BCD160DN/BCD260DN Programmer – Overview & Getting Connected
Summary: Capacity, what’s genuinely different from UBC125XLT/C, and how to get connected.
The BCD160DN and BCD260DN have 10 banks of 100 channels each – 1,000 channels total, exactly double the UBC125XLT/C’s capacity. Squawker PC makes no distinction between the two models anywhere – if you own either one, everything in this guide applies equally.
What Makes This Model Different
Unlike the UBC125XLT/C, the BCD160DN/BCD260DN can receive digital transmissions (DMR and NXDN) alongside ordinary analogue ones, and the Programmer’s channel grid reflects that with several extra columns – see Editing, Sorting & Deleting Channels for the full rundown. Tone entry also works differently here: instead of typing a frequency, you pick from a dropdown list of CTCSS/DCS codes.
Before You Start
Programming writes directly to your scanner’s memory and can overwrite what’s already there – make sure you understand that a backup happens automatically before any write (see Reading, Backing Up & Restoring), which is your safety net if something doesn’t go to plan.
Getting Connected
- In Connect Settings, create or select your profile with Scanner Type set to BCD160DN or BCD260DN, choose the correct COM port, and tick Enable Programming.
- Open Programmer, select that profile, and click Open Editor.
- Squawker PC connects at a single fixed speed for this model – unlike the UBC125XLT/C, it doesn’t try multiple connection speeds, so if it can’t connect, it fails outright rather than retrying at a different speed.
- If it can’t connect, double-check: the scanner is powered on, the USB cable is properly seated, you’ve selected the correct COM port, and no other program is using it.
As with the UBC125XLT/C, Squawker PC doesn’t verify that the physical radio plugged in actually matches the profile you’ve selected – if you have more than one scanner or profile, make sure you’ve picked the right one before you program.