First Time Programmer - Need help and answers! :)

[avsports23]

Alright, so I am thinking about getting this scanner -- Uniden Bearcat BC346XT Police Scanner Radio

the BC346XT. I am also going to be getting ARC-XT basic for it so I can learn how to program it. I just downloaded the demo to mess around a bit and see what it's like, but I have some questions.

Can someone who knows how it works tell me the basic steps to programming in a town, like the minimum things I need to enter, do I only need to enter the Frequency, the Tone and the Alpha Tag? Or do I need to enter other things? If someone can write up step by step what I need to enter, the easiest possible way, just to enter a town Police Dept, that would be greatly appreciated.

I read the manual, which seems like it had a lot of information I don't need to program my future scanner.

If anyone can help me out, please do so, it will be a great help!

Avsports23

 

[bbedsole]

I bought ARC-XT a while back right after I bought a BC346XT myself. But after about a week, I switched to FreeSCAN (which is totally free).

Both are pretty good programs, but I liked FreeSCAN better because I could actually save a programming as a single file and potentially share it, as opposed to saving a programming as separate individual systems all broken apart (ARC-XT).

If you're pretty sure you have a good grasp of the basics of a trunking system vs. a conventional frequency, I recommend downloading FreeSCAN and giving it a try. I'll even send you a basic FreeSCAN file that you can probably learn a lot from.

Bart
bartbedsole@hotmail.com

 

[ka3jjz]

The link to the FreeScan website, along with lots of other things you'll need to know, can be found here (links are always blue)

Program your DMA Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki

Don't try to use the Uniden manual. Get the Easier to Read manual (the links for which are at the bottom of this article).

No matter what software you use, you need to understand how DMA works so you can program effectively. There are a lot of new concepts, and it takes time to get them to sink in. Spend some time in the Easier to Read manual, read through our DMA FAQ and get that file from Bart. It takes some time for the light bulb to go on, but it will in time...Mike

 

[avsports23]

I bought ARC-XT a while back right after I bought a BC346XT myself. But after about a week, I switched to FreeSCAN (which is totally free).

Both are pretty good programs, but I liked FreeSCAN better because I could actually save a programming as a single file and potentially share it, as opposed to saving a programming as separate individual systems all broken apart (ARC-XT).

If you're pretty sure you have a good grasp of the basics of a trunking system vs. a conventional frequency, I recommend downloading FreeSCAN and giving it a try. I'll even send you a basic FreeSCAN file that you can probably learn a lot from.

Bart
bartbedsole@hotmail.com

Thank you so much! Actually, I just downloaded FreeSCAN and it seems much easier than ARC-XT. And if you can send me a file that would be great, I will shoot you an email!

 

[avsports23]

The link to the FreeScan website, along with lots of other things you'll need to know, can be found here (links are always blue)

Program your DMA Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki

Don't try to use the Uniden manual. Get the Easier to Read manual (the links for which are at the bottom of this article).

No matter what software you use, you need to understand how DMA works so you can program effectively. There are a lot of new concepts, and it takes time to get them to sink in. Spend some time in the Easier to Read manual, read through our DMA FAQ and get that file from Bart. It takes some time for the light bulb to go on, but it will in time...Mike

Thank you Mike, I will do all that!