Hi Scott - here are a few references and places you can go to help you along...note that anything blue is a link...
Technical jargon exists in every hobby, and none more so than scanning. We have an online glossary that should help you get over many of the humps...
Category:RR Glossary - The RadioReference Wiki
Something else that tends to throw folks for a loop is the concept of trunking (not 'trucking' as so many folks typo it...). Check out the links in the 'overview' section of this article, and note that UPMan's article is a PDF, so you will need Adobe Acrobat or one of the popular utilities to read it...
Trunked Radio Systems - The RadioReference Wiki
Now let's get down to the brass tacks - learning about DMA is vital to being able to program in it successfully. Our DMA FAQ is a good place to start - and at the bottom are the links to the well known Easier to Read manuals. There's a printed one for the XT scanners available from Scanner Master, and there's a downloadable one for the 396XT.
No matter what software you use - we'll get to that in a moment - you need to understand how to work in the DMA world...
Uniden DMA FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki
Now there is freeware for the XT scanners - and probably the most popular would be FreeScan. You can get it from the link below, and the 2nd link is to the wiki-based user guide we host here...
Downloads - Sixspot Software
FreeScan User Guide - The RadioReference Wiki
Now don't think you're married to FreeScan once you start - there are a couple of other programs that work with this radio, as shown here - but you lose nothing starting with freeware. You can always move to another package later, and you haven't lost anything...
Uniden DMA Software Support - The RadioReference Wiki
Finally, an ugly truth is that new PCs these days don't have serial ports - they have USB. To connect the scanner and PC, you will need a USB-serial converter. This article discusses this in detail...
Connecting scanners via USB - The RadioReference Wiki
That should be enough for now. There will be a test next week (don't worry it's open book), hi Don't be afraid to ask questions...oh yes, one more thing - the NC forum, where you can find local users to help you with local issues...
North Carolina Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums
and since I'm in a generous mood...(hi)...
North Carolina Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
North Carolina - the RR Wiki
best regards...Mike