First Post - Please Be Gentle

[YMS_1975]

Hello,

I reside in Brampton, Ontario. After doing a lot of internet investigating, I concluded I was in way over my head when it came to which scanner I should buy. I finally found a shop in Whitby, Ontario that was able to assist me better understand which scanner would best suit my needs.

I ended up purchasing the Uniden BCD-396XT.

Needless to say, like many others I was quite disappointed with the manual that came with it. And at the price I paid I kinda felt like a sucker. But I'm not here to bash the makers of the product. I'm here to figure out how to get this thing up and running to accomodate my needs.

I'm not technically savvy when it comes to scanners; computers yes, but not scanners. I'm new to scanners and still learning the lingo. The wiki's have been helpful but there's so much information out there and before my membership on Radio Reference.com expires I'd like to have something to show for my investments. I say investments because not only did I purchase the scanner, but I purchased the optional USB cable, and then.....after all the reading I did, I figured I'd have problems programming the scanner, so I purchased ARC-XT PRO.

I wasn't sure if I should post this under the software section, or the hardware section because it kind of applies to both I guess, so I apologize if I goofed on posting this in the wrong section.

When I purchased the scanner, out of the box it came with a bunch of U.S counties set up (which I have no use for). So, I deleted all systems and added what I was interested in. And what I'm interested in is the following :

1) Toronto Police
2) Toronto ByLaw (Parking Control)
3) Peel Regional Police
4) Peel Regional ByLaw (Parking Control)

According to the ARC-XT PRO software I purchased, I've now got two systems on my scanner:

#1) Name : Toronto Type : Conventional
#2) Name : PeelRegion/Motor Type : Motorola

But whenever I'm at home (Brampton) I can't seem to scan the Toronto system. Is it because I have to be in the Toronto area? I'm sorry if that's a goofy question, but like I said....I am new to this and I'd like to learn more. There's just so much out there and I am very eager to get this up and running.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Forts]

Welcome aboard! I think most people will agree, the hobby these days can be a little confusing for new folks, especially with a high end radio like you have. But you are headed in the right direction... reading the Wiki and using software will make your life easier.

As for the problems you are having, the first thing that jumps out at me is that you only have Toronto conventional frequencies in your radio, not the trunked system. If you go back into Arc you will need to import the Toronto Public Safety system.... hopefully that will get you headed in the right direction. And yes, it is also possible that your can't 'hear' the system from where you are at home (could be caused by many reasons). This can be solved by a simple thing as sitting the radio in a different location (by a window perhaps) or you may need to look into an upgraded antenna or even an outdoor antenna.

Let us know how you make out!

 

[EJB]

Hello,

I reside in Brampton, Ontario. After doing a lot of internet investigating, I concluded I was in way over my head when it came to which scanner I should buy. I finally found a shop in Whitby, Ontario that was able to assist me better understand which scanner would best suit my needs.

I ended up purchasing the Uniden BCD-396XT.

Needless to say, like many others I was quite disappointed with the manual that came with it. And at the price I paid I kinda felt like a sucker. But I'm not here to bash the makers of the product. I'm here to figure out how to get this thing up and running to accomodate my needs.

I'm not technically savvy when it comes to scanners; computers yes, but not scanners. I'm new to scanners and still learning the lingo. The wiki's have been helpful but there's so much information out there and before my membership on Radio Reference.com expires I'd like to have something to show for my investments. I say investments because not only did I purchase the scanner, but I purchased the optional USB cable, and then.....after all the reading I did, I figured I'd have proble

ms programming the scanner, so I purchased ARC-XT PRO.

I wasn't sure if I should post this under the software section, or the hardware section because it kind of applies to both I guess, so I apologize if I goofed on posting this in the wrong section.

When I purchased the scanner, out of the box it came with a bunch of U.S counties set up (which I have no use for). So, I deleted all systems and added what I was interested in. And what I'm interested in is the following :

1) Toronto Police
2) Toronto ByLaw (Parking Control)
3) Peel Regional Police
4) Peel Regional ByLaw (Parking Control)

According to the ARC-XT PRO software I purchased, I've now got two systems on my scanner:

#1) Name : Toronto Type : Conventional
#2) Name : PeelRegion/Motor Type : Motorola

But whenever I'm at home (Brampton) I can't seem to scan the Toronto system. Is it because I have to be in the Toronto area? I'm sorry if that's a goofy question, but like I said....I am new to this and I'd like to learn more. There's just so much out there and I am very eager to get this up and running.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You have to enter in the Toronto system as a Motorola system and you have to be close enough for the scanner to hear the control channel well enough for you to hear the talkgroups you want. If you are using the antenna that came with your Scanner you may want to upgrade.

Never hesitate if you want to ask questions. To go from old scanners to a difficult 396XT is quite a task!

I am also certain that fellow 396XT owners will have files for you. it is always good to see the files, how they appear, what is in them, etc and then you can build new ones or tweak the ones you havw!

Eric

 

[torontokris]

Also try FREESCAN ScanNow.org - The Home of FreeSCAN! its FREE programming software. It can also import from radioreference.

As forts said besure to import Toronto Public Safety (parking is udner zone 6).
Peel Region Police are under Peel Region.

On a side note i could have sold you a brand new BCD396XT for $500 and programmed what you wanted in it (the above items) included in the above price. But I digress.

I think your section is fine since its Ontario programming related better to ask here. you ask in the software forum and youll get replies from all over the US, not specific to what you need (say toronto parking)

 

[nodak1crdet3]

Give this site a try. Easier to read scanner manuals.
Mark's Scanners

 

[ve3zo]

I've made a ffile using ARC xt for Toronto Public Saftey. This file has all aspects of public safety included.

Let me know how it works out for you or anyone who wants to use it

 

[IdleMonitor]

Will this work for ARC396T ?

I've made a ffile using ARC xt for Toronto Public Saftey. This file has all aspects of public safety included.

Let me know how it works out for you or anyone who wants to use it

 

[ve3zo]

Nope, but this one should it was made with arc396

 

[_jabber_]

I did buy my scanner from those guys in Whitby before I was aware of Kris.
Kris is very knowledgeable and helpful and I will go to him before going to any dealer from now on!

 

[YMS_1975]

FRUSTRATING to say the least.....

Sorry for the late reply. I'm just now able to sit down at my desk and try this out. I guess I'm not having much luck.

I did what you guys suggested and installed the trunked system, but I guess I didn't do it right. I've included some stills so you can see what I'm seeing.

I thought I followed your instructions to a tee, but if you look here you'll see that the Toronto system is still listed as "Conventional". http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/ScannerRead.jpg

If I read all selected systems, here's what you'll see. http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/BothSystems-Detailed.jpg

This is what I thought you meant by selecting the trunked system.
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/Trunked.jpg

But obviously I'm doing something wrong. Can somebody please help me? Perhaps shoot me a phone number where I could call, or if I could give you my number? I'm just not getting this.

 

[ve3zo]

Private message sent..

Sorry for the late reply. I'm just now able to sit down at my desk and try this out. I guess I'm not having much luck.

I did what you guys suggested and installed the trunked system, but I guess I didn't do it right. I've included some stills so you can see what I'm seeing.

I thought I followed your instructions to a tee, but if you look here you'll see that the Toronto system is still listed as "Conventional". http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/ScannerRead.jpg

If I read all selected systems, here's what you'll see. http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/BothSystems-Detailed.jpg

This is what I thought you meant by selecting the trunked system.
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/Trunked.jpg

But obviously I'm doing something wrong. Can somebody please help me? Perhaps shoot me a phone number where I could call, or if I could give you my number? I'm just not getting this.

 

[Forts]

Here is the file from my 396XT... I've stripped out everything except Toronto and Peel.

Quick Key #1 is Toronto conventional stuff
Quick Key #2 is Toronto trunked
Quick Key #3 is Peel conventional stuff
Quick Key #4 is Peel trunked

The data may be a little out of date since I'm not up that way all that often, but it should get you started and gives you something to look at and compare to your file (this file is from FreeScan by the way).

 

[YMS_1975]

Kinda feel dumb.

Give this site a try. Easier to read scanner manuals.
Mark's Scanners

I *DID* read that. In fact I have it saved on my PC. LOL.....man I feel dumb. Who knew this was so confusing? Not to sound too pessimistic but I guess I'm doomed to do things the hard & costly way (which is consistent with my past). But you know what really burns me though? For *once* I trusted a professional to help assist me in choosing the right product. I should have spent much more time than I did in figuring out which product to buy. Had I done that, I would've gone with the Home Patrol one.

*Smashing Head Against The Wall* STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!

Anyways, cpitre is going to be helping me out and hopefully I can get this thing to work. Hopefully.

 

[EJB]

Dont beat yourself up, these new scanners are hards to get for the first time. Once you figure it out it is a piece of cake

 

[torontokris]

The last one is the Toronto Trunked system and what you need to put in.
For some reason you only have Toronto conventional in the actual systems.

try forts file it may help.

home patrol also needs some figuring out at the start, as it inputs everything in the area so the user needs to narrow down more what they want to listen to

 

[YMS_1975]

Well....

The last one is the Toronto Trunked system and what you need to put in.
For some reason you only have Toronto conventional in the actual systems.

try forts file it may help.

home patrol also needs some figuring out at the start, as it inputs everything in the area so the user needs to narrow down more what they want to listen to

...I was tinkering around with it some more, and now, this is what I have.

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/YMS_1975/NEWReading.jpg

So it's changed. BUT....I still can't hear Toronto. Then again, I am in my basement in Brampton SO.....it could be that it's now loaded as "Motorola" properly but because of my location I can't hear squat. Any thoughts?