Advantages of ARC396?

[everettes]

After getting a good feeling about this software from reading about the other ARC software I bought it. I've been using the ARC396 software for quite a few hours now and I'm not seeing the advantage of it. It seemed to complicate programming 10 fold over the Uniden software and RRDB reader.
Now that I've spent my $40. I think it's better for me to stick with the Uniden software and RRDB reader. All I have to do is assign channels to groups and BOOM. If ARC would do what RRDBReader does, and then simply let me drag and drop the channels to the talkgroups, I would have been very impressed. I had written a lot more, but didn't want to get flamed too much for being too negative, and I know I haven't given it a lot of time to adjust for the learning curve. I can already tell that ARC is a program that will only try my patience (or impatience as it where ).
I'd say overall what left me wanting more was the claim "Import Data directly from RadioReference Database". I'd hardly call it that. Except for assigning channels to groups, RRDBReader really does import directly from RR.

If my ARC396 software purchase is transferable, someone is welcome to it. I've spent my $40, someone might as well get use of it.

If Upman is responsible for the Uniden software, congrats. Uniden software combined with RRDBReader makes it fast and simple. And free.

 

[Butelsoftware]

You are using a BETA version that was released so customer can start programming the scanner, you are not using the full version. ARc396 already imports data from the radioref database, but in the beta it requires some cut & paste.

Gommert
www.butelsoftware.com

 

[everettes]

You seemed to yell "BETA" at me. Being a beta version is confusing then (at least to me). Beta's are generally feature locked and pretty much the feature set you are going to get aside from debugging and tweaking here and there. I'm going by the program and the manual. Is there more to the "Import csv" coming than is in the manual?

 

[imcleish]

ARC / Butel Software

As an ARC 246 user, I prefer the ARC/Butel software to the USAD, I am unaware what changes uniden made for the 396, but unless they did an overhaul, the Butel software should be superior. The reply you recieved from Butel Software was telling you that the software is the first release (BETA), and may have bugs and not all of the functions.

Butel software is written/made by a company not involved in the manufacture of uniden scanners, and must await the full scanner release prior to beginning the full making of the program.

As for your ID key on the butel software, in the past it has been transferrable on re-sale, but if the key is found to be being abused, it can/will be blocked from further support.

I must suggest you wait out your unhappiness, as I had never computer programmed a scanner prior to the 246, and after much frustration in the USAD software, tried the Butel trial, and liked it enough to purchase.

Now that I have been using it a few months, I would stick with their sofware branding unless I found an undisputable superior program.

As you have the bcd396t, I would evpect you to do some travelling and soon learn to benefit from the flexibility of the butel software.

In my opinion,

Ian