Greetings,
This has probably been covered before on the forum, but if not here's my input per the mistakes that I made.
So you went out and spent big bucks for a do everything Uniden BCD996XT or BCD396XT digital trunking scanner, only to find out you could probably learn Chinese before figuring out how to program the thing! The manual while actually giving you all the needed info does not help much per complexity of today's trunking systems. In fairness it is not Uniden's responsibility to train you in the wonders of 21st century communications. Still they could have clued you in a little per the skills needed before making the purchase. But that's capitalism for you.
Anyway here is a quick guide per ONE of the many ways to get your new scanner up and running with a minimum of fuss.
Buy the USB1 cable. You'll need it to connect your unit to a PC computer. But your new computer doesn't have a serial port so buy a USB to RS-232 serial adapter such as the XS880 from usconverters.com. This is a state-of-the-art adapter with the latest ICs and works with Microsoft OS versions up to Windows 7! Connect both cables from your scanner to the PC and you've completed the hardware requirements. Note that the USB1 cable plugs into the front of the 996 scanner next to the Eyes button. You can use the rear serial port but you will need a serial NULL modem cable to make it work. A standard cable or female/female adapter won't work.
Buy ARC-XT Pro from Butel Software. Then goto radioreference.com and buy a premium subscription to their services. Now you have the needed software to program the scanner as well as the ability to download all the frequency info for where you live.
Buy the Nifty Mini-Manual for your scanner from Nifty Accessories Ham Radio Set-up Guides, Radio Pouches and Chest Harness Home Page or you can also get them from Universal Radio shortwave, amateur, scanner and CB radio since 1942. This is a condensed version of the manual with all the important items easy to find.
Now before you do anything it is time to read. Specifically all about Quick Keys. Modern trunking systems are very complex and per the old days of just entering frequencies won't cut it. Radio Reference will make it easy to download a complex system but then you have to actually access it. That is where Quick Keys come in. You will need to assign a Quick Key for each system you install so it is easy to turn it on and off. This is the "key" to how these scanners work. But before you download anything, you already have built-in generic scans for items such as Aircraft, CB, Public Safety, etc. These never go away even if you erase all programming on the scanner, so learn how to assign Quick Keys to these items and you will be ready to assign them to your downloads. This is covered in the manual but probably much easier to learn in the nifty manuals.
The trade off is that the Quick Keys easily turn on/off a trunking system but you also have to use them for everything including say a number of your favorite Amateur radio frequencies which you can group together. But once you download some complex systems and see how it actually works then you will be able to program your specific frequencies as your learning curve increases. So for now forget puting a specific frequency. That is not the way these scanners work.
So your scanner is connected to the PC and you're running ARC-XT Pro. Goto Scanner-Communications setup. Click on AutoDetect Scanner. If you setup the hardware as per above the software will detect your scanner. If not you have a serial issue. If OK then click on OK.
You can click on the read icon for your scanner then save it all to a file as you like, but personally it is a waste and takes a lot of time per Uniden tried to include as many state systems to start. So what do you care if you live in Illinois per the systems in Alaska? You can get whatever you specifically need on Radio Reference.
Now click on Internet and then Radio Reference. Enter your Username and Password per a premium account and you will have access to their database. Then enter your state, then county, and start looking at their conventional, agencies, and trunked systems. Trunking systems can be statewide such as in Indiana Safe-T Net so look at the systems and decide what specific items you need for your area. Pick one and try it out. Then the next time pick more and start simple. You will screw this up the first time but not to worry. The software will let you delete anything and you start over again. Once you get the idea pick a few and import them. They will show up on the left column on the screen. Once you have them assign a Quick Key for each of them. This is very important so write it down. Don't play with all the other parameters as you are just learning for now. Quick Key is the important issue.
Then click on the send icon, select the systems you downloaded and also "delete all systems first" on the right side. The systems will download to your scanner and upon completion they will all be operational and scanning. Listen and see if you are getting what you want to hear. Remember this is not the old school of scanning but the scanner will track the trunking systems accurately. If you hit a call you are interested in then push the Hold button per a specific communication. Hit Scan to move on.
Trunking systems have incorporated into one major system per a given area with everyone getting on board. In the old days you would have to be in range of a particular system to hear it. Now everyone gets on one system and all you have to do is hit their system with a $500.00 expensive scanner to hear every agency in your area. So with Radio Reference and understanding Quick Keys you will be off to a great start. Just keep it simple at first and you won't have to learn the specifics of a system unless that is what you want to do.
Buy both the 996 mobile/base and the 396 handheld? Arc-XT Pro doesn't care. Per saving Profiles it will download to your currently connected scanner after you do the Scanner-Communications setup. Forget the clone cable.
Regards,
George
This has probably been covered before on the forum, but if not here's my input per the mistakes that I made.
So you went out and spent big bucks for a do everything Uniden BCD996XT or BCD396XT digital trunking scanner, only to find out you could probably learn Chinese before figuring out how to program the thing! The manual while actually giving you all the needed info does not help much per complexity of today's trunking systems. In fairness it is not Uniden's responsibility to train you in the wonders of 21st century communications. Still they could have clued you in a little per the skills needed before making the purchase. But that's capitalism for you.
Anyway here is a quick guide per ONE of the many ways to get your new scanner up and running with a minimum of fuss.
Buy the USB1 cable. You'll need it to connect your unit to a PC computer. But your new computer doesn't have a serial port so buy a USB to RS-232 serial adapter such as the XS880 from usconverters.com. This is a state-of-the-art adapter with the latest ICs and works with Microsoft OS versions up to Windows 7! Connect both cables from your scanner to the PC and you've completed the hardware requirements. Note that the USB1 cable plugs into the front of the 996 scanner next to the Eyes button. You can use the rear serial port but you will need a serial NULL modem cable to make it work. A standard cable or female/female adapter won't work.
Buy ARC-XT Pro from Butel Software. Then goto radioreference.com and buy a premium subscription to their services. Now you have the needed software to program the scanner as well as the ability to download all the frequency info for where you live.
Buy the Nifty Mini-Manual for your scanner from Nifty Accessories Ham Radio Set-up Guides, Radio Pouches and Chest Harness Home Page or you can also get them from Universal Radio shortwave, amateur, scanner and CB radio since 1942. This is a condensed version of the manual with all the important items easy to find.
Now before you do anything it is time to read. Specifically all about Quick Keys. Modern trunking systems are very complex and per the old days of just entering frequencies won't cut it. Radio Reference will make it easy to download a complex system but then you have to actually access it. That is where Quick Keys come in. You will need to assign a Quick Key for each system you install so it is easy to turn it on and off. This is the "key" to how these scanners work. But before you download anything, you already have built-in generic scans for items such as Aircraft, CB, Public Safety, etc. These never go away even if you erase all programming on the scanner, so learn how to assign Quick Keys to these items and you will be ready to assign them to your downloads. This is covered in the manual but probably much easier to learn in the nifty manuals.
The trade off is that the Quick Keys easily turn on/off a trunking system but you also have to use them for everything including say a number of your favorite Amateur radio frequencies which you can group together. But once you download some complex systems and see how it actually works then you will be able to program your specific frequencies as your learning curve increases. So for now forget puting a specific frequency. That is not the way these scanners work.
So your scanner is connected to the PC and you're running ARC-XT Pro. Goto Scanner-Communications setup. Click on AutoDetect Scanner. If you setup the hardware as per above the software will detect your scanner. If not you have a serial issue. If OK then click on OK.
You can click on the read icon for your scanner then save it all to a file as you like, but personally it is a waste and takes a lot of time per Uniden tried to include as many state systems to start. So what do you care if you live in Illinois per the systems in Alaska? You can get whatever you specifically need on Radio Reference.
Now click on Internet and then Radio Reference. Enter your Username and Password per a premium account and you will have access to their database. Then enter your state, then county, and start looking at their conventional, agencies, and trunked systems. Trunking systems can be statewide such as in Indiana Safe-T Net so look at the systems and decide what specific items you need for your area. Pick one and try it out. Then the next time pick more and start simple. You will screw this up the first time but not to worry. The software will let you delete anything and you start over again. Once you get the idea pick a few and import them. They will show up on the left column on the screen. Once you have them assign a Quick Key for each of them. This is very important so write it down. Don't play with all the other parameters as you are just learning for now. Quick Key is the important issue.
Then click on the send icon, select the systems you downloaded and also "delete all systems first" on the right side. The systems will download to your scanner and upon completion they will all be operational and scanning. Listen and see if you are getting what you want to hear. Remember this is not the old school of scanning but the scanner will track the trunking systems accurately. If you hit a call you are interested in then push the Hold button per a specific communication. Hit Scan to move on.
Trunking systems have incorporated into one major system per a given area with everyone getting on board. In the old days you would have to be in range of a particular system to hear it. Now everyone gets on one system and all you have to do is hit their system with a $500.00 expensive scanner to hear every agency in your area. So with Radio Reference and understanding Quick Keys you will be off to a great start. Just keep it simple at first and you won't have to learn the specifics of a system unless that is what you want to do.
Buy both the 996 mobile/base and the 396 handheld? Arc-XT Pro doesn't care. Per saving Profiles it will download to your currently connected scanner after you do the Scanner-Communications setup. Forget the clone cable.
Regards,
George
