Software
FreeSCAN 2.17 (Sixspot Software)
Community copy
Download zip (1.6 MB) Manufacturer's page ↗
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).
Read before installing. Third-party freeware, not a Uniden product. The program states "This program is Freeware" but publishes no licence or redistribution terms, so it is hosted as community. Programs the scanner; it does not update firmware (that is BC_VUP). Direct RadioReference import needs a RadioReference Premium subscription. Superseded by 2.18-beta6.
Contents
| File | Size | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| fssetup-217.zip | 1.6 MB | 57384905a2f391da443a26a46175e7e183d0844b880f8ab1e14572f31db2076d |
| README.txt | These instructions | |
| SHA256SUMS | Checksums of the files above | |
Instructions
The complete README.txt included in the zip:
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
Other versions of FreeSCAN
- 2.18-beta6 · 2015-09-15Recommended