Official Uniden BC246T Scanner Thread

[rdale]

"The sometimes 'crucial' upgrades/updates with both brands of radios is getting old....) "

Remember in the olden days when a bug meant "wait 2 years for the next model"? I can't believe people are complaining about the 10 minutes it takes to download a patch and connect the radio for fixes!

- Rob

 

[kikito]

Remember in the olden days when a bug meant "wait 2 years for the next model"? I can't believe people are complaining about the 10 minutes it takes to download a patch and connect the radio for fixes!- Rob

I'm not complaining about the 10 min. it takes to update and so on....

I'm complaining about the bugs that, in my opinion, should've been caught before the release of the radio or the ones you have to send your radio in. Upgrading or updating, in my opinion, should be mainly for adding or improving features NOT fixing stuff that should work in the first place. (Geez, I wonder if Microsoft is behind these radio firmwares! :twisted: )

A potentially big bug, especially on the latest Uniden's is not being able to select an Offset lower than 380. If all the great trunking minds in these forums are correct (which I'm 99% sure they are), then it's going to be a long time before I could track my state's 9600 VHF system with an Uniden scanner since I need an Offset value of 0. And if all it takes is a download to fix it then how come they haven't done it yet (how come it doesn't work from the factory as advertised?). That's what's getting old. At this point it looks like I will have to "wait 2 years for the next model".... because so far I can't track the system whatsoever and that's not a minor nuisance.

I've been patient long enough and have also spent enough money in these "scanner companies" so I think I should be able to express my disgust in a civilized way in the hopes of having the companies rectify some of the problems, even at the risk of sounding like a complain or a rant

P.S. My BCi96D card on my BC296D went out a week ago and I still haven't receive a response from a couple of emails to Uniden about in-warranty repairs.... Anybody knows the best way to get warranty work done? (Maybe there's a 10 minute patch I don't know about to bring my card back to life )

 

[redfox355]

Just a quick question for UPMan... do you know if Uniden is planning to bring out a digital version of this scanner in the near future, or if not, when the next digital scanner is coming out from them? I am not too impressed with the BC296D and was looking for something a little more like the BC246T. Cheers mate

 

[DaveIN]

kikito,

What is the problem with your BCi96 card? And can you give us some additional information about the system you are programming into the BC296D? So it is VHf P9600 with a zero offset? Both the BCi96 card and BC296D had a software patch upgrade. http://makeashorterlink.com/?N377655F8

Yesterday I learned that you can do autotune on the BCi96 card. When you hear an APCO-25 com. press MAN, 9, and then manually tune the sound quality with the scroll bar, or press the PRI/TRNSFR key to autotune the sound quality.

As for the next digital model, that was talked about when the BC246T information was released, but was only "straw man" information. Even a possible rendering of what the radio could look like was shown, but quickly removed at the request of Uniden. It was a thred on the Radioreference forum. Here are the pictures available now: http://scannersunlimited.com/uniden/index.html

 

[DaveIN]

UPM: Can I use Close call when Id scanning/Id searching in Trunked mode?

Will Close call display the amount of times the frequency has been counted?

In the trunking attributes how do you set up a fleetmap and custom fleetmap. example: I want to use sizecode 2, in block 7.

You mentioned a bottom/back battery cover. Are the two "AA" bateries in a drop-in case?

The picture/rendering of the display color looks like the 250/296. Will the display have the backlit holographic display that the 250 and 296 have?

 

[UPMan]

Gotta be quick today, and probably not as much time to respond for the next couple of weeks as I finish up some projects. Also, some items it is just too early to know (hand-built working sample is all I've had up to today).

Close Call while ID Search/Scan: Yes (checks for CC hit every 2 seconds)
Hit Count: No.

Custom Fleet Maps: When it is finished, see the O/M. Suffice to say that you can do this.

AA batteries are loose...no case or carrier.

Backlit. Not holographic.

Unannounced Models: If they are unannounced, I keep mum.

Compatibility with systems types that did not exist nor were anticipated nor had established standards when the product was designed cannot be guaranteed.

Features will work as advertised.

2x1800mAH batteries will last 7-12 hours, depending on system activity.

Receiver quality spec'd to meet or exceed BC245XLT.

 

[DaveIN]

Gotta be quick today, and probably not as much time to respond for the next couple of weeks as I finish up some projects. Also, some items it is just too early to know (hand-built working sample is all I've had up to today).

Compatibility with systems types that did not exist nor were anticipated nor had established standards when the product was designed cannot be guaranteed.

2x1800mAH batteries will last 7-12 hours, depending on system activity.

Receiver quality spec'd to meet or exceed BC245XLT.

So you now have a completed production radio in hand?

That sound's interesting. Hope I'm not reading into that too much, but it sounds like possibly more trunking capabilities :?:

7-12 hours on two mAH "AA" batteries that is not too bad!

Ok, the 245 is the baseline you are working from, got it.

I'll stop with all the questions and let you get busy. Thanks UPM for all the preview information :!: Keep up the great work :twisted:

Looking forward to checking out the owners manual soon and really looking forward to having the BC246T in hand real soon 8)

 

[DaveIN]

More ad's:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002QIAP4/shopcrescencityc-20/104-4116287-9101536
(Many other places pointing to amazon.com)

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/0246.html

 

[kikito]

kikito,

What is the problem with your BCi96 card? And can you give us some additional information about the system you are programming into the BC296D? So it is VHf P9600 with a zero offset? Both the BCi96 card and BC296D had a software patch upgrade. http://makeashorterlink.com/?N377655F8

The problem with the card is: A week ago or so I had the radio on, monitoring the digital transmissions on the system in question, when the batteries died, I put new ones in and turn it on and ever since it keeps saying: "APCO 25 CARD NOT INSTALLED". Of course, it doesn't decode anything digital now. I have reset and reseated the card and the radio more times than I remember. I've tried searching the forums because I do remember someone having a similar problem but unfortunately haven't found the thread and I also think the solution was to send it in....

Here's a link to the system on the database where I submitted a lot of the info: http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=2447

And the patch doesn't help with my problem, I can't apply it either because the card is not working.

Yesterday I learned that you can do autotune on the BCi96 card. When you hear an APCO-25 com. press MAN, 9, and then manually tune the sound quality with the scroll bar, or press the PRI/TRNSFR key to autotune the sound quality.

I actually knew about and tried the auto tune feature long time ago, sometime last year, and it didn't do a good job on my system. My BC296 works better with the default values on my system.



To stay on topic, I wonder if the Close-Call feature on the BC246T will tune the radio to the nearest channel on the band plan or show the actual detected frequency reading. i.e. 155.130 being a channel or 155.13012 being an actual reading. On my Digital Scout I can choose between the two formats. It helps for a quick check of an HT, etc.

 

[EricCottrell]

DaveIN, Gommert Buysen claims that the UBC3300 is modelled off the BC250D. So that probably means that the addition of a BCi96/25D card will likely only allow 3600 capability. Seeing as that is the only major difference between the 250D and the 296D.

I can't wait until Uniden brings out a small digital scanner... i literally can't wait, so I think I'm going to buy the Pro-2096 when it comes out.

I noticed besides the 8.3333 air band step the UBC3300 also has the 6.25 KHz tuning step. I noticed that the 296/796/898 has the 6.25 KHz step and the 250/785/780 does not. The hardware maybe based on the BC250D but the firmware maybe based on the 296D/796D. Of course Uniden can change the firmware to recognize any or none of the digital cards.

I did not care about the 6.25 KHz step until recently. I am finding FM trunked systems in the 220 MHz segment are using 6.25 KHz channel spacing which is different from the 5 KHz (2.5 KHz offset) spacing of ACSSB systems. This is somewhat confusing as information I read indicates a system operator has to get two adjacent frequency allocations (10 KHz total) to use it for FM.

AMTS systems in the 217 MHz segment are using 12.5 KHz channel spacing. I find both my 780 and 250 have a default step setting that is not 12.5 KHz and thus round the frequency when it is entered. I found a workaround that requires entering the frequency, change the step size in the channel menu to 12.5 KHz, then reentering the frequency. I found that entering the frequency will reset the delay and mode but not the step.

So I suggest to Uniden that they look at using the super narrow FM mode for the 217 through 222 MHz (maybe even 216 through 222 MHz) segment with a 6.25 KHz default step size.

73 Eric

 

[kikito]

I was measuring and comparing physical size between the Pro-96, BC296D and the BC246T and it looks like the main difference of the BC246T is the height (inch and half less), followed by being "skinnier" (half inch less) front to back, however and interesting enough, it looks to be a little wider side to side than the other two.

Here's the "specs" I found for the radios:

Pro-96: H6.19 X W2.44 X D1.75

BC296D: H6.02 X W2.56 X D1.77

BC246T: H4.50 X W2.75 X D1.25


Anybody seen weight specs for the BC246T?

 

[DaveIN]

Yea, for that empty APCO-25 digital card slot I'll bet :lol:

Now you have an additional Close call circuit board taking up space. :idea:

The Scanner Master version of "Close call" is called SmartLink. It uses a BC245XLT (or BC780XLT) and a Optoelectronics OptoScout to do the reaction tune.

When you get an input frequency hit on the OptoScout, the SmartLink tunes the BC245XLT to the ouput frequency depending on what frequency the hit was on.

http://www.scannermaster.com/store/01-530362.html

So my guess is that the BC246T Close call feature, will jump to the output frequency as per band plan.

 

[Butelsoftware]

'I noticed besides the 8.3333 air band step the UBC3300 also has the 6.25 KHz tuning step. I noticed that the 296/796/898 has the 6.25 KHz step and the 250/785/780 does not. The hardware maybe based on the BC250D but the firmware maybe based on the 296D/796D. Of course Uniden can change the firmware to recognize any or none of the digital cards.'

You are right, the 3300 seems more a mix of 250/296 firmware.

The 3300 supports 6.25 and 8.33 step although bit strange how they did the 8.33 step. It's not really an option in the steps menu, only through AUTO you can program 8.33 steps.
Maximum Rs232 baudrate is 19200 unlike the 57600 in 296 models. Also they fixed some bugs in the remote protocol.

The UBC3300 does report a BCI96 card as 9600 system, that's the most interesting part. My 250/785's do not report 9600 system when I insert the BCi96 in these scanners. Apco25 card is not mentioned as an option in the manual.

Gommert
www.butelsoftware.com

 

[EricCottrell]

Hello,

I was looking at the new BC-898T manual and noticed that it has 12.5 KHz steps on the 216 MHz band. It also has the 6.25 KHz step so I got one. I am trying it out tonight and so far it is working good. I like the separate keys for mode and step.

But one surprise was the rapid CTCSS/DCS search that is likely to be in the future Uniden trunked radios as well. It searches both CTCSS and DCS at the same time! Unlike the Pro96 the code display goes away with the transmission. You can do CTCSS/DCS searches when doing frequency searches.

73 Eric

 

[kikito]

But one surprise was the rapid CTCSS/DCS search that is likely to be in the future Uniden trunked radios as well. It searches both CTCSS and DCS at the same time! 73 Eric

Now that's pretty cool! 8)
Glad to hear real-life confirmation of how the features work.

This is old news by now but Uniden seems to be finally listening; smaller radios, rapid tone decoding and regular batteries! WOW!

 

[AZScanner]

But one surprise was the rapid CTCSS/DCS search that is likely to be in the future Uniden trunked radios as well. It searches both CTCSS and DCS at the same time! 73 Eric

Now that's pretty cool! 8)
Glad to hear real-life confirmation of how the features work.

This is old news by now but Uniden seems to be finally listening; smaller radios, rapid tone decoding and regular batteries! WOW!

Yes, it's quite interesting to see what is happening now that there is finally a product manager over there who actually cares about scanning. Everyone should take a few moments and thank Paul Opitz for stepping up to the challenge and delivering some great products based on customer input.

Thanks Paul! You ROCK! 8)

-AZ

 

[scanfan03]

Yes, it's quite interesting to see what is happening now that there is finally a product manager over there who actually cares about scanning. Everyone should take a few moments and thank Paul Opitz for stepping up to the challenge and delivering some great products based on customer input.

Thanks Paul! You ROCK! 8)

-AZ

Thanks Paul, keep up the good work!!! The 246 looks awesome!!!!

 

[cellblock776]

Thanks Paul. I'm still on the fence about buying this scanner since it won't track the digital systems but based on what I'm seeing here lately, I may just break down and buy one anyway and when the digital version comes out I'll get one of those too. It will make a great replacement to my BC-245 and a great companion to my BC-780.
Again, great job and thanks for listening.

 

[DaveIN]

Hey UPM :!:

Look at this, I think the BC92XLT is going to be available at Radio Shack about the same time... :shock:

Signal Stalker Search = Close Call

http://makeashorterlink.com/?C1A662BF8

Say isn't that a Uniden FCC ID number?!? AMWUB327

Slick move by Uniden! :twisted:

 

[Voyager]

Hey UPM :!:

Look at this, I think the BC92XLT is going to be available at Radio Shack about the same time... :shock:

Signal Stalker Search = Close Call

http://makeashorterlink.com/?C1A662BF8

Say isn't that a Uniden FCC ID number?!? AMWUB327

Slick move by Uniden! :twisted:

Yes, it is a Uniden manufactured unit. Slick move? No - just the same ol' same ol', as Uniden has been making scanners for RS for years.

Joe M.