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When my wife is watching Deal or no Deal (I can't stand the music) or Dancing with the Stars (Hate it even more) I would plug a headset into my 396 and sit at the 'puter and be in my own little world.
Well!!!! when when you have your baby plugged in to download the latest updates of Freescan and charging with an AC adapter, that's 3 cables attached to my little toy.
I don't like to think about the times I forgot I was plugged in and went to the kitchen or bathroom.
Well, no more.
Recently I bought a bluetooth adapter and headset on eBay, It came yesterday.
I had to buy a 3/32"(2.5mm) Stereo Jack to 1/8"(3.5mm) Stereo Plug Adapter from Radio Shack in Cobourg but it works great.
Now I wont be dragging my 396 all over the floor.
Ahhhhhhhh Freedom!!!!!!

Hi..Can you provide equipment details so we can try this?..Cheers..Keithmj

I bought a  Cardo Scala-500 headset & BTA II Bluetooth adapter on Ebay.
I also bought a 3/32" to 1/8" stereo jack so that the adapter and bcd396t were compatible.
I have a Jabra a210, but so far, I don't have a headset that works well enough. (suggestions anyone?)

 Thanks..I have the Bluetooth setup and so far so it will let me listen to my computer sound. But you are very limited in the range, they say 30' that you have and also I am getting some interference from my wireless laptop that I am trying this on. I am going to get the bluetooth adapter as it should work as my scanner is close to me but I don't want the wire hookup as it is. I'll let you know what I come up with..

Also I have another question..
 I am having problems getting the sound to come through the laptop speakers..I am using the headphone jack on a Sansa Player as the source and instead of using headphones, I am plugging the 1/8" cable into the "line in" jack of my laptop. The output should be my laptop speakers and it should play thru those speakers or my headphones, but no matter what settings I make I can not get any sound. I can record the sound this way and play the recording back and the speakers work. I am using the Sansa as I can have constant music and it makes it easier just to setup what I am trying to do and then I will replace that with the poh-leece Radio Scanner which doesn't have sound all the time..Cheers..Keithmj

I'm wondering if you have a FULL duplex sound card? Do you have any specs or anything on it?

Did a quick google on this and came up with one thing on a Dell laptop (they found better drivers at LG I think it was) but it also had to do with the output being muted. If you can play back the recording I'm guessing the output is not muted. <g> So that leaves the best guess as a half duplex sound card (can only do one thing at a time - record OR play back).

Tom

Also I have another question..
I am having problems getting the sound to come through the laptop speakers..I am using the headphone jack on a Sansa Player as the source and instead of using headphones, I am plugging the 1/8" cable into the "line in" jack of my laptop. The output should be my laptop speakers and it should play thru those speakers or my headphones, but no matter what settings I make I can not get any sound. I can record the sound this way and play the recording back and the speakers work. I am using the Sansa as I can have constant music and it makes it easier just to setup what I am trying to do and then I will replace that with the poh-leece Radio Scanner which doesn't have sound all the time..Cheers..Keithmj

I've got my BC246T headphone jack connected to the "mic in" on my sound card (no special card).  I use a program called Audio Repeater to form a "jumper" from the "mic in" to the speaker output on my computer and can easily listen to my scanner as I'm doing now through my computer speakers.  Just set the mic as the input and the speakers as the output when the program screen appears and click on start.  You can adjust the volume in relation to other computer audio using the computer's audio mixer control.

The Audio Repeater program is part of the package available at

http://software.muzychenko.net/eng/vac.html

I found the software originally as I was looking for a way to record audio on the computer that was streaming from the Internet.  The other portion of the software together with the Audio Repeater solved that problem as well.

It works well for both uses.

73,
Dick

Hi..Thanks for everyones comments..That is a nice little program. I am using the Audio Repeater 1.20 that you spoke of at http://software.muzychenko.net/eng/vac.html, it was easy to setup and works great. I am just using the free one but was wondering if you purchased the Full-Featured version and what the difference was? Also if I use WinAmp and use the linein plugin that you can get for it then I can listen to the scanner through the speakers also that way. I purchased the IOGEAR Bluetooth transmitter and the IOGEAR wireless bluetooth headphones and can listen to my scanner without the computer and be anywhere in the house without carrying the scanner around..I would recommend getting this program..I also got the Linksys USB Bluetooth USBBT100 adapter and paired that with my IOGEAR headphones and I can listen to my computer without wires running all over the place and it extends the range or distance you can get away from your computer and I can listen to the scanners at http://www.Scanamerica.us and be anywhere I want. The Bluetooth is nice if you have never used it before..Cheers..Keithmj

Keith,

Glad that it's working out for you.  It's been awhile since I bought the program and don't really recall why I upgraded to the paid version.  In looking on the site, it appears that the only difference is the number of virtual cables that you can create and I don't use more than the two that are available in the trial version.  I have a feeling that I paid for it because it solved a problem that I had been wrestling with for quite awhile and I felt that he deserved the $30 for doing something no one else appears to have done.

I don't use Winamp to listen to the scanner at present--just connect the mic to the speakers using the Audio Repeater.  However, it might be interesting to use Winamp, since there are some plugins available that will normalize the volume which may be good for listening to the scanning output which has a tendency to vary considerably in volume.

I'm going to look into the Bluetooth gear that you are using.  Sure would be nice to be able to walk around the house and listen to the scanner without hauling the scanner.  Also would enable me to leave it on the outside antenna rather than switching to the less effective attached antenna.

73,
Dick

Hi..If you get the wireless IOGEAR Transmitter and IOGEAR headphones you'll wonder why you haven't did this before. It works great. The transmitter is not bluetooth, it will only work with wireless headphones..But the transmitter should work with any wireless headphones..Cheers..Keithmj

Keith,

I'm a bit confused.  From you prior post it sounded like the transmitter that plugs into the scanner and headphones were Bluetooth and that you could also use the headphones to receive from a BlueTooth adapter that was connected to your computer.  Is there some aspect that is not Bluetooth?

Thanks.

Dick

Sorry..I screwed up..It is Bluetooth..Both the Headphones and the transmitter are Bluetooth..I was getting confused because it will not work with my Activa bluetooth headset. But Only with stereo headphones and not headsets that I am aware of.. I am glad you brought this to my attention. I'm going to check into this a little more..Sony makes a bluetooth transmitter also and is found at http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Adapter-Players/dp/B000P9CEVO/ref=pd_cp_cps_1?pf_rd_p=413863801&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006HES2I&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0H40NBW1D4T2KR9FWEZ8Cheers..Keithmj

Thanks for the clarification, Keith.

Dick