Programming BCD396XT FreeScan or Bu Tel

[N5DXL]

Okay I've ad my 96XT for sometime, as soon (when they frist came out) been doing my best to play with
FreeScan and load the scanner. I would say 95% of everything in this area is P25 and was pulling my
hair out, I would load FreeScan or save everything then go later to upload program and scnner gives a
big okay. I see the scanner hunting like nut's but it's dead in the water
I used the Bu Tel software with my first 396X and loved it.
So I got the Bu Tel, no 30 day play I paid the $40 for it. Once down loaded and installed app. 15 minutes
my 396XT was rocking. After all this time $40 dollars and a few mintues everything was there after month's
of playing with it. Bu Tel rocks in my book.

73,
Tom de N5DXL

 

[sjlamb]

Okay I've ad my 96XT for sometime, as soon (when they frist came out) been doing my best to play with
FreeScan and load the scanner. I would say 95% of everything in this area is P25 and was pulling my
hair out, I would load FreeScan or save everything then go later to upload program and scnner gives a
big okay. I see the scanner hunting like nut's but it's dead in the water
I used the Bu Tel software with my first 396X and loved it.
So I got the Bu Tel, no 30 day play I paid the $40 for it. Once down loaded and installed app. 15 minutes
my 396XT was rocking. After all this time $40 dollars and a few mintues everything was there after month's
of playing with it. Bu Tel rocks in my book.

73,
Tom de N5DXL

Hard to say where your problem was but, FreeScan is hugely popular due to the fact that it is so easy to use and works so well. ARC-XT works well but, so does FreeScan. I can't recall ever hearing anyone else say that they couldn't get FreeScan to work for them.... other than the occasional user error or corrupt installation.

Not sure what you are trying to describe with any of this so, it's hard to say what you may have been doing wrong:

I would load FreeScan or save everything then go later to upload program and scnner gives a big okay. I see the scanner hunting like nut's but it's dead in the water

 

[torontokris]

My personal choice is FREESCAN.. its free, and you can program a bunch of other radios with it (download from your XT and send to a friends 396T or 996T or 246T etc).

I personally have also seen many bugs in the ARC XT software.. (importing wrong control channels etc).
Not good sending a scanner to a customer then they complain it doesnt work properly.

Used Butel for almost every other scanner but made the switch to FREESCAN this time.
Will still use Butel for my GRE's and the "ARC clone" program for the 396T / 996T

But thats me other opinions may vary

Okay I've ad my 96XT for sometime, as soon (when they frist came out) been doing my best to play with
FreeScan and load the scanner. I would say 95% of everything in this area is P25 and was pulling my
hair out, I would load FreeScan or save everything then go later to upload program and scnner gives a
big okay. I see the scanner hunting like nut's but it's dead in the water
I used the Bu Tel software with my first 396X and loved it.
So I got the Bu Tel, no 30 day play I paid the $40 for it. Once down loaded and installed app. 15 minutes
my 396XT was rocking. After all this time $40 dollars and a few mintues everything was there after month's
of playing with it. Bu Tel rocks in my book.

73,
Tom de N5DXL

 

[JoLKeener]

HAve the Uniden 996XT and use the Butel Software for programming, but can't get the TEXAS dps to program right, any help would be welcome. Jo. L. (KE7NSB)

 

[JoLKeener]

Programming BC996xt

I am tearing out what hair I have felt trying to get the Texas dps program to work in the scanner. Using the butel software for the radio, and outside antenna but no signal comes through, and any help appreciated.

jo.l.keener@juno.com (Ke7nsb) Missouri City

 

[sjlamb]

I am tearing out what hair I have felt trying to get the Texas dps program to work in the scanner. Using the butel software for the radio, and outside antenna but no signal comes through, and any help appreciated.

jo.l.keener@juno.com (Ke7nsb) Missouri City

Would help if you provided a bit more detail:

(1) What County are you located in?

(2) What kind of antenna are you using and at what height is it mounted?

(3) Is DPS using the same radio system as other County agencies in your area?

(4) Have you been successful at programming other agencies into the scanner and are you receiving them?

(5) How close are you located to the nearest transmitter tower that DPS is using?

(6) Did you download the data from the RR database or are you manually entering the data into the Butel software?

There's plenty of help available thru RR but, ya gotta give us a little something to go on.

 

[hiegtx]

I am tearing out what hair I have felt trying to get the Texas dps program to work in the scanner. Using the butel software for the radio, and outside antenna but no signal comes through, and any help appreciated.

jo.l.keener@juno.com (Ke7nsb) Missouri City

Texas DPS uses conventional channel P25 in duplex mode. In areas near a dispatch office, the dispatcher is on one frequency, the mobiles on a different one. To hear both sides of the conversation, you'd have to program both frequencies, & be reasonably close to the mobile units to have any chance of hearing them. Farther away, you can hear both sides of the conversation if you're near one of the areas served by a mobile dispatch repeater. (This is primarily rural areas, not metro counties.) Also note that in many areas, the troopers are using MDT's, which reduces radio traffic, and quite often they spend more time on the frequencies (or trunked system) of the county where they are assigned than on the DPS channels themselves. There are a number of TX DPS related threads in the Texas regional forum.

Make sure, when doing an import, that the audio for those frequencies is being set to "digital". You don't want it set to "All" with "SRCH" in the "PL/DCS" field. If it's entered that way, you won't hear the P25 transmissions.

For Missouri City, you're probably best to concentrate on the frequencies listed under DPS Texas City heading. That appears to be the closest to your location in the Houston metro area.

 

[radiomanNJ1]

The shills for Butel are amazing. Always telling you how it solved all the worlds problems including programming the scanner. Freescan is the real free deal. No shills required.

 

[sjlamb]

The shills for Butel are amazing. Always telling you how it solved all the worlds problems including programming the scanner. Freescan is the real free deal. No shills required.

Both programs do essentially the same thing although Butel's virtual control screen is visually more impressive; if that matters to anyone.

What is really impressive though.... is the fact that Assaf had a good working version of FreeScan out for the XT series WELL BEFORE the others...... and with considerably fewer bugs. In fact, his program was so good that it probably is the main reason that Uniden elected to drag its' feet in developing its' own UASD software for the XT series. In essence, FreeScan has made the lack of Uniden's own software a moot point. Even it it was offered now, few would use it. Uniden should make a BIG donation to Assaf for how much time and software development expense he has saved them.

 

[RocketNJ]

I upgraded to ARC-XT Pro for the new 396XTs and 996XTs we got at the office. After about an hour I found out ARC-XT will not import channel plan from UHF systems.

For example, Morris COunty, NJ system import had the channel bandplan set to 800 MHz standard instead of custom. Once I changed the bandplan to custom and programmed the info into the tables I was OK.

Definitely a BIG bug in ARC-XT

 

[radiomanNJ1]

Among other things. Contribute to Aasaf and we get a better product in a more timely fashion

For me, the only thing I would like would be more quick keys. Yes, I have all of mine used and the radio at 1/2 capacity. But I can live with it.
So many boroughs, towns and villages and so many private radio channels in each.

I upgraded to ARC-XT Pro for the new 396XTs and 996XTs we got at the office. After about an hour I found out ARC-XT will not import channel plan from UHF systems.

For example, Morris COunty, NJ system import had the channel bandplan set to 800 MHz standard instead of custom. Once I changed the bandplan to custom and programmed the info into the tables I was OK.

Definitely a BIG bug in ARC-XT

 

[rvictor]

Among other things. Contribute to Aasaf and we get a better product in a more timely fashion

For me, the only thing I would like would be more quick keys. Yes, I have all of mine used and the radio at 1/2 capacity. But I can live with it.
So many boroughs, towns and villages and so many private radio channels in each.

You do realize that the number of quick keys available is determined by the radio and not by the software, right?

Dick