Ozscan - Uniden UBCD396XT Instructions

UBCD396XT - FreeScan Basic Software Instructions

2012-02-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick guide to get you up and going using FreeSCAN Software.

*If you are going to use the supplied Serial Cable and don't have a serial port on your computer, you will have to purchase a Serial to USB convertor.

I purchased one directly from this Ebay seller and found it to work perfect!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB4RADIOS-USB-Serial-RS232-Adaptor-FTDI-US232R-10-/260955356211?pt=AU_Components&hash=item3cc226bc33

Ebay seller - daniellafast

FreeSCAN can be downloaded from this link.

http://www.sixspotsoftware.com/downloads

Click on

fssetup-2.10.exe

Once downloaded - open the software.

Put your mouse cursor over 'Scanner'... a small drop down menu will appear.

Then left click on 'Control Scanner'

A small box will open with the title 'Virtual Control'.

Left click in COM Port Setup.

Another box will open with the title COM Port Settings.

Left click on Start Auto.

The software will now try to detect your scanner - this may take a few minutes.

Once found another box will open up confirming the scanner has been found.
As shown in the picture below......
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Hint/Tip.

In some instances the software will not locate the UBCD396XT - you simply need to lower the 'Baud Rate' in the scanner.

I have had better success with the FreeSCAN software by setting the UBCD396XT Serial Port to 57600 bps.

This can be done as follows:

Push Menu

Highlight Settings.

Push YES.

In 'Settings Menu', highlight Set Serial Port.

Push YES.

In Set Serial Port Menu, highlight 57600 bps.

Push Yes.

Once done - push SCAN.

The Serial Port 'Baud rate' has now been changed to 57600 bps.

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If everything works correctly you will get a small screen appear to confirm the scanner has been found.

As shown below.

Left click on OK.

Previous 'Com Port Settings' Menu will be displayed again.

Left click on Close.

Main Software Menu page will be displayed again.

Place you mouse cursor over 'Scanner' and then left click on Download Programming

FreeSCAN - Read From Scanner Menu will now appear...

Left click on Queue System List. This will then let the software access the database stored in the scanner as shown below.

For this example I have used the default setting on the UBCDD396XT - this includes ALL the original Factory DATA and Systems.

Left click on Start Download
Once download is completed - screen wil appear as shown below.

You will notice to the left of the 'scanner picture' there will display Errors 40.
This is because FreeScan does not totally recognise the Australian Verison of the US Version BCD396XT - it cant understand some of the settings and throws a 'wobbly', these are recognised as Errors.
The Errors are in fact US settings inc Band Plan, Custom seraches and Service seraches etc...
Don't Panic as these Errors wont effect what we are doing....

Click on the Close Tab.

Screen will then display the downloaded data base from the scanner as shown below - the data shown is from a 'Brand New' UBCD396XT and includes all the pre-set factory data as supplied by Uniden Australia.

At this point you can now modify - add - delete - or simply review all your data and settings.
There is a help Menu on the FreeScan Software if you 'run into trouble'.
You can also add talkgroup IDs and Names etc...

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Hint/Tip
Important - It is strongly recommended that you save any files BEFORE you modify them!
I would suggest that you save the original Uniden file as soon as you download it - of course you can simply re-install it on the scanner by holding done the HOLD 2 and 9 Button while powering up the scanner, but saving the file on the computer is also handy so you can have a play with the data base and make 'mods' without having to upload the original file everytime you make a mistake.
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Once your FreeScan file has been modified put your cursor over Scanner and then click on Upload Programming in the drop down menu.

A new screen will now open with the Title 'Send To Scanner' as shown below.

Now at this point for an example I only want to upload the SA GRN MOT system back to my scanner.
As I live in SA - I have no use for the other systems.
If you look closely at the picture above I have only 'ticked' the SA GRN MOT system in the Systems To Upload Box.
I would also suggest ticking the 'Erase All Systems & Settings' Box.
This will remove ALL the other systems on the scanner leaving only the SA GRN MOT system, once uploaded.

Important - I would also recommend only ticking the 'Send System Quick Key Status' Box and the 'Automatically Resume Scanning' Box.

Once your selection has been confirmed - click on Start Upload.

Upload will take anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how much data is being uploaded to the scanner.

Once completed screen will display a GREEN 'Tick' as shown below.

If the upload has been successful you will also notice there will be no Errors.
The software will also let you know the number of Systems, Groups and channels loaded into the scanner.

Once finished left click on the Close Tab.

Data has now been transferred back to the scanner - scanner should have automatically resumed scanning.

If not - Push The SCAN button.
As I only loaded the SA GRN MOT system back onto my scanner - this will be the only system the scanner will monitor.

Due to the time it takes to create each individual 'Blog' on this site , I simply don't have the time to cover all the features of FreeSCAN.
I would suggest you simply 'play' with the software to get a better understanding of how it works.
I am more than happy to answer questions, but please be patient as finding time is the hardest part!
These instructions are to help the novice gain a better understanding of how to use and set up your scanner. While every effort is made to keep the instructions as simple and easy to understand as possible, sometimes mistakes are made. If you have any questions or advice regarding the instructions I have provided, please feel free to e-mail me at scantech1@bigpond.comand I will update these instructions ASAP.

UBCD396XT - CHANGING THE SCREEN COLOUR

2012-02-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

Dont' like the current colour of your scanners screen?
The UBCD396XT lets you change your screen to suit your mood!

To change the colour follow these instructions.

On the left hand side of the scanner - push the FUNC pad.

The screen will now display the MENU

Using the Rotary dial (Volume control) turn it clockwise until

Settings is highlighted as shown below.

Once Settings has been highlighted - Push YES

The screen will then change to display Settings at the top. (as shown in the picture below)

If not already highlighted - use the Volume dial to highlight

Set Backlight, then push YES.

The screen will then open up the Backlight menu as shown below.

Using the Volume dial - trun it clockwise unitl Set Color is highlighted

(Yes Color is spelt the American way)

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Hint/Tip

You will notice that there are a couple other settings in the Backlight Menu. These include setting the Mode and the Dimmer.

If you highlight Mode - and push Yes, a new menu will open up letting you select the time the backlight stays on and when it will be activated.

10 Sec - Backlight stays on for 10 seconds.

30 Sec - Backlight stays on for 30 seconds.

Squelch - Backlight comes on when squelch opens - someone talks.

Keypress - Everytime you press a key the backlight will come on for the designated time pre-set earlier.

Infintie - Stays on all the time.

Trick is to set the time first.. say you want the backlight to stay on for 10 seconds only...

Highlight 10 Sec and push Yes.

Screen will revert back to previous menu.

Highlight Set Mode again and push Yes.

Now we want the Backlight to come on only when the squelch is open - when someone talks.

Highlight Squelch and push Yes.

Screen wil revert back to previous menu again.

The Backlight has now been set to come on for 30 seconds when someone talks.

Setting the Dimmer is just as easy.

While in the Set Backlight Menu -Highlight Set Dimmer and push Yes.

A new Menu will open up with three choices High, Middle and Low.

Using the Volume dial highlight your desired backlight brightness and push Yes.

Screen will revert back to previous menu and we can continue to the next step to change the colour.

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Changing the colour of the screens backlight is quite simple at this point.

Simply make sure that Set Color is highlighted and push Yes.

The menu will now let you scroll between the following colours...

White - Yellow - Cyan - Blue - Red - Magenta - Green

Once you have selected your desired Backlight colour you can then push Yes.

The colour of the backlight has now been set.

Push your Scan button to resume 'scanning'.

Here are some examples below.

Ok..so whats the point? Glad you asked.
You can also set the backlight colours for different frequneices and talkgroups - for example, I have my backlight set to glow RED when the Fire Dept are talking and BLUE for the Ambulance.
I will often leave the volume down quite low and when I see the screen glow or flash RED or BLUE I know its a frequency that I may wish to monitor - I can then pick up the scanner and adjust the volume so I can hear the conversation.
Very handy when watching TV and don't want to be bothered by the scanner in the background, unless it's something important, simply set the backlight colour to your favourite frequency and monitor the colours!

As an added bonus!
The light can be quite bright in a dark room - ideal for setting the mood for those romantic evenings with your partner.
Ive found BLUE to be the most popular!

UNIDEN BC125AT - NEW SCANNER

2012-02-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

Uniden America has released a Brand new 500 Channel analogue scanner
The BC125AT

Not sure if we wil see it here in Australia, but would make an excellent replacement for the OLD UBC73XLT AND THE UBC93XLT handheld scanners.
With a RRP of $199USD this would make a fantastic fully featured budget scanner for anyone looking to monitor
analogue transmissions.
Want to see it here?
Contact Uniden Australia.
www.uniden.com.au
FULL SPECS AVAILABLE BELOW.

Uniden BC125AT

500 Channels, 10 banks

Frequency Coverage

25-54 MHz (Need this modified for Australia to cover 70MHz)
108-174 MHz
225-380 MHz
400-512 MHz

10 Channel Storage Banks - You can store up to 50 frequencies into each bank for a total of 500 frequencies so you can more easily identify calls.

Close Call RF Capture Technology - you can set the scanner so it detects and provides information about nearby radio transmissions

Close Call Do-Not-Disturb - checks for Close Call activity in between channel reception so active channels are not interrupted.

Close Call Temporary Store - temporarily stores and scans the last 10 Close Call hits in the 'Close Call Hits' system.

PC Programming - you can download information into the scanner and control the scanner via your personal computer.

CTCSS and DCS Squelch Modes - rapid search for CTCSS/DCS tones/codes used during a transmission. You can identify up to 50 CTCSS tones and 104 DCS codes.

Direct Access - lets you directly access any channel.

Lock-Out Function - lets you set your scanner to skip over specified channels or frequencies when scanning or searching.

Temporary Lockout - makes it easy to temporarily lock out any channel or frequency. The lockout is cleared when you turn power off, then back on so you don’t have to remember to unlock the channels later.

Triple-Conversion Circuitry - virtually eliminates any interference from IF (intermediate frequency) images, so you hear only the selected frequency.

Text Tagging - you can name each channel, using up to 16 characters per name.

Service Banks - frequencies are preset in 10 separate Police, Fire/Emergency, Ham, Marine, Railroad, Civil Air, Military Air, CB Radio, FRS/GMRS/MURS, and Racing banks to make it easy to locate specific types of calls and search any or all of these banks.

Priority Scan with Do Not Disturb - lets you program one channel in each bank (10 in all) and then have the scanner check each channel every 2 seconds while it scans the banks so you don’t miss transmissions on those channels. Do-Not Disturb keeps the scanner from interrupting transmissions during receiving.

Priority Plus Scan - you can set the scanner so it scans only the priority channels.

Scan/Search Delay/Resume - controls whether the scanner pauses at the end of the transmission to wait for a reply. You can set the Delay time for each Channel, Close Call Search, Custom Search, and Service search. You can also set a negative delay where the scanner stops on transmissions for a set time then automatically resumes.

Custom Search - lets you program up to 10 Custom Search Ranges and search any or all of these ranges.

Quick Search - allows you to enter a frequency and start searching up or down from that frequency.

Turbo Search - increases the search speed from 100 to 300 steps per second automatically for bands with 5 kHz steps.

Search Lockouts - you can lock up to 200 search frequencies: 100 temporary frequencies and 100 permanent frequencies in Custom Search, Service Search, Close Call Search, or Quick Search Modes.

Weather Alert Priority - the scanner scans active WX channels every 5 seconds to check for the presence of a 1050 Hz Weather Alert Tone.

Weather Alert Standby - the scanner allows you to monitor for weather alerts broadcast on NOAA channels.

Display Backlight - You can turn on/off the LCD backlight, set it operate on squelch only, keypress only, or both.

Signal Strength Meter - shows the signal strength for more powerful transmissions.

Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector - provides adequate reception in strong signal areas and is designed to help prevent antenna breakage. Or, you can connect an external antenna for better reception.

Memory Backup - keeps the frequencies stored in memory for an extended time if the scanner loses power.

Two Power Options - let you power the scanner using the included two AA rechargeable or alkaline batteries or the supplied USB cable.

Built-In Charger - allows you to charge Ni-MH batteries in the scanner using a USB port on any computer and the supplied USB cable.

Key Confirmation Tones - You can turn on/off a tone that sounds when you perform an operation correctly or if you make an error.

Key Lock - lets you lock the scanner's keys to help prevent accidental changes to the scanner's programming.

Battery Save - works when there is no transmission for 1 minute in Scan Hold Mode and any Search Hold Mode (without Priority Scan). This feature turns off RF power for 1 second and turns on it for 300ms to extend the battery life.

Battery Low Alert - the icon will blink in the display and a tone warns you every 15 seconds when the battery power gets low

For those interested in trying one of these scanners for yourself - I have four left from my last shipment ex USA. Price is $170 each including postage Australia Wide.
Contact me direct at scantech1@bigpond.com to place your order.

UBCD396XT - Firmware upgrade now avaialble

2012-01-31T03:53:00.000-08:00

Uniden Australia have now released the first Firmware upgrade for the UBCD396XT handheld scanner - This uprade will resolve the issues trying to connect the remote head unit to the new UBCD396XT.
This upgrade is available as a download directly from the Uniden Australia web page at
www.uniden.com.au

Find the UBCD396XT and see the links to the right of the page.

If any one has any issues with the upgrade please feel free to contact me to try an resolve the problem.

I beleive that there are only a limited numbers of Remote Heads left in stock and Uniden have reduced the RRP to clear current stock.

Update - 09-02-2012.

I have not had a chance to try the new firmware for myself yet but will post the results ASAP.
I have had a few e-mails regarding it 'not working'!
Will update this post when I have personally updated my scanner.

UBCD396XT - Technical Data - SA GRN settings.

2012-01-14T04:05:00.000-08:00

For those who are confident enough to create their own 'NEW ' System to follow the SA GRN, you will need these settings.

These settings are also available from the scanners pre-installed factory Database via its menu....

Band Plan Settings.
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Select band Plan - CUSTOM
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Band Plan 1
Base Freq Lower- 412.4750
Base Freq Upper - 413.4625
Input Offset - 380
polarity +
Set Spacing - 12.5KHz
----------------------------------------

Band Plan 2
Base Freq Lower - 415.1250
Base Freq Upper - 418.8625
Input Offset - 460
Polarity +
Set Spacing - 12.5 kHz
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Set Modulation - NFM
Set ID Scan/Search - Search
Set Delay Time - 2 sec
Set Status Bit - Ignore
Set End Code - Factory Setting is IGNORE, but personally I select Analog.

You can find the control channels relevant for your area from here.
http://www.sascan.net.au/?page=infPages/GRN_Sites

These settings also apply to any of the Imported US Scanners including the BCD396XT and the Desktop BCD996XT.

Many thanks to Matt and his SA Scanning site.
http://www.sascan.net.au/?page=welcome
Without his dedication and hardwork most of us would still be in the dark!

UBCD396XT - Setting up the SA GRN

2012-01-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

The Uniden UBCD396XT comes pre-installed with the current SA GRN database.

Problem is that it contains all the control channels for the whole State of SA!
While this may suit a small portion of customers who may travel the entire State on a regular basis (Vacum Cleaner Salesman?) it may not suit the other 99.9 percent.

The following instructions are designed to get you up and running in your location using the data that was pre-installed from the factory. (Yes it's up to date)
In this example I will use the pre-set frequencies and System Information that Uinden supplied as new.
I will endeavour to add another example of how to create a New SA GRN System as soon as possbile.
There will be NO need to change anything else in the Scanners data base or set up during this example other than these instructions.
These instructions are designed for the novice - some further 'tweaks' can be done but for this example I will keep it as simple as possible.

Quick Fix Method.

As the UBCD396XT comes pre-installed with the SA GRN we will use it for a starting point.
First of all we need to remove all the unwanted 'Systems' pre-installed by Uniden and leave only the SA GRN!
Now I have already covered this procedure in the following section -

UBCD396XT - First Time - Removing Unwanted Systems...

Once you have removed all the unwanted Systems you can now modify the current pre-installed data to suit your area.
A good starting point is to perhaps have a quick look at the SA Scanning web page.
Follow this link. http://www.sascan.net.au/?page=infPages/GRN_Sites

This page is an excellent starting point to locate the 'Sites' closest to your Home location.

The state of South Australia is divided into 5 regions.
Narrow your selection down to the region that concerns YOU.
For this example we are concentrating on Region 1 which contains the Site 'Adelaide CBD'.
Click on the 'Adelaide CBD' - this will open up a new page with a list of all the data required to set up your scanner for the 'Adelaide CBD'.
The only frequency that we need is the 'Data Channel' - 413.3125 and the 'Back up Data Channel' - 417.8125.
Write down these two on a note pad as well will need them again in a minute.

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Hint/Tip
If you are living in the Adeliade Metro Area you may wish to write down all the relevant 'Data Channels' for your area within say 10Kms of your home base.
Compile all these channels on a note pad and write down there relevant 'Site' name.
Don't be concerned about entering all the 'Data Channels' for the entire region 1 area - unless you actually are a 'Vacum Cleaner Salesman' - it's a waste of time and unless you are travelling all over the State, your only making the scanner work harder to find your relevant 'Data Channel'.
I only have ONE 'Data Channel' loaded in my scanner and it works perfect - when I travel interstate I then load up the required 'Data Channel' for the other areas I will travel through. This is where you create a 'site' relevant to your area...
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I will assume that you have removed all previous 'Systems' and only left the one called ' SA-GRN MOT'

Turn your scanner on.
Push MENU (On left hand side)
Screen will show the inital MENU screen with PROGRAM SYSTEM highlighted.
As shown below.

Push YES.

Screen will then display Systems currently available in the scanner's data base.
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Hint/Tip
If you have NOT removed the other systems as I suggested earlier, don't worry too much, you can do it later if your wish.
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If you have NOT removed the other systems you screen will open up as follows:

(This picture below is the display expected from a Brand new Unit with original Database still loaded. If you HAVE removed all the unwanted Databases as I suggested earlier there will be only ONE system showing - SA-GRN MOT)

If SA-GRN MOT is not shown on the screen, use the Volume dial and turn it clockwise until SA-GRN MOT is highlighted as shown below.

Once SA-GRN MOT is highlighted - push YES.

Screen will then change to the following, asking you if you wish to Edit the Name of the System.
Uniden Australia Have called it SA-MOT GRN for a reason - as this is pretty much what it is - you can change the name if you like by following the menu or skip this step and concentrate on setting up the frequencies.

Our main concern is the 'Site' set up. Use your Volume dial and turn it clockwise unitl Edit Site is highlighted, as shown below.

Once Edit Site has been highlighted - push YES.

The sreen will now open up again in another new Menu asking if you to Select Site.
Factory defult setting for the 'Site' will read the same as the System Name - SA-GRN MOT (Just to be confusing!) as shown below....

Make sure that SA-GRN MOT is highlighted and push YES.

Screen will change to the one shown below giving you the chance to change the name of the Site.

I would strongly recommend that you change the name of the site to reflect the area or location you wish to monitor. For this example we will enter ADELAIDE.
While EDIT NAME is highlighted push YES.

Screen will now display the following.

To remove the SA-GRN MOT text from the screen to replace with your new text, push the 'NO' button twice.!
This will in turn remove the SA-GRN MOT text ready for you to enter your new site name.
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HINT/TIP
The site is where you will enter all the details of the relevant 'control channels' and their respective 'towers'.
Unlike a mobile phone that will jump to the next available tower automatically - your scanner wont - unless you enter the data.
This is why you must create a site.
Each System must contain at least ONE site to make it work.
You can enter multiple Sites in a System and each Site can then be switched 'on' or 'off' depending on where you travel.
----------------------------------------------------

Your screen should be ready to enter the text as shown below.

Using the Volume dial - turn it clockwise or anti-clockwise and you will see Letters and Numbers appear under the cursor.
As we are going to enter Adelaide for this example - rotate the dial until a capital 'A' appears.
To enter the next letter 'D' - push the 6 button once and the cursor will move to the right.
Rotate the dial again until 'D' appears - repeat this process until 'ADELAIDE' is entered.
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Hint/Tip
If you make a mistake or wish to correct a spelling mistake - use the 4 button to go back over your text. To enter a space - simply push the 6 button again and it will leave a blank/space.
To start all over again - push the 'NO' button twice!
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Your screen should look like this.

Once 'ADELAIDE' (or whatever name you have given your site) has been entered correctly - Push YES.

Screen will revert back to previous MENU before we entered our Text.
As shown below.

Using the Volume Dial, rotate it clockwise until Set Frequencies is Highlighted.
As shown below.

Once Set Frequencies has been highlighted - Push Yes

The screen will then open to a list of pre-installed frequencies as loaded by Uniden Australia as shown below.

This list contains all the relevant control channels used in SA.

Your job is to remove the ones you don't need!

As there only two that concern us for the site of 'ADELAIDE' we have to remove the ones that are useless to us.

For this example we will leave the two frequencies relevant to the 'ADELAIDE CBD' as we found before - 413.3125 and the 'Back up Data Channel' - 417.8125.

If you have your note book handy with the frequencies that are relevant to your site- scroll through the list of frequencies in the scanners database and delete the ones you dont need as follows.

Removing Unwanted Frequencies

Using the Volume Dial - rotate it clockwise - every frequency you dont need, highlight it and Push YES!

Evey time you push YES the screen will change to show the frequency at the top of the screen.

Rotate the Volume dial clockwise until Delete Frequency is highlighted and push YES.

Confirm Delete? will appear on the screen - Push YES.

'Processing Please Wait' will appear for a few seconds and the srcreen will revert to the previous menu with Set Frequencies highlighted again.

Push YES.

Repeat the process again , using the Volume dial to find the frequency you wish to Delete.

Highlight it and push YES.

Rotate the Volume dial clockwise until Delete Frequency is highlighted and push YES.

Confirm Delete? will appear on the screen - Push YES.

Processing Please Wait wil appear for a few seconds and the srcreen will revert to the previous menu with Set Frequencies highlighted again.

Once you have removed ALL the frequencies that have NO relevance to your area - simply push the 'Scan' button and the Scanner will now lock onto the 'Control Channel' frequencies you have left in the Database that are relevant to your area - it should only take a matter of seconds and you will see a small number appear on the bottom of the screen - this is the control channel.

*I will update these instructions over the next couple days/weeks to include a few more minor adjustments to enhance your scanning experience - including how to give the System a Quick key and locking out sites...

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or suggestions regarding these instructions.

I am also in the process of adding instructions to create a NEW SA System from start including Band Plan settings etc.

I will post this ASAP.

Using the dial on the top right hand side of the scanner - turn it clockwise and highlight SA-GRN MOT as shown in the picture below.

*You wil notice in the picture

UBCD396XT - Setting Up NSW APCO 25.

2011-12-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

Setting up the UBCD396XT to follow the current NSW GRN (Apco25) System is relatively easy - when you know how....

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HINT/TIP
Skip this step if your confident, but it is suggested that you remove all pre-set factory systems before commencing - although not necessary, it may make setting up this system easier for the novice!
A 'clean slate' will make it easier to set up and as the pre-loaded NSW data is outdated and it should be removed anyway.
I have covered this in another section called

UBCD396XT - First Time - Removing Unwanted Systems

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The first things we need to do is find the relevant frequencies we need to program the scanner for your area.

The best location to start is with the Radio Reference NSW GRN web page.
It can be found here. - http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6943

If you scroll down the web page you will see a series of columns.

The three that are of interest to us are the Name, County and Frequencies.
Now as we don't have 'County's' here in Australia, simply remember a County as a 'Region'.

You will need to get a pen and a notepad.

What you need to do now is look for a 'Name' which is with 10kms from your home location.
These are the names of the locations of the GRN Towers.
Similar to a phone tower these are where the signals are received and transmitted. (in laymans terms).

You need to scroll down the 'Name' list until you find a Tower within say 10kms of your home location.
Lets say I am scrolling down the list and I see that 'Heathcote' is my closest Tower.
I would now look in the column directly to the right of 'Heathcote' and see that the region (County) is Sydney Outer. (SO).
Then look further to the columns to the right and you will see two frequencies coloured Red and Blue.
These are the Control Channels.
'Heathcotes' would be - 417.06250 and 417.56250.

What you need to to now is that you have found the relevant County/Regions that are of interest to you, put your computers mouse over the word 'County' at the top of the column and click it.
This will now arrange the listing in order of County/Regions.
(The Database is originally configured in order of 'Site' numbers.)

Now using the 'County/Region' column as a reference point - find all the relevant Names of the GRN Towers withn 10Kms of your location.
Then narrow them down to the one closest to your home location.
Obviously ones even closer than 10Kms would be best to use.
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Hint/Tip
In some cases you might find quite a few GRN towers in your County/Region. You don't have to enter them ALL! There is no point in putting in every single Control Channel if you dont live within range.
Putting in TOO many Control Channels can actually be a problem as it can in some cases, cause the scanner to lock onto a 'weaker' frequency and cause you headaches trying to follow a conversation.
There is a way to enter them ALL in a manner which will work - but for this exercise we will stick to the basics. If there are 4 or 5 GRN Towers - select only the closest one to your Home Base!
For example - If I lived close enough to be able to see a GRN tower from my house I would only enter that particular GRN towers Control Channels - nothing else!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you have located the frequencies of relevance, you can now enter them in the scanner.
For this example I an going to enter the two Control Channels I found earlier for 'Heathcote' being the following - 417.06250 and 417.56250.

Turn the Scanner On

Push MENU

-MENU- will be displayed at the top of the screen, with Program System highlighted. As shown below.

Push YES

Select System will be displayed at the top of the screen

New System should be highlighted.

If New System is not highlighted - use the rotarty dial and turn it clockwise until New System is Highlighted.

Push Yes

Select System Type will be at the top of the screen.

P25 should be highlighted.

If P25 is not highlighted - use the rotarty dial and turn it clockwise unitl P25 is Highlighted.

As shown below.

Push Yes

P25 will be displayed at the top of the screen

Standard Trunk should be highlighted as shown below.

Push YES

The screen will now change and the following message will appear 'Confirm?' as shown below....

Confirm your selection by pushing YES

The Screen will then display System 1 at the top of the screen and Edit Name will be highlighted.

The same as the picture below.

It is recommended that you change the name of the System to one that can easily be recognised should you wish to edit it at a later date.

I would suggest changing it to NSW GRN.

While Edit Name is highlighted - push YES

Screen will now change and let you open the 'editing' menu to change the name of the system as shown below.

Screen will now look like the one above - at this point we want to enter new text and give the System a Name.

Lets call the new System - NSW GRN
To enter new Text - push the '.NO' button twice, this will clear the screen ready to enter new text.

To enter the 'text' - rotate the dial clockwise/anticlockwise and you will see letters/number/symbols appear under the cursor... rotate the dial until capital 'N' appears.
Then push the 6 button to move the cursor to the right...
Rotate the dial clockwise again until capital 'S' appears..Then push the '6' button again to move the cursor to the right.
To enter a blank space after 'NSW' simply push the '6' button once and the cursor will leave a space.
Follow this procedure until the word 'NSW GRN' is entered.
As shown below...

Once the word has been completed - Push YES
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
If you make a mistake - you can push the '.NO' button once or simply push the '4' button to go back to the previous entry.
If you push the '.NO' button twice it will remove ALL the text and you will have to start again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

After you have pushed the YES button the screen will quickly display 'Processing Please Wait' and then return to the previous screen and Edit Name will be highlighted again.

You should have NSW GRN written across the top of the screen as shown in the picture below.

At this point here you have created the beginnings of a 'System' that is now called 'NSW GRN'.

To enter the frequencies we need to do one more thing - that is create a 'Site'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hint/Tip

A site contains the relevant frequencies for the County/Region.

The System is like a main folder - sites are similar to 'sub folders' inside the main folder..

The System may be know as 'NSW GRN', its 'sub folders' or 'sites' are created so you can put in different locations. - for this example I am calling the site 'Heathcote'.

In the 'Heathcote' site I will put in the two relevant frequencies (Control Channels) for the 'Heathcote' tower.

Now if I was doing a lot of travelling around the state I would create other 'Sites' and give them a name relevant to their area and put in their relevant frequencies.

That means when travelling around the State I could manually turn the 'Sites' on or off depending on where I was travelling.

Some poeple like to create ONE site for the entire State and put ALL the Control Channels in the scanner - similar to what Uniden does before it ships out the scanner...problem is that the scaner has to work harder to lock onto the relevant Control Channels and as I mentioned earlier will sometimes lock onto a tower simply because its in the vicinity - not always because its the 'strongest signal'.

Once you get used to how the system operates you can decide how you wish to set up your own sites.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting up a 'Site'.

The screen should still be on this display as shown below.

Using the rotary dial - turn it clockwise until Edit Site is highlighted as shown below.

Once Edit Site has been highlighted - push YES

Select Site will be written at the top of the screen with New Site highlighted as shown in the picture below.

Push YES

The screen will then change let you edit the Site Name as shown below.

Push YES
The screen will then go to the Edit Name Menu where you can now give the Site a Name as shown below.

Lets call the new Site - 'Heatchcote' (As we will be using 'Heathcotes' Control Channels for this demonstration)
To remove the pre-set text - push the '.NO' button twice. This will clear the screen ready for you to enter the new Text.

Once the Text has been entered and completed - Push YES
the screen will return to the previous Menu with 'HEATHCOTE' written across the top of the screen as shown below.

Using the rotary dial - turn clockwise until Set Frequencies is highlighted as shown below...

Once Set Frequencies is highlighted - Push YES

The screen will now display Sel Frequency at the top of the screen and New Frequency wil be highlighted as shown below in the picture below.

To enter a new frequency - Push YES

The screen will now change to let you input the frequency.
As shown below.

Using the keypad numbers - type in your frequency - in this case I will be using the two frequencies I have for my Heathcote System. 417.06250 and 417.56250.
Firstly I will type in 417.06250 as shown below.

Once you have 'keyed' in the required frequency - Push YES

The screen will then display the entered frequency and give you some options including 'Locking out' and 'Deleting' the frequency.
As shown below.

At this point we have no reason to select either of these options so using the rotary dial - turn it clockwise until New Frequency is highlighted as shown below.

Once New Frequency is highlighted - Push YES

Repeat the process again and key in the second frequency 417.56250
as shown below.

Once you have 'keyed' in the second frequency - Push YES

The screen will then display the entered frequency again and give you the same options as before.
---------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
If you had a third or more frequncies to enter you simply repeat the process again by scrolling down to New Frequency again and entering more Frequencies.
---------------------------------------------------------

In this case we are only entering two frequencies so after I have entered the second frequency and it retuns to the screen below I push MENU - Once.

The screen will then display the two entered frequencies under the Sel Frequency Screen.
As shown below.

If you are happy with the results and the frequencies you have entered are correct - Push the SCAN button.

The scanner will now start scanning as shown in the picture below.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Hint /Tip
For those clever enough to notice, in the picture above there should be a small bar graph to the top right hand side of the screen. (signal metre)
As this demonstration was created in South Australia, this bar graph/signal metre wont be visible as the frequencies entered have no relevance in SA (under this system type).
The is one more modification that has to be made before the scanner will track correctly.
Setting the P25 waiting time.

If you do not set this the scanner wont operate correctly and may miss entire conversations or replies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting the P25 Waiting time.

Push Menu

-MENU- will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Program System will be highlighted.
Using the Dial - turn it clockwise until Srch/CloCall Opt is highlighted.
As shown below.

Push YES

A new Menu will open up on the screen with the title Srch/CloCall Opt written at the top of the screen.
Freq Lockouts will be highlighted.
Using the dial - turn it clockwise until P25 Waiting Time is highlighted as shown below.

Push Yes
P25 Waiting time will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Using the dial - turn it clockwise unitl 400 ms is highlighted as shown below.

Push Yes
Screen will revert back to previous MENU.
At this point the scanner is ready to go.
If all the frequencies required (Control Channels ONLY) have been entered and the P25 Waiting time is set correctly - the scanner should work perfect.
At this stage - Push the SCAN button again and the scanner should start scanning for the NSW Apco25 System in your area. As shown below.

Please note!
The instructions I have given are as 'Basic' as possible without trying to cause too much confusion.
In doing so I have left out some extra options including how to create a 'Group' and how to store Talkgroup IDS in a group.
This will be covered later.
I am simlpy trying to get your new scanner up and running so it does not seem like an expensive paperweight.

If you don't hear anything straight away - don't give up.
Do a few basic checks.
Look at the small Bar graph on the top right hand side of the screen - does it have full signal.?
Double check your frequencies again.. are they entered correctly - one number out can cause problems!
Do you have Close Call activated - One would think not if your only a novice!
Double check your P25 waiting time.

If your still having trouble send me an e-mail and I will try and resolve the problem and put the 'cure' up on this Blog page.

*This page will be modified and updated over the next couple weeks to include more information and updated data.
Viewers input appreciated.
E-mail me at scantech1@bigpond.com

UBCD396XT - First Time - Removing Unwanted Systems

2011-12-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

The UBCD396XT comes pre-installed with data from Uniden to get you up and running straight out of the box, but some of this data is outdated and useless in most areas.
You will notice the first time you switch the scanner on and push the Scan button it will start scanning all the pre-loaded Systems... problem is that the scanner contains data for each state of Australia and New Zealand.
This means that if you live n Tasmania - the pre-loaded NSW system is of no use to you at all... so the scanner has to go through all the NSW data and the other states before it returns to the Tasmanian data.
You need to remove the System that has no relevance to your area.
This not only makes the Scanner do its job quicker - it also stops the scanner from picking up transmissions in your area and showing them under a differenct System (State) name.

For example the NSW System may have 413.3750 in its data base and the SA System may also have 413.3750 in its database.. problem is that the NSW System may be allocated in the que before the SA System.. as the scanner goes through the data, someone in SA (Where I live) may talk on 413.3750 but it will appear as NSW on the screen.. thats why it's good to remove the unwanted pre-installed data before you start using the scanner.

Its easy enough to do and will save you a lot of headaches!
Depending on where you live - only remove the Systems that are of no relevance to you - as I live in SA I want to remove everything but the SA data.

Turn the scanner ON.

Menu will be displayed at the top of the screen.

Program System will be highlighted as shown below....

Push YES

Select System will be written at the top of the screen.

ACT-Public will be highlighted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Scanner has the following Systems Pre-installed.
ACT- Public
NSW Public
NSW-GRN MOT
NT Public
NZ Public
QLD Public
SA Public
SA-GRN MOT
TAS Public
VIC Public
WA Public
NEW SYSTEM (this is for NEW Data to be entered-will cover this one later)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

To remove the SYSTEM that you don't require, use the dial and rotate it clockwise or anticlockwise and Highlight the SYSTEM you wish to delete.

Lets delete NZ Public. (No offence to New Zealanders)
but as you can understand NZ Public has no relevance here in Australia - so lets delete it!

Highlight NZ Public.

Push YES

NZ Public will be displayed at the top of the screen.

Use the dial and rotate it clockwise unitl Delete System is highlighted.

Push YES

Confirm Delete will appear on the screen asking you YES or NO.

Push YES

Processing Please Wait will appear on the screen. Depending on the size of the System you are removing this may take a few seconds up to a Minute for larger ones like the NSW GRN MOT.

The screen will then revert to the previous MENU Screen.

Program System will again be highlighted as shown below....

Push YES

Now you can select another SYSTEM to delete using the same method as before.

Once the offending Systems have been removed and the screen returns to the Main Menu screen where we started - Push the SCAN button.

The scanner will now start scanning the remaining system relevant to your area.

Hit/Tip
The data base that is pre-loaded into the new UBCD396XT was 'carried over' from the older UBCD396T model and may still contain outdated data. Removing a System may not resolve all problems.
It is known that the Pre-installed NSW-GRN MOT database is outdated and is now using a different system all together now (Apco25) I have also been told that most of the Tasmanian data is also useless.
I did however find that the SA-GRN MOT data base was correct and up only requires entry of a couple more updated frequencies to make it work perfect.

UBCD396XT - Custom Search - Finding New Frequencies!

2011-12-28T03:29:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about scanning is finding new frequencies that are not listed on any websites or registered with the ACMA.
Searching for new frequencies is a bit like fishing! You cast the net and see what it finds.

With the UBCD396XT it makes finding new freqeuncies easy and with 10 different search options you won't miss a thing!

For some of you who have used the older style scanners you would be familiar with the 'Limit Search' option.
You could set the scanner to search between two designated frequencies.
For example - if you wanted to search for activity between 70.00 Mhz and 80.00 Mhz you simply entered the two frequencies and the scanner would search between the two - usually with the pre set 'Step' size and 'Modulation' that was factory configured with the scanner.. not giving you too many options!

Now until told differently the scanner would keep searching all day long between these two designated frequencies until someone talked.

The scanner would then stop on that frequency while there was a voice transmission, perhaps giving you just enough time for you to reach for a pen to write down the frequency being used. You could then make a list of all the ones you found and then enter them into the scanners memory at a later stage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Step size means the allocated space between each frequency.
For example 70.0000Mhz with a 10kHz Step would mean that the next frequency would be as follows:
70.0100 then 70.0200 then 70.0300 then 70.0400 then 70.0500 - get the picture?
If you set the Step Size to a higher setting like 20 kHz, the space between the frequencies would be wider.
Setting a wider or bigger step size means the scanner will zip through the two pre-set frequency ranges quicker but may miss a transmission if its broadcast on the 10Khz step size..
Don't be too concerned about this at the moment as the UBCD396XT has the step size automatically covered. It's more for the 'PRO' user who wishes to 'tweak' the search for a specific reason.
Modulation means the type of band that the transmission can be heard on. Simply put - your good old radio that you may listen to the Saturday footy on has two Modulations - FM and AM.
The UBCD396XT has also got this covered as the pre set Modulation will correspond with the bands you wish to search - again, only the 'PRO' user would want to modify it.
The UBCD396XT will cover the following Modulations - AM,NFM,FM,WFM and FMB.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The UBCD396XT is a very clever scanner - not only will it let you search 10 different 'Limit Searches' it will also let you put them into a pre-configured System for 'scanning' at a later date.
You can also configure the scanner to include the selected 'Limit Searches' with its normal scanning!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Just for the record - 'Limit Search' actually is called 'Custom Search' on the UBCD396XT.
From this point on it will be referred to a 'Custom Search'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lets set up a 'Custom Search'!

The UBCD396XT has already got the UHF 80 Channel CB Radio frequencies pre-installed, but for this example I will set up a 'Custom Search' using the same frequency range. I will use these frequencies as an example as they are all used Australia wide and should produce results pretty quickly once the search has commenced.

The range we will search between will be 476.4250 and 477.4125.

Turn the scanner ON.

Push the MENU button on the left hand side of the scanner.

Using the dial on the top of right hand side of the scanner - turn it clockwise unitl Search for... is highlighted.

Push YES

Search For will be displayed at the top of the screen.

Using the dial rotate it clockwise until Edit Custom is highlighted.

Push YES

Select Custom is now displayed on top of the screen.

Custom 1 should be highlighted.

Push YES

Custom 1 will be displayed on the top of the screen.

Edit Name will be highlighted.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
I won't go into detail about how to change the name as I have already covered this in another section.
Obviously giving the 'Custom Search' a name will make it easier to reference at a later date - if you are going to change the name I might suggest simply calling it UHF 80CH. If you give it a name this will also display on the screen if you link it to the scanners normal 'scanning' procedure... more on this later.
------------------------------------------------------------

Using the dial, rotate it clockwise until Edit Search Limit is highlighted.

Push YES

Set Lower Limit will be displayed on the top of the screen.
At this point here you can now type in your new 'Lower' frequency.
Type in 476.4250 and push YES.

The screen wil now display Set Upper Limit.
repeat the process and type in 477.4125 and push YES.

The screen will revert back to the previous menu with Custom 1 written at the top of the screen (If you changed the text previously it might display UHF 80CH as I suggested?)

Push the MENU button Once.
The screen will revert back to the previous menu with Select Custom at the top of the screen.
Push Menu again.
The screen will revert back to the previous menu with Search For at the top of the screen.
Rotate the dial anti clockwise (moving the highlightup) and highlight Custom Search.
Push YES.
The scanner will now start searching between the two frequencies we just entered.
If you look along the bottom of the screen you will see the following numbers:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
These numbers represent the active 'Custom Searches' currently in operation.
To deactivate the ones not required simply push the corresponding number on the key pad.
As we are only interested in searching the one we just created we should deactivate the others as follows:
Push the following kepad numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0, this will now only leave 1 on the bottom of the screen.

The scanner is now doing a 'Custom Search' between 476.4250 and 477.4125.
If you changed the name in the previous menu settings to UHF 80CH as I suggested, this will be displayed at the top of the screen, instead of Custom 1.
Provided you have someone in your area using a UHF CB, you should hear something within a few minutes.

When you hear an active frequency push the HOLD button to stay on that frequency.
To initiate the search again - push HOLD again and the scanner will search the range again.
If you push the Scan button the scanner will go back into scan mode and you will have to go back to Custom Search via the menu again - repeating the steps as discussed previously.

Now that you have mastered the 'Custom Search' you can change all 10 pre-installed searches with your own search ranges!

Hint/Tip

Remember! To activate your 'Custom Searches', push Menu.
Scroll the dial clockwise to Search For, push YES.
Scroll the dial clockwise to Custom Search, push YES.
This will start the search.
To deactivate a particular search push the corresponding keypad number.
To re-instate the particular search - repeat the process and use the keypad again.
If you hear a voice - push HOLD! To start the search again - Push HOLD again.

To go back to scanning your pre-programmed systems - push SCAN.

I will talk about saving the found frequencies and 'linking' the custom searches to your normal 'scanning' in another chapter.

UBCD396XT - Setting the Squelch

2011-12-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

Setting the Squelch to the correct level can make all the difference between receiving what you want to hear and what you don't.
If the Squelch is set to low, the scanner will stop on every little annoying 'noise' it hears... having the squelch set to high can make the scanner too 'fussy' and it may skip straight over some transmissions...
I usually set mine to around 6 or 7.

It's simple enough to do by following this procedure.

Turn the scanner - ON

Put the scanner into scan mode by pushing the Scan button (if its not already scanning)

On the left hand side of the scanner - push the FUNC button.

A small 'F' will appear on the top left hand side of the screen.

While this 'F' is displayed push the Rotary dial down - you will hear it make a small 'click' as its pressed down.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hint/Tip
The Rotary dial is located at the top of the scanner - it has Sel/Vol/Sql written to the left of it.
This dial has two main functions - it can be turned left or right or pushed down to help make and confirm settings.
In some cases it can also double up as a 'YES' button to help confirm selections.---------------------------------------------------------------

SQUELCH LEVEL will be displayed along the bottom of the screen and a small horizontal bar graph.
Rotate the Dial left or right according to your required setting.
A number will also appear on the left hand side of the bottom of the screen to also indicate the setting level.
Once the correct level has been set - Push the Dial once again to save your settings.

The squelch has now been set.

UBCD396XT - Entering your Frequencies

2011-12-27T04:04:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be already familiar with the older type of scanners that had a series of 'Banks' containing 'Channels'...
Some of the early scanners would have 10 Banks of 10 Channels, giving you the option to save up to 100 frequencies... 10 x 10 = 100

Now as each bank could be turned on or off with the push of a button, you could say perhaps store your favourite 'Police' frequencies in the first Bank of 10 Channels, Fire Dept could be stored in the next bank and Ambulance in the next bank...
Now the problem was that although this sytem worked to a point if you only had 4 Police frequencies in Bank 1, you had another 6 that where empty in the same bank... kind of a waste of space really..

If you printed out the data it would have looked like this..

Bank One (Police)
Channel One - 413.0001
Channel Two - 413.0002
Channel Three - 413.0003
Channel Four - 413.0004
Channel Five - 000.000 (Empty)
Channel Six - 000.000 (Empty)
Channel Seven - 000.000 (Empty)
Channel Eight - 000.000 (Empty)
Channel Nine - 000.000 (Empty)
Channel Ten - 000.000 (Empty)
Bank Two (Fire Dept)
Channel Eleven - 79.0001
Channel Twelve - 79.0002
Etc Etc Etc...

Now as you can see from this little example above - there are wasted channels in Bank One..
Channels 5 through to 10 contain no frequencies hence the Bank has 6 empty or wasted channels, which could have contained more frequencies...

With the new UBCD396XT this problem of 'wasted space' is overcome by using what Uniden Called 'Dynamic Memory'...
Put simply - it does not waste any space in the scanners memory bank.

Imagine that your scanner is a computer...

You have 10 Police frequencies that are used in your area and you wish to save them in the scanner.
Firstly you have to create a 'System' .
A system is similar to a 'New Folder' on your computer... The 'System' contains the relevant data for the scanner to monitor the information put inside the 'System'.

Lets say for example you create a 'Folder' in your computer and call it 'Police'.
Once you create the folder you can now save the required data in that folder to search later...
Now as you are aware, you can create 'Sub Folders' inside the Main Folder.
A 'Sub Folder' could be called 'North Area Police'.
Another could be called 'South Area Police'.
Each folder can contain the data or frequencies relevant to that area.
Even the 'Sub Folder' can contain even more folders inside it - with more data!!!

This principle is how the new UBCD396XT works.
The scanner does not waste any of its memory as it only uses the particular portion of the memory needed to store the data.. very similar to a Hard Drive on your computer..
You can change - enter or simply delete the data as required...

Just like a computer can search through files, the scanner will then 'Scan/Search' through all the information/data entered and stop on any active frequencies.

Lets enter a couple new frequencies and you will get the idea.

Here are a couple Frequencies I think are still being used by the NSW regional Police... this is an example only - please don't e-mail me complaining if they don't work - its only for demonstration!

Here are our frequencies...

78.0000
79.4125
164.9500
163.6375

We now want to enter them in our scanner...

Turn On the Sacnner.

Push the Menu button on the left hand side of the Scanner.

Program System will be highlighted.

Push - YES

Select Sytem will be displayed

Use the dial on top of the scanner, turn it clockwise unitl New System is highlighted

Push - YES

Select Sys Type will now be displayed on the top of the screen

Use the dial on top of the scanner, turn it clockwise unitl Conventional is highlighted

Push - YES

The screen will then display Confirm?
Yes="E" / No="."

Push - YES

The Screen will quickly display 'Processing Please Wait'
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hint /Tip
The screen will then Display the System and its Number..
We want to edit the System and give it a name, making it not only easier to find later but this information will also be display on the scanners screen later...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Edit Name will be highlighted

Push - YES

Edit Name will be displayed on top of the screen.
To put in a new name for the System - Push the .NO button twice, this will remove any preset information and clear the screen for you to enter a new name for the System.

Lets call the new System - Police

To enter this 'text' - rotate the dial clockwise and you will see letters/number/symbols appear under the cursor... rotate the dial unitl capital 'P' appears.
Then push the 6 button to move the cursor to the right...
Rotate the dial clockwise again until lower case 'o' appears..
Then push the 6 button again to move the cursor to the right.
Follow this procedure unitl the word 'Police' is entered.
Once the word has been completed - Push YES
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
If you make a mistake - you can push the '.NO' button once or simply push the '4' button to go back to the previous entry.
If you push the '.NO' button twice it will remove ALL the text and you will have to start again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

After you have pushed the YES button the screen will quickly display 'Processing Please Wait' and then return to the previous screen and Edit Name will be highlighted again.

At this point here you have created the beginnings of a 'System' that is now called 'Police'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Now if done correctly you scanner should display the word Police at the top of the screen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Using the dial - turn it clockwise until Edit Sys Option is highlighted

Push - YES

Edit System Option will now be displayed at the top of the screen.

Using the dial - rotate it clockwise unitl Set Quick Key is highlighted.

Push - YES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Setting a Quick Key allocates the System you have created a number that corresponds with one on the keypad of the scanner - making it easier to swith the system on or off at the push of a single button - similar to turning a bank on or off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Set Quick Key will now be displayed on top of the screen.
Using the dial -rotate it clockwise and select a number you wish to allocate your new sytem - for this example select 1.

Push - YES

Scanner will revert back to previous menu and Edit System Option will be displayed on screen again.

Using the dial -rotate it clockwise and select Set Hold Time

Push - YES

Set Hold Time will be displayed on top of the screen.

Enter the hold time of 2 seconds by pushing the '2' button.

Push - YES

------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Setting the hold time makes the scanner stay on the frequency for a maximum of 2 seconds after the last transmission. After the 2 seconds expires the scanner will then commence 'scanning' again.
If you don't set a Hold Time - the scanner may miss replies to conversations.
------------------------------------------------------------------

At this stage the screen will still show Set Hold Time - highlighted.
We have finished at this point and need to go back to the previous menu setting.

Push the Menu button ONCE!

Using the dial - rotate it clockwise until Edit Group is highlighted.

Push - YES

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
A Group is a 'sub folder' inside the 'system' where the actual data required to make the scanner 'work' is entered - including the frequencies!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Select Group should be displayed on the top of the screen.
Using the dial - rotate it clockwise until New Group is Highlighted.

Push - YES

'Processing Please Wait' will appear for a few seconds then
Group 1 will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Edit Name will be highlighted.

For this example we are going to call our new group - Regional.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
Remember we called the System 'Police' - 'Regional' will be a 'sub-folder' inside the system, similar to a sub folder inside a main folder on your computer.
You can put many 'New Groups' inside the main system..
You could call one 'Regional' the next 'Southern' the next 'Northern'... etc etc..
Each 'Group' contains the frequencies relevant to the dept or branch you wish to monitor...
For example - we could make a new System and call it 'Transport' - inside the system we could create 3 new groups and call them 'Taxis' - 'Couriers' - 'Freight'.
By entering the frequenices in their respective 'groups' it makes it easier to see who's talking when the scanner stops on an active frequency - this data will show on the screen - so the more information you provide the more data/text will appear on the screen, making it easier for the user to know exactly who is talking at any given time the scanner stops.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit name should already be highlighted - Push YES

We want to enter the following Text - 'Regional'

Using the same method as before when we entered 'Police', enter the word Regional and push YES.

Once the text has been entered and Yes has been pushed, the previous screen will now appear with the new name of 'Regional' at the top of the screen.

Using the dial rotate the dial clockwise and highlight Set Quick Key

Push Yes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
At this stage we are going to allocate a group number to the group titled 'Regional'.
We do this so when the scanner is 'scanning' you can see that the group 'Regional' is active when the System called 'Police' is activated...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Set Quick Key will be displayed at the top of the screen.

Using the dial rotate it clockwise until 1 is highlighted. Push Yes

Screen will revert back to previous Menu.

'Regional' should be displayed at the top of the screen.

Now we have to enter the frequencies.

Using the dial rotate it clockwise util Edit Channel is highlighted.

Push Yes

Select Channel will be displayed at the top of the screen.

New Channel should be highlighted.

Push Yes

Input Frequency will be displayed at top of screen.

Using the keypad type in - 78.0000

(use the '.NO' button to enter the decimal point)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hint/Tip
If you make a mistake entering the numbers, rotate the dial left or right putting the cursor over the incorrect number and re-type. If you wish to completely remove the data push the '.NO' button again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Once the frequency has been entered push YES.

'Processing Please Wait', will appear quickly and the scanner will show the frequency you have entered at the top of the screen.
This menu now lets you make adjustments to the entered frequency.
Including the modulation.
At this point we don't really need to change anything so push the Menu button ONCE!
This will now take you back to the Select Channel screen where you can enter the second frequency - 79.4125

Using the dial rotate it clockwise and highlight New Channel

Push YES

Repeat the previous steps as before and type in 79.4125

Once completed - Push YES.

Then push MENU - ONCE!

At this point it wil now display tthe two frequncies you have entered.

79.0000 and 79.4125

Using the same method as the last two - repeat the process and enter the last two frequencies:
164.9500
163.6375

Once you have repeated all the steps and get back to the Select Channel screen - push SCAN!
The scanner will now start scanning the frequencies you have entered inside the 'System' you have created.

If you look at the bottom of the screen you will see the following text on the left hand side.
SO:
GRP:

To the right of SO: the numeral '1' should appear.
To the right of GRP: the numeral '1' should also appear.
This means the scanner is 'scanning' - System ONE (Police) and Group ONE (Regional) is active and being monitored.

Thats how you enter your frequencies!
Yes its a long drawn out process, but after a few times it becomes easier and easier and before you know it - you can do it with your eyes shut!

All you need to do now is find whats active in your area!

UBCD396XT - Finding Frequencies in your Area

2011-12-26T04:17:00.000-08:00

Having trouble finding whats going on in your area?

This is an easy way to find activity in your area - this information is available from the Australian Communication and Media Web page. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/HOMEPAGE/PC=HOME

The quick way to see whats available to listen to in your area - is by clicking on this link inside the Australian Communications and Media Web Page, you can do a search via your Postcode to see whats available.
Clik here - http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/assignment_range.range_search

When the page opens up - simply type in your postcode in the two boxes available...
For Example - Type in 3000 in the Low Postcode Box and then type in 3000 in the High Postcode Box.
Then type in 30 in the Low Frequency Box (Select Mhz) and then type in 500 in the High Frequency Box (Select Mhz).
Once all filled - simply click the 'RUN ENQUIRY' box.

It will take anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes to load up all the licenced frequencies for your area.. if you wish to widen the search area, simply type in a higher Postcode number in the second box.
If you wish to narrow or widen the frequency search - simply type in the two alternate lower and higher numbers that are of interest to you...

Once the page opens - click on the 'Frequency' tab on the second column to sort the frequencies into numerical order...

Now you can either print the pages or cut and paste them into a speadsheet file....

Coming next - "how do I put the frequencies in my scanner"?