Utility
Uniden BC_VUP firmware updater 3.00.01
Verified — manufacturer file
Download zip (690 KB) Manufacturer's page ↗
The first BC_VUP 3 release (files dated April 2012), which Uniden linked when it announced BCD396XT firmware 1.11.01 in January 2013. BC_VUP 3 downloads the firmware from Uniden's server instead of using a local file. Superseded by 3.03.00.
Read before installing. Superseded by 3.03.00. Needs Uniden's update server to be reachable. Release date not published; files dated 2012-04-03.
Contents
| File | Size | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip | 687 KB | 33c84270dae6253d9793ec42653671e7e95f6f644ae5d2cbe7489add7d65b5ba |
| README.txt | These instructions | |
| SHA256SUMS | Checksums of the files above | |
Instructions
The complete README.txt included in the zip:
Uniden BC_VUP firmware updater 3.00.01
======================================
WHAT THIS IS
------------
The first BC_VUP 3 release (files dated April 2012), which Uniden linked when
it announced BCD396XT firmware 1.11.01 in January 2013. BC_VUP 3 downloads the
firmware from Uniden's server instead of using a local file. Superseded by
3.03.00.
BC_VUP (Uniden's pages call it "the firmware update tool") is Uniden's updater
for its serial-connected scanners. BC_VUP 3 differs from BC_VUP 2 in that the
user picks a model and a version from a list and the updater downloads that
firmware from Uniden. The installer's configuration names an FTP server at
ftp.uniden.com as the firmware source. Uniden: "Usually only the latest is
available for selection."
APPLIES TO
----------
Per Uniden, BC_VUP applies only to these models: BC125AT, BC246T, BC346XT,
BCD325P2, BCD396XT, BCD996P2, BCD996XT, BCT15 and BCT15X. In this archive it
is tagged to the BCD396XT and BC246T.
It does not apply to the BC350A or BC355N, which have no PC interface and no
updatable firmware, nor to Sentinel-era scanners (HomePatrol, BCDx36HP, SDS
series).
BEFORE STARTING
---------------
- A Windows PC with an internet connection (BC_VUP 3 downloads the
firmware). The installer declares .NET Framework 4.0 as its runtime.
- The scanner's programming cable: for the BCD396XT and BC246T this is a
serial connection, normally Uniden's USB-1 USB-to-serial cable with its
Prolific PL2303 driver installed (see the USB-1 driver entries).
- Uniden: "It is a good idea to start with a well charged set of batteries
for portable units." For the BCD396XT and BC246T the troubleshooting notes
also call for the AC adapter (see below).
- A backup of the scanner's programming.
- If an earlier BC_VUP was installed, delete its old install files (Uniden:
they are in a "BCSS" directory).
CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
The zip published on fubsypoly.com wraps the vendor file(s) byte-for-byte,
unmodified.
BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip
703,197 bytes
SHA-256 33c84270dae6253d9793ec42653671e7e95f6f644ae5d2cbe7489add7d65b5ba
The vendor zip contains:
BC_VUP_V3_00_01/setup.exe (496,128 bytes, dated 2012-04-03)
BC_VUP_V3_00_01/Setup_BC_VUP.msi (664,064 bytes, dated 2012-04-03)
README.txt
This file.
SHA256SUMS
SHA-256 checksums of the files above.
INSTALLATION
------------
Installing (Uniden, "BC_VUP Firmware Updater Installation",
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/InstallingBC_VUP):
1. Unzip BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip to a folder (Uniden's example is C:\Uniden\). It
creates the folder BC_VUP_V3_00_01 holding setup.exe and Setup_BC_VUP.msi.
2. Run "Setup.exe" (not Setup.msi). The application BC_VUP3 is installed.
Updating a scanner (Uniden, "Using BC_VUP Firmware Updater",
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/UsingBC_VUP):
1. Run BC_VUP.
2. Select the scanner model (BCD396XT or BC246T).
3. Select the firmware version (usually only the latest is offered: V1_11_01
for the BCD396XT) and click NEXT.
4. Connect the scanner to the PC with its programming cable. The first time,
Windows installs the cable's driver (older models, including these, may
need the driver installed by hand first). Note the COM port shown; it is
also listed in Device Manager under Ports.
5. Press NEXT, then OK. BC_VUP asks for the COM port; AUTO DETECT usually
works if the number is not known.
6. Press NEXT. BC_VUP confirms the model and firmware.
7. Press START. Do not disconnect the cable while the update runs.
8. When BC_VUP reports the firmware is written, power the scanner down,
disconnect the cable, and power it up again.
For the BCD396XT and BC246T, Uniden's firmware pages add: when prompted, turn
the scanner off, remove the batteries, and hold L/O and 6 while plugging in
the AC adapter; the backlight stays on until the update ends.
VERIFYING
---------
BCD396XT: MENU > Settings > See Scanner Info > Firmware Version shows "Version
1.11.01". BC246T: MENU > See Scanner Info > Firmware Version. BC_VUP itself
reports the model and current firmware when it connects (step 6 above).
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
- Almost every failure is the COM port: the wrong port selected, or another
program (programming software, PDA sync) holding it. Close them and retry.
- Check that the USB-1 driver matches the cable's chip. Older cables use the
PL2303HXA, which Uniden says needs the older 1.5.0 driver package on
Windows 8 and later.
- Check the scanner's serial/PC-control baud setting (BCD396XT: MENU >
Settings > Set Serial Port; BC246T: Xfer Information > PC Control).
- An interrupted update leaves the scanner unusable until an update
completes; repeat the whole procedure from the start, including the L/O +
6 power-up.
- If BC_VUP 3 cannot download the firmware (for example if Uniden's server
is unavailable), BC_VUP 2.0.0.7 with a local .scn file is the only offline
route; this archive holds BCD396XT 1.07.00-1.10.00 and BC246T 2.60.00.
DOWNGRADING
-----------
Uniden: "Usually only the latest is available for selection." BC_VUP 3 offers
no documented way to install an older version. Whether it can load a local
.scn file could not be confirmed.
PROVENANCE
----------
File: BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip
Source: https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/publish/_publish/BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip
Wayback: https://web.archive.org/web/20170108163326/http://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/publish/_publish/BC_VUP_V3_00_01.zip
Retrieved: 2026-09-18
Vendor page: https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/new-396xt-1-11-01-firmware-available.257324/
Status: verified
Downloaded from the live Uniden URL given in the 2013-01-07 RadioReference
announcement of BCD396XT 1.11.01 by UPMan, Uniden's representative (thread
257324). Status verified: the vendor's own URL.
MORE INFORMATION
----------------
- BCD396XT Upgrades & Firmware:
https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bcd396xt/vol-5/
- Installing BC_VUP:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/InstallingBC_VUP
- Using BC_VUP:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/UsingBC_VUP
- BCD396XT firmware page:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate
- BC246T firmware page:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BC246TFirmwareUpdate