I just got a Bearcat BC250D with digital card from Ebay. Thought I was
getting the most modern equipment but with rebanding (just heard about it)
now I'm not so sure. I also thought that being computer programmable setup
would be simple..wrong...not for me anyway. I've tried the radio reference
site(seems to be most up to date) and I've tried the bearcat sites to
download files to program in. I'm trying to get Apopka PD(digital) and I get
nothing. I have no idea what DEC or HEX means or what to do with that info.
I also have no idea how to "Import" the .pdf files into either E-Scanner
Plus or ARC250 Basic. I'm getting very discouraged, I don't know whether
it's my lack of progrramming skills or if the radio is obsolete.
Can anyone help me or better yet send a ready made file for the Central
Florida Area or even a link to "Scanner Programming for the Inept" ?
Thanks In Advance,
Helpless In Apopka

In article , sportyrider2
@hotmail.com says...
I just got a Bearcat BC250D with digital card from Ebay. Thought I was
getting the most modern equipment but with rebanding (just heard about it)
now I'm not so sure. I also thought that being computer programmable setup
would be simple..wrong...not for me anyway. I've tried the radio reference
site(seems to be most up to date) and I've tried the bearcat sites to
download files to program in. I'm trying to get Apopka PD(digital) and I get
nothing. I have no idea what DEC or HEX means or what to do with that info.
I also have no idea how to "Import" the .pdf files into either E-Scanner
Plus or ARC250 Basic. I'm getting very discouraged, I don't know whether
it's my lack of progrramming skills or if the radio is obsolete.
Can anyone help me or better yet send a ready made file for the Central
Florida Area or even a link to "Scanner Programming for the Inept" ?
Thanks In Advance,
Helpless In Apopka




Find a local scanner group and take your radio to the meeting. You have
to know something, the 250D will not decode all the currently used
digital baud rates. That's one of the reasons it's been discontinued for
some time now.

What you should have done is find the group or local expert first, and
then buy the right radio. You can always ebay the 250D, if you have to.

We all screw up in the beginning. Live and learn.

There are only two digital handhelds worth buying right now, used or
new, the RS Pro-96, and the Uniden 396T. That's my opinion, and they are
the only models currently available. I went with the PRO-96 for several
reasons, better audio, easier programming, and an intimate knowledge of
past Uniden quality control issues on previous models. Some of them
amazingly poorly put together. I fixed a lot of Unidens with speaker
wires not soldered, and a few had major soldering issues. I got all but
one going, and used several parts from it to fix other ones.

BDK

"BDK" wrote in message
...


Find a local scanner group and take your radio to the meeting. You have
to know something, the 250D will not decode all the currently used
digital baud rates. That's one of the reasons it's been discontinued for
some time now.

What you should have done is find the group or local expert first, and
then buy the right radio. You can always ebay the 250D, if you have to.

We all screw up in the beginning. Live and learn.

There are only two digital handhelds worth buying right now, used or
new, the RS Pro-96, and the Uniden 396T. That's my opinion, and they are
the only models currently available. I went with the PRO-96 for several
reasons, better audio, easier programming, and an intimate knowledge of
past Uniden quality control issues on previous models. Some of them
amazingly poorly put together. I fixed a lot of Unidens with speaker
wires not soldered, and a few had major soldering issues. I got all but
one going, and used several parts from it to fix other ones.

BDK

Very nicely said BD!!!

In article ,
says...

"BDK" wrote in message
...


Find a local scanner group and take your radio to the meeting. You have
to know something, the 250D will not decode all the currently used
digital baud rates. That's one of the reasons it's been discontinued for
some time now.

What you should have done is find the group or local expert first, and
then buy the right radio. You can always ebay the 250D, if you have to.

We all screw up in the beginning. Live and learn.

There are only two digital handhelds worth buying right now, used or
new, the RS Pro-96, and the Uniden 396T. That's my opinion, and they are
the only models currently available. I went with the PRO-96 for several
reasons, better audio, easier programming, and an intimate knowledge of
past Uniden quality control issues on previous models. Some of them
amazingly poorly put together. I fixed a lot of Unidens with speaker
wires not soldered, and a few had major soldering issues. I got all but
one going, and used several parts from it to fix other ones.

BDK

Very nicely said BD!!!




I just want him to avoid what some friends of mine went through when
starting out. They had no idea what they needed, and a couple of them
went out and bought used scanners without 800MHZ, right before the city
switched over, so they had to sell them, and then buy the only trunk
tracking handhelds at the time, the Uniden BC235 and it's RS clone, the
Pro-90 (I think that was the model number), and start over. I was able
to help them out, after the frustration kicked in and one guy, without
telling me, just listened in normal untrunked mode for years until the
radio fell down the stairs and he had to buy a new one. He was amazed
when his new Pro-95 was up and trunking in about 10 minutes, after I
cloned it over to my PC, added a few things I didn't have, and loaded it
up. He's pretty much an expert now. He has a Pro-96, a Uniden 396, and
two Pro-2096's, one for home and one for work. His wife, who thought
scanners were "stupid" got hooked after a couple of big chases came over
the radio, and that was that, she's a ham now.

Same goes for shortwave radio. I had gotten into it again in the mid
80's and had moved up to pretty high end stuff at that point. A friend I
don't see often had bought junky portable after portable over the years,
and never really was happy with them. They didn't last long, so he kept
buying them, never with SSB (he didn't understand it at all), and then
one day he comes over for help with a mike for his CB he bought and
couldn't get wired up. He sees my stuff and is mesmerized. Next thing
you know, he's buying all kinds of receivers, decoders (Fax and RTTY,
not much out there to decode anymore)antennas, etc. He went from a junk
portable to a 1100 buck receiver in one day, and soon had an entire room
full of nice stuff. All it takes is being in the right place at the
right time. I got hooked at Universal Radio in 1984. Before that, I had
a series of fair to poor portables, never happy with them at all. I've
had one of my SW radios for over 20 years now.

BDK

Thanks BD,
I guess I'll try re-listing my radio on Ebay. The way it was being bid on
when I "won" it maybe I'll get most of my money back. I do feel a little
guilty doing that but maybe whoever bids on it won't be bidding blindly like
I was. I remember several years ago this radio was the hot new one to have.
I guess the radio biz changes quickly, somewhat like computers. Would you
happen to know where I might find a side by side comparison of the Pro96 &
BCD396T? I really want to get back into listening to the scanner again but
haven't done it since my old Pro-62 became obsolete. Radio Shack currently
has the Pro96 on sale for $399 but now I'm leary of making another expensive
mistake. You seem well informed about the radio biz. Do you happen to know
if major changes are on the horizon for the Central Florida Area?
Apopka(which is one I'm trying to receive) is the only city around that is
digital other than Winter Park(Encrypted digital) But I'd like to be able to
also hear Orange County S.O. and Seminole County S.O. Any help/info you
could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Again
PJT
Apopka, Fl.




"BDK" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

"BDK" wrote in message
...


Find a local scanner group and take your radio to the meeting. You have
to know something, the 250D will not decode all the currently used
digital baud rates. That's one of the reasons it's been discontinued
for
some time now.

What you should have done is find the group or local expert first, and
then buy the right radio. You can always ebay the 250D, if you have to.

We all screw up in the beginning. Live and learn.

There are only two digital handhelds worth buying right now, used or
new, the RS Pro-96, and the Uniden 396T. That's my opinion, and they
are
the only models currently available. I went with the PRO-96 for several
reasons, better audio, easier programming, and an intimate knowledge of
past Uniden quality control issues on previous models. Some of them
amazingly poorly put together. I fixed a lot of Unidens with speaker
wires not soldered, and a few had major soldering issues. I got all but
one going, and used several parts from it to fix other ones.

BDK

Very nicely said BD!!!




I just want him to avoid what some friends of mine went through when
starting out. They had no idea what they needed, and a couple of them
went out and bought used scanners without 800MHZ, right before the city
switched over, so they had to sell them, and then buy the only trunk
tracking handhelds at the time, the Uniden BC235 and it's RS clone, the
Pro-90 (I think that was the model number), and start over. I was able
to help them out, after the frustration kicked in and one guy, without
telling me, just listened in normal untrunked mode for years until the
radio fell down the stairs and he had to buy a new one. He was amazed
when his new Pro-95 was up and trunking in about 10 minutes, after I
cloned it over to my PC, added a few things I didn't have, and loaded it
up. He's pretty much an expert now. He has a Pro-96, a Uniden 396, and
two Pro-2096's, one for home and one for work. His wife, who thought
scanners were "stupid" got hooked after a couple of big chases came over
the radio, and that was that, she's a ham now.

Same goes for shortwave radio. I had gotten into it again in the mid
80's and had moved up to pretty high end stuff at that point. A friend I
don't see often had bought junky portable after portable over the years,
and never really was happy with them. They didn't last long, so he kept
buying them, never with SSB (he didn't understand it at all), and then
one day he comes over for help with a mike for his CB he bought and
couldn't get wired up. He sees my stuff and is mesmerized. Next thing
you know, he's buying all kinds of receivers, decoders (Fax and RTTY,
not much out there to decode anymore)antennas, etc. He went from a junk
portable to a 1100 buck receiver in one day, and soon had an entire room
full of nice stuff. All it takes is being in the right place at the
right time. I got hooked at Universal Radio in 1984. Before that, I had
a series of fair to poor portables, never happy with them at all. I've
had one of my SW radios for over 20 years now.

BDK

In article , sportyrider2
@hotmail.com says...
Thanks BD,
I guess I'll try re-listing my radio on Ebay. The way it was being bid on
when I "won" it maybe I'll get most of my money back. I do feel a little
guilty doing that but maybe whoever bids on it won't be bidding blindly like
I was. I remember several years ago this radio was the hot new one to have.
I guess the radio biz changes quickly, somewhat like computers. Would you
happen to know where I might find a side by side comparison of the Pro96 &
BCD396T? I really want to get back into listening to the scanner again but
haven't done it since my old Pro-62 became obsolete. Radio Shack currently
has the Pro96 on sale for $399 but now I'm leary of making another expensive
mistake. You seem well informed about the radio biz. Do you happen to know
if major changes are on the horizon for the Central Florida Area?
Apopka(which is one I'm trying to receive) is the only city around that is
digital other than Winter Park(Encrypted digital) But I'd like to be able to
also hear Orange County S.O. and Seminole County S.O. Any help/info you
could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Again
PJT
Apopka, Fl.




"BDK" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

"BDK" wrote in message
...


Find a local scanner group and take your radio to the meeting. You have
to know something, the 250D will not decode all the currently used
digital baud rates. That's one of the reasons it's been discontinued
for
some time now.

What you should have done is find the group or local expert first, and
then buy the right radio. You can always ebay the 250D, if you have to.

We all screw up in the beginning. Live and learn.

There are only two digital handhelds worth buying right now, used or
new, the RS Pro-96, and the Uniden 396T. That's my opinion, and they
are
the only models currently available. I went with the PRO-96 for several
reasons, better audio, easier programming, and an intimate knowledge of
past Uniden quality control issues on previous models. Some of them
amazingly poorly put together. I fixed a lot of Unidens with speaker
wires not soldered, and a few had major soldering issues. I got all but
one going, and used several parts from it to fix other ones.

BDK

Very nicely said BD!!!




I just want him to avoid what some friends of mine went through when
starting out. They had no idea what they needed, and a couple of them
went out and bought used scanners without 800MHZ, right before the city
switched over, so they had to sell them, and then buy the only trunk
tracking handhelds at the time, the Uniden BC235 and it's RS clone, the
Pro-90 (I think that was the model number), and start over. I was able
to help them out, after the frustration kicked in and one guy, without
telling me, just listened in normal untrunked mode for years until the
radio fell down the stairs and he had to buy a new one. He was amazed
when his new Pro-95 was up and trunking in about 10 minutes, after I
cloned it over to my PC, added a few things I didn't have, and loaded it
up. He's pretty much an expert now. He has a Pro-96, a Uniden 396, and
two Pro-2096's, one for home and one for work. His wife, who thought
scanners were "stupid" got hooked after a couple of big chases came over
the radio, and that was that, she's a ham now.

Same goes for shortwave radio. I had gotten into it again in the mid
80's and had moved up to pretty high end stuff at that point. A friend I
don't see often had bought junky portable after portable over the years,
and never really was happy with them. They didn't last long, so he kept
buying them, never with SSB (he didn't understand it at all), and then
one day he comes over for help with a mike for his CB he bought and
couldn't get wired up. He sees my stuff and is mesmerized. Next thing
you know, he's buying all kinds of receivers, decoders (Fax and RTTY,
not much out there to decode anymore)antennas, etc. He went from a junk
portable to a 1100 buck receiver in one day, and soon had an entire room
full of nice stuff. All it takes is being in the right place at the
right time. I got hooked at Universal Radio in 1984. Before that, I had
a series of fair to poor portables, never happy with them at all. I've
had one of my SW radios for over 20 years now.

BDK




Well, you really need to talk to one of the local scanner groups, they
will have all the info you need. I really can't tell you anymore about
your area than what is in the database section of
www.radioreference.com. Someone living 1000 miles away just can't have
25% of the info the locals have. There are people here that know what's
going to happen years ahead of time.

I don't think there is a side by side 396T/Pro-96 review, but a search
on Pro-96 reviews will probably come up with one. I think one guy tested
them separately and didn't like either one, saying they were deaf. I
haven't seen any problems with either radio being deaf at all.

I wish I had better answers for you but you'll do better looking locally
for help..

BDK