Freescan Upload

Instructions

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This function can be accessed via the Scanner pulldown (figure 2), the first scanner symbol to the right of Help in the toolbar or via CTRL-U on the keyboard

Load the file you wish to upload. Figure 1 shows an example
From the Scanner pulldown, select 'Upload Programming' (Figure 2). If you made changes to the various settings for AGC, FTO, custom searches, ect. be sure to check the 'Send Custom Radio Settings' box
The upload dialog is displayed. Verify that the COM port and speed are correct. If you wish to wipe out the previous contents of the scanner, insure that the Erase All Systems button is checked.
Select the system(s) you wish to upload. When all options are set the way you want them, hit the 'Load Programming' button (Figure 4). Note that the number of systems as the upload takes place is nearly always doubled - this is because FreeScan is counting each site and group as separate objects to be deleted/reloaded.
It can take up to 20-30 seconds to clear the scanner menu and begin the reload process. You will be notified when the process is complete.
If a COM error is encountered (cannot connect, ect.) click on the 'Freescan' link in the upper left corner. Select 'Setup Com Port' from the pulldown, as shown in Figure 5. You can also click the COM button to the right of the AUTO button to get to the same form. See our Making the Connection article for more information.
The Quick Editor (figure 6) can be used to quickly delete an entire system from the scanner. To remove a system, first hit 'read scanner', then click on the desired system. Hit 'Nuke Selected Systems'. 'Reset All Memory' will clear the scanner memory so use with caution.

Difference in System Types between the XT and non-XT Digital Trunktrackers

With the BCD396T & BCD996T, P25 sites are created as "Motorola Type II / Mot Type II - P25". On the BCD396XT and BCD996XT however, this site type is not available (and vice versa), and instead P25 systems/sites are created as "P25 Standard".

By default, FreeSCAN will always creates a P25 system as a Motorola. In contrast, XT scanners use systems called P25 Standard. Depending on the type of scanner you are uploading to, FreeSCAN will change the system type during the upload.

For example, when a Motorola Type II / P25 System is uploaded to an 396XT, FreeSCAN will change the system type to P25 Standard automatically.

Single Site Vs Multi Site Scanners

FreeSCAN was designed to work around scanners such as the BCD996T which can host multiple sites in one system. Contrast this to the 396T which can only host one site per system. If you do try to upload a multi site system to a single site scanner, FreeSCAN will breakup each site into it's own system, and duplicate settings and TGID groups across them. However, this can cause the scanner to run out of memory quickly, so plan carefully if you intend to use this feature.

Skipped Channels

In some cases, you will see some channels being registered as "Skipped". FreeSCAN will skip a channel if it is a conventional channel and the frequency is 0Mhz, or if you elected not to send digital channels to an analog scanner. When FreeSCAN skips a channel, you can click on the blue underlined number next to the error label to bring up the upload log, which will show you which channels were skipped and why.

Filling Your Scanner's Memory

FreeSCAN provides an indication of how full the scanner's memory is. However, this is not an exact figure, since one part of memory (such as channel memory) may become full, and the scanner can still have additional memory for more systems. As such, the indicator will be less then 100% but the scanner will not take any more channels. Usually this condition occurs around an indicated 87% memory full status.

If you are having errors during upload, check your scanner's memory capacity using the front panel and make sure nothing is at 100%, especially channel memory which tends to be exhausted first.

If you are loading the scanner for the first time, it's highly advisable to use Erase all Systems and Settings (it's in red) to wipe out any previous programming. This includes System Quick Keys that have been pre-loaded with data that is no longer current. Depending on the model, this can take up a considerable chunk of memory.

Background Uploading

You can close the Upload window during transfer and resume working on your programming. Upload status will be indicated in the status bar while in this mode. However, it is not recommended that you delete or otherwise modify any systems that are to be uploaded, as this can cause unpredictable behavior. You can for example though, upload some systems while download additional ones from RR or another source. But it is not recommended that you close or otherwise wipe out the current file you are working on, as this will upset the upload.

Uploading a Custom Sort Order

By popular demand, you can now have a custom upload sort order. This is going to be the same order that the tree view is set to. Note that this only works if you do a complete erase then upload.

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