FreeSCAN 2.17 (Sixspot Software)
================================

WHAT THIS IS
------------
FreeSCAN 2.17, the stable release offered beside 2.18 on Sixspot Software's
download page: free Windows programming and control software for Uniden
DMA-era scanners, including the BCD396XT and BC246T (installer dated
2014-03-28).

FreeSCAN reads the scanner's programming (systems, sites, groups, channels,
settings) over the serial cable into an editable tree, edits it, writes it
back and saves it as a file; it also imports from RadioReference and offers
virtual control, logging and recording. FreeSCAN.exe carries the version
string "FreeSCAN 2.17"; its Windows file-version resource says 0.8.3.0, which
is a stale internal number, not the release.

APPLIES TO
----------
The program's own compatibility message lists: SC230, BC246T, UBC3500XLT,
UBC800XLT, BR330T, BCD396T, BC346XT, BC346XTC, BCD396XT, BCT15X, BCD996XT,
BCT15 and BCD996T. In this archive it is tagged to the BCD396XT and BC246T.

Its author states the BCD436HP and BCD536HP "are unsupported and will never be
supported". It cannot program the BC350A or BC355N, which have no PC
interface; the model list above does not include them.

BEFORE STARTING
---------------
  - A Windows PC with Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or later (the author: "This
    latest version is written on the Microsoft .net 4.0 Platform").
  - The scanner's serial cable (USB-1 with its PL2303 driver, or RS-232) and
    the COM port number.
  - The scanner's PC-control baud rate (BCD396XT: MENU > Settings > Set Serial
    Port; BC246T: Xfer Information > PC Control); FreeSCAN's port settings
    must match it.
  - Close BC_VUP, UASD or any other program using the COM port.
  - The author's site warns that antivirus software may flag the download and
    calls this "probably just a false alarm"; the fubsypoly.com zip is scanned
    before publication.

CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
The zip published on fubsypoly.com wraps the vendor file(s) byte-for-byte,
unmodified.

fssetup-217.zip
    1,651,787 bytes
    SHA-256 57384905a2f391da443a26a46175e7e183d0844b880f8ab1e14572f31db2076d
    The vendor zip contains:
      fssetup-217.exe  (1,678,352 bytes, dated 2014-03-28)
README.txt
    This file.
SHA256SUMS
    SHA-256 checksums of the files above.

INSTALLATION
------------
 1. Unzip fssetup-217.zip; it contains fssetup-217.exe, a Nullsoft (NSIS)
    installer.
 2. Run fssetup-217.exe and follow its prompts. It installs FreeSCAN.exe with
    the NAudio libraries and lame.exe (used for recording).
 3. Start FreeSCAN, open its COM port setup, and select the cable's COM port
    and the scanner's baud rate.
 4. Read the scanner first and save the result as a backup before editing or
    writing anything.

The names of FreeSCAN's menus and buttons are not documented here; the
RadioReference wiki's FreeScan User Guide
(wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FreeScan_User_Guide) covers the program in
detail.

VERIFYING
---------
The program identifies itself as "FreeSCAN 2.17" (the version string embedded
in FreeSCAN.exe; exactly where it is displayed was not confirmed). A
successful read from the scanner confirms the cable, driver and port.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
  - If FreeSCAN reports that the scanner is not a supported model, the program
    itself suggests rechecking the COM port settings: wrong port or baud rate
    is the usual cause.
  - Install .NET Framework 4.0 if the program will not start.
  - Check the USB-1 driver (see the USB-1 driver entries) if no COM port
    appears.
  - FreeSCAN is unsupported freeware with no vendor support; RadioReference's
    Uniden forums are where it is discussed.

DOWNGRADING
-----------
Uninstall FreeSCAN and install the other version. Whether files saved by
2.18-beta6 open in 2.17 could not be confirmed. Earlier FreeSCAN versions
(0.x, 2.05-2.16) were searched for and not recovered.

PROVENANCE
----------
File:        fssetup-217.zip
Source:      https://web.archive.org/web/20150418080752if_/http://www.sixspotsoftware.com/fssetup-217.zip?attredirects=0
Wayback:     https://web.archive.org/web/20150418080752/http://www.sixspotsoftware.com/fssetup-217.zip?attredirects=0
Retrieved:   2026-09-18
Vendor page: https://sites.google.com/site/sixspotsoftware/downloads
Status:      community

The author's download link (sixspotsoftware.com/fssetup-217.zip, a Google
Sites attachment) is dead; the file was recovered from the Wayback Machine's
2015-04-18 capture. Status community: FreeSCAN is third-party freeware with no
published licence, so redistribution permission is implied by its free
distribution but not stated. The file was verified to be what it claims: the
installer unpacks a FreeSCAN.exe containing the version string "FreeSCAN
2.17".

MORE INFORMATION
----------------
  - Sixspot Software downloads:
    https://sites.google.com/site/sixspotsoftware/downloads
  - BCD396XT Upgrades & Firmware:
    https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bcd396xt/vol-5/
  - BC246T Programming: https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bc246t/vol-3/
  - FreeScan User Guide (RadioReference wiki):
    wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FreeScan_User_Guide
