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Uniden BC296D Scanner User Manual

1. Event Code Standard Event Level Siren Type LCD Display Warning Watch Statement Test Emergency Action Notification EAN 0 EMG NOTIFY Emergency Action Termination EAT 0 EMG TERMINATE National Information Center NIC 0 NATIONAL INFO Tornado Warning TOW or 0 TORNADO Service Thunderstorm Warning SVWorsvp 0 THUNDERSTORM Flash Flood Warning FFW 0 FLASH FLOOD Flash Warning FLW 0 FLOOD Winter Storm Warning wsw 0 WINTER STORM Blizzard Warning BZW 0 BLIZZARD High Wing Dust Storm Warning HWW 0 HIGH WIND Radio logical Hazard Warning RHW 0 RADIOLOGICAL Civil Danger Warning CDW 0 CIVIL DANGER Local Area Emergency LAE 0 LOCAL EMG Hazardous Material Warning HMW 0 HAZARDOUS Civil Emergency Message CEM 0 CIVIL EMG Immediate Evacuation Warning IEW 0 EVACUATION Immediate Evacuation Notice EVI 0 EVACUATE NOTE Law Enforcement Warning LEW 0 LAW ENFORCEMENT Fire Warning FRW 0 FIRE Hurricane Tropical Storm Warning HUW 0 HURRICANE Tsunami Warning TSW 0 TSUNAMI Coastal Flood Warning CFW 0 COASTAL FLOOD Special Marine Warning SMW 0 SPECIAL MARINE Avalanche Warning AVW 0 AVALANCHE Volcano Warning vow 0 VOLCANO Shelter In Place Warning SPW 0 SHELTER Civil Danger Watch CDA 0 CIVIL DANGER Radiological Hazard Watch RHA 0 RADIOLOGICAL Hazardous Material Watch HMA 0 HAZARDOUS Winter Storm Watch WSA 0 WINTER STORM High Wind Dust Storm Watch HWA 0 HIGH WIND Tornado Watch TOA 0 TORNADO
2. Preset Map 11 Preset Map 12 Size SizeCode SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4 sob 13 14 SizeCode SizeCode SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE t1 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 12 15 16 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 72 User Fleet Maps Type I Programming Information When a Type I system is designed the address information for all the IDS are divided into 8 egual sized blocks When you program your scanner to track a Type I system you must select a size code for each of these blocks When you have assigned a size code to all 8 blocks you have defined the Fleet Map for the system youre tracking
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4. scanner skips freguencies Data skip is turned off Note Even with this option turned on the scanner might pause for a couple of seconds on data transmissions before resuming Skipping Freguencies If a particular frequency continues to interrupt search scanning it is possible to set your scanner to skip the frequency To skip over a frequency press L O when the scanner is stopped on a frequency you want to skip Notes You can program up to 200 skip frequencies The 201st skip frequency entered causes the first skipped frequency to unlock f all frequencies in the search range are set to skip a beep sounds and it moves to Search Hold mode To resume searching 1 Unskip all skipped frequencies OR 2 Select a different Search Frequency range To unskip all skipped frequencies press and hold L O for 2 seconds in Search Hold mode Storing Found Frequencies If you find a frequency you want to save into a channel simply press TRNSFR when the scanner is stopped on that frequency The scanner displays the lowest numbered empty channel Use the scroll bar to select the channel you want to save the frequency into then press E Notes If you have already stored this frequency the scan ner displays WARNING DUPLICATE and the chan nel where the frequency is stored To store the fre quency anyway press E again After you store the frequency the scanner resumes searching e If a
5. 2960 SCANNER Linien YE Contents The FCC Wants You To Know 1 Scanning Eegally 5 3 2 Introduction Using this Man al Understanding Conventional Scanning Siniplex Operation 2 2 n Repeater Operation Trunked Scanning Motorola rae EDACS Trunking sse enne ETRL runking nie Understanding Banks and Channels Getting More Information Quick Look at Your Scanner 12 Buttons and Controls x12 Display Icons 13 Included With Your Scanner 14 Setting Up Your Scanner 215 Installing the Battery Pack 15 Charging the Battery Pack a15 Nickel Metal Hydride Battery Disposal 16 Installing the Antenna 2 16 Installing the Belt Clip Using Headphones an External Speaker 16 Listening Safely ie n had Basic Operation pae dat ee ade ti de ad Turning On the Scanner i Setting the Squelch Using tlie MOD ueni cor rr rrr Manually Selecting a Channel s Scanning Programmed Channels 20 Locking Unlocking BANKS itte tertiae Locking Unlocking Channels E R
6. Buttons and Controls OMNONKRON Antenna Connector Speaker Display DC Power Jack Hold Manual Channel Frequency Key HOLD MAN Scan Key SCAN Menu Back Key MENU BACK Lockout Key L O Light Keypad Lock Key mo Decimal Reverse Key Earphone Jack Volume ON OFF Control Squelch Control Remote Jack Scroll Control Resume Key ksi Service Key SERVICE Search Key SEARCH Numeric Keypad Trunk Key TRUNK Priority Key PRI Transfer Mute Key TRNSFR MUTE Enter Select Key E 12 Display Icons ICON DESCRIPTION Priority Channel Indicator Lock Out Mode Indicator Scan Search Direction Indicator Chain Search Mode Indicator Service Search Mode Indicator Scan Mode Indicator ID Scan Mode Indicator ID Search Mode Indicator Channel Type Conventional Type Trunk Type Motorola LTR Tracking E EDACS Tracking Type DAT Control Channel Data LHE Voice Channel Data Digital Communications m P25 APCO Project 25 RH FH R Mode Indi Mode Indicators Signal Meter Battery Indicator appears when the battery needs _A to be charged The scanner also beeps every 15 seconds to let you know the battery is low 13 Included With Your Scanner If any of these items are missing damag
7. diys viva 2 3AVIS H31SVW 9 15844 0092S 9 sdq 00 86 6 sda 00861 4 59 0096 5 399 0084 509 0042 Od S 440 1 v daa Ami 440Z Naauos Z 5 5 WNIGAW H9IH 1H9r1H83NWIa NOILdO W31SAS 80 One Year Limited Warranty Important Evidence of original purchase is required for warranty service WARRANTOR UNIDEN AMERICA CORPORATION Uniden ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY Uniden warrants for one year to the original retail owner this Uniden product to be free from defects in materials and craftsmanship with only the limitations or exclusions set out below WARRANTY DURATION This warranty to the original user shall terminate and be of no further effect 12 months after the date of original retail sale The warranty is invalid if the Product is A damaged or not maintained as reasonable or necessary B modified altered or used as part of any conversion kits subassemblies or any configurations not sold by Uniden C improperly installed D serviced or repaired by someone other than an authorized Uniden service center for a defect or malfunction covered by this warranty E used in any conjunction with equipment or parts or as part of any system not manufactured by Uniden or F installed or programmed by anyone other than as detai
8. 30 Attenuating Search Ranges you are near a strong RF source you might need to attenuate the input signal in order to search properly To turn on this option for all search ranges Setting DELAY for All Search Ranges You can set the scanner to have a 2 second delay after the end of a transmission before searching resumes This slows searching but helps you prevent missing replies on a frequency Setting a Search Range Before you can use a range search follow these steps to program at least one of the 10 custom search ranges 1 Activate the search range mode by using the menu or by pressing and holding SEARCH for 2 seconds 2 Use the scroll bar to select the range you want to program then press E 3 Set the following options Select then follow the prompts to enter the lower and upper frequency limits for the search range Select then set the step size to use while searching the custom range If you select the scanner will use the step sizes most often assigned for each band 31 Select then set the modulation mode to use while searching the custom range If you select 3 scanner will use the modulation mode most used for each band Select then assign an alpha tag to the search range See Searching for Trunk Systems 4 Press then repeat Steps 2 and 3 for additional search ranges Searching for Trunk Sys
9. Repeater systems use two frequencies one transmits from the radio to a central repeater the other transmits from the repeater to other radios in the system With a repeater based system the repeater is located on top of a tall building or on a radio tower that provides great visibility to the area of operation When user transmits an input frequency the signal is picked up by the repeater and retransmitted on an output freguency The users radios always listen for activity on the output freguency and transmit on the input freguency Since the repeater is located very high there is a very large line of sight Typical repeater systems provide coverage out to about a 25 mile radius from the repeater location Trunked Scanning While conventional scanning worked great while there were only a few groups wanting to use the freguencies with the advent of smaller lower cost radios more and more agencies businesses wanted to take advantage the utility 2 way radio As a result the bands that were used most became full so new users were not able to take advantage of the technology as guickly as they wanted Trunking solved this freguency shortage by allowing multiple groups to use the same set of freguencies in a very efficient way While each type of trunking system operates a little differently see the next few sections they all work on the same basic premise even in a system with a lot of users only a fe
10. signal 2 sure that the VOL VOLUME is set to a comfortable listening level 3 Think of the Sguelch Control as a gate Turn the SQUELCH control fully gt counterclockwise This raises the Squelch Gate so high that only very strong signals get through 4 Turn SQUELCH clockwise until you hear a hiss This lowers the Squelch Gate y so that everything gets through noise weak signals medium signals WEAK SIGNALS and strong signals uu WEAK SIGNALS 18 5 SQUELCH back counter clockwise just until the hiss stops Now the Squelch Gate allows only clear signals through Note For Trunk Scanning a good squelch setting is critical The recommended setting is midpoint If you set the squelch too high the scanner might not reliably stop on the control channel Using the Menu Many of your scanner s functions are accessed through its menu system For complete information about a menu option see the section referencing its use A complete list of the menu structure is included in the back of this manual To select a menu item first press MENU BACK to go to the first level menu Then either press the number key corresponding to the option you want to select or use the scroll bar to highlight the option then press E To back up a menu level press MENU BACK Notes To change a setting
11. Each size code determines the number of Fleets Subfleets and 10 each block will have For example a size code of 4 has one Fleet which is divided into 16 separate Subfleets and it has a total of 512 individual IDS When a block is assigned size code the Fleet or Fleets created within the block are assigned a Type I ID The way these IDs display on your scanner depends on the block number and the blocks size code When a Type ID displays the left most digit represents the block which contains the ID The next two or three digits identify which Fleet is active and the last digit s identifies the Subfleet 405 12 Subfleet 1 digit 1 or 2 digits Which Fleet within the Block 2 or 3 digits The details concerning how the size codes are selected by a Type system designer are highly dependent on the specific needs of the systems users Some organizations may want many subfleets with only a few radios each while another organization may want only a few subfleets with many radios each Your task is to program your fleet map with the same size code assignments as the trunked system If you do this accurately you ll track all the Fleet Subfleet combinations used by the system In other words you ll hear complete communications while monitoring a trunked system If you don t already know the size codes used you ll have to guess at them But since you don t have to figure out all the blocks at once this i
12. Programming 25 Systems Setting 25 Sound Quality 56 Programming LTR Systems B Programming Talkgroups Storing Known Talkgroups 59 Storing Found Talkgroups Deleting Stored Talkgroup ID s Adding a Text Tag to an ID List 60 Seeing Talkgroup Activity 60 Using the Remote Interface 61 PC Control Mode 61 Cloning Scanner Settings Care and Maintenance 63 General Use 63 Location 63 Cleaning 63 Repairs 63 Birdies 63 Troubleshooting 64 Specifications 66 ee 67 One Year Limited Warranty 81 Wants You Know This scanner has been tested found to comply with the limits for a scanning receiver pursuant to Part 15 of FCC rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference a residential installation This scanner generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will
13. Store the channel information Enter the frequency for the channel then enter an Alpha Tag for the channel Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to store the rest of the frequencies for the system Then see Programming Talkgroups Programming Type2 Digital VHF and UHF Systems To program a Type 2 Digital VHF or UHF system you need to know the frequencies the system uses and also the Base Space and Offset settings These settings are normally provided along with the system frequencies 1 Select the trunk programming mode 3 ho 2 Use the scroll bar to select the bank you want to program then press E 50 3 Select the following trunk types for Motorola 2 or digital Systems Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the UHF 450 512 MHz band Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the VHF 148 406 MHz band 4 Set the Base Space and Offset settings Note Your BC296D allows you to enter up to three Base Space Offset configurations However most systems only use one configuration a Use the scroll bar to select the configuration to program then press E b Enter the system s base frequency then press E c Enter the system s space frequency then press E d Enter the system s channel offset then press E Repeat a d or press MENU BACK three times to continue programming the system 5 Select the channel to store the information into store a system freq
14. a Press 1 or highlight and press E b Enter the frequency you want to program then press E Notes If the channel already had a frequency programmed it appears above the prompt f you select a frequency that is not valid the scanner displays Enter a correct frequency to continue f you enter a frequency that has already been stored in the scanner the scanner displays 1 and the channel number that contains the duplicate To save the frequency anyway press E Otherwise press to cancel and enter a different frequency f you change an existing frequency all other information stored for that channel is deleted or set back to default values 40 3 Assigning Text Tag a Use the scroll bar to select the channel you want to tag then press E b Use the scroll bar to select the letter then press RSM to move the entry position one space to the right or press HOLD MAN to move the entry position one space to the left c When you have entered the tag press E to save the tag The scanner displays Select to pick another channel to program from Step Exit the channel setting and menu mode Setting the Delay 2a SAR Ho Channel No gt The delay option lets you set a 2 second delay after a transmission for each channel This slows down scanning but helps to prevent missing replies Channel No 2 Some radio systems use special tones to prevent interference from
15. display The scanner doesn t monitor encrypted voice communications message appears on the When appears every 10 seconds while you are using P 25 Card Re install the P 25 Card If you still cannot get satisfactory results while using your scanner or if you want additional information please call or write the Uniden Parts and Service Division The address and phone number is listed in the warranty at the end of this manual If you would like immediate assistance please call Customer Service at 800 297 1023 you have internet access you can visit scanner uniden com for additional information 65 Specifications Certified in accordance with FCC Rules and Regulations Part 15 Subpart C as of date of manufacture Channel Banks Service Bands Frequency Range Operating Temperature Scan Rate Search Rate Scan Delay Audio Output Internal Speaker Power Requirements Antenna Antenna Jack External Jacks Size Weight 1000 10 100 channels each 12 preprogrammed search bands inoluding the NOAA Weather ervice band 25 0 27 995 MHz 28 0 53 99 MHz 54 0 71 95 MHz WFM 72 0 75 995 MHz FM 76 0 87 95 MHz WFM 88 0 107 9 MHz WFM 108 0 136 975 MHz AM 137 0 161 995 MHz FM 162 0 173 9875 MHz FM 174 0 215 95 MHz WFM 216 0 224 995 MHz FM 225 0 399 95 MHz AM 400 0 512 0 MHz NFM 806 0 823 9875 MHz NFM 849 0125 868
16. enter the I Call wildcard O 0 For EDACS and Motorola Type 1 systems this appears as 10 for Motorola 2 systems this appears as 700000 Setting Priority Talkgroups Motorola and EDACS only Talkgroup priority works slightly different than conventional priority With talkgroup priority the priority talkgroups are only checked when the scanner is on the control channel So if you have delay turned on for the system or are holding on an ID the scanner will immediately switch to the priority talkgroup if it becomes active during the 2 second delay or while there is no transmission on the held talkgroup To assign a talkgroup as the priority talkgroup select it in Scan Hold mode see Holding on a Single Talkgroup Then press and hold for 2 seconds Multi Track The BC296D allows you to track more than one system at a time Here are some highlights of this feature e You can actually track up to 10 trunking systems at one time You trunk scan search scan conventional freguencies at the same time You can program conventional freguencies the bank as trunking systems After the scanner finishes checking a trunked system for activity will conventionally scan the other freguencies in the bank remember only trunking freguencies are programmed in Trunk mode To scan a mix of trunking and conventional banks select the banks you wish to be active and then press
17. 9875 MHz NFM 894 0125 956 0 MHz NFM 1240 0 1300 0 MHz NFM 20 C to 60 4 F to 140 F 100 channels per second MAX conventional mode 100 steps per second MAX Normal Search 300 second Turbo Search 2 seconds 240 mW nominal 80 internal speaker 38 mW nominal 320 stereo headphone 9 mW nominal 640 earphone 8 ohms 36 mm outer diameter AD600U Adapter 12V DC 500mA or 4 8V DC 1500 internal battery Rubber Antenna included BNC type DC 12 V Power Jack center is positive emote Jack Earphone Jack 65mm W x 45mm D x 153mm H 350 9 12 3 8 oz Features and specifications are all subject to change without notice 66 Glossary Terms Alpha tag This term refers to an albhanumeric text tag that you can enter to describe the individual freguencies that you have programmed Rather than having to associate a specific freguency to the individuals that are using it you can enter the actual name of the group This will eliminate the need for memorizing the group s frequency Attenuator This scanner comes with a feature to attenuate or reduce the signal strength The built in attenuator can be turned on specific frequencies to prevent strong signals from overloading the scanner input possibly damaging the scanner or missing other transmissions due to the repeated stopping on the stronger signal Clone This term identifies the ability
18. Setting Trunking Delay Setting a delay for trunking systems helps to ensure that you do not miss replies while scanning Select the bank The scanner pauses on a talkgroup for 2 seconds at the end of each transmission to help ensure you don t miss replies Delay is turned off Using I Call Motorola and EDACS only I Calls are direct unit to unit transmissions that are not heard by other users Your BC296D can monitor these transmissions in either the search mode or if you have stored the unit number as a talkgroup in the scan mode When the scanner stops an I Call the scanner displays the individual radio unit ID instead of a talkgroup ID EDACS or Motorola Type 1 i nnnnn Motorola Type 2 7 nnnnn Note Each radio in a system has its own unique unit ID Unit ID s are not published for systems and since officers might not use the same radio every day it is difficult to predict who and what you will hear for a specific radio ID Since a conversation consists of two or more radios and each radio has its own ID if you hold on I Call you will only hear one side of the conversation Turning I Call On and Off for ID Search gt Select the bank 46 The scanner only stops I Calls Turning I Call On for ID Scan To receive I Calls for ID Scan simply store the radio unit number as plus the unit number in place of the talkgroup To receive any I Call while scanning
19. Severe Thunderstorm Watch SVA 0 THUNDERSTORM Flash Flood Watch FFA 0 FLASH FLOOD Flood Watch FLA 0 FLOOD Hurricane Tropical Storm Watch HUA 0 Watch TSA 0 TSUNAMI Coastal Flood Watch CFA 0 COASTAL FLOOD Avalanche Watch AVA 0 AVALANCHE Volcano Watch VOA 0 VOLCANO 75 Standard Event Level Siren Type LCD Display Warning Watch Statement Test Severe Weather Statement SVS 0 SEVERE WX Special Weather Statement SPS 0 SPECIAL WX Flash Flood Statement FFS 0 FLASH FLOOD Flood Statement FLS 0 FLOOD Hurricane Statement HLS 0 HURRICANE National Periodic Test NPT 0 NATION PERIOD Required Monthly Test RMT 0 MONTHLY Required Weekly Test RWT 0 WEEKLY System Demonstration Practice DMO Note SYSTEM DEMO National Hazard Warning NHW 0 NATION HAZARD Unknown Emergency Tune TV 0 UNKNOWN Unknown Warning Tune Ww 0 UNKNOWN TV Unknown Watch Tune TV A 0 UNKNOWN TV Unknown Statement Tune TV 0 UNKNOWN TV Administrative Message ADR 0 ADMIN MESSAGE Child Abduction Emergency CAE 0 CHILD EMERGENCY Dusd Storm Warning DSW 0 DUST STORM Earthquake Warning EQW 0 EARTHQUAKE Network Message Notification NMN 0 NETWORK MESSAGE 911 telephone Outage Emergency 0 911 PHONE OUTAGE Nuclear Power Plan
20. digit FIPS code to identify each county or parish The first digit represents the county subdivision the next two represents the state and the last three digits represent the county or parish Your scanner can receive all SAME alert signals broadcasted within about a 50 mile radius of where you install it So if you only want to hear the counties that are nearest to your area you can choose specifically the FIPS code of areas that you want This lets you avoid hearing warnings that apply to an area within a 50 mile radius but not necessarily in your county or parish I Call Most communications within trunked system are group calls where one unit such as a dispatcher communicates with all the units within her group all the patrol vehicles on the east side of town for example The units within this group comprise what is typically known as a talkgroup There are some communications which are direct unit to unit conversations where one individual converses with another individual The call is initiated by a radio and is directed to another single radio Within the system no one outside of these two users hears the conversation This call is referred to as I Call 68 Key Beep This is another term for the tone you hear as keypad acknowledgement beep The default setting is on If you have turned the Key Beep off you now have a silent keypad You will not hear a tone each time you press a key NWR S A M E Weather Alert In
21. frequencies have been entered Channel Activity 1 May be a telephone interconnect call which are Indicators are flashing intentionally blocked by your scanner but no sound is heard 2 The ID on your display is not active Scanner not tracking 1 Logical channel numbers frequencies for the system an EDACS system are not programmed in the correct order properly Check frequency resources and reprogram 2 Not all frequencies for the system are programmed Check frequency resources 64 Problem Suggestion appear when the scanner is turned ON Check to see if the P 25 Card is properly installed appear when the scanner is turned ON Check to see if the P 25 Card Mode is in the Menu mode Scratchy or robotic sound is heard during communications Move to location where the signal strength strong Modulation accuracy of transmissions sent can be low Digital communication is not heard Verify the accuracy of the frequencies the P 25 system you are trying to monitor You might be a dead spot for the P 25 system you are trying to monitor Check other locations in the area DATA sound is heard at the beginning of digital communications project 25 systems can send data before voice communication Data sound can be heard when signal strength is weak Robotic sound is heard Check to see if the
22. hear weak signals interspersed with hissing As you move further away from the system the interference gradually increases until you are unable to make out the transmission With digital systems the cutoff point is much more abrupt You might have a small area where partial decoding occurs in which case you will hear partial and garbled audio However once the scanner is unable to receive the data well enough to decode it the audio stops entirely For the best range antenna selection and placement is critical See Installing the Antenna for more information EDACS Trunking EDACS trunking works in much the same way as Motorola trunking with a couple of major differences In an EDACS system each frequency used by the system is assigned a Logical Channel Number LCN so that less data needs to be transmitted by the control channel Also talkgroups are assigned in an Agency Fleet Subfleet AFS hierarchy Also there is one variation of EDACS called SCAT that your BC296D can monitor Logical Channel Numbers each frequency used by the system is assigned an LCN This information is programmed into each user radio When a user presses PTT their radio sends their AFS information to the control channel The computer then assigns that talkgroup to a channel and sends the LCN so that all other radios in that talkgroup will switch to the correct channel To program a EDACS system in your scanner you will need to know both the frequenci
23. not occur in a particular installation If this scanner does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the scanner on and off you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures e Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Increase the separation between the scanner and the receiver This device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Scanning Legally Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different groups including police and fire departments ambulance services government agencies private companies amateur radio services military operations pager services and wire line telephone and telegraph service providers It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive However there are some transmissions that you should never intentionally listen to These include e Telephone conversations cellular cordless or other private means of telephone signal transmission e Pager transmissions e Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act ECPA you are subject to fines and possible imprisonment for intentionally listening to us
24. other nearby systems operating on the same frequencies When tones are being used the radios only open squelch when a transmission with a matching tone is present on the frequency Some services such as FRS GMRS and Business Band refer to these tones as Quiet Codes Privacy Codes or similar and use a number to associate a particular tone The table in the back of the manual provides a cross reference to common associations For this feature to work you need to turn on the Tone Mode see Setting Squelch Mode 41 Continuous Coded Sguelch System 55 is used with Amateur Radio FRS GMRS Business Bana and other systems When you select this option the scanner only opens sguelch when a matching CTCSS tone is present on the freguency Digital Coded Sguelch is similar to CTCSS but instead of differentiating codes using freguencies DCS always uses the same freguency but encodes it with a binary value When you select this option the scanner only opens sguelch when a matching DCS value is present on the freguency The scanner opens sguelch regardless of the presence of tones Note If instead of pressing E to select a tone you press L O the scanner will stop on any transmission except for those with the selected tone Setting Beep Alert sz gt Channel The scanner sounds three alert tones when it stops on a transmission on this channel Beep Alert is off Setting the Atte
25. subfleet talkgroup ID to the control channel each time they transmit To program a Type I system you need to know the systems fleet map The most common fleet maps are included at the back of this manual You can also find fleet map resources on the web Motorola Type II the radios only send the radio ID and radio channel code to the control channel The central com puter keeps a database of radio ID s and which talkgroup is assigned to which channel code for each radio so with this system the users radio sends only about 1 3 the data as a Type I system with each transmission Type II systems do not use Fleet subfleet talkgroups instead they use a 5 digit ID for each talkgroup Hybrid these systems support a mix of both Type I and Type II users Like Type I systems you must know the systems fleetmap to ensure proper tracking Motorola Astro Digital for channel control purposes this type of system operates just like Type II system although the control channel can be a 3600 bps data rate for mixed analog digital systems or 9600 bps for digital only systems Pure digital systems be implemented under APCO 25 Phase 1 or Phase 2 standards Your BC296D is able to decode all unencrypted digitized voice traffic on either mixed mode or digital only APCO 25 Phase 1 systems One big difference you will notice with digital versus analog transmissions is that with analog systems you might be able to
26. to use your scanner but some background knowledge will help you to get the most from your BC296D Conventional Scanning Conventional scanning is a relatively simple concept Each group of users in a conventional system is assigned a single frequency for simplex systems or two frequencies for repeater systems to use Any time one of them transmits their transmission always goes out on the same frequency Up until the late 1980 s this was the primary way that radio systems operated Even today there are a lot of 2 way radio users who operate using a conventional system Aircraft Amateur Radio FRS GMRS Users Broadcast AM FM TV Stations Many Business Radio users When you want to store a conventional system all you need to know is the frequency they operate on When you are scanning a conventional system the scanner stops very briefly on each channel to see if there is activity If there isn t the scanner quickly moves to the next channel If there is then the scanner pauses on the transmission until it is over Simplex Operation Simplex systems use a single frequency for both transmit and receive Most radios using this type of operation are limited to line of sight operation This type of radio is frequently used at construction job sites and with inexpensive consumer radios such as GMRS FRS radios The range is typically 1 5 miles depending upon the terrain and many other factors Repeater Operation
27. to set up a duplicate scanner This function allows you to clone all the programming information including frequencies talkgroups and alpha tags as well as bank settings and other parameters from one BC296D to another or BC796D Control Channel This is the frequency within a trunking system that runs the system On Control Channels sometimes called Data Channels you will hear a buzz saw sound For the most part it is the sound of the system s central computer directing talkgroups to particular voice working frequencies within the system CTCSS Continuous Tone Controlled Squelch System refers to a system where the radio receivers are equipped with tone responsive devices which allow audio signals to appear at the audio output select voice processing such as scrambling or control repeater functions only when a carrier modulated with a specific tone is received This method may be used to restrict access to the repeater or receiver or reduce interference where several stations with output frequencies in close proximity of each other make it difficult to hear the conversation you are interested in With CTCSS squelching you can eliminate the possibility of hearing unwanted conversations by selecting one of the 38 standard subaudible tones You will only hear those transmissions that have been programmed on specific frequencies with the specific subaudible tone that you have selected DCS Digital Controlled Squelch refers to a s
28. your area by calling the National Weather Service at 1 888 NWR SAME or visit their web site at http Awww nws noaa gov nwr indexnw htm To program weather alert operation 1 Select 1 to turn on weather alert 2 Use the scroll bar to select either or one of the 15 programmable FIPS positions 3 If you need to program a FIPS code press E then enter the code and press E again 4 Press MENU BACK two times 5 Select i i All audio is muted The scanner displays 1 until an alert is received Note If you lose power or turn off the scanner the scanner keeps the weather alert mode 35 Warning Never listen to the scanner using headphone earphone when you have put the scanner in the weather alert mode The volume control is dis abled in this mode and the loud alert sound could damage your hearing If an event is issued the scanner displays the text for the event and sounds an alert The alert sound used depends on the type of event received Statements 2 tone beep Watches 2 tone trill Warnings Siren The chart in the back of this manual details the various events and the type of alert produced Testing the Weather Alert To test the alert to see what each alert sounds like monitor the weather mode then press HOLD MAN Hold PRI for 2 seconds to start the test Press any key to exit the test The scanner sounds each of the three alert types repeatedly Warning Never listen
29. 1 6 MHz 509 000 511 9875 3 MHz 223 720 224 980 1 6 MHz 806 000 823 9875 45 MHz 420 000 424 9875 5 MHz 851 000 868 9875 45 MHz 425 000 429 9875 5 MHz 896 000 901 000 39 MHz 440 000 444 9875 5 MHz 935 000 940 000 39 MHz The reverse frequency for trunked systems is determined by the trunking system settings and can vary from the standard band plans 76 CTCSS Frequency List Hz 67 0 71 9 744 77 0 79 7 82 5 85 4 88 5 91 5 94 8 97 4 100 0 103 5 107 2 110 9 114 8 118 8 123 0 127 3 131 8 136 5 141 3 146 2 151 4 156 7 162 2 167 9 173 8 179 9 186 2 192 8 203 5 210 7 218 1 225 7 233 6 241 8 250 3 DCS Code 023 025 026 031 032 036 043 047 051 053 054 065 071 072 073 074 114 115 116 122 125 131 132 134 143 145 152 155 156 162 165 172 174 205 212 223 225 226 243 244 245 246 251 252 255 261 263 265 266 271 274 306 311 315 325 331 332 343 346 351 356 364 365 371 411 412 413 423 431 432 445 446 452 454 455 462 464 465 466 503 506 516 523 526 532 546 565 606 612 624 627 631 632 654 662 664 703 712 723 731 732 734 743 754 77 BC296D Flow Charts 330 zZNVid
30. 1994 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA began broadcasting coded signals called FIPS Federal Information Processing System codes along with the standard weather broadcasts for stations in your area These codes identify an emergency and the specific geographic area such as your county affected by the emergency The scanner was developed with SAME Specific Area Messaging Encoding technology This allows you scanner to receive interpret and display the information about the codes so you can determine if the emergency might affect you area Each FIPS code identifies a specific geographic area defined by the National Weather Service so your scanner sounds an alert only when a weather emergency is declared in those locations This helps you more efficiently track the weather conditions in and around your area PC Control This term is associated with the ability to program frequencies and other useful information via a computer by means of third party software You can change the transfer speed on the scanner needed to be compatible with your PC See page 61 Scan List When you designate a bank to be a trunking bank your scanner sets up 10 Scan Lists which are simply list of your favorite IDs Each list can contain up to 10 IDs so you can store a total of 100 IDs for each trunk bank These lists are designed to help you organize the trunking system users into categories Screen Mask Screen Mask reduces
31. 5 PRBA for information concerning reclamation and disposal of nickel metal hydride batteries Installing the Antenna Twist the antenna s BNC connector the jack the scanner shown If you are frequently traveling ina yo system s fringe area you might want to connect an external antenna for better range While the supplied antenna works well for general use an external antenna will enhance performance on weak systems An antenna properly selected for the band you are monitoring can greatly extend the range especially when you are monitoring digital trunking systems Installing the Belt Clip The belt clip is designed to fit snugly on the back of the scanner Line up the four snap in arms with the grooves on the scanner and snap the belt clip into place as shown Using Headphones or an External Speaker For private listening or for listening in a noisy area you can plug a 1 8 inch 3 5mm mini plug earphone s or headphone s or monitor speaker s not supplied cable into the headphone jack on top of the scanner This automatically disconnects the scanner s internal speaker 16 Listening Safely To protect your hearing follow these guidelines when you use an earphone or headphones Do not use an earphone to listen to the WX alert siren test or when in SAME Alert mode The
32. 87 9500 806 0000 823 9875 88 0000 107 9000 849 0125 868 9875 108 0000 136 9750 894 0125 956 0000 137 0000 161 9950 1240 0000 1300 0000 162 0000 173 9875 In addition here are few more the many features your scanner has To get the most from your scanner be sure to review this entire manual Project 25 Phase 1 Compatible works on the latest 9600 bps systems including systems that use C4FM CQPSK modulation Four line 16 character Alpha Display makes it easy for you to see who is talking by displaying the assigned text tag instead of just a frequency or talkgroup ID number Automatic Digital Detect allows the scanner to switch to digital voice decoding when it detects valid APCO 25 data without any special programming 1000 Channels lets you store frequencies in 10 banks of 100 channels each 1000 Talkgroup ID s lets you store 10 groups of 10 ID s each per bank Multi System Tracking scans conventional and trunking Systems at the same time Included PC Programming Software and Cable makes programming your scanner much easier Full featured software included no registration needed 10 Priority Channels switches to the channel you assign as priority if there is activity so you won t miss a thing Priority Talkgroups increases the priority of selected talkgroups so the scanner is more likely to switch t
33. CS Narrow and EDACS SCAT trunking systems Note that to program these systems in addition to knowing the system type and freguencies used you must know the logical channel numbers LCN for the systems freguencies This information is usually provided with the freguency and other information For more information refer to Understanding Scanning Programming EDACS Channels 1 Select the trunk t Select the Select for 9600 baud EDACS systems Select for 4800 baud EDACS systems Select for EDACS SCAT systems 2 Program each trunk channel in LCN order not frequency order If you program this in the wrong order the scanner will not go to the correct channel when scanning a Enter the channel to program b Enter the frequency then the alpha tag for the channel Repeat a and b for each channel in the system Note EDACS SCAT systems use only one channel Once you complete channel programming see Programming Talkgroups 54 Setting EDACS Emergency Alert When the emergency status is sent on an EDACS radio you can have your scanner alert you to the transmission Select the bank The scanner beeps three times to alert you and flashes EMERGENCY during emergency transmissions transmissions any differently than other transmissions Setting EDACS Decimal Mode By default your scanner displays EDACS talkgroups in AFS format see Understanding Scanning However you c
34. D in your Scan List is active It will disregard the ID to which you were just monitoring TRUNK SEARCH This mode works similarly to Trunk Scan If the scanner finds any non locked out ID when it checks the control channel you will hear it You will then hear any replies that follow within 2 seconds After that the scanner will move on and not continuously search the system for additional IDs on busy systems you would never leave the system if this were the case If you press the RSM key while monitoring one ID the radio will check if any other IDs are active it will disregard the ID you just left and if none are active it will move on 48 Programming Motorola systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for Motorola I II Ili Hybrid and 25 Digital trunking systems Using Control Channel Programming Your scanner has a powerful feature that lets you program in only the control channels for Motorola 800 and 900 MHz systems This can greatly shorten the time it takes to program system information Select the bank gt 900 MHz systems you can then simply turn the feature on or off For 800 MHz systems you need to select the band plan for the system Use if the last three digits of all of the frequencies used by the system end in 125 375 625 or 875 Use if the highest frequency used by the system is above 866 MHz and if the last three digi
35. Not 330 2 NO 3uois o1nv 9 SNL VHIIV 43O SOQ SS019 1 viva s S WN PANAM E N 300W 02701 HONNNALIV y OL 6 ZHXOOL 8 2 09 L ZHASZ 9 waal 6 HMSZ79 Z ZHAS 1 9315 UAIS ON JONVE H31N3 440 Z NO Houvas 8 NIVHO 770349 SNIOVH Suwo v Sua o 330 2 90 3009 8 913909 avouiva 2 9 s 1 3000 lua 1svoavoda AL v HOLINON sman AL34vs NOLLdO 78 79 330 WALSAS 006 2 330 PNW1d b 2NV1d Z LNYTd L WALSAS L3dA1 008 KINO HO THLNO vHd 3HON9I 2 10313Q 3a02 2 83 1 sova3 WHOS arsovaa 330 8 8 6 330 Z 6 ism 9 330 VIOHOLOW KINO 440 12 NO 1 8 los soaa 330 Z NO L GIALIAILOW
36. SCAN The scanner will instantly begin scanning If you have not programmed a bank with talkgroup ID s you will receive message for that bank You can switch to mode the scanner will search for any active ID s on the system 47 switch ID Scan ID Search press hold TRUNK or press SCAN or SEARCH while scanning Multi Track Operational Details When more than one trunk system is active for example two or more trunked systems or a trunked system and one or more conventional freguencies the radio jumps between systems frequencies as follows TRUNK SCAN The scanner moves to a trunked system and looks for IDs in your Scan List s for up to 1 second If it finds no activity on your programmed talkgroups it moves on to conventional channels in the same bank or to the next active bank If the scanner finds that a talkgroup in one of your active Scan Lists becomes active you will begin to hear that communication and the scanner will display the proper talkgroup number and any alpha tag When the communication ends the scanner will wait for 2 seconds for any further replies and if none the scanner will move to the conventional channels in the same bank or to the next bank The scanner will not look for any other IDs within the same trunked system as this would slow the scan process If you press RSM while you are listening to one ID the scanner will check to see if another I
37. Tones for Searching 30 Searching for Subaudible Tones 30 Attenuating All Search Ranges 31 Setting DELAY for All Search Ranges 31 Setting a Search Range sese 31 Searching for Trunk Systems sss 32 Service Search 33 Service Search Skip 33 Using Weather Search and Weather Alert SAME 34 Searching for a Weather Broadcast 34 Using Weather Alert SAME 34 Testing the Weather Alert 36 Programming Bank Information 37 Bank Configuration Assigning Bank Names General Programming Deleting Frequencies from Channels 38 Transferring Channel Information Entering Alpha Information seen General Programming Tips seem Programming Conventional Channels 1 Select a Channel to Program 2 Enter the Frequency 3 Assigning a Text Tag Setting the Delay ituri rire tetro tree rfe ee Setting th
38. alert tone s vol ume is not adjustable and damage to your hearing could occur e Do not listen at extremely high volume levels Extended high volume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss Set the VOL VOLUME to the lowest setting before you begin listening After you begin listening adjust the VOL VOLUME to a comfortable level Once you set the VOL VOLUME do not increase it Over time your ears adapt to the volume level so a volume level that does not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing 17 Basic Operation This section is your main reference for using the scanner once you have programmed conventional and trunked systems Note that there are some slight differences to some functions depending on whether you are trying to affect conventional operation or trunked operation Be sure to refer to the appropriate section depending on the mode you are using Turning On the Scanner Turn the VOL VOLUME control clockwise out of the detent position The scanner automatically starts scanning Since there are no frequencies programmed in your scanner initially you may not receive any signals Once you set the squelch and program some frequencies you will begin hearing conversations regularly Setting the Squelch To set the squelch you must be in the hold mode and you should not be receiving a signal on your scanner STRONG SIGNALS 2 i Press HOLD MAN you hear
39. an use this option to display and enter talkgroups in digital format Select the bank Display the talkgroup ID in Agency Fleet Subfleet AFS format Display the talkgroup ID in decimal format 55 Programming 25 Systems To program an APCO 25 system follow the steps in the appropriate section for conventional or Motorola Trunking APCO 25 systems require only 1 additional setting Sound Quality Setting APCO 25 Sound Quality Each APCO 25 system has slightly different system settings that control how the audio is digitized To get the best sound quality you need to match as closely as possible the system s settings To adjust the sound quality 1 While monitoring a specific APCO P 25 talkgroup press the HOLD MAN key 2 Pres d hold the 9 key Line 1 of the screen you will see 3 for example This shows the Sound Quality The lower the level the better the Sound Quality 3 To manually set the sound quality rotate the scroll bar up or down As the threshold adjusts in increments of 100 at the bottom of the screen watch the Sound Quality level increase or decrease and continue to rotate the scroll bar until you have achieved the best Sound Quality level Notes When dud P 25 signal is not received appears on the display You must be receiving an APCO P 25 signal to make this adjustment A chart showing the Threshold Adjustment Range is listed b
40. an ID memory 59 1 While the scanner is receiving the talkgroup press HOLD MAN to hold on that talkgroup 2 Press TRNSFR The scanner displays the lowest numbered empty ID group memory 3 Use the scroll bar to select the memory you want to store the ID into then press E Deleting Stored Talkgroup ID s To delete a stored talkgroup ID 1 While scanning a trunked system in the ID scan mode see Scanning Only Stored Talkgroups press HOLD MAN Or to use the menu system Select the bank 2 Use the scroll bar to select the talkgroup ID you want to delete then press E 3 Select 1 ID and press E 4 Press 0 then press E Adding a Text Tag to an ID List To add a text tag to each of the 10 ID lists in each bank Select the bank Select the list Enter the alpha tag Seeing Talkgroup Activity In the ID Scan mode the scanner normally only displays the ID for talkgroups that you have stored into a scan list This setting lets you see the ID s for all talkgroups as they become active when the scanner is monitoring the control channel The scanner still only switches to a talkgroup if you have stored it into a scan list Select the bank Display every talkgroup ID as it becomes active Only display active stored talkgroup ID s 60 Using the Remote Interface You can connect your scanner to either a PC or another BC296D using the remote in
41. annel Make programming plan before you sit down to program your scanner Write down what frequency you will store in each channel along with other system information Or use the supplied software to organize your information before you start Keep a record of what you programmed in case you lose programming This lets you more quickly program the scanner the next time Entered frequencies are rounded off according to the step size for the channel e When you store a new frequency in a channel the text tag previously assigned to that channel is deleted 39 Programming Conventional Channels Each bank can hold a mix of conventional channels plus one trunking system This section describes how to store known frequencies into conventional channels The first few sections are intended to be performed in the order indicated if you are entering information the first time If you are editing existing information manually select the channel then use the complete menu process to access the information you want to change Note To quickly store only a frequency in a channel manually select the channel enter the frequency then press E Do not use this method for Trunking systems however as these systems require additional information to scan correctly 1 Select a Channel to Program To start first select the channel you want to program Enter the channel number then press E 2 Enter the Frequency
42. ansfer the data into select SLAVE and press E Then press SCAN on both scanner to start the transfer Caution This deletes all data from the unit you select as SLAVE Make certain that you pick the correct set tings for each scanner to prevent data loss During transfer both scanners display the following NIZ When transfer is complete the scanners display COMPLETE Turn both scanners off and then back on to initialize them If data transfer is not successful the following message appears To clear the error press To exit the clone mode repeatedly press 62 Care Maintenance General Use e Turn the scanner OFF before disconnecting the power Always write down the programmed frequencies in the event of memory loss e If memory is lost simply reprogram each channel The display shows 000 0000 in all channels when there has been a memory loss Always press each button firmly until you hear the entry tone for that key entry unless you have turned A in the menu system the Location Do not use the scanner in high moisture environments such as the kitchen or bathroom Avoid placing the unit in direct sunlight or near heating elements or vents f the scanner receives strong interference or electrical noise move it or its antenna away from the source of the noise If possible a higher elevation may provid
43. canning features to operate you need to program the scanner with the talkgroup ID s Each bank can store up to 100 talkgroups in 10 ID groups of 10 talkgroups each Group similar talkgroups together in the same ID group When scanning you can turn ID groups and off with a quick keypress Storing Known Talkgroups Follow these steps to store talkgroups you have gotten from a list Select the bank 1 Use the scroll bar to select the talkgroup to program then press E 2 Select 1 10 and press 3 For Type 2 Digital systems enter the up to 5 digit talkgroup ID then press E For Type systems enter the 3 digit fleet for the dash then the subfleet number For EDACS systems enter the two digit agency for the dash then the fleet and subfleet number For LTR systems enter the area code home repeater number ID number then E Note If you replace an existing ID the alpha tag is also deleted 4 Select 2 ALPHA TAG and press E 5 Enter the alpha tag for the talkgroup Note The alpha tag defaults to the numeric talkgroup ID 6 If you want the scanner to beep three times to alert you when the talkgroup is active select 3 BEEP ALERT and press E then select 1 ON 7 Press MENU BACK Repeat this procedure for each talkgroup in the system Storing Found Talkgroups While you are ID Searching see Searching for Active Talkgroups you can quickly store an active talkgroup ID into
44. cies analog trunking systems and the most popular digital trunking systems it is a great all in one solution to your scanning needs Here is a brief list of some of the systems you can monitor with your BC296D Motorola Type Il Ili Hybrid and 25 Phase 1 Digital Systems including 3600 bps and 9600 bps control channel systems EDACS and EDACS SCAT trunking systems used by police fire ambulance and other local and state public safety agencies as well as utilities and other businesses e LTR trunking systems used by local businesses and a few public safety agencies Conventional Digital 25 frequencies CB GMRS FRS Marine and other 2 way radios used by families truckers and community groups e Business Band frequencies used nationwide e Amateur Radio frequencies used by licensed radio opera tors to report emergency weather conditions experiment with new communications methods or just to chat e Local and national government agencies Civil and military aircraft FM and TV Broadcast channels NOAA Weather Radio And much much more The table below lists the frequency ranges the default mode AM FM or Wideband FM and the default frequency step for each range Frequency Range Frequency Range 25 0000 27 9950 174 0000 215 9500 28 0000 53 9900 216 0000 224 9950 54 0000 71 9500 225 0000 399 9500 72 0000 75 9950 400 0000 512 0000 76 0000
45. defective pack the Product carefully preferably in its original packaging The product should include all parts and accessories originally packaged with the Product Include evidence of original purchase and a note describing the defect that has caused you to return it The Product should be shipped freight prepaid by traceable means to warrantor at UNIDEN AMERICA CORPORATION Parts and Service Division 4700 Amon Carter Boulevard Fort Worth TX 76155 800 554 3988 7 a m to 5 p m Central Time Monday through Friday 81 WWwW uniden com THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING A UNIDEN PRODUCT May be covered under one or more of the following U S patents 4 627 100 4 841 302 4 888 815 4 932 074 4 947 456 5 199 109 5 408 692 5 428 826 5 438 688 5 448 256 5 471 660 5 483 684 5 530 296 5 548 832 5 551 071 5 577 076 5 598 430 5 600 223 5 642 424 5 710 992 5 991 346 5 991 603 6 012 158 6 025 758 6 034 573 6 266 521 U S Patent Number 4 841 302 is licensed from Gray Electronics Inc A World Contains additional foreign articles Custom manufactured in the China UBZZ01319ZZ All rights reserved 5 014 348 5 465 402 5 574 995 5 896 422 6 064 270 2003 Uniden America Corporation Fort Worth TX
46. e SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 Nolda Preset Map 7 Block SizeCode__ SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 Oo Preset 4 SIZE CODE 4 Block Size Code SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 VIN o SIZE CODE 4 Preset Map 6 SIZE CODE 4 Block Size Code SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 SIZE CODE 12 Nolda 021 ja jo Preset Map 8 SIZE CODE 12 Block Size Code SIZE CODE 1 SIZE CODE 1 SIZE CODE 2 SIZE CODE 2 SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 3 SIZE CODE 4 O O1 A 021 71 SIZE CODE 4 Preset 9 10 Size Code SizeCode SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4
47. e Subaudible Tone Option Setting Beep Alert Setting the Attenuator Changing the Frequency Step Setting the Modulation Mode Setting Priority Channels Programming Trunked Systems Setting Trunking Delay Using I Call Motorola and EDACS only Turning I Call and Off for ID Search 46 Turning I Call On for ID Scan 47 Setting Priority Talkgroups Motorola and EDACS only 47 nt rre Pip eer ire een FEL ER cea 47 Multi Track Operational Details 48 Programming Motorola Systems Using Control Channel Programming 49 Programming Type 2 Digital 800 and 900 MHz Systems 50 Programming Type2 Digital VHF and UHF Systems Programming Type and Hybrid Systems Toggling ihe Status Toggling End Code Detect Programming EDACS Systems Programming EDACS Channels 54 Setting EDACS Emergency Alert 55 Setting EDACS Decimal Mode
48. e better reception Cleaning Disconnect the power to the unit before cleaning Clean the outside of the scanner with a mild detergent To prevent scratches do not use abrasive cleaners or solvents Be careful not to rub the LCD window Do not use excessive amounts of water Repairs Do not attempt any repair The scanner contains no user serviceable parts Contact the Uniden Customer Service Center or take it to a qualified repair technician Birdies All radios can receive birdies undesired signals If your scanner stops during Scan mode and no sound is heard it may be receiving a birdie Birdies are internally generated signals inherent in the electronics of the receiver Press L O to lockout the channel and then press RSM to resume scanning 63 Troubleshooting If your BC296D is not performing properly try the following steps Problem Suggestion Scanner won t work Aw Check the connections at both ends of the AC Adapter Turn ON the wall switch of your room You could be using an outlet controlled by the wall switch Move the AC Adapter to another wall outlet Check to see if Key Lock is ON see page 23 Improper reception po Check the antenna connection Move the scanner You may be a remote area which could require an optional multi band antenna Check with your dealer or local electronics store Scan won t stop Adju
49. ed immediately contact your place of purchase or call Uniden Parts Department at 800 554 3988 8 00 to 11 30 a m and 12 30 to 5 00 p m Central Time Monday through Friday BC296D Scanner AC Adapter Charger AD 600U Ni MH Battery 250 Rubber Antenna PC Cable Belt clip Operating Guide BC296D SS CD ROM TrunkTracker Frequency Guide Conventional Frequency Guide Other Printed Material 14 setting Up Your Installing the Battery Pack 1 Open the cover 2 Connect the battery pack connector observing the correct polarity 3 Replace the cover and press down until it clicks into place Charging the Pack Use the AC Adapter Charger to power the BC296D from an AC outlet and charge its battery pack You can use your scanner while the battery charges To fully charge the battery leave the AC Adapter Charger connected for 14 16 hours Note Disconnect the AC Adapter Charger from the unit when charging is complete 15 Nickel Metal Hydride Battery Disposal When the battery supplied with your scanner no longer holds a charge you need to replace it Contact Uniden Parts department for a replacement battery pack Nickel hydride batteries must be disposed of properly Minnesota requires you to recycle nickel metal hydride batteries Contact the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association at 1 800 22
50. een transmissions If a signal is present on a priority channel the scanner switches to monitor that transmission even if it had been stopped on another channel One channel or talkgroup ID in each bank is designated as the priority To turn on Priority Scan repeatedly press PRI until the scanner displays PRIORITY ON To turn Priority Scan off repeatedly press PRI until the scanner displays PRIORITY OFF Note If all priority channels in unlocked banks are locked out the scanner displays ERROR when you try to turn on the priority scan mode Priority Plus Scanning To scan only the priority channels in the unlocked banks while scanning repeatedly press PRI until the scanner displays PRIORITY PLUS To turn off Priority Plus repeatedly press PRI to select PRIORITY ON or PRIORITY OFF Note Priority Plus only operates in the scan mode not in the hold or search mode Listening to the Input Channel Repeater based systems such as public safety conventional trunked systems and some other business and amateur radio systems use two sets of frequencies input frequencies and output frequencies see Understanding Scanning You normally listen to the output frequency as it can generally be received from a much farther range Sometimes though you might want to know if the mobile unit is nearby To do this check the input frequency by pressing REVERSE If you hear the transmission then the mobile unit is probably within 2 o
51. elect the channel then press 0 and E The contents of the channel are erased Transferring Channel Information To transfer settings from one channel to another 1 Manually select the channel with the information you want to transfer 2 Press TRNSFR The scanner displays the lowest numbered empty channel To select a different channel use the scroll bar to select the channel 3 Press E All channel information is stored in the target channel and deleted from the original channel Note Trunking system information is not transferred Entering Alpha Information Your BC296D lets you assign text tags to banks channels talkgroups and search ranges Follow these steps to enter a text tag 1 Use the scroll bar to select the letter 2 Press RSM to advance to the next letter or HOLD MAN to back up to a previous letter 3 When you have completed the text tag press E to accept the entry General Programming Tips Do not program weather frequencies into channels Since they have continuous broadcasts your scanner will always stop on them Use weather service search to access NOAA weather broadcasts Group related services into a bank For example program city trunk system in Bank 1 amateur radio in Bank 2 and so on 38 e guickly program series channels start with the low est numbered channel The scanner automatically advances to the next channel by default when you complete programming a ch
52. elow Lower Mid Upper Band Min Default Max Default Min Default Max 800MHz 33 533 1833 1985 2042 3342 3842 UHF 33 633 1833 1985 2042 3342 3842 VHF 330 930 2130 2147 2264 3464 4064 4 Once you have adjusted the Sound Quality to the best possible level press E Press RSM to exit the Sound Quality Adjustment Mode 56 Notes the adjusted threshold level press key e The adjusted threshold level for the current freguency can be set back to the default value by pressing and holding the O key When you change the Sound Quality it affects all other 25 signals in that same band 800 2 57 Programming LTR Systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for LTR trunking systems For more information about LTR systems refer to Understanding Scanning Enter the bank o gt 1 Enter the channel number 2 Enter the freguency and alpha tag for the channel Repeat these steps for all channels in the system Then refer to Programming Talkgroups Note LTR systems must be programmed in channel order skipping unused channels For example if the LTR system you are programming uses only Channels 1 3 5 and 7 program freguencies in the first third fifth and seventh channels in the bank 58 Programming Talkgroups For many of the trunk s
53. en the keypad is locked gt HOLD MAN and RSM still operate Disabling the APCO25 Card If you are not in an area where there is an APCO 25 digital system you can save battery power by disabling the APCO 25 P 25 card The card is enabled 23 Turning Battery Save On Off The battery save features extends battery life by setting the scanner in a low power mode when it is held on a single channel or frequency in the search mode and there is no transmission The battery save feature is on You might miss a brief portion of transmissions when held on a channel or frequency but battery life is extended The battery save feature is off Muting All Audio To mute all audio press and hold MUTE for 2 seconds The scanner operates normally but no audio sounds from the scanner To turn audio back on press and hold MUTE for 2 seconds Setting Squelch Mode You can set the scanner to either stop on any transmission during searching or scanning or only stop on transmissions that include a specific CTCSS or DCS subaudible tone see Understanding Scanning for information about subaudible tones Carrier Squelch mode the scanner stops on any transmission regardless of whether a subaudible tone is present The scanner stops on transmissions that include a matching subaudible tone or have no tone at all When you select this option you also need to set the appropriate tone in either the channel memory o
54. es several weather radios specifically designed for this function SAME Specific Area Message Encoding was adopted late in the last century to replace the wide area alerts previously used Weather alerts today are preceded by a digital packet that identifies not only the type of alert but also the geographic location for the alert Thus it is possible for a weather broadcast that can be received across many counties to be targeted to a single county To specify a county SAME uses a standard established by the US Census bureau called FIPS The format of a FIPS code is 34 DSSCCC Where area subdivision 0 entire area SS State code 00 all states CCC County code 000 all counties For example the FIPS code for Tarrant County Texas is 048439 48 Texas 439 Tarrant County Some counties are further subdivided in which cases the first digit will be 0 for all subdivisions in the county and each subdivision will be labeled 1 9 To program your scanner to alert you when the weather service issues an alert you must set the scanner to the alert mode and then leave the scanner monitoring the weather service You cannot scan and monitor for weather alerts at the same time To limit alerts to a specific area you must also program in the FIPS code s for the area s you want to receive alerts for The scanner can be set to either alert for all areas or only the areas you have programmed You can get FIPS codes for
55. es used by the system and the LCN for each frequency so that you can program the frequencies in LCN order Agency Fleet Subfleet talkgroup ID s for EDACS systems are assigned in a way that makes it easy to see at a glance the affiliation of the user Each radio is assigned a 2 digit agency identifier from 00 15 For example 01 might be used by the police 02 by ambulance service 03 by the fire department and so on Each agency is then subdivided up to 16 times to provide fleet identification and then 8 more times to identify subfleets 03 0612 Fleet Subfleet 00 to 15 00 to 15 0to7 For example the complete AFS for the Police Department West District s dispatch channel might be 01 062 01 identifies the agency as the police department 06 identifies the fleet as the West district and 02 identifies the subfleet as the dispatch channel While these assignments are somewhat arbitrary and vary from system to system there are many resources on the web for finding the assignments for most systems Because of the logical hierarchy of the AFS system your BC296D lets you assign wildcard ID s that let you for example use only one ID memory to identify all units in either an agency or a fleet EDACS SCAT EDACS SCAT Single Channel Autonomous Trunking systems operate on a single channel and alternate control data with analog voice traffic While your BC296D cannot track ID s in this system it can elimina
56. estoring All Locked Out Channels 20 Priority SCANNING a teh ee tt a 21 Priority Plus Scanning 21 Listening to the Input Channel aA Using the Backlight 22 Light Setting 02 Dimmer Time Setting a22 Controlling How Much Information Appears 2 22 Turning the Key Beep On Off 23 Locking the ENTER key 23 Locking the Keypad 23 Disabling the 25 Card Turning Battery Save On Off 24 Miting AIT AUGIO ar urinis EEEE Setting Squelch Mode sse Trunk Scanning Options Searching for Active Talkgroups ID Search 25 Scanning Only Stored Talkgroups ID Scan 25 Monitoring Talkgroup ID s Selecting Talkgroup Lists to Scan 25 Holding on a Single Talkgroup 26 Locking Out Talkgroups EDACS BIOCKOUE Unlocking All Talkgroups EDACS Patch Tracking Searching E Holding an Active Frequency 28 Setting Chain Search Setting Data miento bt e Skipping Frequencies senem Storing Found Frequencies Automatically Storing Frequencies Setting Subaudible
57. from the system Then enter the agency or the agency and fleet and press then L O For example to lockout agency 4 press 04 L O 26 Unlocking Talkgroups all talkgroups for system Select the Bank Then use the scroll bar to select the ID you want to unlock and press L O Or press HOLD MAN then press L O for 2 seconds to clear all the lockouts from the system EDACS Patch Tracking EDACS systems sometimes bring several talkgroups together in a Patch A patch might be used by a police agency at night to provide a single channel with a single dispatcher for a wide area A patch is created when a single temporary talkgroup substitutes for the original talkgroups While the patch is running which may be for hours or days the original talkgroups cease to be used If you were monitoring one of these talkgroups you might think there was no traffic but in fact the talkgroup was operating at the different temporary number If a talkgroup in your Scan List is patched your scanner will continue to receive it under its new identity until the patch has ended When a patch is being received the radio will display and will show the temporary common talkgroup plus all the included talkgroups in a cycling display The BC796D is limited to following one patches The temporary talkgroups used for patches are usually found in AFS code 15 xxx and sometimes 00 xxx 27 searching Yo
58. here is the scanner immediately switches to the priority channel Notes The scanner does not check priority channels in locked out banks The scanner does not check priority channels if the channel is locked out By default the first channel of each bank is set as priority To change the priority channel 1 Manually select the channel you want to set as priority 2 Press and hold PRI for 2 seconds The scanner beeps and the new priority assignment is made Note To program priority talkgroup ID s for trunk scanning see Setting Priority Talkgroups 44 Programming Trunked Systems Your BC296D is designed to scan most major types of trunking systems including APCO Project 25 Phase 1 digital communication systems These systems are briefly described here For a more technical description of each system see Understanding Scanning General trunking options are also covered in this section To program the systems refer to the sections in the manual referenced below Project 25 Phase 1 Systems Digital systems that support the APCO Project 25 protocol developed by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials APCO the Telecommunications Industry Association TIA and Electronic Industries Alliance EIA Systems can oper ate in conventional trunked 9600 trunked 3600 and mixed modes analog and digital in any frequency band including UHF VHF 800 MHz and 900 MHz See P
59. ing or divulging the contents of such a conversation unless you have the consent of a party to the conversation unless such activity is otherwise illegal This scanner has been designed to prevent the reception of cellular telephone transmissions and the decoding of scrambled transmissions This is done to comply with the legal requirement that scanners be manufactured so they are not easy to modify to pick up these transmissions Do not open your scanner s case to make any modifications that could allow it to pick up transmissions that are illegal to monitor Modifying or tampering with your scanner s internal components or using it in a way other than as described in this manual could invalidate your warranty and void your FCC authorization to operate it In some areas mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit Check the laws in your area It is also illegal in many areas and a bad idea everywhere to interfere with the duties of public safety officials by traveling to the scene of an incident without authorization Uniden and Bearcat are registered trademarks of Uniden America Corporation TrunkTracker is a proprietary trademark of Uniden America Corporation Other trademarks used throughout this manual are the property of their respective holders Introduction The 2960 25 Digital Trunking Scanner connects you to the exciting world of scanning Capable of scanning conventional freguen
60. led by the owners manual for this product STATEMENT OF REMEDY In the event that the product does not conform to this warranty at any time while this warranty is in effect warrantor will either at its option repair or replace the defective unit and return it to you without charge for parts service or any other cost except shipping and handling incurred by warrantor or its representatives in connection with the performance of this warranty Warrantor at its option may replace the unit with a new or refurbished unit THE LIMITED WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE IS THE SOLE AND ENTIRE WARRANTY PERTAINING TO THE PRODUCT AND IS IN LIEU OF AND EXCLUDES ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER WHETHER EXPRESS IMPLIED OR ARISING BY OPERATION OF LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER OR PROVIDE FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OR PAYMENT OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES Some states do not allow this exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you LEGAL REMEDIES This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state This warranty is void outside the United States of America PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING PERFORMANCE OF WARRANTY If after following the instructions in the owners manual you are certain that the product is
61. ll channels are used the scanner defaults to the last used channel prior to entering the search mode 29 Automatically Storing Frequencies During searching you can have the scanner automatically store active frequencies into a bank you choose gt 1 Press the numbers corresponding to the banks you the scanner to store found freguencies into 2 Press SEARCH to start the auto store operation 3 Press HOLD MAN to stop auto store The scanner exits the auto store mode Note To ensure that you catch most active freguencies for the band you should allow the auto store operation to continue through at least a few complete sweeps of the band Depending on the types of services some occasionally active freguencies might not have activity for minutes or hours at a time Setting Subaudible Tones for Searching You can set the scanner to only stop on transmissions that either have no subaudible tone or include a specified CTCSS or DCS tone during searches This setting affects all search ranges For this feature to work you need to turn on the Tone Mode see Setting Sguelch Mode Does not use subaudible tones Note If instead of pressing E to select a tone you press L O the scanner will stop on any transmission except for those with the selected tone Searching for Subaudible Tones see Setting Sguelch Mode the scanner will determine the correct tone for the received signal
62. n the 5 kHz step ranges Backlit Holographic Display provides for great visibility at any angle day or night Battery Save automatically reduces power requirements when you are holding on a single channel or frequency and there is no activity Rechargeable NiMH Battery Pack and Charger provides you with the most economical power options available Scanner Clone Mode lets you connect your scanner directly to another scanner to clone all channels and settings Using this Manual To get the most from this manual review the contents to become familiar with the basic functions available If you are new to scanning or trunktracking be sure to read the Understanding Scanning section for a quick background on the technology behind the hobby The first thing you ll need to do is plug the AC charger into the scanner See Setting Up Your Scanner if you need any help doing this Next you ll want to listen to see what you can hear with your scanner Install the antenna then press SERVICE and use the scroll bar to select TV Broadcast Assuming you are in an area with a strong enough TV broadcast your scanner should Soon stop on a station s audio program Listen to this or try searching another service for something more interesting while you review the rest of the manual Understanding Scanning This section provides you with the background on how scanning works You don t really need to know all of this
63. ncy you want to skip To restore a skipped frequency during search press HOLD MAN select the desired frequency using the scroll bar then press L O To restore all skipped frequencies press and hold L O for 2 seconds 33 Notes s You skip frequencies the Weather Service mode f you start Service Searching for a service that has all freguencies locked out you hear a beep and the scanner moves to the Hold mode Using Weather Search and Weather Alert SAME Your scanner allows you to either search for a local NOAA weather broadcast or be set to alert when a SAME weather alert is broadcast on a NOAA channel Searching for a Weather Broadcast To search for a weather broadcast in your area The scanner begins to search the frequencies used by the National Weather Service for these broadcasts When it finds a broadcast it stops on the channel until you select another option or reception of the signal stops Note NOAA broadcasts are continuous broadcasts You will only lose reception if you move out of a coverage area If the signal is lost the scanner resumes searching for a weather transmission Using Weather Alert SAME Important Your scanner has been primarily designed to be a radio scanner While it incorporates weather alert as one feature we strongly recommend that you not use the scanner as your sole means for receiving emergency alerts Your local electronics retailer carri
64. nuator gt Channel If you are near a very strong signal source the signal overload the scanner s RF front end causing poor audio quality or missed reception RF attenuation is on for the channel 42 Changing the Step Channel No The channel frequency step option controls the frequency step size used when you manually tune up or down from the frequency stored in the channel Your BC296D is preprogrammed with the most common steps sizes for each band so you seldom need to change this setting Use 12 5 kHz steps Use 25 kHz steps Use 50 kHz steps Use 100 kHz steps Automatically set the step size based on the band Setting the Modulation Mode Channel No Radio transmissions are modulated in several different ways The BC296D is able to demodulate the most common transmission types Your scanner has the most common modulation mode preset for each band so you seldom have to change this option However there are occasional services that use a modulation mode that is not standard for that band Amplitude Modulation Wideband FM 43 Narrowband Setting Priority Channels You can set one conventional channel in each bank as a priority channel When you turn on the Priority Scan option see Priority Scanning the scanner automatically checks these channels every 2 seconds to see if there is activity If t
65. o them if there is activity Priority Plus Scanning lets you scan only those channels you have selected as priority channels CTCSS and DCS Squelch Modes prevents interference from stations not using the mode you select search mode displays the CTCSS or DCS tone being used by the received station Preprogrammed Service Search makes it easy to find interesting frequencies used by public safety news media TV broadcast weather amateur radio FRS GMRS special low power railroad aircraft marine and racing services Data Skip automatically skips frequencies that have constant level transmission such as used on data channels for some systems paging systems and internally generated birdies Note Performance on digital systems can vary due to signal quality multipath interference and cellular interference Unlike analog trunking where you can hear the audio with some interference mixed in interference in a digital system completely blocks the signal If you do not get good digital reception try adjusting your location or your antenna until reception improves 4 SAME Weather Alert with FIPS lets you set your scanner to listen for a SAME event code from the local weather service sounds an alert and displays the text description for any alert received FIPS programming lets you restrict the alerts to one county Turbo Search searches for activity on frequencies at up to 300 steps per second i
66. oup to hold on when that group is not active while ID scanning or ID searching the system press HOLD MAN Then either enter the ID or if you have stored the ID scroll to the ID you want to hold on Locking Out Talkgroups Like conventional scanning you can lockout unwanted talkgroup traffic on trunking systems This is particularly important if you are ID Searching a trunking system as many systems share both voice traffic that you usually want to hear with some data traffic from water meter systems door alarms traffic signals and other data sources that you dont want to hear lockout a talkgroup press when the scanner stops that group Or if you have stored the talkgroup in an ID list select that ID and press L O To unlock a talkgroup stored in a scan list use the scroll bar to manually select that ID then press to unlock it To unlock an ID you locked out during ID search or ID scan z Select the Bank gt use the scroll to select the ID you to unlock and press L O Or press HOLD MAN then press for 2 seconds to clear all the lockouts from the system EDACS Blockout This is a powerful form of lockout that is only available for EDACS systems EDACS Blockout lets you lockout entire Agencies or Fleets not just individual talkgroups To use blockout while scanning an EDACS system press HOLD MAN then press L O for 2 seconds to clear all the lockouts
67. r 3 miles of your location 21 Using the Backlight To turn on the backlight press 2 The next two sections describe how to change the backlight options Dimmer Light Setting The Dimmer Light setting sets the brightness of the display backlight Dimmer Time Setting The Dimmer Time setting adjust how long the backlight stays on when activated Set the backlight to stay on for 15 seconds then turn off off Controlling How Much Information Appears The scanner normally displays trunk frequency receiving mode and a signal meter when it is scanning This option allows you to reduce how much information your scanner displays Display all information Display reduced information 22 Turning the Key Beep On Off When Key Tone is turned on the scanner beeps each time you press a key Turn on the key beep Turn off the key beep Locking the ENTER key To prevent accidentally changing channel settings you can lock the ENTER key The ENTER key is disabled The ENTER key operates normally Note The ENTER key operates normally when selecting menu options even when you set the option to ON Locking the Keypad To prevent accidental operation you can lock the keypad Simply press and hold 2 wo for 2 seconds If you press a key when the keypad is locked the scanner displays KEYPAD LOCK ON To unlock the keypad simply press and hold 29 mg for 2 seconds Note Wh
68. r for the search range When the scanner stops on a transmission it will then scan the subaudible tones to determine the correct setting When the scanner has found the correct tone it flashes the tone on the display If you store that frequency into a channel the tone is also stored 24 Trunk Options When you are scanning a trunked system there are several trunking only options available to you This section outlines these options Searching for Active Talkgroups ID Search you want to hear all activity on a system use the ID Search mode While scanning a trunking system press SEARCH while scanning that system or press and hold TRUNK until the scanner flashes i i The BC296D stops on every active talkgroup regardless of whether you have programmed it into your scanner Notes If you have not yet programmed ID s for the system this is the only mode available n the ID search mode the scanner displays the alpha tags associated with the stored talkgroups or NEW for talkgroups you have not stored Scanning Only Stored Talkgroups ID Scan To scan only those talkgroups you have stored into your scanner press SCAN while scanning that system or Pese and hold TRUNK until the scanner displays i E i When one of the talkgroups you have stored active scanner switches to that transmission displays the ID number and the alpha tag for that talk group Note Yo
69. rammed channel it stops on that channel and displays the channel information text tag channel number trunk mode Locking Unlocking Banks When you are scanning conventional banks the scanner displays the digit corresponding to all unlocked banks To lock out a bank so that the scanner does not scan its channels press the number that corresponds to the bank The scanner replaces that bank s number with a dash To unlock locked out banks simply press that bank s number again The scanner displays that bank s number and includes it when scanning Note You cannot lockout all banks One bank must be unlocked at all times Locking Unlocking Channels To lock out a channel so that the scanner does not stop on it while scanning press L O when the scanner is stopped on that channel or manually select the channel and press L O To unlock the channel manually select it and press L O again Note You cannot lockout all channels in a bank One channel must remain unlocked If you want to lock out an entire bank see the previous section Restoring All Locked Out Channels To simultaneously unlock all channels press HOLD MAN then press and hold L O for 2 seconds The scanner beeps twice and unlocks all channels 20 Priority Scanning When Priority Scan is turned on the scanner checks the conventional priority channels in the unlocked banks every 2 seconds or the priority ID s trunked systems every 4 seconds betw
70. rogramming Motorola Systems MOTOROLA Including Type Type II Hybrid SMART NET and Privacy Plus Motorola systems are widely used by public safety and business users Most are on the 800 MHz band and recent systems are appearing on other bands See Programming Motorola Systems EDACS Including Wideband 9600 baud and Narrowband 4800 baud systems Wideband systems are mostly on the 800 MHz band and are used by public safe ty utilities and business users Some systems are used on the VHF and UHF bands Narrowband systems are used in the 935 940 MHz band many by utilities See Programming EDACS Systems EDACS SCAT These systems are mainly used in the Midwestern United States and are one channel trunking sites using the EDACS format See Programming EDACS Systems LTR These systems are mostly for business users and found on the UHF 800 and 900 MHz bands See Programming LTR Systems When tracking these types of systems remember these important points e Your scanner defaults to monitor Motorola Type II systems however you can change this if the system in your area is different 45 e The freguencies for many the trunked public safety sys tems are listed in the TrunkTracker National Public Safety Trunked System Freguency Guide included with your BC296D scanner Freguencies sometimes change check with scanner uniden com for the latest information
71. sn t as hard as it seems Select a size code for a block and then press SCAN Now listen to the communications If you decide you are receiving most of the replies to the conversations with IDs assigned to the block you just programmed then you ve probably selected the right size code and can work on the next block of the map 73 Finally for most public safety systems there are some size codes which are more common SIZE CODE 3 and SIZE CODE 4 are probably the most common followed by SIZE CODE 10 SIZE CODE 11 and SIZE CODE 12 Fleet Map Size Codes Block Fleets Subfleets Reserves block for Type IDs Size Code Restrictions If you select SIZE CODE 12 13 or 14 there are some restrictions as to which blocks can be used for these codes e SIZE CODE 12 can only be assigned to Blocks 0 2 4 or 6 SIZE CODE 13 can only be assigned to Blocks 0 and 4 SIZE CODE 14 can only be assigned to Block 0 Since these SIZE CODES require multiple blocks you will be prompted for the next available block when programming a Fleet Map For example if you assign Block 0 as an SIZE CODE 12 you will be prompted for Block 2 the next block available instead of Block 1 And if you assign Block 0 as SIZE CODE 14 you would not see another prompt because all available blocks have been used 74 EVENT CODE
72. st squelch threshold refer to page 18 Setting the Squelch Check the antenna connection Check to see if many of the channels are Locked Out If so the scanner has less chance of finding an active channel Review each channels frequency to see if it is still stored in Memory and is correct Its possible that none of the programmed frequencies are currently active Scan won t start Press the SCAN key again Adjust squelch threshold refer to page 18 Setting the Squelch Check to see if all channels are Locked Out Weather Scan won t work Adjust squelch threshold refer to page 18 Setting the Squelch Check the antenna If you experience difficulty while TrunkTracker mode try the following steps Problem Suggestion Scanner won t track Missing the Data Frequency 2 Change to a Type 1 Scanner setup Review Appendix on page 71 Scanner won t stop 1 No IDs have been programmed during Scan List mode 2 The IDs you have stored not active Scanner will not acquire 1 Adjust the squelch for Trunking mode data channel See page 18 2 Missing the frequency used for the data channel Check your frequency list Missing replies 1 Change to a Type 1 scanner setup to conversations Review Appendix on page 71 2 Try another Preset Fleet Map or Program your own Fleet Map 3 Check to see that all of the systems
73. t Warning NUW 0 NUCLEAR PLANT Tropical Storm Warning TRW 0 TROPICAL STORM Tropical Storm Watch TRA 0 TROPICAL STORM Dust Storm Watch DSA 0 DUST STORM Earthguake Watch EQA 0 EATHQUAKE Missing Child Statement MIS 0 MISSING CHILD Nuclear Power Plant Test Messag NPM 0 NUCLEAR Nuclear Power Plant Warning NPW 0 NUCLEAR PLANT Nuclear Power Plant Warning NPP 0 NUCLEAR PLANT School Closing Statement SCS 0 SCHOOL CLOSING Dam Break Warning DBW 0 DAM BREAK Note Demo alerts are displayed but no audible alert is generated REVERSE LIST Range Offset Range Offset 29 520 29 580 0 1 MHz 445 000 449 9875 5 MHz 29 620 29 680 0 1 MHz 450 000 454 9875 45 MHz 52 010 52 990 1 MHz 455 000 459 9875 5 MHz 53 010 53 990 1 MHz 460 000 464 9875 45 MHz 143 750 44 375 MHz 465 000 469 9875 5 MHz 143 900 4 25 MHz 470 000 472 9875 3 MHz 144 510 144 890 0 6 MHz 473 000 475 9875 3 MHz 145 110 145 490 0 6 MHz 476 000 478 9875 3 MHz 146 010 146 385 0 6 MHz 479 000 481 9875 3 MHz 146 415 146 505 1 MHz 482 000 484 9875 3 MHz 146 595 1 MHz 485 000 487 9875 3 MHz 146 610 146 985 0 6 MHz 488 000 490 9875 3 MHz 147 000 147 390 0 6 MHz 491 000 493 9875 3 MHz 147 415 147 505 1 MHz 494 000 496 9875 3 MHz 147 595 1 MHz 497 000 499 9875 3 MHz 147 600 147 990 0 6 MHz 500 000 502 9875 3 MHz 148 125 4 375 MHz 503 000 505 9875 3 MHz 148 150 4 25 MHz 506 000 508 9875 3 MHz 222 120 223 380
74. te the control data so that all you hear is the voice transmissions when you monitor this type of system Trunking LTR Logic Trunked Radio systems trunking systems used primarily by business or private communications service providers such as taxicabs delivery trucks and repair services These systems encode all control information as digital subaudible data that accompanies each transmission so there is no separate control channel Users on an LTR system are assigned to specific talkgroups which are identified by the radio as six digit numbers These numbers are in the form AHHUUU where A Area code 0 or 1 H Home repeater 01 through 20 U User ID 000 through 254 When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the LTR mode it first decodes the LTR data included with the transmission In the ID Search mode the scanner stops on the transmission and displays the talkgroup ID on the display In the ID Scan mode the scanner only stops on the transmission if the LTR data matches a talkgroup ID that you have stored in the bank s talkgroup ID list and have not locked out LTR systems are frequently programmed so that each radio has a unique User ID LTR systems also need to be programmed into your scanner in channel order Since many LTR systems use only odd numbered channel slots you would program these systems using only the corresponding odd numbered channels in a bank for example you
75. tems Select the range gt This option lets you search for a Motorola trunking control channel within the selected range To activate this function select 1 then select an appropriate trunk plan Most areas use Plan 1 so this setting should work in most cases Note This feature only works for 800 MHz and 900 MHz Motorola trunking systems If the scanner detects a trunking control channel it will begin to track that system The scanner displays the talk group numbers as they become active 32 Service Search The Service Search feature lets you scroll through the following twelve preprogrammed services The freguencies selected for these services are the most used around the U S Note Special Freguencies are low power itinerant splinters and other freguencies which are commonly used at special events and other locations and may or may not be licensed To access this feature 1 Press SERVICE OR Use the menu to select i 2 Select a preprogrammed service to search by selecting from the Service Search menu Note Except for Weather when you press E to select a service searching begins immediately For weather search options see Using Weather Search and Weather Alert Service Search Skip You can set the scanner to skip up to 100 unwanted frequencies during Service Search To skip over a frequency press L O when the scanner has stopped at a freque
76. terface cable port This allows you to either control and program your scanner using a PC and the supplied software and cable or clone the memory from one BC296D into another BC296D gender changer coupler reguired not supplied PC Control Mode Uniden Digital Ready To connect the Scanner to a PC plug the scanner end of the supplied RS232C cable into the remote port which is on the side of the scanner Plug the other end of the cable into your PC s serial port Start the remote mode and set the scanner s communications speed gt E To use PC control set the scanner to any setting other than off You will usually want to set the speed to its highest setting If you seem to be having communications problems between the scanner and PC set this setting to a lower value Cloning Scanner Settings You will need to purchase an RS232C null modem adapter gender changer to connect your scanners together These items are available at your local electronics stores To connect the Scanners together plug the scanner ends of the cables into the scanners then connect the PC ends of the cables to the null modem adapter gender changer Clone all of the programming of one BC296D into another by selecting 61 gt both scanners Then on the scanner that has the data you want to transfer select MASTER and press E On the scanner that you want to tr
77. that affects either a specific bank or channel first select a channel within the bank or the channel that you want to modify To check the settings for a channel press and hold MENU BACK for 2 seconds In this manual we represent navigation through the menu with the following notation iio For example to access the DIMMER LIGHT option the notation is To access this option press MENU BACK then scroll to each menu option and press E Or press MENU BACK 3 1 1 e Some menu items are not numbered To access these options you must manually navigate to the selection using the scroll bar Manually Selecting a Channel To manually select a channel press HOLD MAN the channel number then HOLD MAN again The scanner displays the information stored in that channel Notes If the channel contains trunked system information frequency data is not displayed 19 f you are trunk scanning you need to first press TRUNK to exit the trunking mode Scanning Programmed Channels Before you can scan you must first program channels See the appropriate programming section for complete instructions To begin scanning simply turn on your scanner or if the scanner is not currently scanning press SCAN The scanner checks each system you have programmed that is not locked out and stops if there is activity scrolls across the display right to left When the scanner receives a signal on a prog
78. the amount of information that appears on the display Alpha tags that you have set for a channel along with a few function icons will appear only on the display This mode is particularly useful in public safety vehicles where that are already overloaded with information Screen Mask does not work in Search mode Status Bit This term refers to Motorola Type II systems There is a method by which special types of communications utilize unique talk group numbers For example if all emergency calls are set to occur on a specific talk group number then you will not miss the transmission even if you have not programmed all the talk group numbers With the Status Bit on and you have programmed the unique number then you don t have to 69 worry what the rest of the groups numbers are The topic interest will be picked up Talkgroup A group of users within a trunked system that communicates with one another 70 Appendix Preset Fleet Maps Preset Map 1 Block _ Size Code Preset Map 2 Block SizeCode SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 Oo OIN jo Preset Map 3 Block Size Code SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 12 Nolda 5 Block Size Cod
79. the frequencies for the system Then see Programming Talkgroups Toggling the Status Bit Motorola talkgroup ID s are sent as a 16 bit binary number Normally the last 4 positions in the number are 0 s which result in all talkgroups being equally divisible by 16 These last four bits however can be used by the trunking system to indicate various status conditions For example an emergency status could be indicated by setting the second from last digit to 1 Talkgroup 33264 then would be sent on the system as 33266 when the radio triggered its emergency status By default the BC296D ignores the last four digits of every talkgroup effectively rounding them down to the nearest multiple of 16 regardless of the status bits Select the bank Talkgroups are rounded down to the next multiple of 16 Talkgroups are not rounded down so you can determine the value of the status bits 52 Toggling End Code Detect At the end of each transmission a digital burst is sent so that radios on the system will quickly switch back to the control channel Your scanner also listens for this code Select the bank The scanner detects the end code and immediately switches back to the control channel The scanner waits for the carrier to drop before switching back to the control channel 53 Programming EDACS systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for EDACS Wide EDA
80. to the scanner using a headphone or earphone when you are testing weather alert The volume control is disabled in this mode and the loud alert sound could damage your hearing 36 Programming Bank Information In addition to channel and trunking system information you program into each bank covered in the following sections this section covers general bank information Bank Configuration Each of your scanner s banks holds 100 channels that can be a mix of conventional non trunked channels and one trunking system Bank 1 holds Channels 001 100 Bank 2 holds Channels 101 200 and so on through Bank 0 which holds Channels 901 1000 Additionally each bank that includes a trunking system can also hold up to 100 Talkgroup ID s for that system Assigning Bank Names To give a bank a name that the scanner displays when it stops on a channel in that bank DOE 1 Use the scroll bar to select the bank you want to tag then press E 2 Use the scroll bar to select the letter then press RSM to move the entry position one space to the right or press HOLD MAN to move the entry position one space to the left 3 When you have entered the tag press E to save the tag and return to Step 1 37 General Programming This section includes procedures that apply regardless of whether you are programming conventional or trunked channels Deleting Frequencies from Channels To delete a stored frequency manually s
81. ts end in 000 125 250 375 500 625 750 or 875 Use if the last three digits of all the frequencies in the system end in 000 250 500 or 750 Use if the highest frequency in the system is below 866 MHz and if the last three digits end in 000 125 250 375 500 625 750 or 875 Select to turn off control channel programming for this bank Note Many systems alternate control channels To erly track the system you need to program all alter nate control channels If you do not know all of the frequencies for a sys tem but know at least one control channel start by selecting Plan 1 the most common type If you notice that you seem to be missing transmissions and replies try each of the other plans until you find the one that works best 49 Programming 2 Digital 800 and 900 MHz Systems To program a Type 2 Digital 800 or 900 MHz system you need to know the frequencies that the system uses 1 Select the trunk programming mode 3 io 2 Use the scroll bar to select the bank you want to program then press E 3 Select one of the following trunk types for Motorola Type 2 or digital Systems Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the 800 MHz band Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the 900 MHz band the channel to store the information into Use the scroll bar to select a channel within the bank to store a system frequency then press E 5
82. u must store at least two talkgroup IDS in the system for ID scanning to work Monitoring Talkgroup ID s To see all of the ID s that are active on the system while monitoring a trunked system press TRUNK The scanner stops trunking the system and instead holds on the system s control channel You hear the control data and the scanner displays every talkgroup ID as it becomes active in the system To resume trunktracking press TRUNK again Selecting Talkgroup Lists to Scan When the scanner is in the ID Scan mode you can select which ID lists you want the BC296D to scan First if you are scanning a Motorola or EDACS system ensure that you are in the Scan List mode Press REVERSE until the scanner displays List at the left side of line 3 in the display when it has not stopped on a talkgroup or on the left side of line 4 if it has stopped on a talkgroup Then press the number corresponding to the ID list you want to turn on or off 25 Holding Single Talkgroup To hold on an active talkgroup when scanning or searching press HOLD MAN The BC296D stops scanning and holds on the current trunking system It only receives transmissions on the talkgroup that was active when you pressed HOLD MAN To select a talkgroup to hold on when that talkgroup is not active you must first program that talkgroup into an ID list Then while scanning that system use the scroll bar to select the talkgroup ID to hold on To select a talkgr
83. uency then press E 6 Stor e channel information Enter the frequency for the channel then enter an Alpha Tag for the channel Repeat Steps 5 and 6 to store the rest of the frequencies for the system Then see Programming Talkgroups Programming Type and Ili Hybrid Systems To program a Type or Ili Hybrid system you need to know the systems fleet map in addition to the frequency information for the system Fleet map information is usually provided with the frequencies for the system 1 Select the trunk programming mode d gt 2 Use the scroll select the bank you want to program then press E 51 3 Select the following trunk type for Motorola Systems Motorola Type and Hybrid Systems 4 Enter the fleet map information Your scanner has the most common fleet maps preprogrammed Refer to Appendix B for a complete list of these fleet maps Use the scroll bar to select the preprogrammed fleetmap 1 16 or if the fleet map does not match a preprogrammed set select USER CUSTOM Then use the scroll bar to select the size code for each block 5 Select the channel to store the information into Use the scroll bar to select a channel within the bank to store a system frequency then press E 6 Stor e channel information Enter the frequency for the channel then enter an Alpha Tag for the channel Repeat Steps 5 and 6 to store the rest of
84. ur BC296D includes powerful search features that let you discover new active frequencies in your area You can save up to 10 custom search ranges in your scanner This section details how to use custom search ranges and also details the various settings that affect search operation To start a search first program one or more search ranges see Setting a Search Range Then press SEARCH The scanner begins searching within the selected search range To change to a different search range press the number button associated with that range By default your scanner only searches one range at a time To search multiple ranges turn on Chain Search see Setting Chain Search When you turn on Chain Search each time you press a number button the associated range is turned on or off Note that you must have at least one range turned on at all times Holding on an Active Frequency To hold on the current frequency press HOLD MAN To resume searching press RSM Setting Chain Search The scanner allows you to search multiple ranges simultaneously The scanner searches only one range at a time Setting Data Skip The scanner normally stops on any frequency with activity and remains there until either the activity stops or you press RSM or use the scroll bar to resume scanning However some signals are identifiable by the scanner as data signals and you can set the scanner to automatically skip these channels 28
85. w users are ever transmitting at any one time Instead of being assigned a freguency as with conventional systems each group is assigned a Talkgroup ID A central computer controls the freguency each group operates on and this freguency selection is made each time a user transmits So while on a conventional system gueries replies and follow ups are all on a single freguency they could each be on completely different freguencies on a trunked system This semi random freguency assignment made monitoring such a system impossible prior to Uniden s invention of the Trunktracking scanner Motorola Trunking While there are 4 different types of Motorola trunking systems they all use the same basic trunking method The system consists of one control channel plus one or more voice channels typically 10 20 or 30 total channels When a user presses Push To Talk PTT to transmit their radio first sends their talkgroup information to the control channel The computer then assigns that talkgroup to a specific voice channel and transmits that data over the control channel All radios in that talkgroup switch over to the assigned voice channel and the user can begin speaking This all typically takes place in about a second the person transmitting hears a beep from their radio when the channel is assigned and it is OK to start talking four systems use are Motorola the radios send the radio ID the fleet and
86. would program a system with channels at 1 3 5 and 9 into Trunk 2 channels 101 103 105 and 109 Understanding Banks and Channels The memory in your scanner is organized into 10 banks of 100 channels each Each bank can contain conventional channels as well as 1 trunking system For each trunking system each bank can also store 10 groups of 10 talkgroup ID s 100 per bank 10 Getting More Information By itself this manual really only provides part of what you need to know to have fun scanning how to program and use the scanner The two supplied Conventional and Trunking freguency guides will give you a good head start on the other part of what you need to know what freguencies have interesting content You can also find a wealth of information on the Internet check out scanners uniden com for the latest freguency information in your area In addition you can contact the following source of freguency information e Scanner Master 800 722 6701 Hours are from 10 00 a m to 5 00 p m Eastern Time Monday through Friday To purchase another copy of the conventional or trunking freguency guide contact one of the following e Uniden Parts Department 800 554 3988 Hours are from 8 00 a m to 5 00 p m Central Time Monday through Friday e Your Local Dealer 11 A Quick Look at Your Scanner Uniden BC296D TRUNKTRACKER IV iR
87. ystem where the radio receivers are equipped with data burst responsive devices which allow audio signals to appear at the audio output select voice processing such as scrambling or control repeater functions only when a carrier modulated 67 with specific data burst received This method may be used to restrict access to the repeater or receiver or reduce interference where several stations with output freguencies in close proximity of each other make it difficult to hear the conversation you are interested With DCS squelching you can eliminate the possibility of hearing unwanted conversations by selecting one of the 104 standard data burst subaudible tones You will only hear those transmissions that have been programmed on specific freguencies with the specific subaudible tone that you have selected Enter Lock This is the term used for locking the keypad This prevents accidental re programming of channels and talkgroups entered into memory The default setting is OFF When ENTER LOCK enabled the following functions will be disabled Enter or modify the Memory Channel freguency e Enter or modify the Tone information e Enter or modify the Trunking ID this can be modified through the menu screen FIPS Codes For the purpose of broadcasting weather information the NWS National Weather Service has divided the United States into regions by state and county or parish where applicable then assigned a 6

Uniden BC296D Scanner User Manual

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