UBCT8 communication error

[46South]

Finally got a copy of the programming software and the registration key for the UBCT 8 and bought a serial to USB cable (Prolific) But having trouble connecting the scanner to my Vista computer.
Getting error message " Communication error! Please check UBCT8 remote setting"

Is anyone using this software that can put me on the right track cos I dont know where the setting is.

[Comint]

Finally got a copy of the programming software and the registration key for the UBCT 8 and bought a serial to USB cable (Prolific) But having trouble connecting the scanner to my Vista computer.
Getting error message " Communication error! Please check UBCT8 remote setting"

Is anyone using this software that can put me on the right track cos I dont know where the setting is.

Press and hold the RMT button for 2 seconds.
RMT will show in the top right hand corner of the screen when this is enabled.
You may also have to change the baudrate (Transfer speed).

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Comint

[46South]

Thanks for the advice.
I have been holding the RMT button for 2 secs and then pushing the E key like it says in the manual.
RMT and Prog are both displayed at the top right.
I have tried all variations of the baud rate to no avail.
Wondering if there is a particular sequence for plugging in and turning on?
Is anyone actually using this software out there ?

[SteveO]

Might need to change the com port?

[Pumper_50]

Did the USB to Serial cable come with any driver software?

Years ago one of my Belkin cables had to have drivers installed for it in order to work.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[46South]

Yeah the Prolific site has several drivers for the cable and also has a warning that their FTDI chip has been cloned by the chinese and lots of cables dont work or only partly work. My cable seems to be an original - but who knows!
When I first used the cable it automatically installed the latest driver.
Then I found on their site a message that I should use an older driver for Vista.
It was a bit of a job to replace the latest driver with the older one but thats in now.
As it still not working I think that maybe I should put the latest driver back in??
Big hassle - but the software looks like it would be good to use

[Comint]

Yeah the Prolific site has several drivers for the cable and also has a warning that their FTDI chip has been cloned by the chinese and lots of cables dont work or only partly work. My cable seems to be an original - but who knows!

Prolific does not use the FTDI chipset.
FTDI is a competitor.

If your Prolific cable cost less than about US$15.00, then there is about a 99% probability that it contains a counterfeit chipset.

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Comint

[Vkfour]

You need to get a serial to radio lead, the old fashioned serial plug. Then get a serial to USB adapter from a reputable computer store, preferably not on the Internet, and your troubles will be over. This advice goes for most radios that don't come with a named brand lead. As the previous comment said, the cheap leads have cheap Chinese knock off Prolific chips that don't work on anything after Windows XP. I would doubt that there's a 99% chance that they won't work though, my guestimate is the liklihood of them not working is much higher!

[46South]

Well I paid $31 NZ for the cable in a nice Prolific box from Jaycar (the NZ replacement for Dick Smith)
So I thought they would be a reliable dealership, just about the only place to get a radio plug in NZ.

[46South]

Sorry to be a bit of a bore....
But I went back to Prolific site and they have a chip-checker program to establish that there is a genuine chip in the cable. The cable checks out Ok with a 2303-RA chip in the cable. Not too sure what the RA signifies yet.
So I have not moved on very far, I've got a newer version driver and will try some more variations in baud rate and various plug in/turn on sequences.
Be nice if there was someone out there using this program, to see if they had problems

[Comint]

OK. Clutching at straws here.
Windows Vista was released in November 2006.
The American BCT8 was released in 2003.
I don't know exactly when the UBCT8 was released.
With the release of Vista, Microsoft made some major changes in how Windows works. There is a possibility that the UBCT8 software is not 100% compatible with Vista.

Also, have you tried using a Null Modem with your USB cable.

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Comint

[Yipyip46]

Good Morning All, once again clutching at straws here. I have a UBCT 8 on my work bench and I had intermittent comms problems. I turns out that some comms cables do not have the metal surround at GND potential. When I had good comms I was using a serial cable that had the surround connected to the shield of the data cable at both ends where my home made one didn't. The commercial one worked and the home made one didn't. I added the shield connection and the home made one worked. As I said just clutching at straws but worth checking out. Regards Yipyip

[Scannersplitterguy]

I've got a UBCT9 and it's connected via the original serial cable to a Win XP computer and I am using the Uniden software.
The alternative would be to buy a cheap serial port card, it fits into a spare PCI slot. Things will natively run, as designed by Uniden.
This way you are eliminating potential problems with chipsets & drivers.
Have a look here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-KCB-2-Po ... Sw8oFX0LVm

I have three serial ports on the computer - they are all used. 1. Pager decoding. 2. Marine AIS decoding. 3. Uniden scanner.
In Windows Device Manager they are listed as: COM2, COM7, COM8.

Hope that helps.

[46South]

Giday Scannersplitterguy
Nice to hear you'r using the software. I downloaded the UBCT9.ss software as well as the UBCT8 and they are identical as far as I can see. I ordered that serial port card you directed me to but don't know whether they will ship to NZ yet, they did say only Australia, but I asked anyway.
Thanks for your comments too YipYip, I found a strange looking adapter in my computer gear with 9 pins one end and about 12 on the other with a lot of pins missing, maybe thats a null adapter , haven't found anyone who knows what it is......I guess I'm making progress now.

[Scannersplitterguy]

Thanks, 46South,
Keep us posted on the outcome

[Comint]

. . . I found a strange looking adapter in my computer gear with 9 pins one end and about 12 on the other with a lot of pins missing, maybe thats a null adapter , haven't found anyone who knows what it is......I guess I'm making progress now.

A DE9 Null Modem will normally have DE9 connectors on both ends.

As an aside.
Any D series connector, other than a DB25, called a DB whatever, is incorrectly identified.
The correct labelling is:
DA - 15 pin
DB - 25 pin
DC - 37 pin
DD - 50 pin
DE - 9 pin (and more recently - 15 pin High Density).

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Comint

[Yipyip46]

Good Morning Everyone, 46South, I personally used to have a Phillips VGA monitor (Very old and is a boat anchor now) that used the 9 pin connector at the monitor end.The standard VGA plug is a 15 pin Compact connector so the adapter you are looking at maybe from one of those monitors. I fine that it was unusual to use the 9 pin socket on the monitor but then again that is the Phillips brand / company for you. Regards Yipyip