SR30C ANY SR30C User Out There

[Scan125]

Are there any SR30C users using Scan75, or any other program with their scanner?

We have here on this RR Forum an SR30C users who is unable to get Scan75 or any other program tried to connect to an talk to his scanner.

That said using PuTTY he can get some valid responses from simple commands like VOL.

I'm finding this a very strange problem so whilst I'm in direct contact and debug mode with the user something a clearly not working correctly.

If other SR30C users are successfully using Scan75 or other programs then we have some elimination data.

Note! The user has tried several PCs with the correct driver as is still having issues but NOT with PuTTY.

I also found an old 2020 tread where another user could not get connected to his SR30C but sadly there was no final solution or success post.

 

[w2lie]

I just downloaded the latest version of Scan75 and it works fine with my SR30C on windows 11.

 

[rocky28965]

Yes, no problems here either.
Have a read of the help section in the Sca75 software.

 

[w2lie]

Yes, no problems here either.
Have a read of the help section in the Sca75 software.

Op created the software. I think he has read the manual 😜

 

[Scan125]

Thank you all for your replies. Very much appreciated.

Clearly the user affected is having some "strange issues" and I am trying to get to the bottom of them.

Nick

 

[rocky28965]

Op created the software. I think he has read the manual 😜

Whoopsie

 

[eddferrell]

I'm the guy that Nick (Scan125) has been helping get my Uniden SR30C connected to my computer. Here are some things that i/we have done:
1. Tried on 3 different computers (Win10 x2, Win11). Always as Administrator. Standard computer hardware (Dell Optiplex desktop and Dell laptop), nothing special about the configuration. No extra anti-virus except Malwarebytes and Defender.
2. Uninstalled and reinstalled newest drivers from Silicon Labs, both CP210x Windows Driver and CP210x Windows Universal Drivers. (multiple times)
3. Tried the software from Uniden (SR30C_SS), Scan75, and Butel ARC75... all same result: Cannot find scanner.
4. Turned OFF Windows Defender, Windows Firewall and Malwarebytes.
5. Tried multiple cables. Reset the scanner.
6. The oddest thing to me is that the program PuTTY (free program that emulates a terminal to talk to serial COM ports, over my head) can SEE and TALK to the scanner. I can open a PuTTY windows, go to COM3 serial connection, and send commands like MDL (returns SR30C), VOL (returns VOL, 2), VOL,5 (returns OK and changes the scanner volume to 5). When I send the command PRG it actually puts the scanner in PC mode and "PC" shows on the scanner screen. Then I can send EPG (end Program) to return scanner to scanning mode.

I guess the big question is why can PuTTY communicate with the scanner and control the scanner, but 3 different scanner programs cannot?

Thank you Nick (Scan125) for all of your help and if anyone has any ideas it would be appreciated.

Thanks, Edd

 

[sfb88]

I don't know where to find the answer, but I wonder if PuTTY is written in something like assembly language and addresses the Com ports at a lower and more direct level than the other scanner programs. They may need to output some standard format that needs to be translated by a driver to access the hardware.

Also, do you have another model scanner that you can try to see if the scanner programs on your computer can address a different model?

 

[sfb88]

Another thought. Can you install a program like Wireshark to see if it could show you the communications sent to and received from the scanner by PuTTY and the other programs.

 

[pb_lonny]

The ideal solution would be to find another local person with this radio and test it? This would show if it is a radio issue or a software issue.

It is possible your radio might have had some sort of hardware / firmware failure.

 

[eddferrell]

Another thought. Can you install a program like Wireshark to see if it could show you the communications sent to and received from the scanner by PuTTY and the other programs.

I've tried some serial port monitors but they seem to block other programs from opening the serial port it is monitoring. Wireshark does not work with serial COM ports per the Q&A forum.

 

[Scan125]

Chipping back in to say thanks for the responses so far.

I've installed and used PuTTY with the same settings the user in trouble is using and as I would expect on my UBC75XLT all is well as is when I use my Scan75 program.

Sadly I'm really hindered here as I don't have and SR30C scanner. Even if I did I'm not sure that would help me much as clearly it is the user's scanner, driver & OS combined that is causing the problem.

I know that ARC75 does not work for this user as does not Uniden's own program so it would be nice if they chipped in here with ideas/suggestions etc.

 

[eddferrell]

The ideal solution would be to find another local person with this radio and test it? This would show if it is a radio issue or a software issue.

It is possible your radio might have had some sort of hardware / firmware failure.

I thought about the firmware and looked to see if it can be updated but could not find the file to send it. I was able to find the updating program from Uniden but no Firmware file for the SR30C.

 

[pb_lonny]

Based on the information provided (and my 25 years in IT), the use of different PC's and cables, I am suspecting the scanner has a fault.
The only way to prove this would be to try it on a PC setup that works with somebody else's SRC30C, if that works, then it is the scanner.

Have you tried a factory reset of the SR30C? You will need to note down your frequencies saved in it first.

 

[eddferrell]

Based on the information provided (and my 25 years in IT), the use of different PC's and cables, I am suspecting the scanner has a fault.
The only way to prove this would be to try it on a PC setup that works with somebody else's SRC30C, if that works, then it is the scanner.

Have you tried a factory reset of the SR30C? You will need to note down your frequencies saved in it first.

I did the scanner reset. I only had a few freq's in there for testing purposes. I think it must be the scanner also, if it wasn't for the fact that I can control it using PuTTY. In PuTTY I can even send the PGM (program mode) command and the scanner screen changes to "PC" and then send the command EPG (exit programming mode) and the scanner goes back to the standard scanning screen. Same with sending a "VOL,2" command and the scanner volume changes to level 2.

 

[eddferrell]

So I installed a clean copy of Windows 10 on a retired Dell OptiPlex workstation I got from work. Installed the Serial port driver from Silicon Labs. Installation went fine and assigned COM4 in Device manager. I installed the Uniden software: can't find scanner. Downloaded and ran the Scan75 program. It is all the same result; basically "No scanner Found". But once again PuTTY can see and talk to it.

Is there a chance that the USB cable that comes from Uniden in the box is a "special" cable that is different from a normal Mini-USB data cable?

I feel a little guilty so many people have spent their time helping me, with no solution. Thank you Nick (Scan125) for your continued support and effort. I think I'm about done with it. If I find out anything I will post it for the next person in my shoes.
Thanks,
Edd

 

[sallen07]

Is there a chance that the USB cable that comes from Uniden in the box is a "special" cable that is different from a normal Mini-USB data cable?

No, it's a regular mini-USB data cable.

There ARE USB cables that are power only, and won't work. But if you have tried multiple USB cables and none of them work that pretty much rules out the cable.

When you did your clean install, you first installed the driver, then you plugged in the cable and connected it to the scanner, yes? With the scanner on? And only when the scanner was connected to the PC the COM port appeared?

At this point I think everything points at the scanner itself. Is there any chance anyone near you has the SR30C and could plug your scanner into their known good setup and see if it works?

 

[eddferrell]

No, it's a regular mini-USB data cable.

There ARE USB cables that are power only, and won't work. But if you have tried multiple USB cables and none of them work that pretty much rules out the cable.

When you did your clean install, you first installed the driver, then you plugged in the cable and connected it to the scanner, yes? With the scanner on? And only when the scanner was connected to the PC the COM port appeared?

At this point I think everything points at the scanner itself. Is there any chance anyone near you has the SR30C and could plug your scanner into their known good setup and see if it works?

When you did your clean install, you first installed the driver, then you plugged in the cable and connected it to the scanner, yes? With the scanner on? And only when the scanner was connected to the PC the COM port appeared?

Yes, I installed the driver before I plugged in the scanner and after plugging it in the new COM port was added to Device Manager.