Brand New BCD396xt - OPP Zone 1 - Downloaded from RR but ...No transmissions??

[parabrush]

Hello Scanning Professionals!

I must admit.. I am brand new to scanning. So i purchased the best equipment (that i referenced) Uniden BCD396XT and signed up with Radio Reference for great forums and freq uploads.

All i want to do is listen to Essex County (Windsor) area Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). That's it. So I purchased the software (ARC-XT) and uploaded my scanner with the freq's to listen. Essex 17ESSX (site 017) but have absolutely no transmissions. I drove around several towns and parked beside detachments too just in case it was my mobile and / or portable antenna.

I obviously have a programming problem but thought the RR upload would have all the presets completed for easy upload.

Does anyone else in Essex County, Ontario have a portable BCD396XT scanner and the same situation? Please understand I and very inexperienced with the acrynoms so instructions will need to be simple from you professionals.

PS- I REALLY WISH Uniden would have sent a book to operate this scanner from with some easy explanations on how to operate it!

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[mikewazowski]

Use the Fleetnet sticky for the Uniden 396T and see if you figure out where the problem is.

 

[parabrush]

Fleetnet Sticky where are u?

Hi,

Thanks for the prompt response. This may sound silly but likely not from a rookie. What is a Fleetnet Sticky and where can I find it?

Link?

Is it a checklist?

Cherrio!

 

[colby4601]

http://forums.radioreference.com/ea...ner-bell-mobility-radios-fleetnet-system.html

Scroll down to the second post. That has the programming information for the 396T.

Good luck!

 

[torontokris]

Check the bandplan setting (a common problem that occured with older arc and the 396 - you asked if anyone had problems in the past)

if it's in scan mode change it to search

are you seeing the control channel? Freq below the I'd scan or search? If not then your not getting reception (another common proble
with the 396 on fleetnet VHF)

 

[parabrush]

Problem solved with your help.

Yes. You are correct. It was the band plan.

I needed to select custom and enter the 3 band plans. (base freq, offset, and spacing). I was then really confused when it asked for upper and lower freq's. So that took some time across the threads to figure out. (Radio Reference should indicate this in their downloads!)

Question: why doesn't radio reference and the ARC XT software download this necessary information into my scanner anyhow? Wouldn't this make sense?

Furthermore, the CD that came with it is a joke. Why not provide a simple and basic instruction manual that can tell you the basics of programming and how to use your scanner? Need to talk to Uniden i guess.

Question #2: Now... I have ALL sites programmed in (via ARC XT software) such as Essex 17ESSX, and AYLMER 22AYLM, and BALLINAFAD 05BAL etc etc. Do I need to program each band plan for every site?

Thanks

I have many many more questions but don't want to wear out the pro's!

Cherrio

 

[bonerack]

396 programming

I just programmed my 396t with all of the Essex county frequencies using Freescan and it was a breeze and it links to RR Database which makes life easier. Let me know if your still stuck, I'll try to help out.

 

[EJB]

Yes. You are correct. It was the band plan.

I needed to select custom and enter the 3 band plans. (base freq, offset, and spacing). I was then really confused when it asked for upper and lower freq's. So that took some time across the threads to figure out. (Radio Reference should indicate this in their downloads!)

Question: why doesn't radio reference and the ARC XT software download this necessary information into my scanner anyhow? Wouldn't this make sense?

Furthermore, the CD that came with it is a joke. Why not provide a simple and basic instruction manual that can tell you the basics of programming and how to use your scanner? Need to talk to Uniden i guess.

Question #2: Now... I have ALL sites programmed in (via ARC XT software) such as Essex 17ESSX, and AYLMER 22AYLM, and BALLINAFAD 05BAL etc etc. Do I need to program each band plan for every site?

Thanks

I have many many more questions but don't want to wear out the pro's!

Cherrio

Yes you have to enter in the bandplan for every Fleetnet site you enter in.

 

[torontokris]

Your welcome, as EJB said yes you need the bandplan it for every site

You can bring up the issue with ARC in the software forum, but they had that problem in the past as well (with not importing the bandplan from RR). It was fixed on the ARC396 but maybe not on the XT yet.

Uniden is probably saving money using a CD version instead of a printed manual... some users dont even use the manual .. and most of us had a 396T in the past so not too much new items to learn. But yes for a newbie coming from no scanner or an older scanner its a TON.

I prefer the online/PDF reference anyway (as you can search it for terms your looking for)
http://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD396XT/BCD396XT_Complete_Reference.pdf)
only miss the printed manual when on the go, or nighttime read in bed.

Yes. You are correct. It was the band plan.

I needed to select custom and enter the 3 band plans. (base freq, offset, and spacing). I was then really confused when it asked for upper and lower freq's. So that took some time across the threads to figure out. (Radio Reference should indicate this in their downloads!)

Question: why doesn't radio reference and the ARC XT software download this necessary information into my scanner anyhow? Wouldn't this make sense?

Furthermore, the CD that came with it is a joke. Why not provide a simple and basic instruction manual that can tell you the basics of programming and how to use your scanner? Need to talk to Uniden i guess.

Question #2: Now... I have ALL sites programmed in (via ARC XT software) such as Essex 17ESSX, and AYLMER 22AYLM, and BALLINAFAD 05BAL etc etc. Do I need to program each band plan for every site?

Thanks

I have many many more questions but don't want to wear out the pro's!

Cherrio