When bad things happen to good scanners: SD Card Corruption

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Rich Carlson

All of the various “Zip Code” type scanners such as the Uniden HomePatrol, BCD436HP or BCD536HP, Whistler WS 1080/1088/1095/1098 or the GRE and RadioShack versions use a Micro-SD Card to store the database and recordings. This SD Card is much like a disk drive without moving parts, it can be written to and read by a computer or a device; in this case your scanner.

Occasionally these cards can get corrupted which causes them to stop functioning. The scanner will display an error message and will not operate until you repair or replace the SD Card. Thankfully this is not usually a serious issue and rarely results in anything other than some annoyance. The worst that can happen is that you lose your Favorites Lists and any recordings you may have on the card.

First let’s talk about WHY this happens. Most of the time it is due to the power being removed from the radio abruptly. These scanners are basically small computers and, like all computers, they need to be shut down properly. By doing so the radio has a chance to finish writing information to the SD Card. If the power is removed before this is done then an incomplete or corrupted file may be left. When you turn on the radio the next time it doesn’t know what to do with the file and displays the error message. While this does not occur every time the radio is improperly shut down, it only has to happen once to ruin your day.

Now there is always the possibility that the card or even the radio itself is defective but that is very rare.

What can you do to prevent this from happening to you? The best thing you can do is to make sure you turn the radio off before removing power to it. If you have it mounted in a vehicle be sure to turn off the radio by use if the volume/power knob before starting the car or turning off the ignition. If the radio loses power while still turned on then the card can get corrupted. Same goes for portable radios. do not pull the batteries unless the radio is turned off.

OK, my card got corrupted, is my scanner dead? Usually no. These cards can usually be reformatted and the database rebuilt. Even if the card is shot it can be replaced and the new card set up for your radio. You can get replacement (or spare) Micro SD Cards almost anywhere.

What can you do if this occurs to you? First make sure the card is really corrupt, some times they are just loose. Remove the card and reseat it, making sure that it clicks into place. When you turn on the radio, if it works then you are back in business. If you still get the error then you will likely have to reformat the card.

Of course the easiest way to get past this is to let us fix it for you! Just download, print and fill out the form at https://www.scannermaster.com/v/vspfiles/files/pdf/homepatrol-servies-order-form.pdf. Send it to us with the radio and we will do the rest!

To reformat the card it is best to use an application specifically for this. You can use a free program available from https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/. Download the one for your version of Windows and install it. You can use an SD Card reader if you want or leave the card in the radio and connected to the computer in Mass Storage Mode. If you reformat it using Windows directly it may not be done in the proper format. Sorry Mac guys; you need Windows for this!

Once reformatted you need to reinstall the database. On Uniden scanners this is done as follows:

1: In Sentinel under the Home Patrol menu select Clear User Data, click on the Display All Drives box.

2: Be sure to select the correct drive letter then click OK. (You do not want to erase your C Drive!)

3: Run Sentinel on the computer and select the Update Master HPDB option in the Update Menu.

4: In Sentinel under the HomePatrol menu select Write to HomePatrol .You may need to select that drive again, but it will not show the serial number of the radio this time.

5: Eject the card and put it back into your scanner (if not already there). When you turn on the scanner you should be all set. You many need to reset your location, Service Types etc.

Of course this requires that you have Sentinel running in a Windows computer. If you don’t have Sentinel installed (it comes on the SD Card…) you can download it from Uniden’s website.

Whistler, GRE and RS scanners use slightly different procedures, check the manual for your radio for these.

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Basic or Pro, Download or CD? Which is the best ARC software for your scanner?

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Rich Carlson

ScannerMaster is proud to sell ARC software products for scanners from Butel. ARC stands for “Advanced Radio Control” and there are ARC packages for most current and many older scanners. These applications share a common “Look and feel” so that if you learn your way around one you will know how to work the others. These are the easiest to use programming software for scanners and ScannerMaster is the main US distributer.

When you chose your software make sure to pick the right product! ARC Products work on specific radios. The radios the software will work on are listed in the descriptions, if you are not sure call us and one of our experts will help you make sure you have the right product. Some packages work on many different radios and others work only on one.

When you look at the ARC packages on our website you will usually see 4 choices. Two of them are named “Basic” and “Pro” and there are usually CD and Download versions each.

ARC “Basic” software allows the user to read and write to the radio, import files from RadioReference and other sources and perform all programming actions.

ARC “Pro” versions add in the ability to control the radio within the software (if your radio supports this) as well as record audio from the radio to your computer. Some radios also support a Bandscope feature.

The “CD” version comes delivered on a CD with the product key on a label inside the CD cover.

The “Download” version comes to you as a link emailed to you so you can download the software on the Internet, the product key is emailed to you. This saves you the shipping cost and if you lose your product key we can resend it to you.

Even if you buy the CD version you can download the updated version of the same software as needed, such as if you get a new computer or an update has been made. Your product keys will still work.

A couple things to remember:

If you buy the CD Version make sure you save the product keys! We do not have copies of these numbers, if you lose the CD Case and didn’t copy the number someplace we have no way of replacing it. We can resend Download version product keys but only to those customers that bought the Download version.

Most ARC products will automatically print a confirmation sheet when you successfully register the software with the Product Keys. Save this someplace safe, it has your Product Keys on it and can be used to reinstall the software on a replacement computer.

As always ScannerMaster experts are here to help with your questions!

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Hometown Programming, What it is and how it works

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Rich Carlson

One of the services we have here at ScannerMaster is called Hometown Programming. You can send your scanner to us and we will program it for you. It is pretty much as simple as that! These services allow your radio to be ready to go as soon as you receive it.

There are actually 2 different programming services here, the right one for you depends on the radio you have or are going to buy. “Hometown Programming” refers to programming traditional scanners as opposed to “Zip Code” location based scanners. “Optimizing” refers to the updates and programming done on the various Location Based scanners, such as the HomePatrol, BCD436/536HP models and the newer Whistler WS1080/1088/1095 and 1098 scanners.

For Hometown Programming we will program in the county of your choice, including the local police, fire & EMS channels as well as the local State Police or Highway Patrol channels. One can add additional counties if they choose for an additional fee.

When we Optimize a location based scanner we will update the database on the memory card, make sure the radio firmware is current and create a local Favorites List for your area. We will also set the location to your ZIP Code.

We also offer firmware updates and installation of features like the Extreme or ProVoice Updates on certain capable scanners.

If you buy the scanner from us we can do the programming before we ship the radio to you. While this might delay the receipt of your radio by a short time, it saves the shipping costs and lets you enjoy your scanner as soon as you receive it, knowing that it has the most up to date programming available.

If you already have the scanner you can send it to us and we will program it then return it to you. Please make sure to use the forms found at

https://www.scannermaster.com/Articles.asp?ID=365

to make sure we have all the information needed to make the radio right for you. All the information you (and us) need is on the form, including the address to send the radio. Return time varies depending on the volume of radios in process but radios are returned as soon as we are done programming them.

While we do not do repairs on scanners there are times when all it needs is to be reprogrammed. If you aren’t sure call us at 1-800-SCANNER and one of our reps will help you decide.

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Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club Press Release

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Jonathan Higgins

Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club Press Release
Monday, February, 1, 2016
Joe Scheibinger / Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club

On Monday February 8th, Jonathan Higgins, Police Scanner Expert and Digital Media Communications Manager for Scanner Master, one of the world’s leading companies in the sales of police and aircraft scanners, will be speaking at the Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club meeting located at the Moraine Park Technical College in room A-112 at 7:00 PM. The general public is invited and there is no cover charge.
Monday, February 8th, 2016 @ 7PM
Moraine Park Technical College
Room A-112
235 North National Avenue
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Free and open to the general public

In the old days of police scanners, you purchased a “crystal”and placed it in your scanner to hear the local police. Then came programmable scanners where you just entered the frequency on a keypad. Today’s scanners are very different. You see practically every state, county and city police and fire agency in the country have their own unique radio system and/or radio frequency. Some cities and counties actually use encrypted radio systems that cannot be monitored at all, including Orlando for example. Other cities use complex radio systems that must be programmed in a very specific way for your scanner to work. Scanners are very complex. There’s a big learning curve to understand how to set-up and program a scanner for your specific area. Even the models that are pre-programmed require effort to select the channels you want to monitor and delete those not of interest.

Jonathan Higgins is familiar with radios police use in the State of Wisconsin and he will describe what you will need to enter the amazing world of scanning. The need for an advanced scanner varies widely. In some big cities such as Boston a basic scanner will work fine. But in Los Angeles as well as the backwoods of Michigan, Colorado and other states, you need a digital scanner.

You can listen to much more than police and fire on a scanner! You can monitor the local aircraft landing and taking off at your airport. You can hear the engineers on trains as they enter your city. Many people have listened to Russia’s Mir space station, the 3 person Soyuz spacecraft, and even direct transmissions from the space shuttle! Since the early 1960s weather satellites have featured APT – Automatic Picture Transmission, a simple way to receive weather satellite imagery directly from a satellite. There are a variety of commercial satellites which can be monitored on a handheld scanner, most notably the ORBCOMM store-and-forward data satellites. It’s even more of a thrill to listen to an astronaut in space talking to ham radio operators on the ground and absolutely amazing if you happen to be the one talking to the astronaut!

The presentation is open to the public with no cover charge. For more information, contact Joe Scheibinger at 920-237-1450.

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Windows 10 and Scanners

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Rich Carlson

Many people have recently been upgraded to Windows 10, whether they like it or not. For most people it seems to work fine, it just looks different. Most scanner software, such as ARC products, Sentinel and EZ-Scan works just fine in Windows 10 but might take a few steps to get it to work. Here are a few steps to make your transition a little easier:

1) Update the cable.

If you have a Uniden XT series scanner and use the USB-1 cable make sure you have the newer version. There are 2 versions of the USB-1 cable. The older version will not work in Windows 10 (or Windows 8 for that matter). The ones we sell now work just fine in all versions of Windows. If your cable worked in Windows XP or 7 and no longer works in Windows 10 then it probably needs to be replaced by a newer version. You can also try a USB-Serial adapter and the Serial Port cable that came with your scanner.

Most RadioShack, GRE and Whistler orange, blue and black USB scanner cables seem to work fine in Windows 10. If your scanner (Uniden, GRE or Whistler) has a “Mini-USB port on the front or side of the radio that looks like a little trapezoid then a standard USB device cable will work.

2) Update the driver.

Some cables and scanners require drivers. These are small files that tell the computer how to relate to and communicate with the radio. Check the ScannerMaster page for the cable or radio that you have for links to the current drivers. Most of the time it is better to install the driver first, then plug in the cable or device. Make sure that you install the driver for your operating system. If Windows 10 isn’t listed then use the Windows 8 driver, chances are it will work fine.

3) Update the program.

Sometimes the application itself needs to be updated for Windows 10. Just like drivers however, if it worked in Windows 7 or 8 it should work in 10.

4) If all else fails reinstall the program.

Sometimes after you upgrade to Windows 10 you will still not get the radio and program to communicate. We have found that many times, especially with ARC products, simple uninstalling the program and reinstalling it will fix your connection issues. Make sure you are updating to the latest version of the program. You can download the latest versions at the program’s website. Your activation keys will still work with newer versions of the same program.

As with any program, your results may vary. The above steps will fix a majority of the issues with scanner programs, they have fixed every issue I have had. Depending on the computer hardware, software, operating system and a host of other factors you may have an issue that just doesn’t want to work even after doing all this. If you still get stuck then you may need to contact the software’s support department.

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ProVoice: What is it and do I need to update my scanner for it?

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Rich Carlson

Recently Uniden announced an update for its BCD436HP and BCD536HP scanners to allow them to monitor ProVoice digital radio systems. This has led to a lot of questions that we will try to answer here.

What is ProVoice?

ProVoice is a form of digital modulation used on some EDACS trunking systems, somewhat similar to APCO P25. Most digital scanners cannot hear it but Uniden has found a way to make it work on their 436 and 536 scanners.

Do I need the upgrade?

If you want to hear a ProVoice system then yes you do. There are several large wide-area systems using ProVoice, Uniden has produced a map showing most known systems. See http://info.uniden.com/UnidenMan4/ProVoice for a map.

Why are they charging for it? It should be free!

Uniden has to pay the license holders a fee for every radio they sell that has this technology. They also have to pay for all the research and development costs.

How do I update my radio?

If you buy the radio from us we can install the ProVoice update for you before we send the radio to you. If you want to update a radio you already have go to http://my.uniden.com to buy the upgrade.

I have a different scanner; will it work with ProVoice?

At this time only updated 436 and 536 scanners will work with ProVoice.

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The Digital Blues (or why does my local digital system sound like #$^?)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Rich Carlson

So you bought that fancy new digital scanner and while it usually works great, sometimes on certain digital systems it doesn’t seem to sound right. Sometimes it just drops words or phrases but sometimes it drops the whole conversation.

You try moving the scanner around or connect to a better antenna and it doesn’t help or even gets worse. Before you throw the scanner against the wall in frustration read on:

We feel your pain! The problem isn’t you or in or the programming. It is called “Simulcast Digital Distortion” or more commonly “Bit Error”. Our friends at RadioReference have a great technical explanation of this in their Wiki at http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Simulcast_digital_distortion

The 10 cent explanation of this is that you have signals from more than one tower arriving at your radio at ever-so-slightly different times. These signals compete with each other and tend to null each other out. This is why sometimes the radio will stop but you won’t hear any or part of it.

There are a couple things you can do to help get past this issue. If your radio has an attenuator function try that first. This reduces the signal and hopefully will force your radio to only be able to receive a single tower site. You can also try moving the antenna around the room to see if you can find a “sweet spot”. If you are using a telescoping antenna try adjusting it to different lengths or angles. Also try opening the squelch all the way. If all you are listening to is the digital system then this will not affect other channels.

If all of this fails then you may need to try a directional antenna. Commonly called “Yagi’s” these antennas will direct your reception in a single direction and hopefully force your radio to hear only a single tower.

This type of digital distortion usually is less prevalent with newer models of scanners and firmware updates usually reduce it as well. Make sure you have a current model scanner and that its firmware is up to date.

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Favorite Scanner: Uniden HomePatrol

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Rich Carlson

This weeks Favorite Scanner comes from our Programming Manager Greg Jolly. Greg likes the Uniden HomePatrol best for its ease of use.

The Uniden HomePatrol was introduced several years ago to address several concerns. Many people wanted to listen to their local police, fire and other radio activity but did not know (or want to know) how to program scanners. The HomePatrol brought a whole new dimension to scanning: instead of learning frequencies you just put in your ZIP Code.

The HomePatrol really makes Greg happy, being the ScannerMaster Programmer it makes his job easier! It just requires a periodic update to keep it humming along.

The HomePatrol 2 was introduced recently to cover those areas using “Phase 2” digital, otherwise it works the same as the original HomePatrol.

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Scanner Tip of the Week: Plural Radios, Single Antenna

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Rich Carlson

So you really got bit by the scanner bug and have several scanners to really keep tabs on the action. You really want to have a better antenna for them all but don’t want an antenna farm growing on your roof or your attic. What to do?

There are several good ways to share one antenna with 2 or more radios. There are also several bad ways. The bad ways might work good enough to hear some local stuff but that is about it.

The best way to share an antenna with multiple radios is by use of a Multicoupler. A Multicoupler has a connector for the antenna and 2, 4 8 or more ports for radios.Multicouplers allow signals from the antenna to pass thru it to multiple radios and prevents interference between them. “Active Multicouplers” have low power pre-amps in them to overcome the connector loss present whenever you put something between the radio and its antenna. “Passive Multicouplers” do not have the amplifier and will degrade the signal a bit.

Stridsberg makes several models of Multicouplers tailor made for scanners. Stridsberg is the most respected name in scanner multicouplers and ScannerMaster is proud to carry them. Up to 8 scanners can be connected to a single scanner antenna without loss. Check these out at https://www.scannermaster.com/Multicouplers_for_Police_Scanner_Radios_s/43.htm

If your needs are less stringent then you could use a splitter. Splitters are different in that they merely provide a way to share an antenna with two or more radios. These do not have the circuitry to reduce or overcome signal loss. Splitters can usually be used in the reverse way, to allow 2 antennas to feed a single radio, something that multicouplers usually cannot do.

One could just use coax “T” or “Y” adaptors but these provide no protection against interference or signal loss and are not recommended.

Regardless of the methods use there is no substitute for quality cables. Using high-quality coax, both for the downlink from the antenna and for the jumpers to the radios will reduce the loss and increase the signal strength. Don’t forget to use quality connectors if you make the patch cables yourself. Avoid the use of adapters as much as you can, everyone adds a little more loss to the line.

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Favorite Scanner of the Week: Bearcat BC780XLT

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Rich Carlson

Here at ScannerMaster we have decided to highlight some of our favorite scanners of the past and today. For the first entry in the series we have chosen what may well win the “Favorite Scanner” award from more people than any other radio: The Bearcat BC780XLT. Both Jonathan and Rich C. chose this as our favorite scanner from the past.

The “780” as it is well known, came out in 2000 and was an instant hit with the scanner community. It had 500 channels and came with trunktracking capabilities for Motorola, EDACS and LTR, computer access and many other features.

It was joined in 2003 by the BC785 which had 1000 channels and added a digital card for use on digital conventional and trunked systems, and that in turn was quickly replaced by the BC796D that added support for 9600 Baud digital trunked systems.

The BC780XLT combined a compact package that was equally at home mounted in a vehicle as it was on the desktop. Dealers were sold out as soon as they came into stock and despite it’s high price of about $600 (about $1000 in today’s dollars) people couldn’t get enough of them.

An entire cottage industry for accessories for the 780/785/796 scanners was created. ScannerMaster designed an internal battery pack for the series so one could use it in the field. A nylon carry case so one could carry it around with them was sold for it as well. A Remote Head kit was built to allow more flexible mounting in vehicles, and many other accessories were developed.

The BC780 t is still used by many today for aviation and railroads as well as other analog uses.

BC780XLT

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Scanner Master Blog

The Nation's Oldest and Largest Scanner Only Dealer

When bad things happen to good scanners: SD Card Corruption

Basic or Pro, Download or CD? Which is the best ARC software for your scanner?

Hometown Programming, What it is and how it works

Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club Press Release

Windows 10 and Scanners

ProVoice: What is it and do I need to update my scanner for it?

The Digital Blues (or why does my local digital system sound like #$^?)

Favorite Scanner: Uniden HomePatrol

Scanner Tip of the Week: Plural Radios, Single Antenna

Favorite Scanner of the Week: Bearcat BC780XLT