Need Cable for BC296D

[JeffNY]

Hi All,

I bought a new Bearcat 296D a few years ago. It did not come with the RS232 cable and I never got around to getting one as I ended up not using the scanner a lot. But I would like to start using this scanner more (it's like new). I see there is even a software package from Uniden now for this scanner (and a firmware update it appears). But I cannot seem to find a cable for this scanner. I emailed Scanner World, they say they no longer stock it and Uniden quit making them, and they have not found a substitute cable. I emailed Uniden and am still waiting for a reply.

Anyone know where I can get a cable for this scanner?

I still don't know why Uniden insisted on using RS232 and a proprietary cable instead of USB, even when the 296D was being made. It was clear to all USB was the future even then..... grrrrrr

I will say it is nice Uniden put a PDF version of the manual online for download. The printed version was tiny and hard to read....

Also, this scanner used a NiMH battery pack. Any one know if there a lithium-ion pac that can replace the existing battery pack?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[captclint]

Edit: looked at the manual, and you do need a mini-plug on the scanner end, so I deleted my response
Here's another thread: http://www.radioreference.com/forums/radio-equipment-wanted/120816-wtb-bc296d-cable.html#post898700
However, this help with the battery: http://cgi.ebay.com/EXTENDED-BATTER...ryZ33931QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[JeffNY]

Thanks Capt. Yea, I need the mini plug. I did find this on the Uniden site:
Uniden Online Store - Accessory Detail

....but it does not say it is compatible with the 296D. And I would not put it past Uniden engineers to use SEVERAL incompatible proprietary cables with there various model scanners. Insane.

I am still waiting to here from Uniden to see if the cable above will work with my 296D. They do not even have a phone number that I can find to call them. And they appear to be a bit slow with their email....

Thanks though for looking....
Jeff

 

[davidmc36]

Thanks Capt. Yea, I need the mini plug. I did find this on the Uniden site:
Uniden Online Store - Accessory Detail

....but it does not say it is compatible with the 296D. And I would not put it past Uniden engineers to use SEVERAL incompatible proprietary cables with there various model scanners. Insane.

I am still waiting to here from Uniden to see if the cable above will work with my 296D. They do not even have a phone number that I can find to call them. And they appear to be a bit slow with their email....

Thanks though for looking....
Jeff

That cable will not fit the 296, only the models listed.

PS You can't get a LI-ion Battery either. They need special chargers that monitor the chip inside them to prevent overcharging etc which can lead to dangerous thermal runaway.

 

[JeffNY]

Ok, thanks David. Hopefully I will hear from Uniden and they will have an extra one laying around they can sell me.

Anyone know if Uniden ever made scanners for Radio Shack? Would there be a similar Radio Shack model that would use the same cable as the 296D? If so Radio Shack may have the needed cable. I did look at the Pro 94 to Pro 98 models but none seem to be the "brother" of my 296D....

It's just that this scanner really isn't THAT old.....I could understand if this was a 1977 model....but this is only few years old....I am getting nervous though, after many internet searches I am not finding this cable....

Jeff

 

[davidmc36]

Ok, thanks David. Hopefully I will hear from Uniden and they will have an extra one laying around they can sell me.

Anyone know if Uniden ever made scanners for Radio Shack? Would there be a similar Radio Shack model that would use the same cable as the 296D? If so Radio Shack may have the needed cable. I did look at the Pro 94 to Pro 98 models but none seem to be the "brother" of my 296D....

It's just that this scanner really isn't THAT old.....I could understand if this was a 1977 model....but this is only few years old....I am getting nervous though, after many internet searches I am not finding this cable....

Jeff

Some of the Radio Shack scanners were made by Uniden, but I don't know of any that match the 296.Did you try in the buy/sell forum here? Maybe somebody has one kicking around. There is also a 296 Yahoo Group that may be of some help.

They also say sold out here but it does give a part number that may help in your search.

http://www.usascan.com/files/rc250d.html

 

[Butelsoftware]

ScannerMaster has them in stock: Cables & Connectors for PC

 

[JeffNY]

Great, thank you BuTeL! Gee, I was on their site during my searches and don't think I had that page open for some reason...oh well. Well, this should help me get some more use out this scanner.

BTW still no reply from Uniden....humm??

PS Thanks Dave for your suggestions too....I see on that page you posted they have a phone # for Uniden and say the price was $29.95. I'll give them a call in the morning...if they are sold out I'll get it from Scannermaster for $39.95....

 

[JeffNY]

Just to finish this up, I called Uniden this morning. The lady suggested I get a computer cable. Once I explained to her that I need a Uniden proprietary cable that only works with the Uniden 250 and 296 scanners I got transfered to Uniden tech support. He said they no longer make or sold this cable. I thanked him for his help and told him this was directed at Uniden and not him personally, but this is poor tech support by Uniden. This is NOT an old scanner, and when I bought mine it did not include the cable. I also asked him why Uniden did not use USB on the 296, we all saw USB was the future even then. AND why even the latest Uniden scanners use SERIAL RS232, a protocol that no modern computer even uses any more (and hasn't in years)!? He said tech support does not design the scanners just support them. I thanked him again for his help....I was trying not to sound too grumpy, he was just doing his job trying to help me.....

I ended up buying the cable from ScannerMaster for $49.75 ($39.95+$9.80). It killed me to pay that much for a cable that probably cost $2 bucks to make.....oh well (I also suggested to ScannerMaster they offer shipping via US Post Office....they are WAY cheaper than UPS and just as fast or faster in my experience lately)

I also bought a Belkin USB to Serial adapter (F5U409) on ebay for $14.23 (including shipping!)

This whole thing with Uniden scanners is crazy. They are STILL using a serial connect on their newest scanners. So I guess a Uniden scanner with WiFi or Bluetooth computer connectivity MIGHT arrive around 2040?? hahaha!!

Kind of ironic when you think about it, a RADIO scanner that uses 1960's era wired connectivity instead of wireless radio communications to talk to modern computers.

Anyway, I was up until 3:30AM last night manually programming channels in my 296 (using the internet to find frequencies and a spreadsheet to help me keep track of what I programmed into what channels). I will be glad when I can program this right on my computer.

Last night I also started to try and program the Troy NY Police trunk system and Rensselaer County Fire trunk system. But I can see I am going to do some reading to try and figure this out (and better understand how trunk channels work). Troy Police appear to use a EDACS system (but I am unsure which one yet) and I still need to find info on the Rensselaer County Fire trunk system....

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[KE4ZNR]

Jeff,
Not crazy at all...Uniden has to think about what type of connection will work for every user...as UPMan has stated in the past:

The scanner will continue to use a serial connection. This is the only connection guaranteed to be compatible with PC's, controllers, and (very important) GPS.

And even though USB is widely used you will still find alot of products and software out there that still support serial...
Marshall KE4ZNR

This whole thing with Uniden scanners is crazy. They are STILL using a serial connect on their newest scanners. So I guess a Uniden scanner with WiFi or Bluetooth computer connectivity MIGHT arrive around 2040?? hahaha!!

Kind of ironic when you think about it, a RADIO scanner that uses 1960's era wired connectivity instead of wireless radio communications to talk to modern computers.



Thanks,
Jeff

 

[JeffNY]

I saw that post about GPS. But I still do not understand it. Why would my 296 need to connect to a GPS device with RS232? I do not understand that at all. I cannot even think why I would want to do that? And is that more important than being able to easily connect your scanner to your computer? And why can't these guys who need to connect their scanners to a GPS device get a USB to serial adapter for their GPS? Maybe it's time these GPS devices started using USB like most other devices in the 21 century......

But, again, if they are going to insist on using this ancient connectivity (with their own proprietary connector no less!) on their scanners they should at least stock and sell the proprietary cables for customers who bought their expensive scanners.

By the way, I am a Mac user. I have not used a serial port in years. And even the old Beige G3 Macs I have were ungraded with USB PCI cards years ago. I will probably have to use my girlfriends Dell notebook, although I see some uses are using Virtual PC 7 on OS X with their scanner software. My older version of Virtual PC does not run on OS X but I may buy a copy of VPC7 off ebay eventually...

But hey, if they want to keep RS232 going, fine.....just add WiFi or bluetooth to their scanners so modern devices can also communicate with these scanners.....hey, imagine being able to run a program on your computer (or iPhone) and just enter your zip code to have the app pull all your local frequencies off the internet then load them (wirelessly) into your scanner? .....now THAT is forward thinking if I say so myself To bad Steve Jobs does not work at Uniden

Hey, just had another thought, a scanner that has a WiFi (and internet connection) could have a app running on itself that could ask you your location and then download frequencies for you and program itself! If the scanner also had GPS built in it would not even need to ask you your location

Come on Uniden, do I have to think of all this stuff??

 

[KE4ZNR]

You obviously want to pay a hell of a lot more for a radio than the going rate...read over the 346xt/396xt sticky thread up top...many different people gave reasons why Bluetooth and Wifi are impractical in a radio...interference & cost being the 2 biggest....good luck in getting either into a radio and have that radio cost less than a grand..and again: serial connections are not as obsolete as you make them out to be...Uniden is not stupid...they go with the connection type that will fit the most computers and radio accessories (ie: GPS) worldwide...
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[DonS]

And why can't these guys who need to connect their scanners to a GPS device get a USB to serial adapter for their GPS? Maybe it's time these GPS devices started using USB like most other devices in the 21 century......

That's not how USB works. You need a "host" (usually a PC) and a "device" (GPS, PDA, USB-Serial cable, keyboard, mouse, camera, printer, memory "stick", etc.).

Most newer GPS receivers already support USB... as a "device". That means you can connect them to a PC. You cannot generally connect them to other USB "devices", including USB-Serial adapter cables.

 

[JeffNY]

Humm, seems like a lot of defenders of the status que. But no one has still told me why I would want to connect a GPS device to my 296D via RS232.

KE4ZNR
>>You obviously want to pay a hell of a lot more for a radio than the going rate.<<
I would be happy with a simple USB connection. But as to the cost, I just dropped $50 bucks for a proprietary cable (plus more money for a "serial to USB adapter). That doesn't make me all that happy, and it all seems a bit idiotic to me (especially for a $600 radio).

But what are you suggesting, never ever improving the computer interface on Uniden scanners? Use RS232 forever? And my old Razr cell phone has bluetooth (and USB!), and is sells for a lot less than a scanner. You can even buy WiFi cards now that fit into a SD memory slot for not much $$. I don't think to add wireless connectivity would cost anywhere what you are imagining......probably less than the cost of a serial-to-USB adapter A "grand"? There are lots of devices now that have wireless connectivity that cost no where near a grand (want me to do a list?). Geez, you can buy a USB bluetooth adapter for under $20 bucks these days. And those guys are making money at that price.

I will read the above thread on why using WiFi or bluetooth is "impractical". But you can always find reasons to NOT do something. But not having USB on the current generation scanners is inexcusable. Sounds to me like Uniden needs a little DNA from Apple....where "can't" does not seem to be in their vocabulary. My tiny third gen iPod Nano still amazes me what it can do for $150 bucks.

Don,
>>That's not how USB works. You need a "host"<<
You are correct. Unlike Firewire (invented by Apple) that is peer-to-peer (and led Intel to develop USB). Firewire was a superior (and faster) protocol than USB 1 and better in many ways. But USB won the numbers war so.... But there is nothing saying the scanner could not act as host to a USB connected GPS device. Most scanner today have their own microprocessor (or it may be implemented in silicon these days). But I, still, don't know why I would want to connect a GPS device to my 296 or other scanner...

Jeff

 

[DonS]

Humm, seems like a lot of defenders of the status que. But no one has still told me why I would want to connect a GPS device to my 296D via RS232.

A better question might be: who told you might want to do such a thing? The 296D doesn't support GPS. Now, if you had one of Uniden's scanners that did support GPS, then connecting one could be a great thing while traveling: the scanner could/would automatically "reconfigure" itself based on your current location.

Don,

That's not how USB works. You need a "host"

You are correct. Unlike Firewire (invented by Apple)

The IEEE-1394 "standard" was initiated by Apple, but had many contributors (including Sony (i.Link), TI, DEC, etc.).

But there is nothing saying the scanner could not act as host to a USB connected GPS device.

Nothing but the hardware and software required to act as a host, plus the drivers to handle all the devices (e.g. GPS receivers A-Z) a user might connect. You know, the drivers that are on the CDs that came with every USB device you have.

 

[DonS]

My tiny third gen iPod Nano still amazes me what it can do for $150 bucks.

150 bucks and massive sales. "Economy of scale".

If scanner manufacturers thought they could sell units on the level of the iPod, they'd be adding all kinds of things, too. They won't ever sell that many, though, and therefore cannot afford to spend the development/production dollars that Apple did/does.

 

[awasser1]

that cable is not...the 396t cable is different.....if u live in CT I will let u borrow mine to put new firmware in : )

 

[JeffNY]

awasser1, thank you very much for the kind offer. But my $50 serial cable arrived today My $15 USB to Serial adapter should be here in a couple days too....but thank you...


Don,
>>A better question might be: who told you might want to do such a thing?<<

See the "This is the only connection guaranteed to be compatible with PC's, controllers, and (very important) GPS." quote above by KE2ZNR which comes from this thread for the new BC346XT:
http://www.radioreference.com/forum...243-announcing-bcd396xt-bc346xt-scanners.html

But this appears the FIRST scanner that can has this feature. So there is no reason the scanners made for the past 10+ years needed to maintain a RS232 connection. PLUS I just did a search on "GPS + USB". There are tons of GPS receivers that use USB! Here is one:
USB GPS for Laptop + a FREE optional Software - Deluo Electronics

SO WHY DOES UNIDEN CONTINUE TO USE SERIAL RS-232????

I'd also like to know why they just didn't offer a version of the BC346XT with GPS built in if that is supposed to be such a great selling feature of this scanner??? OR an internal slot so GPS could be added to this feature as an option? OR just provide an SD interface slot so you could add a device like this:
Haicom HI-505SD Bluetooth GPS with SD Interface and miniSD Memory Slot - Discontinued Products
....which not only would add GPS but Bluetooth!! If Uniden had just provided a SD slot then the end user could have easily add Bluetooth, WiFi and/or GPS. I think Uniden missed the boat (again) sticking with RS-232. They could have made the BC346XT a truly remarkable scanner....that didn't need "wires" for RS232 computer connections and GPS devices hanging off it.

By the way, to the people who say Uniden should continue to use RS-232 because "even though USB is widely used you will still find alot of products and software out there that still support serial"....

I looked back, The last Mac to ship with a serial port were the PowerMac G3's ("Beige G3's"). These first shipped in November '97. USB PCI cards could easily be added to these to add USB to these computers. In fact, the PowerMac 7200 which was introduced in August 1995 (almost 14 years ago!!) had PCI slots and you could also easily add USB PCI cards to them as well (my Dad had an 8500 from that era that we added USB & FireWire too years ago by doing this). I am sure it was the same situation for PC's of that era. SO most any computer that is almost 14 years old could easily have USB added to it.

So as Jerrry Sienfeld would say "Who are these people??? Who are all these scanner buyers today that need RS-232 on there scanner so they can connect it to there 15 year old computer??? Who are these people???"

Uniden seems to be catering to a VERY tiny percentage of the market (.0001%???) while at the same time making it difficult for most of their users (70%+??) who want an easy way to just connect their scanner to their computer so they can easily program it. I REALLY don't understand their thinking....at all.

>>The IEEE-1394 "standard" was initiated by Apple, but had many contributors (including Sony (i.Link), TI, DEC, etc.).<<

Yep. I am familiar with the story of "Firewire". It was originally started at Apple by some engineers (in the mid-80's) who had the idea of a single high speed serial bus protocol that would allow the CPU to interface with internal and external peripherals (internal hard drives and optical drives to digital movie cameras). The idea being it would simplify system design and cut the cost of building computers with several different interfaces, connectors and controllers, replacing a whole bunch of interfaces and saving money. It did not end up be the internal bus some had in mind, but it did help pave the way for other fast and lower cost interfaces like Serial-ATA and USB 2 (and FireWire 800) we use today.

I hate to keep giving Apple so much credit for things, but they were first with (and got the ball rolling for) so many things we take for granted today on our computers, from mice and CD-ROM (ie "optical" drives) to WiFi and cell phones with advanced operating systems, it really is an amazing story....but this is the Uniden scanner forum so...

Oh, by the way, if Uniden had used USB on the 296 and later scanners they could have used the USB port for recharging. Just as a lot of cell phones and other devices do today...and have done for years. That would have allowed them to remove the power connector (and proprietary cables) - and save money.

>>150 bucks and massive sales. "Economy of scale".<<

These interfaces (like USB, Bluetooth and WiFi) are very cheap now and used in all sorts of devices, many that cost less than $20 retail. At the OEM level if Uniden added USB (and saved money from dropping RS232 and proprietary cables) I doubt it would add $3 to the manufacturing cost, or maybe even >reduce< production costs. While at the same time giving the end user a much better user experience with their products.

>>Nothing but the hardware and software required to act as a host, plus the drivers to handle all the devices (e.g. GPS receivers A-Z) a user might connect. You know, the drivers that are on the CDs that came with every USB device you have.<<

Our hand held devices are becoming so powerful now, even my 296 must have it's own CPU in there. But todays scanners microprocessors probably have several times the computing power of the computer I first used (and built from a kit) with its 8080 and later Z80 processor. Apple runs a version of OS X on its' iPhone and iTouch (complete with support for everything from its touch interface and Open GL ES to full internet connectivity). Other devices out there also now run other "portable" OS's. I can see a day when a future scanner runs its own OS...and could connect to the internet to access frequency databases and download any "driver" that might be needed for a connected device.....Uniden should already be thinking along these lines....todays portable devices are fully capable of running there own apps - easily.

If I were Uniden I would be looking to standardize on a CPU and OS across their line of future scanners.....and integrating support for internet connections and/or USB, wireless connections (to either another computer or the internet directly) and GPS.

Finally, if you goto the Uniden web site you will see their own tag line is "A World Without Wires"....see page title....
Uniden | A World Without Wires

hummm...that sounds a bit odd coming from a company that still INSISTS on using 1960's era wired technology in their latest and greatest radio scanners. Hey, I love a lot of things from the '60's. The music, motorcycles, cars, space program, me (I am a product of the 60's hehe). But when it comes to electronics there are better ways to do things today...

 

[KE4ZNR]

How about showing a little respect and get my callsign right?
It is KE4ZNR...No way you got it wrong accidentally Jeff considering it is in the upper left corner of
every post I make 3 times...
Thank you for your attention.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[JeffNY]

Apologies Marshall, yes way it was accidentally. I even proof read my post above before posting it and I still see a couple other typos I made that I should have caught. I guess it's been a long day and late, not all the brain cells are awake Sorry, no offense meant or intended.....

Jeff