Uniden Bc246t Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

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Searching and Storing
• If the service you select uses channels (such as CB 
radio or marine), the scanner displays the service 
channel number.
Quick Search
Quick Search lets you search from the currently-tuned 
frequency if you are scanning a conventional system or 
sets the system to ID search if you are scanning a 
trunked system.
If you are on a conventional system or channel, press 
 and Scan/Srch to start quick search.  QUICK Search 
YES = E / NO = ”.” appears. Qck Search Hold appears if 
you press Hold. Press E to start quick search or No to go 
to the search menu.
CTCSS/DCS Search
CTCSS/DCS Search lets you search for CTCSS or DCS 
tones when it finds an active frequency in search and 
Close Call modes. You can identify up to 50 CTCSS 
tones and 104 DCS codes.
Turning this option on lets the scanner search for CTCSS/
DCS tones. If the scanner detects the tone, it displays the 
tone’s frequency and DCS code.
1. Press  then turn the scroll control until 
SRCH/CLOCALL OPT appears. Then press E. 
One of the search feature options appear.
2. Turn the scroll control until CTCSS/DCS SEARCH  
appears, then press E to select it.
3. Turn the scroll control until ON appears to turn on 
CTCSS/DCS search or until OFF appears to turn it off, 
then press E.
Custom Search
Custom Search lets you program and search 10 custom 
search ranges. You can search any of these ranges 
simultaneously and select each custom search range you 
set. During custom search, the scanner searches starting 
Func
Menu
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Searching and Storing
with the lowest frequency in the search range you select 
to the highest frequency in the range.
Notes: 
• Search ranges are preset. See “Editing a Custom 
Search Range” on Page 82 to change the range.
• You cannot turn off all custom search ranges.
1. Press  then turn the scroll control until Search 
For ... appears. Then press E. Or, press   + 
Scan/Srch, then select No. One of the search feature 
options appear.
2. Turn the scroll control until CUSTOM Search appears, 
then press E to select it. The scanner starts custom 
search of the custom search range you selected, 
stopping on any transmission it finds and displaying 
the frequency. Turn the scroll control to change the 
search direction. An arrow appears, showing the 
current search direction.
To turn search ranges on or off, press 0 and 1-9. 
To hold searching, press Hold. To resume searching, 
press  then press Scan/Srch or Hold again. 
To lock out a frequency found while searching, press 
L/O. Search Lockout? appears. Press E to lock out 
the frequency or No to continue monitoring.
If you turn off the active custom search range, the 
scanner skips to the next custom search range and 
continues searching.
Note: If all frequencies in all active custom search 
ranges are locked out, All Locked! appears and the 
scanner does not stop.
Editing a Custom Search Range
You can edit up to 10 custom search ranges. The names 
of the custom search ranges appear on the display. The 
default custom search range names appear as CUSTOM 1, 
CUSTOM 2, and so on.
Menu
Func
Func
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Searching and Storing
1. Press  then turn the scroll control until 
Search For ... appears. Then press E. Or press   
and Srch, then No. One of the search feature options 
appear.
2. Turn the scroll control until EDIT CUSTOM appears, 
then press E to select it.
3. Turn the scroll control until the name of the custom 
search range you want to edit appears, then press E 
to select it. The following options appear as you turn 
the scroll control.
EDIT NAME - lets you edit the custom search range’s 
name
EDIT SRCH LIMIT - lets you view and select the 
frequency ranges to search. The scanner prompts 
you to enter the upper and lower search limits.
SET DELAY TIME - lets you set the amount of time the 
scanner will delay before continuing to search after a 
transmission ends
SET MODULATION - lets you set the custom search 
range’s modulation type
SET ATTENUATOR - lets you set whether the scanner 
will attenuate reception by 18dB during search
SET DATA SKIP - lets you set whether the scanner will 
skip data transmissions during search
SET STEP - lets you set the custom search range’s 
step (the gap between frequencies)
4. Select the option you want to change for the custom 
search range you selected, then press E.
Auto Search and Store
Your scanner’s Auto Store feature lets you search for new 
frequencies in custom search ranges or within a service 
search range on a conventional system, or new talk group 
ID’s on a trunked system.
Menu
Func
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Searching and Storing
Selecting a System
To store frequencies or talk group ID’s you find during 
Auto Store, you must first select a system where the 
frequencies or talk group ID’s will be stored.
1. Press  then turn the scroll control until Search 
For ... appears. Then press E. One of the search 
feature options appear.
2. Turn the scroll control until Search and Store 
appears, then press E to select it. 
3. Turn the scroll control until the system where you 
want to store the frequencies or talk group ID’s 
appears, then press E to select it. 
If no systems are programmed, or all systems are 
locked out, No System Stored appears. 
Storing a Conventional System
You can store frequencies into the system you selected in 
“Selecting a System”. Otherwise, the scanner stores 
frequencies in a new group it creates.
1. Follow Steps 1-3 under “Selecting a System”. 
A search option appears.
2. Turn the scroll control until the type of search you 
want appears, then press E to select it. A search 
band appears.
If all systems are locked out, All Locked! appears and 
the scanner does not store any frequencies.
When you select a search range, the scanner looks for 
active frequencies within that range and Search and 
Store appears on the display’s lower line and the system 
name and search range name appear on the display’s 
upper line. When the scanner finds an active 
transmission, it checks to see if the frequency has already 
been stored in the system. If the frequency has already 
been stored, the scanner continues to search. If the 
frequency has not been stored, it stores the frequency 
into a group named FOUND CHANNELS, then resumes 
Menu
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Searching and Storing
searching. The scanner creates this group if it does not 
already exist.
Storing a Trunked System
You can store talk group ID’s into the system you selected 
in “Selecting a System”. Otherwise, the scanner stores 
talk group ID’s in a new group it creates.
Note: Trunked system search and store does not work if 
an EDACS SCAT system is selected, a system with no 
frequency is selected, the selected system is locked out 
or the quick key for system to which the system belongs 
is turned off, and the group you selected to store found 
talk group ID’s contains more talk group ID’s than the 
maximum set in Max Auto Store.
1. Follow Steps 1-3 under “Selecting a System”. A 
search option appears.
2. Turn the scroll control until the type of search you 
want appears, then press E to select it. A search 
band appears.
If all systems are locked out, All Locked! appears and 
the scanner does not store any frequencies.
When you select a search range, the scanner looks for 
active talk group ID’s within that range and ID Search and 
Store appears on the display’s lower line and the system 
name and search range name appear on the display’s 
upper line. When the scanner finds an active talk group 
ID, it checks to see if the talk group ID has already been 
stored in the system. If the talk group ID has already been 
stored, the scanner continues to search. If the talk group 
ID has not been stored, it stores the talk group ID into a 
group named FOUND CHANNELS, then resumes searching. 
The scanner creates this group if it does not already exist.
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Using the Close Call Feature
Using the Close Call FeatureYour scanners Close CallTM feature lets you set the 
scanner so it detects, displays the frequency of, and lets 
you hear a nearby strong radio transmission. You can set 
the scanner so the Close Call feature works in the 
background while you are scanning other frequencies, 
turn off normal scanning while the Close Call feature is 
working, or turn off the Close Call feature and use the 
scanner normally. You can set the scanner so it alerts you 
when the Close Call feature finds a frequency. You can 
also set the frequency band where you want the scanner 
to look for transmissions.
To turn Close Call detection on or off, press   then 
. When the feature is on,   appears on the display 
and normal operation is briefly interrupted about every 2 
seconds.
Notes: 
• The Close Call feature works well for locating the 
source of strong local transmissions such as mobile 
and handheld two-way radios in areas with no other 
strong transmission sources. Several factors affect 
Close Call performance, however. Performance is 
increased with higher transmit power, receive 
antenna tuned to the target band, and a low 
background RF level. Other than the antenna, you 
have no control over these factors, but they explain 
why performance might vary by both location and time.
• The Close Call feature cannot detect satellite dishes 
or any transmitter with a frequency above or below 
the frequency ranges listed under “Setting Close Call 
Options” on Page 87.
• The Close Call feature works better with some types 
of transmissions than others. It might not correctly 
display frequency information for transmitters using a 
highly directional antenna (such as an amateur radio 
beam antenna) or if there are many transmitters 
operating at the same time in the same area.
Func
Using the Close Call Feature
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Using the Close Call Feature
Setting Close Call Options
1. Press  then turn the scroll control until Close Call 
appears. Then press E. Close Call feature options appear.
2. Turn the scroll control to select an option.
•Close Call Only: Lets you set the scanner only for 
Close Call searching. The scanner does not scan 
frequencies or channels when this option is turned on.
To select this option, press E.
•Set CC Bands: Lets you select the Close Call band 
settings. You can turn the following bands on or off.
VHF Low (25.0000 - 54.0000 MHz) 
Air Band (108.0000 - 136.9750 MHz)
VHF High (137.0000 - 224.9950 MHz)
UHF (400.0000 - 512.0000 MHz)
800MHz+ (806.0000 - 956.0000 MHz)
Use the scroll control to select a band, press E, 
then use the scroll control to select On or Off and 
press E. Turning off undesired bands speeds up 
Close Call operation. (The Close Call feature does 
not work for frequencies greater than 956 MHz.)
•Set CC Alert: Lets you select how the scanner 
alerts you when it receives a Close Call signal. 
You can select any of the following options.
Beep+Light (the scanner beeps and the backlight 
turns on when it receives a Close Call signal) 
Light (the backlight turns on when it receives a 
Close Call signal)
Beep (the scanner beeps when it receives a Close 
Call signal)
None (the scanner does not alert)
Turn the scroll control to display an option, then 
press E.
•Set CC Override: Lets you select how the Close 
Call feature works with other scanning activities. 
If you turn this option off, when the scanner detects 
a Close Call signal, CC Found! and E to Listen Menu
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Using the Close Call Feature
appear for about 3 seconds. Press E when this 
appears to jump to and hold on the frequency.
If this option is turned on, the scanner overrides 
the current channel and goes to the Close Call hit. 
The scanner displays CC Found! Press Any Key. 
When you press a key, the frequency is displayed.
Turn the scroll control to display an option, then 
press E.
•Set CC Mode: Lets you select the Close Call mode. 
If you turn this option on, the scanner sets itself to 
its Close Call settings about once every 2 seconds.
Turn the scroll control to display an option, then 
press E.
You can also toggle this setting by pressing   
then 
•CC AutoStore: Lets you select whether the 
scanner automatically stores Close Call hits into 
channels. If you turn this option on, the scanner 
starts Close Call mode and stores any Close Call 
hits, up to the maximum you specified in the Max 
Auto Store setting. If the scanner stores more hits 
this setting, it stops Autostore operation. 
Turn the scroll control to display an option, then 
press E.
Close Call Hits
When the scanner detects a Close Call hit, it alerts you 
according to the Override and Alert settings in the previous 
section. While listening to a Close Call hit, you can press 
Hold to hold on the hit frequency, press E to quickly save 
the frequency into memory, press L/O to lock out the 
frequency from Close Call and Search operation, or wait 
for the transmission to end. If you are in Close Call Only 
or Close Call Override mode, and you do not press any 
key, the scanner returns to its previous operation after the 
transmission ends and the set delay time expires.
If you are holding on the frequency, press Hold again to 
resume the previous operation.
Func
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Search and Close Call Options
Search and Close Call OptionsThe settings in this section affect custom searches, 
service searches, and Close Call operation.
Managing Locked-Out Frequencies
While searching or during Close Call operation, if you 
press L/O while the scanner is stopped on a frequency, 
that frequency is locked out of these modes. You can lock 
out up to 200 frequencies.
Note: Locking out a frequency does not lock out a 
channel that contains that frequency.
Unlocking All Frequencies
 J 4 Srch/CloCall Opt J E 4 
Freq Lockouts J E  J Unlock All J E 
The scanner prompts you to confirm deletion. To confirm 
and delete all locked-out frequencies, press E. Otherwise, 
to cancel, press No.
Reviewing Locked Out Frequencies
 J 4 Srch/CloCall Opt J E 4 
Freq Lockouts J E  J Rvw Search L/O J E 
The scanner displays the first locked-out frequency and 
prompts you to unlock the frequency. Press E to unlock 
the frequency. Or, rotate the scroll control or press No to 
select a different frequency. To exit the review, press 
.
Searching for Subaudible Tones
 J 4  Srch/CloCall Opt J E 4 
CTCSS/DCS Search J E 
This setting controls whether the scanner will search for a 
subaudible tone when it stops on a transmission during 
search or Close Call operation.
Off  The scanner does not search for subaudible tones.
On  The scanner searches for and displays any 
subaudible tone found.
Menu
Menu
Menu
MENU
Search and Close Call Options
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Search and Close Call Options
Note: This feature does not operate when the scanner is 
in AM modulation mode.
Screening Out Paging Systems
 J 4  Srch/CloCall Opt J E 4 
Pager Screen J E 
This setting determines whether the scanner 
automatically ignores transmissions found during 
searching or Close Call operation that are on common 
paging system frequencies.
On   The scanner skips known paging system frequencies.
Off The scanner stops on any detected transmission, 
including paging systems.
Notes:
• The default setting for this feature is On.
• The frequencies include paging systems and also the 
NOAA weather frequencies.
• Even with the feature on, you might hear some 
paging systems. Some frequencies are shared 
between business radio systems and paging 
systems. If the scanner stops on a paging system 
even with this feature turned on, manually lock it out by 
pressing L/O.
Finding Repeater Output Frequencies
 J 4  Srch/CloCall Opt J E 4 
Repeater Find J E 
This feature sets whether the scanner tries to tune to a 
repeater output frequency during Close Call operation 
when it detects a transmission on a repeater input 
frequency. Since you can normally only hear one side of a 
conversation when you listen to an input frequency 
transmission, turning this feature on can let you hear both 
sides of the conversation.
Menu
Menu
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