At 09:29 PM 5/3/06 -0500, you wrote:

I have a Bearcat BC296D. I use the trunktracking capability a lot, but I also use it for conventional scanning.
What s would be the advantage of Scancat Lite over Scancat Gold, or vice versa, for this particular scanner?

There are two kind of "trunking scanners", Basically Radio Shacks can only be programmed - nothing else, and UNIDEN's can be both programmed AND controlled virtually from a PC.

Scancat-Lite-Plus is a "Programming only" software. It can program the memory channels of the radio, but that is the extend of it's design and Market target.
        www.scancat.com/scl

Scancat-Gold and Scancat-Gold SE can also "control" the radio virtually from the computer. The software can display a "radio panel" on screen, and with "control" ability permits data collection of frequencies found, TGID's as they appear, and in the "SE Surveillance Enhanced" version, even graphical spectrum analysis of long term logging.

        http://www.scancat.com/scancat-gold

        http://www.scancat.com/scancat-gold-se

Take a look at both of the demos at www.scancat.com/demos

If, after looking at both products, you have specific questions just give me a reply at:
        support@scancat.com

Best regards

Jim