware of some of the cheap one (like on EBay) as they just don't work. I had a hard time finding one that was dependable, and this did the trick. I use it for programming 2 way radios as well.
 

garys

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The trick is to make sure that it's Windows 7 compatible. The best ones I've found so far use the FTDI chipset, but I haven't had to use one with a Win7 machine.

My experience with XP machines has been that the more expensive adapters perform no better than the cheaper ones. Of course different computers will interact with different adapters in different ways. So will different software packages. I've found the Butel software to be very tolerant of different devices, but some other programs are not.
 

Napalm

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The USB-1 is nice, but ideally I'd like to be able to USB to serial with other devices too - I prefer to program my BCT-15 thru the back panel anyway... don't ask me why!

It's fairly cheap too, I must admit. (USB1).
 

GTR8000

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Napalm

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I picked up a TRENDnet TU-S9 from amazon.com for $11 a month ago, and it works flawlessly. Very well made, it has a solid feel to it. It's also 26" long, so it gives you some extra reach on your existing serial cable if you ever need it.

Oh and btw, the TU-S9 uses the exact same convertor chip that the USB-1 uses.

TRENDnet | Products | USB 1.0 / 1.1 / 2.0 Devices | TU-S9

Amazon.com: TRENDnet USB to Serial Converter TU-S9 (Blue): Electronics

That's what I wanted to hear, thank you!

Programming this by hand is painful - literally. I also have a ton of systems and counties to program and I cannot stand to do it by hand any more.
 

Napalm

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Just bought one on amazon... thanks for the heads up. Heading down to Winchester in Randolph Co. Indiana next weekend and I don't want to have to program the entire route by hand!
 
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