How to Save a frequency - UBCD396XT and UBCD325P2-AU

How to create a system, a group and store a frequency.

UBCD396XT and UBCD325P2-AU Models

Sometimes it’s handy to be able to store your own frequencies in your own system that you can access at the push of a button and modify at your own leisure.
This quick guide will show you how to create your own system then create a group to store your frequencies in.
Groups are a collection of individual channels.  A group could store all the active Police channels in your area. Another group could store the Fire brigades local channels.
Channels are nothing without the frequency. A channel is where you store your frequency. If you have ten frequencies – you will need ten channels.
For this example we want to create a system that is our own, something that we can store our own information and monitor with ease of operation.

The system you want to create should be something relevant to your location and perhaps an indication of what information is also stored inside the system.

For example – Melb Emgcy Srvcs, may be what the system could be called. (Abbreviated of course from Melbourne Emergency Services- limitations of the alpha tagging max out at around 16 symbols)
The groups inside the system could be Police, Fire and SES.
This indicates the obvious – the system is in the Melbourne Metro Area and contains the emergency services including the Police – Fire and SES.  
An even simpler system could be the name of your local town and the group could be the local postcode.

The following example will give you a basic example of a very simple system and group.

CREATING A SYSTEM
Push the MENU button.
Program System will be highlighted. This is where you can create a new system.
Push the E.Yes button
The Select System menu will now be displayed.

At this point you can scroll down the que to see what is actually stored in your Scanner, by highlighting your selected System you can then modify it through further menu options. For this example we wish to create a new ‘System’.

So scroll down the que until New System is highlighted.
Push the E.Yes button
The Select Sys (System) Type menu will now be displayed.

This menu gives you the option to select which type of system to create.        

For this example we are going to select ‘Conventional’ as the system we want to create will contain analogue frequencies only.  By using simple analogue frequencies we do not have to worry about digital trunking networks and the associated configurations needed.

Scroll down the menu until Conventional is highlighted, then push the E.Yes button.
The Scanner will ask you to confirm your selection, push the E.Yes button again.
Processing Please Wait will appear on the screen.

The next menu will be the default name setting of the system. If you look at the top of the screen it will have the word System and then a number after it. Depending on how many systems are already stored in the scanner, it will display the next sequential number of the new system. If you have already 12 systems in operation it would show ‘System 13’at the top of the screen. It will also have a small letter ‘C’ to the right of the screen to indicate it’s a ‘conventional system.

Edit Name will be highlighted.

I would suggest changing the name to something a little more user friendly. Perhaps for this example you could enter the name of your city/town? I will use Adelaide for this example.

Push the E.Yes button to edit the system name.

Edit Name menu will now be displayed.

To remove the current alpha text on the screen - push the .No button twice. This will remove the default alpha tag of ‘System #’.  You can create new text for your system by using the volume dial and rotating it left or right and you will see text appear on the screen where the cursor is. I’m calling my system ‘Adelaide’ so I will select capital A to start with. To enter the second letter push the 6 button once to move the cursor to the next position.  Repeat the process of selection again until you have completed the name of your system. If you make a mistake push the 4 button and it will move the cursor back and you can make a correction – to leave a space – push the 6 button twice and it will create a space between words.  These clues are also shown on the bottom of the screen.

Once you have entered the name you have chosen for your system you can then push the E.Yes button.

The screen will now revert back to the System menu screen and display the name of the system you have created at the top of the screen. You now have to give your system a quick key number to make accessing it easier. By giving the system a quick key number you can turn it ON or OFF via the keypad. If you do not give the system a quick key, the default setting is ON.

While the scanner is in the system menu screen, scroll down the screen and highlight  Edit Sys Option.
Push the E.Yes button.
Edit Sys Option screen will now be displayed and Set Quick Key should be highlighted .Push the E.Yes  button.                                                                                                                                                
Set Quick Key menu will now be displayed.

At this point you can now select a quick key number to allocate to your new system. Make sure that it is a quick key that is not already allocated to an existing system.

Using the volume dial, scroll down the que then select a number that you wish to allocate to the new system you created. Once you have highlighted a number that you wish to use, push the E.Yes button. The Screen will now revert back to the Edit Sys Option menu and Set Quick Key should be highlighted again.

We now have to create a group to store our frequencies. Imagine a group being a folder on your computer. Each group contains information relevant to the system. The system being of course the main folder where they are all stored. Each group could store the individual frequencies for each service. One group could be for Police, one for Fire and one for SES.  These groups can even be given quick key numbers to turn them on or off.

While the Scanner is in the Edit Sys Option menu – push the Menu button to revert back to the System screen. Edit Sys Option should be highlighted.

Using the volume dial, scroll down the que and highlight Edit Group. Then push the E.Yes button.
Select Group Menu will now be displayed.
Highlight New Group if it is not already and push the E.Yes button.
The Group 1 menu will now be displayed.

Here is your chance to re-name the group into something more familiar. For my example I’m going to name my group the postcode of Adelaide – ‘5000’.

Edit Name will be highlighted – push the E.Yes button.

Repeat the same process as you created a name for the system.
To remove the current alpha text on the screen  - push the .No button twice. This will remove the default alpha tag of ‘Group 1’.  You can create new text for your group by using the volume dial and rotating it left or right and you will see text appear on the screen where the cursor is. I’m calling my group ‘5000’ so I will select number 5 to start with. To enter the second number or letter, push the 6 button once to move the cursor to the next position.  Repeat the process of selection again until you have completed the name of your group. If you make a mistake push the 4 button and it will move the cursor back and you can make a correction – to leave a space – push the 6 button twice and it will create a space between words.  These clues are also shown on the bottom of the screen.

Once you have entered the name for your group, push the E.Yes button.

I entered ‘5000’ (Postcode of Adelaide) as it’s an easy reference point. I can now put in frequencies relevant to the postcode of Adelaide. By creating other groups I can put in the postcodes of other suburbs of Adelaide if I choose. Then I have a series of groups that I can turn on or off as I travel around Adelaide, by using the postcodes as a reference.  This is one way to create groups, they don’t have to be by postcode, they can be named after whatever you wish to use. You are only limited by your imagination.

Once the group name has been completed and you have pushed the E.Yes button, the screen will revert back to the Group menu and the name of your group should be displayed on the Screen.

You now need to scroll down the que and give your group a quick key number.
Scroll down the menu and highlight Set Quick Key then push the E.Yes button.

Set Quick Key menu will now be displayed.  Highlight number 1 and push the E.Yes button.

The screen will now return to the previous menu.
Highlight Edit Channel and push the E.Yes button.

This is where you can now entered the frequency or frequencies you wish to monitor. Make sure you have them somewhere easy to access. Write them down on a notepad.

Select Channel menu will now be displayed.

Highlight New Channel and push the E.Yes button. Input Frequency menu will now be displayed.

For this example I am going to use the frequency 412 .3875 – Using the Keypad type in the frequency that you wish to use from your list. Make sure you enter the frequency correctly! Once you have entered the frequency you want to monitor, push the E.Yes button.

The screen will revert back to the previous menu and you can now edit the name of the channel.

Edit Name will be highlighted.

Editing the frequency name is the same method as changing the name of the system and the group. By giving the frequency a name means that when it stops on that frequency/channel it will display the name of the user making it easier to see who it is.

If you choose not to create a name, scroll down the menu and select highlight New Channel.

Push the E.Yes button again.

Enter your next frequency and then push the E.Yes button again.

This time the menu will default directly back to highlight New Channel.

Repeat the process of entering frequencies until you have entered the ones you wish to monitor. Manual entry is slow and time consuming so it is recommended that if you wish to enter multiple frequencies, you should familiarise yourself with available software.  In regards to the frequencies modulation and step size, the default settings on the Scanner should be fine. If you are using a US model Scanner you may want to adjust the modulation and step size settings via the Select Channel menu.

Once you have entered all your frequencies, you are now ready to monitor you system.

To start monitoring the frequencies you have entered, simply push the SCAN button and put the Scanner into Scan mode.

If the frequencies are active – you should hear something within a few minutes depending on of course the time of the day etc. Most business frequencies are busy during the day and obviously quite at night. 

If you can’t hear or see the name of your system on the screen, make sure that you have activated it via the Quick Key.  Sometimes a system that has only a few frequencies entered may flash across the screen very quickly making it hard to see if it’s actually being monitored.

You can also check to see if your system is active by looking at the bottom of the screen.

There are two lines S and GRP.  
S represents the system/s that is active and GRP represents the groups inside the system being monitored.

For example – if your system has quick key number 23 allocated to it, the screen would look like this.

S2 **3******

GRP 1 ---------

S2 = System active in the 21 to 29 range.

* = systems that are OFF. (21,22,24,25,26,27,28 and 29 are all OFF)

GRP 1 = Group one of system 23 is active.

Once you hear activity, you can push the HOLD button and monitor the channel for more conversations. To resume scanning, push the HOLD button again or the SCAN button.

These instructions are a basic guide to the operation of the Scanner and it is recommended that you read the supplied manual for more in depth information. While every effort is made to be accurate as possible in providing the information, sometimes mistakes happen – should you come across something that requires editing, please contact me directly at ozscan@outlook.com

Revised Post - not yet submitted.

UBCD325P2 FREEScan instructions.

How to use FREEScan software with your UBCD325P2
Windows 7 instructions.
Windows 8 or higher may require the install of an additional driver.

The Uniden UBCD325P2-AU is the Australian version of the US Model BCD325P2.

To connect your UBCD325P2-au to the computer and upload software to the Scanner will require some basic computer knowledge. If you are not confident in saving pictures from your Camera to your computer, you may want to reconsider before attempting this. While every effort is made to keep these instructions as easy as possible some degree of computer experience would be of an advantage.

You must download the latest version of FREEScan software to use with the UBCD325P2-AU. Older versions of FREEScan will not work.

You can download the latest version of FREEScan here.
http://free-scan.net/


Once you have installed the updated version of FREEScan connect your Scanner to your computers USB port with the supplied USB cable.
Make sure that the UBCD325P2 is powered up - prior to connecting to the computers USB port. There are no adjustments required to the Scanner.




If your using Windows 7 you should not experience any problems with the computer recognising the USB device (UBCD325P2).
However if you are using Windows 8 or later, you may experience some issues with the drivers required.
If you do experience issues with the FREEScan software not recognising your Scanner or the USB connection - please click on this link to download a driver update from UNIDEN.
http://info.uniden.com/UnidenMan4/BCD325P2


Open FREEScan software.
To check if your UBCD325P2 is recognised by the software, click on the Scanner Tab on the top left hand side of the software.

If your using a Windows 8 or later - this is where you will find out if the Scanner has been recognised by the Computer.
A small drop down menu will appear.
Select Download Programming.
A Smaller box will appear on the screen, with the title FREEScan -Read from Scanner.
There will be an empty box (white background) on the left hand side.
Click on the Que System List tab.
This will populate the box will all the systems currently installed in the Scanner.
If you wish to download them all , click the Check All tab.
All the systems will all have a tick beside them if you selected them all. At this point there are no other adjustments required, click on the Start Download tab.
Provided the computer has recognised the UBCD325P2 the software will now start downloading data from the Scanner.
Depending on how much data is on the Scanner this could take a few seconds to a few minutes.
Once completed, click the close tab.
you can now access the data via the software.


You can find more information regarding FREEScan and windows operating systems here.
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FreeScan_User_Guide

To upload a file to your Scanner.

if you have been sent a FREEScan file as an attachment via e-mail, the first thing you should do is save the file somewhere familiar on your computer, in your documents or on the desktop.

When the FREEScan software is open, click on the File tab on the far left corner of the software and a drop down menu will appear.
Click on the Open tab.
Find the location of your saved file and double click on it to open it in FREEScan.
Once the file loads in FREEScan you can now upload it to your Scanner.                        Click on the Scanner tab.
When the menu box drops down again, click on Upload Programming.
Using the same principle of selection as before, either click the ALL tab or manually go through the list of systems you want to upload and tick the respective boxes in the column.
Once you have made your selection, click the Start Upload tab.
Before you actually upload the data - I might suggest ticking the ERASE ALL SYSYEMS AND SETTINGS.
This will create a clean install and remove all the factory data that generally is out of data.
The only other settings you would want ticked are the
Send System Quick Key Status and the Automatically resume Scanning tabs.

Depending on the data - it will take anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes to upload to the Scanner.

Once completed - click the Close tab.

You can now remove your Scanner fro your computer.