BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Just bought a BCD436HP (was: whistler ws1040)

[Stephanni]

Hello Whistler Forum,

I am new to the whistler world. I have had Unidens and Bearcats forever. I decided to advance to the Whistler

Here's My question: Do you have to download software for this scanner ? I do have the download cable.
I have read that this is the most effective way to program. Where do I get the software? Is the ARC 500 the best ?

Thanks for your help in advance !!
Stephannie

 

[vikingegfd]

psredit500

 

[hiegtx]

Hello Whistler Forum,

I am new to the whistler world. I have had Unidens and Bearcats forever. I decided to advance to the Whistler

Here's My question: Do you have to download software for this scanner ? I do have the download cable.
I have read that this is the most effective way to program. Where do I get the software? Is the ARC 500 the best ?

Thanks for your help in advance !!
Stephannie

Welcome to RadioReference, Stephannie

Software is not required, but it is the best way to program, especially for someone new to a particular model. While your scanner can be programmed via the keypad, that is time consuming and tedious, especially when it comes to entering text tags. Besides being faster to program since you are using a keyboard, as opposed to stepping through menu screens to add one letter at a time, you can also see most of the needed entry fields, at the same time, making it much simply to find and correct any errors or omissions. Also, if you hit a roadblock & need help, you can post your programming file for someone else to take a look then make suggestions.

There are three software programs that will handle your WS1040:
Win500
PSREdit500
and ARC500.
That's in my order of preference, but if you've used ARC software for one of your Uniden scanners, ARC500 might be a better personal choice. All three will get the job done, and each of the three have a 30-day trial period, before you either have to purchase the program, or it will stip working.

See more details here:
Object Oriented Scanner Software - The RadioReference Wiki

Also see these Wiki pages for more details on programming and operation of your new scanner.
Programming Shortcut PSR-500/600 RS Pro-106/197 - The RadioReference Wiki

Easier to Read Pro-651/652/106/197 - WS1040/1065 - PSR 500/600 Digital Scanner Manual

Getting Started with your GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[900mhz]

What services do you plan to monitor in CT?

 

[tvengr]

I use ARC500 and find it very fast and easy to use. ARC500 Basic is all you need to program your scanner. The Pro version provides additional logging functions. What Is your city and county and which agencies would you like to monitor? Some agencies in Connecticut use P25 Phase 2 which your scanner cannot monitor. With your location and agency info, I will be able to check. You can download the demo version of ARC500 for the free trial period and purchase the software key through Scanner Master with this link: Whistler Software for Police Scanner Radios | ScannerMaster.com

 

[Stephanni]

Welcome to RadioReference, Stephannie

Software is not required, but it is the best way to program, especially for someone new to a particular model. While your scanner can be programmed via the keypad, that is time consuming and tedious, especially when it comes to entering text tags. Besides being faster to program since you are using a keyboard, as opposed to stepping through menu screens to add one letter at a time, you can also see most of the needed entry fields, at the same time, making it much simply to find and correct any errors or omissions. Also, if you hit a roadblock & need help, you can post your programming file for someone else to take a look then make suggestions.

There are three software programs that will handle your WS1040:
Win500
PSREdit500
and ARC500.
That's in my order of preference, but if you've used ARC software for one of your Uniden scanners, ARC500 might be a better personal choice. All three will get the job done, and each of the three have a 30-day trial period, before you either have to purchase the program, or it will stip working.

See more details here:
Object Oriented Scanner Software - The RadioReference Wiki

Also see these Wiki pages for more details on programming and operation of your new scanner.
Programming Shortcut PSR-500/600 RS Pro-106/197 - The RadioReference Wiki

Easier to Read Pro-651/652/106/197 - WS1040/1065 - PSR 500/600 Digital Scanner Manual

Getting Started with your GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki

Steve,

Thank you very much !!! I will download and use your suggestions. I am sure the forum will be hearing from soon. Thanks
again for your help. I do appreciate the reply.

Stephanni

 

[Stephanni]

What services do you plan to monitor in CT?

Police, Fire, Aviation

 

[tvengr]

Police, Fire, Aviation

State police in Connecticut is P25 Phase 2 and cannot be monitored with your scanner. We need to know your city and county to be able to help..

 

[Stephanni]

State police in Connecticut is P25 Phase 2 and cannot be monitored with your scanner. We need to know your city and county to be able to help..

Good morning. I am in Hartford county. CT. Town of Windsor. I did do the download from Arc. However, there is nothing coming through. It's scanning but no sound. I can hear all air craft but that is it. Hope this helps. Thanks for your reply.

Stephanni

 

[N8IAA]

Good morning. I am in Hartford county. CT. Town of Windsor. I did do the download from Arc. However, there is nothing coming through. It's scanning but no sound. I can hear all air craft but that is it. Hope this helps. Thanks for your reply.

Stephanni

If you are trying to hear your city, the WS1040 is Phase I only. It just won't decode the signal. Your city operates a Phase II system. You'll have to get a scanner that does Phase II.

 

[Stephanni]

If you are trying to hear your city, the WS1040 is Phase I only. It just won't decode the signal. Your city operates a Phase II system. You'll have to get a scanner that does Phase II.

ahhhhhhh mannn !!! I thought the whistler was a phase 2. lololol just my luck. it does do the trunk 25 though. i should still get most of them. Thanks again for your help !!

 

[tvengr]

Here is the link to your local system: Windsor (Project 25) Trunking System, Windsor, Connecticut - Scanner Frequencies (radioreference.com) The T in the Mode column means TDMA (P25 Phase 2), which your scanner cannot monitor. There are conventional frequencies for Fire and EMS Dispatch that you can use:

Windsor

Windsor (Project 25) Project 25 Phase II

All town operations are on this trunk. The former LTR trunk is no longer in use.

Frequency	License	Type	Tone	Alpha Tag	Description	Mode	Tag
453.80000	KNGB280	RM	114.8 PL	Windsor Fire	Fire Patch to TRS	FMN	Fire Dispatch
453.60000	WQKG374	RM	114.8 PL	Windsor EMS	EMS Patch to TRS	FMN	EMS Dispatch
464.49500		BM	023 DPL	CREC Academy	CREC Academy of Aerospace / Engineering	FMN	Schools

Here is the link to the conventional frequencies for Hartford County: Hartford County, Connecticut (CT) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference (radioreference.com)

 

[Stephanni]

Wow ! Thank you Tvengr ! I will enter those and try them out. What do you think the next scanner up from mine would be that would be able to scan pH. 1 and 2 ? Should I purchase a Uniden ? With out spending 700 bucks Thanks again
Stephannie

 

[tvengr]

The Windsor system is a 3 site simulcast system. Depending where you are in relation to the towers, you may or may not be able to receive the system with a lower priced scanner. If you are close to one of the towers, you stand a better chance of it working. Whistler scanners are not the best for simulcast. The least expensive Phase 2 Uniden handheld would be the BCD325P2. The next scanner up, the BCD436HP handheld, is slightly better with simulcast. The SDS100 and SDS200 are the only scanners designed to receive simulcast systems. If you purchase a new scanner, make sure where you order it has a good return policy. Here is the link to the tower sites so that you can check the location of the towers: FCC Callsign WRDX585 (WINDSOR, TOWN OF) (radioreference.com) You also have the CLMRN statewide system with sites in Hartford County: Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network (CLMRN) Trunking System, Statewide, Connecticut - Scanner Frequencies (radioreference.com) State Police uses the statewide system, which is almost entirely Phase 2.

 

[Stephanni]

Tvenger😃 that is very interesting. Good stuff ! You seem to know so much about this area. I think that's great ! I heard they were going to change frequencies and wow I guess they did. That said, I will probably go with the Uniden 325P2. I always had Uniden before and always did the job. I will use the whistler for the aviation frequencies being I am in that industry. Just wondering... is there going to be a phase 3 ? I hope the 5P2 will work for a while.

Have a great day !

Thank you,
Stephanni

 

[Ronaldski]

Regrettably this situation is fairly typical. People look at prices and buy the lesser priced without research.
Look to return your scanner, the frequencies mentioned in message 12, any cheap scanner get them. Overkill with the digital scanner. Get your money back and put it to the uniden that does better in a simulcast system and phase II capable that you need.

 

[tvengr]

Tvenger😃 that is very interesting. Good stuff ! You seem to know so much about this area. I think that's great

The only thing I know about your area is what I see in the Radio Reference database. You need to familiarize yourself with using it and you will have all of the information at your fingertips. If you want more info about which scanners work in your area, there is a Connecticut forum. For the BCD325P2, you can use FreeSCAN programming software and it is FREE! Downloads - Sixspot Software FreeSCAN is fine for P25. If you purchase the DMR or NXDN upgrades, you will require ARC-XT or ProScan software. I use ARC-XT Basic for programming my BCD325P2.

 

[Stephanni]

Hello Tvenger....

I bought the BCD436HP . I entered the zip code and hear a lot more transmissions coming through. However I still need to enter
the trunking talk groups codes for my town. I also pick up a lot from Mass as well. I have a lot to learn as to how to navigate around.
I will keep you posted on the progress ! Stay well !

Stephanni Rachel

 

[hiegtx]

Hello Tvenger....

I bought the BCD436HP . I entered the zip code and hear a lot more transmissions coming through. However I still need to enter
the trunking talk groups codes for my town. I also pick up a lot from Mass as well. I have a lot to learn as to how to navigate around.
I will keep you posted on the progress ! Stay well !

Stephanni Rachel

Stephanni,

If you find that you "need to add more talkgroups" for your town, are there talkgroups showing in the database (online) that are not being received in your county?

Have you installed Sentinel? If not, you can find the link on this page:

BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

Once you install the software, be sure & update the database, then use the software to write the updated data to the scanner. When the scanner is shipped, as well as when Sentinel is first installed, it's well out of date. If there are active talkgroups for your area, listed in the database here on RadioReference, that don't come up when you are listening, then there are a couple of things to check. First, as I just mentioned, is that the database in the scanner is out of date. Doing the updates will take care of that.

The second thing that trips up many new users of these scanners is which service types are enabled. When the scanner is shipped, and also when you first install Sentinel. only the Dispatch service types for Public Safety are active: Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, and Multi Dispatch. You also need to enable the Tac & Talk service types for those (i.e. Law Talk, Fire Tac, EMS Talk, etc.) Update those to enabled in your Profile in Sentinel, then write the changes (along with the updated database) to your scanner.

Other helpful links can be found in the Wiki. When you have the time, explore some of the links on this page:

BCD436HP and BCD536HP Scanner FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Also browse:

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual

Finally, in regard to programming, and operating in general, many of the comments you see about programming & using one of the SDS series Uniden scanners, also applies to your 436HP (& vice versa- much of the x36HP comments apply to the SDS scanners as well). While the SDS scanners have features your scanner does not, such as filters & an expanded, customizable display, basic programming and operation of these models is over 90% the same.

 

[tvengr]

Hi Stephanni! I'm here with you on this forum. If you missed my last post, I also have a BCD436HP, use Sentinel, and Steve and I will be happy to help with your new scanner.