Which cable for bct15x connection to PC ?

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Mel_3

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Just got a new BCT15X and it came with a cable that goes from a make 9-pin DIN serial connector to a very small usb connector.

The radio has a a 8-pin DIN female connector on the rear panel and appears to have a matching (very small) usb port on the front.

So it looks like this cable could connect to the usb on the front panel or the 9-pin DIN connector on the back.

1 - Do both these two connectors do the same thing? (interface with a conected PC?)

Since my Windows 7 PC does not have a 9-pin DIN or a very small usb port it looks like I'm going to have to buy a cable/adapter in either case.

2 - What cable/able do I need AND which port on the bct15x is the proper port for connecting to the PC for...

a) using FreeScan or other such programming program
b) updating firmware

thanks for any help.
 

AronDouglas

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There are 2 cables that can be used with the BCT15X (as well as the BCD996XT). There is a serial port cable (typically comes with new scanners), that is the 9 pin cable. You will typically only see serial ports on older model computers, and typically they are on the motherboard (back of the computer). Most laptops have this plug.

The second cable (most of the time sold separately) is the USB cable. This is fairly strait forward as every computer/laptop/most tablet devices have this form of USB plug on it.

The small end of both of these cables is what goes into the face of the scanner and both cables can be sued for programing/firmware updates. Most people buy the USB version of the cable because a USB port is more common on devices.

The 8 pin on the rear of the scanner is for the GPS device available for this scanner (as well as the 996XT).
 

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jaspence

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Cables

Most laptops do not have a serial (9 pin) connector any more. To use that cable, you will need a USB to serial converter. My success with them has been less than good, and some are better than others.
 

iMONITOR

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For those of you without a DB9 RS232 serial port on your desktop PC's, you can buy a new PCI card with one, or usually two DB9 ports on it, very cheap. You can find them on Ebay.
 

scott216

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Use existing FTDI cable with BCT15X

I'm guessing that the Uniden USB cable is just an FTDI cable with a special plug on the radio side of the cable. Is that right? I've got an FTDI cable already; I use it for programming microcontrollers. Can I just take the serial cable that comes with the BCT15X and cut off the Uniden connector and wire this connector into my FTDI cable? If so, what's the pinout? Alternatively, maybe I can make an adapter where one side connects to the DB9 connector, and the other to my FTDI cable. My FTDI cable just has a 0.1" pitch header. My FTDI cable is like this one: Adafruit FTDI Serial TTL-232 USB Cable
 

ofd8001

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I'd suggest the USB-1 cable, which is the top photo in post #2.

The cylinder part in the middle of the cable contains a chipset, which more or less converts the USB port on your computer to a serial port. While it isn't critical for Win 7, I recommend being sure that if you go this route, you be sure to get the latest version. That has the newer chipset (HXD) versus the old one (HXA). If you migrate to Win 8.x, the HXD chipset works better.

Lastly, if you get this cable, you'll see a label that says to "Download and install the drivers before attaching this cable". Heed this notice, if not you have to jump through some hoops to get it going.

You could also get a USB to Serial adapter from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Adap...&sr=8-5&keywords=usb+to+rs-232+serial+adapter

That's what I used as I have Win 8, and it was before Uniden starting using the HXD chipset in their latest round of USB-1 cables.
 

PBman

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Mar 1, 2012
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Missouri
There are 2 cables that can be used with the BCT15X (as well as the BCD996XT). There is a serial port cable (typically comes with new scanners), that is the 9 pin cable. You will typically only see serial ports on older model computers, and typically they are on the motherboard (back of the computer). Most laptops have this plug.

The second cable (most of the time sold separately) is the USB cable. This is fairly strait forward as every computer/laptop/most tablet devices have this form of USB plug on it.

The small end of both of these cables is what goes into the face of the scanner and both cables can be sued for programing/firmware updates. Most people buy the USB version of the cable because a USB port is more common on devices.

The 8 pin on the rear of the scanner is for the GPS device available for this scanner (as well as the 996XT).

Does anyone have the part number for the Front Port to USB Cable?
 
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