is the free scan same as the one you can buy from scammer master?
Freescan is scanner programming software that you can download on the internet for free. It is a good basic program that many folks use quite successfully to program their scanners.
The software that Scannermaster sells is directed more toward the "higher end" scanner and other radio users. Several types of software are available from Scannermaster, including scanner programming software (mostly Butel's ARC product line). There are costs associated with buying this software from Scannermaster.
The Freescan software and ARC software do essentially the same basic thing - help you program your scanner. The ARC software has a few more bells and whistles (as you would expect since it costs $).
Most everyone starts out knowing very little when they begin programming scanners. The more you do, the better you'll become and have greater confidence in what you are doing.
Don't be afraid of trying things. It is highly unlikely you will ruin your scanner by programming something wrong.
One of the first things to do is "read" or download the scanner and then save the original programming to a separate file folder on your computer. That way you'll have something to go back to if you have the ultimate "bad words" situation.
And if worst comes to worst, you can always do a factory re-set on your scanner and start from scratch.