Freescan/996xt wont play

[fasteddy64]

So I am on day 3 with no success.
I have tried two different computers.
Two different USB to serial adapters.
I have tried a serial cable to the rear serial connector on the scanner.

I still get the error message that freescan cant communicate with the scanner.

Using Windows vista on one machine, XP on the other, same problem with both.

Where do I go from here?

 

[captclint]

So I am on day 3 with no success.
I have tried two different computers.
Two different USB to serial adapters.
I have tried a serial cable to the rear serial connector on the scanner.

With all those combinations, it could be you have not set the scanner for PC communications:
Freescan - Connecting Scanner to PC - The RadioReference Wiki
If not, then you may find some answers here:
Connecting scanners via USB - The RadioReference Wiki -
Freescan FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[teufler]

in control panel, go to system, then device manager. Then click on ports, with the cable pluged into the computer, you will see what the computer has asigned to the cable. Then Freescan, control scanner, com port setup, change the port to the port that you found in the device manager, and speed at 115000. You can check assignment with test or autodetect. the usb to serial converters are tricky but the device manager should show where or what port it has been assined to. make sure Freescan has the same port assignment and you should be god to go,

 

[hiegtx]

So I am on day 3 with no success.
I have tried two different computers.
Two different USB to serial adapters.
I have tried a serial cable to the rear serial connector on the scanner.

I still get the error message that freescan cant communicate with the scanner.

Using Windows vista on one machine, XP on the other, same problem with both.

Where do I go from here?

Ed,
For the USB->Serial adapters-
Did you run the driver disc (or downloaded file) before plugging in the adapter(s)?

Are you seeing a serial port in the Device Manager on either or both of the pc's? If so, does it show active and available, or does it have the dreaded exclamation point, showing that there is a problem.

When hooking up the serial cable, was that using a "real" serial port (Com 1) on the PC, or connecting using one of the adapters.

There's also a "Set Serial Port" option in the Settings menu (off of the main menu listings). (That's also in the first link Clint provided.)
You can set the speed of the front and rear ports there, but they can also be set to off. Make sure that has not happened,

 

[rbm]

I posted this post for a similar problem.

It should step you through it pretty well.

IF when you click TEST it doesn't recognize your scanner, it's most likely a USB cable driver problem OR a bad cable.
I'd need to know more about your cable and the driver you've installed for it, to help with that part.

Rich

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-software-discussion/297265-need-help-please.html#post2243419

Make sure that the Com Port speed settings match in BOTH FreeSCAN and in the scanner 'Settings'.
See the attached image for FreeSCAN port setup.

On the scanner:
(Be sure to select the correct Com Port)
Menu --> Settings --> Set Serial Port --> Set Baud Rate --> Front Port (I assume)

Then, click 'Test' on the FreeSCAN Com Port Settings screen.
You should get a message that it found the scanner and is ready to communicate.

Also, out of 40 Uniden scanners I have, only one of them will NOT communicate at 115200.
On that scanner only, I have to reduce the speed (BOTH in FreeSCAN and on the scanner) to 57600 otherwise I'll get errors also.

Rich

 

[rbm]

And some additional steps from an earlier post of mine.

FreeSCAN has a good function to check com ports.

BEFORE! you plug in your cable do the following:

.At the top, under 'SCANNER'
.. Select 'CONTROL SCANNER'
...Select 'COM Port Setup'
....Click on the dropdown box for 'Port #' and note any ports there.
..... Then, plug in your USB1 cable and click 'REFRESH'
..... Then click on the dropdown box again.
..... You should see one more port than before. If not, your cable 'may' be bad. (or correct driver is not installed)

If FreeSCAN does see your cable, once it's connected to your scanner you can click on 'TEST' and it 'should' tell you what kind of scanner is connected.

If you do see the COM port show up, and the speed of the COM port matches the speed set in the scanner, and you STILL can't talk to the scanner, you may have a cable or driver problem.

Rich

http://forums.radioreference.com/un...ng-bcd396xt-scanner-freescan.html#post2221993

 

[rbm]

I have tried a serial cable to the rear serial connector on the scanner.

By the way, you can not use a standard serial cable to the rear port.

You MUST use a NULL MODEM cable or adapter.

Rich

Edit: With a NULL modem cable or adapter, the below port settings will work as long as the port speed is the same in the scanner settings menu.

 

[fasteddy64]

I still havent figured it out, but I did download Proscan and it fired right up and read the scanner and I was able to upload a few things to it as well. I still want to get freescan going, I spent about 3 hours building my programing file, I dont want to repeat the work in proscan.

 

[hiegtx]

I still havent figured it out, but I did download Proscan and it fired right up and read the scanner and I was able to upload a few things to it as well. I still want to get freescan going, I spent about 3 hours building my programing file, I dont want to repeat the work in proscan.

Ed,
If you need to, email me your FreeSCAN file. I can load it into one of my 396XT's, then "read" it back out into a ProScan file.

Be sure and try the "Auto" on FreeSCAN, force it to look for the correct COM port to use.

 

[fasteddy64]

Ed,
If you need to, email me your FreeSCAN file. I can load it into one of my 396XT's, then "read" it back out into a ProScan file.

Be sure and try the "Auto" on FreeSCAN, force it to look for the correct COM port to use.

Steve,
I cant find your email address

Please send it to me here or email me directly
maikranze@gmail.com
thanks.

Auto didnt work.

 

[fasteddy64]

Well back to square 1.
I turned off the scanner (not the computer) when I went to work this morning, now it wont work with Proscan either.

I HATE COMPUTERS!!!!!!

 

[hiegtx]

Well back to square 1.
I turned off the scanner (not the computer) when I went to work this morning, now it wont work with Proscan either.

I HATE COMPUTERS!!!!!!

I sent you my email address through the email link on your profile. Will pm you as well.

Did you go through the menu options on the scanner, to make sure that the ports (front and back) are not set to "off"?

 

[fasteddy64]

I am still not sure what was happening. For a while I could not get Proscan to work, but after a break I came back to it and it worked with proscan but still not with freescan.
Turned it off at bedtime, got up this morning and boom, not working with either again.

At this point all I want to do is make it work with freescan, I don't intend to purchase Proscan as all want to do is get it programmed easily and then be able to make occasional changes to the program. Hopefully I can figure something out.