There is another point that should be considered. What if you want to change something in the configuration that Scanner Master loaded for you, or you do something to mess it up? Without understanding how to program the scanner, it could become quite expensive to send it back and forth every time you want something fixed that you could do yourself.
While the amount of detail seems daunting, take it step by step and you'll learn it. We have numerous resources in our wiki to help you along...
Programming Your Uniden Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki
We have links to the Easier to Read manuals (there's both a downloadable and printed one available for the 996XT) and our DMA FAQ, which will answer many more questions that the manual doesn't. We have lots of other things in our wiki that will also be of use, if you're a newcomer - our online glossary and links to UPMan's excellent article introducing the concept of trunking, just to name 2.
There are 4 packages for the XT series - ProScan (which has already been mentioned), FreeScan (freeware) and ARC-XT. BCTool is another one. The first 3 allow you to download data from our database with a
premium subscription - BCTool requires the paid professional version for this function.
That's only one way to go. You could go over to the Tennessee forum and ask for a file. Be sure to be specify what software you're using - formats are not interchangeable.
Take the time to learn about the 996XT. Education is often cheaper than the alternative...
best regards..Mike