Firmware · 2009-05-20
Uniden BCD396XT firmware 1.07.00
Verified — manufacturer file
Download zip (554 KB) Manufacturer's page ↗
Uniden's firmware image 1.07.00 for the BCD396XT, as the .scn file that Uniden attached to its BCD396XT firmware page. Removes the Control Channel Only option for Motorola systems (all Motorola systems are trunked on the control channel, so the setting was unnecessary). Superseded by 1.11.01; kept for owners who want to roll back or who cannot use BC_VUP 3.
Read before installing. Not the current release: 1.11.01 (January 2013) is the final BCD396XT firmware and is installed with BC_VUP 3.03.00. The .scn payload is encoded; the version is established by the filename and Uniden's attachment table, not by a readable string in the image. BCD396XT only.
Contents
| File | Size | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip | 551 KB | 13a7c281d3bd0e60bd2d8fdf79e0f8be4698e7273c59adda7bdba1881ab7ee78 |
| README.txt | These instructions | |
| SHA256SUMS | Checksums of the files above | |
Instructions
The complete README.txt included in the zip:
Uniden BCD396XT firmware 1.07.00
================================
WHAT THIS IS
------------
Uniden firmware version 1.07.00 for the BCD396XT handheld scanner, published
on Uniden's BCD396XT firmware page on 2009-05-20 (the attachment date in
Uniden's table). It is the first update Uniden published for the BCD396XT on
its firmware page.
What changed: Removes the Control Channel Only option for Motorola systems
(all Motorola systems are trunked on the control channel, so the setting was
unnecessary); improves Close Call performance against frequency drift; fixes a
trunked-system priority interval of 2 seconds when 10 seconds was set; fixes a
lock-up when several GPS alert points were close together.
This is not the newest firmware. The final BCD396XT release is 1.11.01
(announced January 2013), which improves performance on P25 simulcast (LSM)
sites. 1.11.01 has never been published as a standalone file; it is delivered
only by Uniden's BC_VUP 3 updater, which downloads it from Uniden's server
(see the BC_VUP 3.03.00 entry). Use this older file only to roll back, or if
BC_VUP 3 can no longer reach Uniden's server.
APPLIES TO
----------
Uniden BCD396XT only.
Do not use on the BCD396T (a different scanner with its own 3.x firmware
line), the BCD996XT (its own firmware), or any other model. No firmware file
for one model should ever be loaded into another.
BEFORE STARTING
---------------
- A Windows PC. BC_VUP 2.0.0.7 is a 2008 Windows installer; the Windows
versions it runs on were not stated by Uniden.
- BC_VUP 2.0.0.7, the updater Uniden paired with the 1.07.00 and 1.08.14
files (available in this archive as its own entry).
- A serial connection to the scanner: Uniden's USB-1 cable (Prolific PL2303
USB-to-serial) with its driver installed, or a PC RS-232 port. Uniden:
"Uniden only supports the USB-1." Note the COM port number Windows assigns
(Device Manager > Ports).
- The scanner's AC adapter. The update procedure requires removing the
batteries and powering the scanner from the adapter.
- A backup of the scanner's programming, made with the programming software
in use (for example FreeSCAN). Uniden does not state that an update erases
programming, but a backup is the recovery path.
- Close every other program that uses the COM port (programming software,
PDA synchronisation software).
CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
The zip published on fubsypoly.com wraps the vendor file(s) byte-for-byte,
unmodified.
BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip
564,287 bytes
SHA-256 13a7c281d3bd0e60bd2d8fdf79e0f8be4698e7273c59adda7bdba1881ab7ee78
The vendor zip contains:
BCD396XT_V1_07_00.scn (1,866,918 bytes, dated 2009-05-18)
README.txt
This file.
SHA256SUMS
SHA-256 checksums of the files above.
INSTALLATION
------------
Source: Uniden's firmware page as it stood when this version was current
(https://web.archive.org/web/20090523101728/http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate).
1. Unzip BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip to the desktop. It contains one file,
BCD396XT_V1_07_00.scn.
2. Unzip BC_VUP_v2.0.0.7.zip and run BC_VUP_v2.0.0.7.exe to install the
updater. If a version of BC_VUP was installed before, delete the old
install files first; Uniden says they are in a "BCSS" directory.
3. Run the installed BC_VUP application and follow the on-screen
instructions. No registration key is needed.
4. When prompted, select the BCD396XT_V1_07_00.scn file unzipped in step 1.
5. When prompted, turn off the scanner, remove the batteries, and hold down
both the L/O and 6 keys while plugging in the AC adapter. The backlight
comes on and should stay on until the end of the update.
6. Let the update run to completion without disturbing the cable or power.
The exact wording of BC_VUP 2's on-screen prompts could not be confirmed.
VERIFYING
---------
The BCD396XT Complete Reference documents the version display: MENU > Settings
> See Scanner Info > Firmware Version. The scanner shows "Version #.##.##" and
its 14-digit serial number. After this update it should read Version 1.07.00.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
From Uniden's troubleshooting notes:
- If an error occurs, repeat all steps, including removing power, holding
L/O and 6, and plugging in AC power. Repeat that step even if the
backlight is already on.
- Almost all update errors, and a scanner that powers up after the update
with a blank display and the backlight on, come from an incorrect COM port
selection or from another program holding the COM port.
- Some third-party USB-serial adapters do not work or need updated drivers;
Uniden supports only the USB-1.
- After an interrupted update, normal operation can be restored only by
applying the update successfully. Start again from the beginning.
DOWNGRADING
-----------
Uniden does not document downgrading. BC_VUP 3 normally offers only the latest
version. Older .scn files such as this one are what make a roll-back possible
in principle. A RadioReference thread ("Rolling back firmware", 2017,
forums.radioreference.com/threads/rolling-back-firmware.356125/) records a
BCD396XT owner who rolled back from 1.11.01 and called it "a tiresome
process", and another who preferred 1.10.00 for their area; the method used
was not posted. Whether BC_VUP 2.0.0.7 accepts an older .scn over newer
firmware could not be confirmed.
PROVENANCE
----------
File: BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip
Source: https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate/BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip
Wayback: https://web.archive.org/web/20220615210546/http://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate/BCD396XT_V1_07_00.zip
Retrieved: 2026-09-18
Vendor page: https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate
Status: verified
Downloaded from the live attachment on Uniden's BCD396XT firmware page, where
Uniden still hosts it. Status verified: the vendor's own URL.
MORE INFORMATION
----------------
- BCD396XT Upgrades & Firmware:
https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bcd396xt/vol-5/
- Uniden BCD396XT firmware page:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD396XTFirmwareUpdate
- BCD396XT Complete Reference (Reference Library):
https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/library/uniden-bcd396xt-complete-reference/
- RadioReference thread for 1.11.01:
forums.radioreference.com/threads/new-396xt-1-11-01-firmware-available.257324/