DMA Scanners and Software

I don't have a serial port on my PC. How do I connect the scanner?

See our Connecting scanners via USB article for specific hints and tips. Uniden sells their own USB-1. Be sure to download the most up to date drivers for your OS, regardless of from whom you buy it.

I Want to Program My Scanner via Software. What Packages are Available?

Each scanner's article linked in our wiki has a listing for supporting software. See the Popular Software for RS/Uniden Scanners article for the most popular packages.

Where can I get a file for the program I'm using?

Programming files for these packages can often be had from several different sources;

• Make a request for a file on your state's forum;
• Check the Yahoo group(s) for your state;
• Check the Yahoo group for your scanner. This is listed in every article (usually toward the bottom);
• Check to see if someone has set up a web page with file(s) for your scanner;
• Download data from the RadioReference database.

Some of these packages support connecting directly to, and downloading data from, the RadioReference database. (Note however, that the Trunkstar package does not allow you to use it for controlling the BC246 from the PC, due to software limitations). This is often the easiest way to get started. In the popular article listed above, those packages that have this ability are listed in bold.

To use this service, you must be a paid subscriber. The list of applications that are known to be compatible with the Web service can be found here.

If you make a request for a file, be sure to specify which software package you are using. For example, ARC396 can read UASD files as an input source; the UASD cannot directly read ARC396 data.

I can't get my EDACS system to work

• EDACS systems must be programming in LCN or LOGICAL CHANNEL NUMBER order to properly trunk.
• You must also select the correct mode for EDACS. Most systems are Wide (AKA Standard), but some will be Narrow. Look on a web site such as RadioReference.com for details about particular systems.

I can't seem to get the scanner to trunk my LTR system

• Like EDACS systems, LTR must be programmed in LCN or LOGICAL CHANNEL NUMBER order to properly trunk. In addition, it's not uncommon to see channel numbers skipped. Program this precisely as shown
• LTR STANDARD is the only type of LTR system that can be trunktracked. Others such as PASSPORT or MULTINET cannot be trunktracked, but can be monitored by programming the frequencies as conventional channels.

How do I program my scanner to receive a conventional (i.e. non-trunked) station that has APCO 25 (IMBE encoded) voice?

• Program the channel as you would any other conventional channel. DO NOT set a CTCSS or DPL tone for the channel or set the channel to tone search (doing so will disable P25 audio decoding). The scanner will automaticallly sense the P25 (IMBE encoded) audio and decode it!

I can't hear a nearby trunked system that I KNOW has APCO 25 encoded voice. I programmed the 396t with system type set to APCO25. What's wrong?

• The APCO25 system type setting on the 396t is only used for true, APCO 25 Common Air Interface (CAI) compliant systems. Such systems (such as Michigan's statewide public safety communications system) use a 9600 baud control channel and are still relatively rare. Try setting the system up in your scanner as a Motorola Type II system. These systems use a 3600 baud control channel. If the audio is APCO 25 (IMBE) encoded, the 396t will automatically detect this and decode it.

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