BCD996T to BCD996XT Programming

[dstew425]

I have a Uniden BCD996T scanners that I used ARC996 to program. I now have several BCD996XT scanners and ARC996XT Pro for programming. I want to be able to load the files I have from the ARC996 software, but have been unsuccessful. Is there a way to convert the files to work with ARC996XT Pro or do I have to start from scratch?

Thanks...Dale

 

[GTR8000]

I'm not sure of how or if you can do it between the two Butel software packages, but you can surely do it with FreeSCAN, which support both model scanners with the same software package. You simply read the 996T, save the file and adjust anything you want to adjust (including setting XT specific options), then upload it to the 996XT. Really, it's that simple, and the program is 100% free and used by thousands of us with Uniden scanners.

Downloads - Sixspot Software

 

[fxdscon]

I'm not sure of how or if you can do it between the two Butel software packages, but you can surely do it with FreeSCAN, which support both model scanners with the same software package. You simply read the 996T, save the file and adjust anything you want to adjust (including setting XT specific options), then upload it to the 996XT. Really, it's that simple, and the program is 100% free and used by thousands of us with Uniden scanners.

Downloads - Sixspot Software

I'll back this up 110%... I just did that about 2 minutes before reading this post!

Couldn't be any easier. Freescan is great software, and it accomodates many other Uniden scanners as well as the ones mentioned here.

.

 

[dstew425]

Thank you both for the reply. I will give that a try and let you know how it works out.

Dale

 

[ofd8001]

That's interesting. How flexible is this? Using Freescan, can I ready my 996T, program the same stuff into my 996XT, 396T and 396XT? That would seem to be a really great thing and save lots of re-programming.

 

[doctordialtone]

That's interesting. How flexible is this? Using Freescan, can I ready my 996T, program the same stuff into my 996XT, 396T and 396XT? That would seem to be a really great thing and save lots of re-programming.

Yes.

Real nice software, everyone with a Uniden should have and use regularly.

 

[GTR8000]

FreeSCAN supports all of the following Uniden DMA models in a single, free, program:

SC230, BC246T, UBC3500XLT, BR330T, BCD396T, BC346XT, BCD396XT, BCT15X, BCD996XT, BCT15 and BCD996T

You can very easily transfer programming between any and all of those models, however there are obviously certain features that some models have that others do not, which you should be mindful of. For example, trying to dump a file from a digital model into an analog model, obviously the analog model can't receive P25 conventional or trunked systems. Some models have features the others don't, so you should make sure to check all of the scanner's options before uploading programming.

It's pretty easy to save separate files for each model's configuration, and import entire systems between those files in FreeSCAN format.

FreeSCAN - Sixspot Software

 

[ofd8001]

Cool!

Can anyone advise on what happens if I try to take a 396XT file for a trunked system having multiple sites (such as for statewide systems) and try to program that file in a 396T which doesn't do multiple sites? Does it simply capture the first site it sees and programs the associated control channels into the 396T (pretty much overlooking the remaining)?

 

[ka3jjz]

As you say, you can't program separate sites on a 396T (it wouldn't accept the programming) - you would need to create a new system for every 'site'. In this case, I suspect it would attempt to lock onto the strongest 'system' it can find and ignore the others. Keep in mind that since multi site tracking does not exist, you will need to exactly duplicate all your groups across all systems.

Very clumsy...Mike

 

[hiegtx]

Cool!

Can anyone advise on what happens if I try to take a 396XT file for a trunked system having multiple sites (such as for statewide systems) and try to program that file in a 396T which doesn't do multiple sites? Does it simply capture the first site it sees and programs the associated control channels into the 396T (pretty much overlooking the remaining)?

If you're trying to take a FreeSCAN file, for a model that supports "multi-site", such as the 396XT, then use that to load one of the earlier models that don't support multi-site, such as the 396T, FreeSCAN will make the conversion for you. If a system is entered, for the 396XT as an example, as "multi-site", FreeSCAN will break that into individual systems, for each "site", duplicating the talkgroups & groups in each one as they are set in the original "multi" file. As an example, this small multiple site system in my area is entered in my master file as a one system, with all four sites. It loads that way in the 396XTs or the 996T. However, if I instead use the same file to program it into my 396T, I end up with four systems, one for each site, each system with the same full complement of groups and talkgroup ID's.

This change os made as the file downloads to the scanner that does not support multiple sites. The original source file is not changed. FreeSCAN won't convert a 396Tfile, with multiple systems, into a multi-site file, for the 396XT. But you can accomplish this by using the cut and paste commands to move the sites from independent systems into just one, multi-site, system. That is exactly what I did to create a file for the 396XT originally. For that same system linked above, I took the individual systems from my 396T file, and rolled them into one, which I then used for the 396XT.

 

[ofd8001]

Thanks for the info!