Hello, I have a 15x that I intended to set up as just a VHF radio with some local stuff and a couple of search bands for VHF lo, mil air, and what-not, and I'm having a heckuva time trying to figure this radio out. I've cut my teeth on every other brand, but I am new to the Uniden universe. Is someone willing to share a file that has a similar arrangement? I am not at my home PC at the moment, so I believe I am using "freescan" but I could be wrong in the software name. I am very much a hands on, kick the tires and pull the door handles type, and I think if I saw a setup and get to tinker with it, I could expedite the learning curve. I am not looking to plagiarize or steal someones work, I will be eventually creating my own file, but any help or tips are appreciated. I did do a quick search in the forums but didn't catch anything on a first pass, so if there is already a thread i missed, please let me know.
BCT15X: BC15X assistance
- Thread starter hanlonmi06
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Hi. I started off using Freescan and its very easy to use. You need a Radio Reference account to use that feature so in Freescan, you log on, choose your Country and state. Then search database for what you want. Some Milair probably has to all be set manually, but I found a group of freqs on here that are in my area. I can hear occasional traffic, mostly in Summer when the military is doing practice manuvers over Cape Cod area. The regular local conventional stuff is pretty easy to find.
In Freescan, go to File>Import>Radio Reference Conventional. Or choose Trunked if thats what you need. A new window will pop up and then you log in, choose Country, State and County. Find your county and neighboring counties if you want. I see you are in Michigan so I randomly picked "Crawford" county.....pick yours. Then look below in larger white area for all the agencies and pick what you want. Uncheck what you dont want. You can also look under "Provincial/State Agencies" for more stuff, and also check "County Agencies" and leave checked what you want. When you have all you need, go to lower right corner and hit "Import" and look on other open Freescan page to find what you imported. You have to decide what Quick Keys you want to assign to what you picked. Like pick quick key "1" for a County, but I am not sure how agencies are set up out there, like I dont get "Townships" so you might have to keep track of how many items you keep in a quick key. There is a limit of how many groups. If you want, send me a list of what you want to hear and I can make up a Freescan file and all you need to do is save it, open it up in freescan, then upload to scanner. But You need to set the com port. Go to Scanner>Control Scanner>Com port setup. You need the right cable that came with radio that plugs into front port under tuning knob. So the main thing is to get radio and computer communicating. The driver for your cable and radio is HERE: driver But install driver FIRST before you plug in cable. You must have original cable that came with radio. See if any of this info is of any help. You can practice setting up Freescan lists without messing up anything. Just dont save them when you close program. Here is a Michigan MilAir page with Freqs....Michigan Milair
Hi Bob,
Thanks for all the tips. I have the software talking to the scanner, no problem. Also have the RR DB. I semi-figured out how to at least manually punch in a couple vhf frequently used channels and I get traffic, via freescan.
It sounds like from what your describing, freescan is similar to sentinal when perusing the RR database and importing. I had not tried that yet, though I have set up a 436hp for my dad years ago (I don't think hes turned that thing on in a couple years now, hmmm). I remember the importing being dramatically different than the old GRE/Whistler ezscan which I primarily use. I will give it a try for sure this weekend. I have spent hours importing the RR database in EZscan, so I can manage RR database side of things easily enough.
I think what confused me the most was the organization specific to the 15x. I was having a hard time correlating the group or "scanlist" that I had put some freq's into and getting the scanner to actually actively scan those. The verbiage and key strokes on the radio were tripping me up. I do have a printed copy of the easier to read manual that I am referencing, but I still am struggling to connect a few dots on how to create a search range and then get to it on the radio itself.
Thanks for all the tips. I have the software talking to the scanner, no problem. Also have the RR DB. I semi-figured out how to at least manually punch in a couple vhf frequently used channels and I get traffic, via freescan.
It sounds like from what your describing, freescan is similar to sentinal when perusing the RR database and importing. I had not tried that yet, though I have set up a 436hp for my dad years ago (I don't think hes turned that thing on in a couple years now, hmmm). I remember the importing being dramatically different than the old GRE/Whistler ezscan which I primarily use. I will give it a try for sure this weekend. I have spent hours importing the RR database in EZscan, so I can manage RR database side of things easily enough.
I think what confused me the most was the organization specific to the 15x. I was having a hard time correlating the group or "scanlist" that I had put some freq's into and getting the scanner to actually actively scan those. The verbiage and key strokes on the radio were tripping me up. I do have a printed copy of the easier to read manual that I am referencing, but I still am struggling to connect a few dots on how to create a search range and then get to it on the radio itself.
Not sure if this is what you mean, Well to put radio into search mode, you go to MENU>Search For...>Edit Custom>CUSTOM 1 then add your lower and upper limits, like 155.100 low to 157.400 upper. then menu out to CUSTOM SEARCH, press the tuning knob in (or "E") and radio will start searching the limits you set. there will be a small number at bottom of screen flashing. Thats the slot the custom search (CUSTOM 1) is in. If it isn't showing just press the number 1 on keypad but it should start scanning between the freqs you set. You can label/rename the Custom search slot. Then if you want to make another custom search do the same procedure but pick the next custom search number in the list of available ones. Just remember that, for example "custom search 4" is the local airport freqs. or whatever it might be.
Freescan is much easier than Sentinel. If you want to send me a list of what you want to monitor, like agencies in your County and or neighboring Counties I can make a file that you can load and use.
If you have not already done so, take a look at the User Guide for FreeSCAN in the Wiki:
FreeScan User Guide - The RadioReference Wiki
In the 436HP, you have a Favorites list. In that list are Systems, and within Systems, you have Departments. The Departments are where you collect frequencies (conventional channels) or talkgroups (from trunked systems) that are used on the system. This applies to both the x36HP & SDS series scanners.
For the older DMA scanners, including the BCT15X, you don't have multiple lists. It is one complete file. Within the file, you have systems, either trunked or conventional. What the database scanners (BCDx36HP or SDS models) call "Departments" are termed as Groups in the 15X.
Also take a look at:
Program your DMA Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki
Note that if you have a Favorites list for your 436HP, that you want to duplicate in the BCT15X, ProScan can import the data from the Favorites, and reconfigure to be used for the 15X.
hiegtx- you hit the nail on the head, thanks. I was trying to establish a foot hold on the Uniden universe by referencing the sentinel environment. I do not want to replicate what I did for the 436. I haven't even looked at it in years now, so not trying to convert that, but I recalled that the organization in that software took some getting used to, and freescan looked similar but clearly is not for the 15x.
I will be experimenting with all the suggestions and reporting back in the next couple days!
Edit: and thank you for all the wiki links. I really should have started there first, so I am also reading up on all that info as well.
I will be experimenting with all the suggestions and reporting back in the next couple days!
Edit: and thank you for all the wiki links. I really should have started there first, so I am also reading up on all that info as well.
...whoa-K...This is some crazy non-intuitive craziness.
So, I got connected to the RR DB and downloaded some nationwide conventional. ATF, CAP, Common MIL, GMRS.....and, got as far as selecting quick keys to each "item". By "item" I mean, on the left pane in freescan you have the stuff you imported, and can see where you associated each item to a quick key. I may not be using the correct vocabulary here, but suffice to say I think I understand the import/quick key structure one can create. You can select on said items and see the actual frequencies...
The scanner itself button pressing sequence was not intuitive for me for quick keys. I kept playing around with making something a quick key 11, 21, until i figured out how to actually select something beyond 0-9. So, I think I can "build" a scanner like one would a-la PRO-2006 with banks of 40 channels, ect...So, likening quick keys to scanner banks is what I am telling myself at this point, understanding that in Freescan you are able to really expand that concept beyond just rote channel/freq programming.
What I remember in sentinel does seem to be similar in freescan in that you import all these things, they show up on the left, and you have to make some associations to said items in order to actually scan them. I'm "thinking aloud" here, so please correct my wording and thought processes.
The next hurdle, maybe for another night, is to tackle the search features. My goal is to essentially have a quick key that is "VHF lo" and have it be a search between 30-50mhz with the ability to do tone searches to help identify what I am hearing. What i am trying to replicate is my WS1080 (converted from GRE PSR800) where i can set up a search between 30-50mhz and it will lock on an active freq and if it can, decode and display the tone. If i can get the BC15x to do that, I am going to be very pleased. So, bobruzzo, i will tackle some of your tips on that tomorrow i think. Happy new year everyone, thank you very much so far for the help!
So, I got connected to the RR DB and downloaded some nationwide conventional. ATF, CAP, Common MIL, GMRS.....and, got as far as selecting quick keys to each "item". By "item" I mean, on the left pane in freescan you have the stuff you imported, and can see where you associated each item to a quick key. I may not be using the correct vocabulary here, but suffice to say I think I understand the import/quick key structure one can create. You can select on said items and see the actual frequencies...
The scanner itself button pressing sequence was not intuitive for me for quick keys. I kept playing around with making something a quick key 11, 21, until i figured out how to actually select something beyond 0-9. So, I think I can "build" a scanner like one would a-la PRO-2006 with banks of 40 channels, ect...So, likening quick keys to scanner banks is what I am telling myself at this point, understanding that in Freescan you are able to really expand that concept beyond just rote channel/freq programming.
What I remember in sentinel does seem to be similar in freescan in that you import all these things, they show up on the left, and you have to make some associations to said items in order to actually scan them. I'm "thinking aloud" here, so please correct my wording and thought processes.
The next hurdle, maybe for another night, is to tackle the search features. My goal is to essentially have a quick key that is "VHF lo" and have it be a search between 30-50mhz with the ability to do tone searches to help identify what I am hearing. What i am trying to replicate is my WS1080 (converted from GRE PSR800) where i can set up a search between 30-50mhz and it will lock on an active freq and if it can, decode and display the tone. If i can get the BC15x to do that, I am going to be very pleased. So, bobruzzo, i will tackle some of your tips on that tomorrow i think. Happy new year everyone, thank you very much so far for the help!
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