Scanners: The Works™

What it is

Scanners: The Works is a local Windows toolkit for Uniden-class scanners. It helps you hear activity, figure out what it is, and program favorites or radio memory — without turning your PC into a cloud radio service.

• Runs on your computer (USB cable / SD card / PC audio as needed).
• UI is a modern desktop window (Microsoft WebView2 under the hood on Windows).
• Optional RadioReference import using your eligible RR account username and password. The commercial application key is handled by the product; your login stays on your PC.

The station centers

STW keeps specialist engines underneath a small set of friendly centers. They share station state so the same event can appear in the right places without the owner copying information between tools.

• Radio Manager — programming library, imports, editing, compare, templates, backups, staging.
• Mission Control — live station state and quick actions.
• Operations Center — diagnostics, health, problems, and privacy-safe support packages.
• Audio Center — recordings, playback, waveform/FFT, export, Trash/restore.
• Activity Center — readable station history and incident grouping.
• Settings — shared station, audio, recording, activity, RadioReference, privacy, and support behavior.

Station Intelligence: profiles, sync/compare, Discovery Intelligence, Memory Planner, templates, snapshots, Quick Find, smart maintenance, and Station Assistant connect these centers without silently writing to a scanner.

Tone-Out (QCII) — conventional & P25 digital

PC-side two-tone / QCII page detection is a core Capture feature. Feed scanner audio into the PC (line-in, stereo mix, USB interface, etc.); STW listens and logs pages.

• Conventional — classic analog fire/EMS two-tone (QCII) on VHF/UHF dispatch channels.
• P25 digital — QCII-style pages that ride P25 digital audio (vocoded tones). STW matches by QCII index bins as well as measured Hz, because sheet tones and what you hear on digital often differ.
• Watch list — label departments (A/B pairs), optional WAV clips, journal history, and best-effort radio context when Live/GLG is running.
• Morse / CW (optional on the same Listen path) — agency station IDs and similar keyed tones. Volume matters: Live/GLG only shows that the radio held a channel; Morse needs a strong enough PC audio level (raise scanner/line/mix into the selected input until the Level meter moves on the tone). Quiet audio may still log short QCII “gap” misses around ~1200 Hz without printing the callsign.

Why this stands out: many hobby tools focus on programming lists or trunk tracking. PC Tone-Out that covers both conventional and P25 digital QCII in one local app is uncommon — most packages don’t offer that combination. (Your radio’s built-in Tone-Out is separate; STW is an extra PC-side path.)

Capture · Identify · Program™

• Capture — Tone-Out / QCII (above), S.A.M.E. weather headers, journal, WAV clips when enabled.
• Identify — Live activity (GLG), Discovery of unknown talkgroup IDs, RadioReference Easy import into Favorites.
• Program — desks match the radio:
  • Favorites Editor — SDS / x36 / HomePatrol-class lists (.hpd), My lists, Write all to a folder / SD.
  • Drop Editor — BCT15X / BCD996-family memory read & upload (system types the connected radio can actually hold).
  • 260 bank desk — BCD260DN / BCD160DN channel banks: read, edit, write with readback.

The app steers you to the desk that matches the radio you connected, so you don’t use the wrong programming path by accident.

Radios & what STW does with each

One Program shell, honest desks — same idea (read → edit → write back), different limits per radio.

• BCD996P2 — Highly capable digital mobile/base trunking scanner for public safety and more, including native APCO P25 Phase II digital voice systems. Not a traditional bank-style radio: Uniden Advanced Dynamic Memory System (DMA) (systems → groups → channels). In STW: Drop Editor — read memory, upload conventional and supported digital trunk systems, verify, return to scan.
• BCD260DN — Conventional base/mobile digital scanner (typical street price band ~$300s). Among STW’s tested models, this is the one that still uses traditional fixed channel banks (10 × 100). Supports analog AM/FM plus DMR and NXDN conventional modes; does not support trunking or APCO P25 systems. In STW: 260 channel bank — bank pad, mode/tone dropdowns, write with verified readback, empty pads for hand entry. Not a trunk Drop radio. Sync clock over serial is not available — set time on the radio menu.
• BCT15X — Feature-rich analog mobile/base scanner (often ~$200s street). Not a traditional bank-style radio: Uniden Dynamic Memory Architecture (DMA) (systems → groups → channels, large shared pool ~9,000), plus TrunkTracker III and GPS location-based scanning. In STW: Drop / BCT path for conventional (and analog trunk types the radio allows). It is not a P25/DMR twin of the 996P2 — STW will not pretend it can take those system types.
• SDS200 / BCD536HP (and SDS100 / BCD436HP class) — Not traditional bank-style radios: they are database-driven, dynamic memory scanners. In STW: Favorites Editor (.hpd lists on SD / folder), My lists, live GLG, Discovery — not the 260 bank pad and not serial Drop.
• Whistler TRX-1 / TRX-2 — not supported. STW cannot program Whistler radios.

Tested models only (v1.0.0): BCD536HP, BCD996P2, BCD260DN, BCT15X, SDS200. Firmware and cables matter; use a known-good USB data cable. See Disclosures.

What you need

• Windows 10 or 11 PC.
• WebView2 — included on most Windows PCs (Edge WebView2 Runtime).
• USB connection and/or SD card access, depending on model and task.
• For Tone-Out: a way to get scanner audio into the PC (line-in, stereo mix, USB sound, etc.).
• For RadioReference import: an eligible RR account, your username and password, and internet access. The commercial application key is supplied by Scanners: The Works rather than requested from customers.

Disclosures

Honest limits so expectations match the tool.

• Tested models only: BCD536HP, BCD996P2, BCD260DN, BCT15X, and SDS200. Other Uniden models may share a family protocol, but STW does not claim them as tested.
• Country / market variants: scanners made or sold for other countries (different bands, firmware, or serial dialects) may not be supported.
• Firmware flashing will never be offered by STW. We do not install, patch, or push radio firmware. Use Uniden’s official updaters only. The app may read a version string and point you at manufacturer links.
• Digital read / write: support centers on P25 and DMR where the radio allows it. Other digital systems (NXDN trunking, ProVoice, mixed/EDACS digital, proprietary modes, etc.) may not import or program correctly. Conventional NXDN on the 260 is only what that radio supports. STW refuses Drop types the connected radio cannot hold.
• Per-radio limits (memory): Only BCD260DN among tested models is traditional fixed banks. BCT15X / BCD996P2 use Uniden DMA (not banks). SDS200 and BCD536HP are database-driven dynamic memory (Favorites .hpd) — also not bank-style. 15X is not a digital-trunk twin of the 996.
• Whistler TRX-1 / TRX-2 and other brands — not supported for programming.
• No virtual scanner or soft front-panel remote — Live GLG is the live path.
• Backup before you write. USB disconnect mid-job can leave incomplete memory. STW verifies many writes; it cannot undo a bad cable day.
• You are responsible for legal listening and recording under your local laws. STW does not authorize monitoring restricted systems.
• RadioReference import is optional, requires an eligible RR account, and remains subject to RR’s terms. Credentials stay on your PC; Probe reports strip passwords and keys.
• Tone-Out / SAME / Morse use PC audio. Quality and level depend on your sound path. Long A-only tones are not full dual-tone QCII pages. Morse needs a solid input level — turn volume up if Live hears the channel but Morse text stays empty.
• BCD260DN Sync clock is not available over serial on current field units — set the clock on the radio.
• Windows only (10/11 + WebView2). Portable .exe today; not a full Setup or bundled USB driver kit.
• Not affiliated with Uniden, RadioReference, Whistler, or any manufacturer. Marks are theirs.
• As-is / best-effort support: hobby and professional monitoring tool; help via support@scannerstheworks.app with a Probe report when possible.

In the app, click the version badge for ship notes that track the freeze build.

This website vs the real app

• scannerstheworks.app — public info + UI preview (sample data only). No radio, no live RR login, no files written from the demo.
• The Windows app — full product (portable freeze build for field use). Wider public Setup download is a later step.
• scannerstheworks.com — redirects to this site.

Open the UI preview to click around the shell without installing anything.

Public sample-data rule: website demos and screenshots use fictional station data only — no owner usernames, account details, Windows paths, scanner programming, recordings, or private logs.

What it is not

• Not a full virtual scanner or soft front-panel remote.
• Not a firmware flasher — and never will be (see Disclosures).
• Not affiliated with Uniden, RadioReference, or any manufacturer.
• Not a cloud service that controls your radio over the internet.
• Not support for every scanner brand or every country-market Uniden SKU.
• Not a promise that every radio can hold every digital system type (P25/DMR focus; see disclosures).

Privacy & local data

• Settings, journals, logs, and Tone-Out WAVs live on your machine (and paths you choose).
• Your RadioReference password is stored through Windows Credential Manager when saved. Passwords and the product application key are never pasted into public Probe reports.
• Probe / support reports are designed to omit passwords and API keys.

Support

• Email: support@scannerstheworks.app
• In the app: Probe → export a support report (attach it when you write in — no passwords included).
• This site is informational; it does not open a ticket by itself.