296D STILL Doesn't work

[gg750]

I posted before about my 296D having digital problems. I called Uniden Scanner support 5 times. No one ever picked up the phone, so I left a message each time. No one ever called me back. So much for my faith in Uniden Support...useless. Anywho, I had originally sent my scanner in for a broken squelch/volume knob and digital reception problems. I get it back with a fixed knob, but still no digital. After me calling and them ignoring me, I just filled out the form and sent it back in. I received it back and guess what...IT STILL DOESN'T WORK! The scanner will scan the system, but no traffic. I can put a Pro-96 right next to it and hear all kinds of traffic. The 296 will sometimes stop on a talk group and flash the number, but no sound. I have tried adjusting the sound quality, but that doesn't work either. If I program the voice channels in a different bank, I can hear all the digital traffic I am hearing on the Pro-96 (of course with no TG display). What the heck is causing this? If I scan the control channel, I get nothing, and if I scan the voice channels, I hear everything. Obviously Uniden can't fix it either...heck, the can't even return my phone calls! Can someone help me? I extremely frustrated!

Thanks!!

G

 

[UPMan]

What system? How is it programmed?

 

[gg750]

I am trying to monitor the MPSCS from Traverse City, MI (Site 432, and others in the area). It is set up to for P25, control channel only.

 

[DaveIN]

Do you have the BC296D SS software installed on your PC? It can be found here.

http://uniden.com/index/downloads.cfm?product=BC296D

If you could download your 296 memory into the SS program, save it and then upload it to this forum we could take a look at it and see if you have something incorrectly programmed.

If it works on the PRO-96 it should work on the 296. I use my BC796D (the base/mobile version) to monitor several sites on MPSCS.

 

[pro92b]

What firmware version is in the 296?

 

[gg750]

Not sure what version...how do I find out? I know they updated it when it was last in.

G

 

[pro92b]

Go to http://www.butel.nl/bc785/bc250clone.htm, download the program, and use it to make a backup of your radio programming. After you have made the backup, to display firmware press and hold keys 2 4 9 with radio off and turn radio on. Latest is 3.29 I believe.

 

[gg750]

OK...I'm part idiot. I noticed that the "plan type" was set to off. I set it to plan 2 (I believe that's the proper plan for the MPSCS), and low and behold, it worked. However, I tured off the scanner for a bit while I was out, came back home, and it wasn't working again. I checked the plan, and it had reset itself back to OFF. So, I set it back to plan 2 and it's working again. Why would the scanner set the plan back to OFF by itself?

G

 

[dlbrock]

I have not ever had luck with my 296D and using the Control Channel only function. It has never worked for me. I just program the entire set of frequencies and it then works fine.
Have you tried that?

 

[gg750]

Well...now I'm back to the "CTRL MODE ONLY, NOT FOUND" crap! There are 3 towers in the area that I can listen to, and now it can't find any of them. I can manually punch in the freq. and hear the control channel noise, but the scanner just won't connect to it. GRR!!!

 

[DaveIN]

Sounds like your frequency is not programmed in trunked mode.

 

[gg750]

Trunk mode is on for that freq. in that bank, trunk type is set to P25/800, control channle mode is set to plan 2, the digital card is enabled.

It was working great, then the audio started to go funky when it stopped on a talk group. I thought I would try adjusting the audio qaulity again. When I entered the audio settings, the audio was clear as day. I'd make an adjustment, and exit the audio setup, and the audio was unreadable again. Then, it started rapidly flashing TGs at me with no audio, then I got the "no cotrol channel" error. Now, even when I manually punch in the control channel freq., I hear it clear as day, but it won't flash the "DAT" next to the freq. It went from working fine to not even decoding the control channel data at all in about 10 minutes.

I will try to get the software downloaded, capture the settings and put them back on here for others to look at. Other than that, I guess I will send it back to Uniden AGAIN...maybe this time they'll fix it.

G

 

[Gadgetmann]

Maybe I missed it, but what software are you using to program your scanner? The factory Uniden software or ARC250? I could make up and send you a mem file to use with the ARC250 software if you are using that. I see the Traverse City and Empire(I think that is nearby?) freqs in the RR database. You said.."and others" in the area. You just need the primary(in red) and alternate(in blue) control channel freqs in your scanner. Just put those in and assure you have it like this: Trunk...on delay time....2 beep alert...off pl/dpl....off lockout...off attenuator...off mode....NFM step....12.5 make sure it is set as Motorola type 2 800 Mhz and Plan 2. Also do you have tags put in? ID's? If not, assure you use ID Search. After you enter the info as above, press scan and assure you are scanning the bank you have entered this in, then hold the trunk button down and it will say either ready to id scan or ready to id search use the id search and you should hear everything. Hope that helps.

 

[gg750]

Maybe I missed it, but what software are you using to program your scanner? The factory Uniden software or ARC250? I could make up and send you a mem file to use with the ARC250 software if you are using that. I see the Traverse City and Empire(I think that is nearby?) freqs in the RR database. You said.."and others" in the area. You just need the primary(in red) and alternate(in blue) control channel freqs in your scanner. Just put those in and assure you have it like this: Trunk...on delay time....2 beep alert...off pl/dpl....off lockout...off attenuator...off mode....NFM step....12.5 make sure it is set as Motorola type 2 800 Mhz and Plan 2. Also do you have tags put in? ID's? If not, assure you use ID Search. After you enter the info as above, press scan and assure you are scanning the bank you have entered this in, then hold the trunk button down and it will say either ready to id scan or ready to id search use the id search and you should hear everything. Hope that helps.

I program by hand, but occasionally use ARC250 to make large changes. I use several towers in the area (TC, Empire, Leland, South Boardman, Honor, Interlochen), and only have the CCs programmed. The trunk mode is ON, trunk type is set for type 2 800, CC mode is ON with plan 2 selected. Attenuator is off, it is not set to search for PL tones (with a bank in trunking mode, it wouldn't search for them anyway), and I always ID search, not scan..unless I wanted to only listen to specific TGs that I already have programmed. The mode and step are set to automatic so NFM and 12.5 stepping would have been selected automatically, and the beep alert does not work with trunking frequencies, only with the TGs that are programmed in the trunk bank. This is the way it has always been programmed since the day I got it and it used to work fine until it came back from Uniden after they fixed the volume control and updated the firmware on the digital card (I asked them to look at the digital before as it wasn't working, and all they did was a firmware update, which made the problem worse if you ask me).

The problem is that it won't "connect" to the control tower. I get a message after a couple of seconds of scanning that says something like "CC only, not found". The scanner will not recognize any control towers or decode them. It's obviously something I can't fix on my own and it's going back to Uniden for repair...again. After dealing with a scanner that never works right, customer support that never answers their phone, then never calls you back when you leave a message, and techs that can't fix the scanner right the first time, I can say that Uniden has put a really bad taste in my mouth, and I will never buy another scanner from them again.

G

 

[n8chb]

I program by hand, but occasionally use ARC250 to make large changes. I use several towers in the area (TC, Empire, Leland, South Boardman, Honor, Interlochen), and only have the CCs programmed. The trunk mode is ON, trunk type is set for type 2 800, CC mode is ON with plan 2 selected. Attenuator is off, it is not set to search for PL tones (with a bank in trunking mode, it wouldn't search for them anyway), and I always ID search, not scan..unless I wanted to only listen to specific TGs that I already have programmed. The mode and step are set to automatic so NFM and 12.5 stepping would have been selected automatically, and the beep alert does not work with trunking frequencies, only with the TGs that are programmed in the trunk bank. This is the way it has always been programmed since the day I got it and it used to work fine until it came back from Uniden after they fixed the volume control and updated the firmware on the digital card (I asked them to look at the digital before as it wasn't working, and all they did was a firmware update, which made the problem worse if you ask me).

The problem is that it won't "connect" to the control tower. I get a message after a couple of seconds of scanning that says something like "CC only, not found". The scanner will not recognize any control towers or decode them. It's obviously something I can't fix on my own and it's going back to Uniden for repair...again. After dealing with a scanner that never works right, customer support that never answers their phone, then never calls you back when you leave a message, and techs that can't fix the scanner right the first time, I can say that Uniden has put a really bad taste in my mouth, and I will never buy another scanner from them again.

G

I have seen the same thing on my bc796 "CC not found" when the signal was too strong fails to lock onto the control channel
and the audio goes very low or cuts out is an other indication of front end overload.

If your hearing the voice transmitters simplex the problem is with the control switching.

On search make sure at least 2 ID numbers are in that bank and check record setting (default off)

There could be some interference from a strong transmitter in your area swamping the front end also.

gud luck,

73


Roger