nevermind I just ordered the USB1 I cant wait! This is Annoying without a cable
Being as you do not have the original cable that came with the scanner that has the special proprietary end on one end, I'd say this was your best move.
As long as you ordered the correct cable, it should have the USB plug on one end and the special mini serial plug on the other end that will plug directly into your 396.
I think some here missed the fact that you do not have the originally supplied cable at all!
From the sounds of your manual programming frustration, I think you will love being able to do it with a computer!
One way to look at it though, you now have manual programming experience which many do not have as they went straight to using a computer. Being able to program the 396 manually is a plus being a portable scanner. You just never know when you may be away from a computer and need to add some things in with the keypad.
I started out in reverse and used a computer from the beginning but I later learned how to do it by hand just in case. Today I find it easy to do it either way. Minus the alpha tags that is. When I do a system by hand, my alpha tags usually end up being a single letter or number! When I can connect the scanner to a computer later, I then change them too something more readable plus save the contents to a file.
EDIT: I looked at the Wiki (from KA3JJZ's link) on the Uniden USB-1 cables and the cable the Wiki links too at Unidens site is NOT the USB-1 cable. It is a link to the original serial to serial cable that was supplied with the scanners. You would still need some type of USB to Serial cable if you purchased that cable if your computer does not have a true serial port on it. The link in the WIki to the USB-1 cable at ScannerMaster does link to the correct USB-1 cable.
For $15 bucks, it may still be worth buying the one that the Wiki links too at Uniden's site though. It never hurts to have the original as it will fit several of the recent Uniden models.
