A desktop controller and programming application for the Uniden BC125AT handheld scanner, built with Qt.
Connect your scanner over USB, monitor activity in real time, program channels, and log transmissions — all from a clean, dark-themed interface that mirrors the scanner's LCD.
Pre-built installers are available for Linux Mint / Debian (.deb), Fedora / RHEL (.rpm), and Windows (.exe).
All releases: github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner/releases
- Download
- Features
- Screenshots
- Requirements
- Building
- Linux Setup & Troubleshooting
- Self-Test Suite
- Scanner Compatibility
- Project Structure
- License
- Real-time LCD mirror — frequency, channel label, signal strength, and bank indicators update live via the scanner's
STScommand (4×/sec) - SCAN / HOLD / SEARCH / EXPLORE controls with automatic state detection — buttons enable and disable based on what the scanner is actually doing
- Service Search — pick from Police, Fire/Emergency, HAM Radio, Marine, Railroad, Civil Air, Military Air, CB Radio, FRS/GMRS/MURS, and Racing; the app configures the scanner and starts searching
- Explore — triggers the scanner's custom frequency range search mode
- Transmission logging — hits are auto-detected when squelch opens; short blips and long digital bursts are filtered out (configurable thresholds); a per-session transmission log shows channel, frequency, CTCSS/DCS, and duration
- Auto-skip / resume — after a configurable timeout a long-running transmission is skipped and the scanner resumes the mode it was in (Scan, Explore, or Service Search)
- Channel programming — read, edit, and write all 500 channels with full CTCSS/DCS support
- Channel cache — bulk-load all 500 channels from the scanner for instant display while scanning
- Number key buttons — send
KEY,1,PthroughKEY,0,Pdirectly to the scanner; visually reflect which banks are active via STS field data - Volume / Squelch sliders — live control without entering program mode
- Backlight toggle
- Debug console — serial monitor with STS field breakdown and a raw command console for testing undocumented commands
- Settings — serial port, log directory, auto-connect on startup, transmission duration thresholds, auto-skip timeout, service search group presets
- Persistent window size and serial port via
QSettings
Holding on a GMRS channel with activity log
Service Search — Racing frequencies
Scanning with transmission log
| Dependency | Version |
|---|---|
| Qt | 5.15 or 6.x |
| CMake | 3.16+ |
| C++ compiler | C++17 (GCC, Clang, MSVC) |
Qt modules used: Core, Gui, Widgets, SerialPort
1. Install dependencies
Qt5:
sudo apt install git cmake build-essential qtbase5-dev qtserialport5-devQt6:
sudo apt install git cmake build-essential qt6-base-dev qt6-serialport-dev2. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner.git
cd BCScanner
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --parallel3. Run
./build/bcscan4. Serial port access (one-time setup)
sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
# Log out and back in for the change to take effectThe scanner appears as /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0.
-
Download and run the Qt Online Installer from https://www.qt.io/download-open-source (free account required)
- Under the Qt version you want (6.x recommended, or 5.15), select:
MSVC 2022 64-bitorMinGW 64-bitQt Serial Port(listed under the same Qt version node)
- Under Developer and Designer Tools, CMake is included — leave it checked
- Under the Qt version you want (6.x recommended, or 5.15), select:
-
Install Git from https://git-scm.com
1. git clone https://github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner.git
2. Open Qt Creator
3. File → Open File or Project → select BCScanner\CMakeLists.txt
4. Qt Creator detects your installed kit automatically — click Configure
5. Click the Build button (Ctrl+B)
The executable is placed in build\Release\bcscan.exe (MSVC) or build\bcscan.exe (MinGW).
Open the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022, then:
git clone https://github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner.git
cd BCScanner
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="C:\Qt\6.x.x\msvc2022_64"
cmake --build build --config ReleaseReplace 6.x.x and msvc2022_64 with your actual installed Qt version and kit folder name.
Open the Qt MinGW command prompt (installed alongside Qt), then:
git clone https://github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner.git
cd BCScanner
cmake -B build -G "MinGW Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="C:\Qt\6.x.x\mingw_64"
cmake --build build --parallelAfter building, use Qt's windeployqt to copy all required DLLs next to the executable:
mkdir dist
copy build\Release\bcscan.exe dist\
cd dist
C:\Qt\6.x.x\msvc2022_64\bin\windeployqt bcscan.exeThe dist folder is fully self-contained — zip it up and distribute it. No Qt installation is required on the end user's machine.
The scanner appears as a COM port (e.g. COM3). Select it from the port drop-down in the toolbar.
1. Install prerequisites
# Install Xcode command line tools
xcode-select --install
# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
# Install Qt and CMake
brew install qt cmake2. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/JimBurnettX/BCScanner.git
cd BCScanner
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix qt)"
cmake --build build --parallel3. Run
open build/bcscan.appOr directly from the terminal:
./build/bcscan.app/Contents/MacOS/bcscan4. Creating a distributable disk image
$(brew --prefix qt)/bin/macdeployqt build/bcscan.app -dmgThis produces bcscan.dmg — a self-contained disk image ready to distribute.
The scanner appears as /dev/tty.usbserial-* or /dev/tty.usbmodem*. If the port list is empty, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → USB.
The BC125AT has a malformed USB descriptor that causes the standard cdc_acm kernel driver to reject it with Error -22 (EINVAL). The device never binds to a driver, so nothing appears in /dev/ — no ttyUSB0, no ttyACM0.
The device must be manually bound to the usbserial_generic driver. A udev rule handles this automatically on every plug-in.
1. Create the udev rule
sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-bc125at.rulesPaste the following single line:
ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1965", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0017", RUN+="/sbin/modprobe usbserial_generic", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo 1965 0017 > /sys/bus/usb-serial/drivers/generic/new_id'", MODE="0666"
Save and close the file.
2. Reload udev rules
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger3. Replug the scanner
Unplug and replug the BC125AT. It should now appear as /dev/ttyUSB0 (or /dev/ttyUSB1 if another device is already using ttyUSB0).
4. Serial port access (one-time setup)
sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
# Log out and back in for the change to take effectIf the port list shows a broken symlink or ModemManager is interfering with the device, add an ignore rule so ModemManager leaves the scanner alone:
sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-bc125at-ignore.rulesPaste:
ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1965", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0017", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1"
Then reload rules and replug:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm triggerThe binary includes a built-in test suite that exercises everything up to the physical serial port. It is designed to run headlessly in CI/CD pipelines — no scanner, no display required.
./bcscan --testExit code 0 means all tests passed. Any failure returns 1. Output is plain text suitable for CI logs.
Tests the parser that processes every STS response from the scanner. The STS command is the backbone of the app — it mirrors the scanner's LCD display over serial as a comma-separated string, and all real-time state (scanning, active channel, search, menu) is derived from it.
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Scanning state | SCAN in the main display field → state is Scanning, squelch closed, no tone |
| Active channel | CH027 467.6875 pattern → state is Active, squelch open, channel number and frequency extracted correctly |
| Active channel label | Channel label field (row 1 of the LCD) is captured |
| No CTCSS/DCS when field empty | An empty field[8] does not set a tone |
| Active + CTCSS | C67.0 in field[8] → ctcssDcs is captured as "C67.0" |
| Active + DCS | DCS032 in field[8] → ctcssDcs is captured as "DCS032" |
| Custom search with signal | SEARCH BANK1 label + signal > 0 → state is Search, squelch open, frequency extracted |
| Custom search no signal | Signal strength 0 → squelch closed |
| Service search | Label containing a service keyword (e.g. POLICE) → state is Search, serviceLabel mapped to human-readable name ("Police") |
| Service search squelch | Squelch opens when signal > 0 during service search |
| Menu / programming mode | All-1 flags field → state is Menu |
| Bad input | Garbage string → Unknown state, no crash |
| Empty input | Empty string → Unknown state, no crash |
Tests the lookup table that maps internal scanner tone codes (integers) to human-readable labels shown in the UI and written to the transmission log.
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Code 0 | Maps to "None / All" |
| Code 64 | Maps to "CTCSS 67.0 Hz" |
| Code 76 | Maps to "CTCSS 100.0 Hz" |
| Code 113 | Maps to "CTCSS 254.1 Hz" (last CTCSS entry) |
| Code 128 | Maps to "DCS 023" (first DCS entry) |
| Code 132 | Maps to "DCS 032" |
| Code 240 | Maps to "No Tone" |
| Unknown code | Returns a fallback string ("Code N") rather than crashing |
Tests the object responsible for recording channel hits. A transmission begins when the squelch opens and ends when it closes; the logger measures duration, builds a record, writes a log file, and emits a signal to update the UI.
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Active after begin | isActive() returns true immediately after beginTransmission |
| Inactive after end | isActive() returns false after endTransmission |
| Signal emitted on end | transmissionLogged signal fires when endTransmission is called |
| Channel index in record | The channel number passed to beginTransmission appears in the emitted record |
| Frequency in record | The frequency string is preserved through to the logged record |
| CTCSS/DCS label in record | The tone label is preserved through to the logged record |
| Inactive after cancel | cancelTransmission clears the active state |
| No signal on cancel | Cancelling a transmission does not emit transmissionLogged |
| Mid-transmission tone update | Calling updateCtcssDcs after beginTransmission overwrites the initial (possibly empty) label; the updated value appears in the final logged record |
| Update when inactive is safe | Calling updateCtcssDcs when no transmission is active does not crash or store state |
| End when inactive is safe | Calling endTransmission when nothing is active does not emit a signal or crash |
Tests that the AppSettings layer is operational and that stored values are within a sane operating range. These pass regardless of whether the user has customised the settings.
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
autoSkipSeconds |
Returns a value between 1 and 3600 |
minTransmissionSeconds |
Returns a value between 0 and 60 |
Creates real Qt widgets using the offscreen platform plugin (no display needed). These tests verify that the binary is correctly linked against Qt, that the widget hierarchy initialises without error, and that the shutdown path does not crash — the destructor chain for MainWindow is non-trivial due to Qt's parent-child ownership model and live signal connections on ScannerSerial.
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
LcdWidget constructed |
The custom LCD painter widget instantiates and calls show() without error |
LcdWidget setters |
All public setters (setFrequency, setChannelLabel, setState, etc.) can be called without crashing |
LcdWidget destroyed cleanly |
The destructor completes without error |
MainWindow constructed and shown |
The full application window — including ScannerSerial, StsPoller, TransmissionLogger, all timers, and all child widgets — instantiates and calls show() without error |
MainWindow destroyed cleanly |
The destructor chain completes without a crash or abort, confirming that signal connections are properly torn down on shutdown |
Designed and tested with the Uniden BC125AT.
The application uses both standard documented commands and undocumented commands specific to the BC125AT firmware (notably the STS LCD-mirror command for real-time state detection). Other Uniden scanners with a similar serial protocol may work partially but are untested.
BCScanner/
├── CMakeLists.txt # Cross-platform build definition (Qt5 + Qt6)
├── bcscan.pro # Alternative qmake project file
└── src/
├── main.cpp
├── mainwindow.* # Main UI — controls, LCD mirror, log tabs
├── lcdwidget.* # Custom LCD-style painter widget
├── scannerserial.* # Async serial command queue (QSerialPort)
├── stspoller.* # STS polling — real-time state, squelch detection
├── sqlpoller.* # SQL latency squelch detector (legacy)
├── programwindow.* # Channel programming dialog
├── settingswindow.* # App settings dialog
├── debugwindow.* # Serial monitor + raw command console
├── transmissionlogger.* # Hit recording and CSV logging
├── appsettings.* # QSettings wrapper
└── ctcssdcsdata.h # CTCSS/DCS tone tables
MIT License — see LICENSE for details.
Qt is used under the LGPL v3 license. When distributed as a dynamically linked library (the default), no source-disclosure obligations apply to application code.