Freescan/BCD996XT COM Port Error

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smitty54017

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Purchased the BCD996XT today (huge regret). I'm attempting to program it via the latest version of FreeSCAN downloaded from their site today. Computer is running on Win 10. Connected using a Radio Shack (Gigaware) Serial USB adapter. FreeSCAN will not find the scanner. "FreeSCAN was unable to detect any available COM ports..."

Windows Device Manager sees the adapter. I've tried uninstalling it, restarting the PC, etc. No luck. FreeSCAN will not let me change COM ports, nor will the auto search function worked. It worked on my Win 7 laptop earlier today, until the laptop died (another happy moment in my day).

I'm ready to bring this brick back for a refund.
 

W8RMH

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You have to use the Uniden Cable and driver. If you easily get frustrated programming a scanner you may want to consider a HomePartrol-2 or one of the BCDx36HPs which are easier to program using the free Sentinel software.
 

ka3jjz

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The problem is quite likely the fact that unless the cable you're using has drivers that are Win10 compatible, it won't work very well. This is well documented in our Connecting Scanners via USB wiki, with extensive links from many folks that have the same issue.

As of Win8, Windows has gotten very touchy about having the correct drivers for USB cables. I would check the Gigaware website to see if there are Win10 drivers available. If there isn't, Win 8.x drivers may also be an option. This is a royal pain in the rumpus that unfortunately you will need to deal with even if you get another scanner.. Mike
 

smitty54017

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Thanks everyone! Now I just need to figure out how to get the Minnesota digital channels to work. LOL
 

ka3jjz

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Take your .996 file, zip it up using one of the popular utilities (WinZip or 7-Zip, for example) and post it here. You can also change the extension to .txt and post without compressing it.

That's often the best way to get help when you are having issues like this..Mike
 

kmacinct

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You have to use the Uniden Cable and driver. If you easily get frustrated programming a scanner you may want to consider a HomePartrol-2 or one of the BCDx36HPs which are easier to program using the free Sentinel software.
I had to pick up a newer programming cable to work with my surface pro. Chip in older cable wasn't compatible as mentioned.

Works great now, even on the windows 10 surface.




Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
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