If I could find someone to write window eyes scripts for win97 my pro-164 
programming software, I would have it made.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 1:23 PM
Subject: Uniden BCD996XT Scanner is Accessible with Some Hard Work.


> I bought the Uniden BCD996XT scanner and here is what I
> know so far.
>
> I need it to work with a Linux computer so if you use
> Windows and JAWS or Window-Eyes, your issues will be determined
> by the scanner control program you use.
>
> I think this is going to be a classic example of how one
> defines accessibility. This radio is not terribly accessible in
> that it does not have any speech or CW output and it does have
> tons of menus in which one is one fat finger or one missed count
> away from really getting lost.
>
> What it does have, however, makes up for all that. It
> has the ability to be computer-controlled via an RS-232 port.
>
> The control codes are turse and many of them use
> comma-separated variable or CSV lists which can get rather long.
> Sometimes, the scanner replies back to the computer with more
> long CSV lists. With the exception of a few commands, most of
> them aren't very user-friendly to manually enter, but they are
> fairly easy to generate from a computer.
>
> I have had it for 4 days and do not yet have one channel
> programmed in to it, but I should fix that in a few more days.
>
> This scanner has what Uniden calls "systems." They can
> be APCO25 trunking or normal scanning which they call
> "conventional."
>
> To stick a channel in to the scanner, you first create a
> "system," then you create what they call a "group." It is kind
> of similar to formatting a disk and then putting directories in
> to the partition. The channels would be like files placed in the
> folders.
>
> I have been writing a little program in C that presently
> knows how to create a "conventional system" and next I will make
> it create a group and then start adding channels.
>
> It has the potential of being highly accessible but I am
> writing its control program now so the going is slow at first.
>
> There are lots of ways to make equipment accessible and
> writing or maybe fighting this program is going to pay off
> eventually.
>
> O yes, I can set it to single frequencies and listen to
> them right now, but it will be exciting to place a bunch of
> local channels in there and use it the way it was meant to operate.
>
> Patience is the watch word.
>
> Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK
> Systems Engineer
> OSU Information Technology Department Telecommunications Services Group