Uniden Bc250d Widenband Scanner Owners Manual

							Note:•To clear a mistake while entering the frequency,
press  (decimal key) repeatedly until the 
display is cleared.
•If you enter a channel or 
frequency which is out of the
scanner’s range, a beep will
sound and ERRORappears 
on the display.
•For each channel, you can also
change the step size or the
mode. (See page 103.)
Deleting a Stored Frequency
To delete a stored frequency:
a. Select a channel.
b. Press 0.
c. Then press E.
Note: Channels with no frequencies are
automatically locked out.
Editing a Stored Frequency
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 1:CONVENTIONALby
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the channel number you want to edit by rotating the
VFOand pressing E.
4. Select 1:FREQUENCYby rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
5. Edit the frequency by using  (decimal key) and the
keypad and pressing E.
Duplicate Frequency Alert
If you enter a frequency which has been
stored in another channel, you will hear 
a beep and the channel stored displays
WARNING.
Press  (decimal key) to clear and start again.
––– OR –––
Press Eagain to store the frequency in both channels.
.
.
.
27
          C 010
 512.0000 NFM
ERROR
OUT OF CHANNEL 
          C 010
 512.0000 NFM
ERROR
OUT OF BAND 
          C1000
0000.0000
          C 010
 512.0000 NFM
WARNING
DUPLICATE    017 
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 27 
						

							Transfer Frequencies
You can transfer a frequency that has been stored in a
channel to another channel.
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
2. Press TRANSFR, and the smallest empty channel number
along with the frequency will flash on the display. 
3. Press Eand the frequency can be stored in this channel.
4. If you want to enter it into another channel, select another
channel by rotating the VFOand pressing E.
Note: When the frequency is transferred, channel data along
with the frequency is also transferred. For trunked
frequency, data related to trunking, such as Trunk
Type or Fleet Map will not be transferred. You will
need to input the data manually.
Storing Text Tags
You can customize your scanner by storing text tags for easy
identification of banks, channel transmissions, trunking
talkgroup IDs, etc. The text tags can be set at the Menu
mode. (Refer to “Understanding the Menu System” on page
16.)
For programming text tags for trunked talk group ID’s, please
refer to page 53.
Assigning a Bank Tag to a Bank
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. Select 3:SYSTEM  OPTION / 9:BANK  TAGby
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating
the VFO and pressing E.
4. The cursor appears on the display.
Scroll the VFOto change the letters,
and then press HOLD/MANor RSM
to move right or left. Both capital and
lower case letters are available, as
well as numbers and punctuation
marks.
5. After entering the desired text, press E.
Assigning a Text Tag to a Channel
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 1:CONVENTIONALby
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
28
BANK TAG 1
Uniden Group 
BANK TAG 1
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 28 
						

							29
3. Select the channel number by rotating the VFOand
pressing E. You can also enter the channel number by
using the keypad and then press E.
4. Select 1:FREQUENCYand
ALPHA  TAGby rotating the VFO
and pressing E.
Note:You can only assign a text tag to
the channel where the frequency is stored.
5. The cursor appears on the display. Rotate the VFOto
change letters, and press HOLD/MANor RSMto move
right or left. Both capital and lower case letters are
available, as well as numbers and punctuation marks.
6. After entering the desired text, press E.
Remember! To clear a mistake while entering the letters,
press HOLD/MAN, RSMor  (decimal key) repeatedly
until the display is cleared.
Beep Alert
The scanner can alert you with three beeps at the beginning
of a transmission on an assigned frequency.
Assigning the Beep Alert to a Channel
This alert can be set ON/OFF for every channel in
Conventional mode.
In conventional mode -
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 1:CONVENTIONALby
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the channel number by rotating the VFOand then
pressing E. (You can also enter the channel number by
using the keypad and then press E.)
4. Select 4:BEEP  ALERTby rotating the VFOand
pressing E.
5. Select 1:ONor 2:OFFby rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
Note: If NOT  REGISTEREDappears, make sure a
frequency is stored in the channel.
Programming Tips
•Do not program a weather frequency into one of the
channels, since weather channels transmit continuously. 
Use the Weather Search feature to select the weather
information band.
.
         C 001
 855.0000 NFM
ALPHA TAG
¡
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 29 
						

							•Group similar services into a bank. For example, program
police frequencies in channels 1 through 10 and
fire/emergency into channels 51 through 60, and so on.
•Put the frequency that you listen to the most or the most
important frequency into a Priority channel.
•To quickly program a series of channels, start with the
lowest number channel.
For example, when you are programming five new
frequencies into channels 4 through 8, start with channel
4. After you finish programming a channel, rotate the VFO
up to go to the next higher channel.
•Write down your programmed channels and frequencies
and put them in a convenient place in case of accidental
reprogramming.
•Frequencies are rounded off according to the step of each
channel.
•When you are overwriting a tagged channel with a new
frequency, the previous alpha tag will be deleted. You must
re-enter the alpha tag.
•When programming frequencies, a 2 second delay is set
automatically and can not be changed.
30
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 30 
						

							Scanning
1. After programming frequencies, 
simply press SCANto begin scanning.
During scanning, when you rotate the
VFO, you can select the direction 
(↑or ↓) you want to scan.
2. The bank indicators selected for scanning appear on the
display, and the bank being currently monitored flashes.
You can deselect banks from active scanning by entering
their number on your keypad. The indicator for each
deselected bank disappears, and the bank’s channels are
not scanned.
Note: One bank must always be active. You cannot
deactivate all ten banks at the same time. If you try to
deselect all the banks, the first bank is automatically
selected.
To restore a bank to active scanning, enter the bank’s
number on your keypad.
The bank’s indicator will display again.
3. During normal scanning the
scanner skips 
unprogrammed or locked
out channels.
4. When a transmission is
received, the scanner stops 
on that channel. When the
transmission ends, scanning
resumes automatically.
Another method is as follows:
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
2. While the VFOsetting is in the channel mode, rotate the
VFOuntil the desired channel is displayed.
Note:When in Hold mode, you can use the VFOto step up
or down through the channels. You can also switch
from stepping up/down through channels to stepping
up/down through frequencies by pressing the
HOLD/MANbutton for 2 seconds.
Storing Frequencies During Scanning
During Scanning
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
31
13459   10267    8CHANNELS
Frequency 
not entered Frequency
Locked Out
(L/O)
SCAN
          C 001
SCAN
Bank  1234567890
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 31 
						

							2. Press TRNSFR, and the smallest
empty channel number flashes on 
the display.
3. Press E.
Note:•If you want to change the
channel, rotate the VFO.
•If the frequency you want to store exists already,
WARNINGappears on the display and you will hear
a beep. (See “Duplicate Frequency Alert” on page
27).
RF Attenuation Feature
The BC250D comes with an RF Attenuation feature. If youre
near an unusually strong signal source, the signal may
overload the scanner. The scanner may stop repeatedly on
that signal and miss other transmissions.
The RF Attenuation feature works in all modes and attenuates
(reduces) the incoming signal strength to prevent stronger
signals from overloading the scanner.
The RF attenuation is set at the Menu mode.
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. For Search mode, select 1:SERVICE  OPTION/
:CHAIN  SEARCH/4:ATTENUATOR/ 1:ONby
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
OR
For Scan mode, select 2:SCAN  OPTION/
1:CONVENTIONALby rotating the VFOand pressing
E. Then select the channel number by rotating the VFO
and pressing E. Select 5:ATTENUATORby rotating the
VFOand pressing E.
3. Select 1:ONby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
Note: Attenuation will only be active for the specified 
channel. In Search mode, it is applied to the search
ranges in all banks.
Setting the Delay Mode for Frequency
The delay of 2 seconds is automatically set for each
frequency. To set the delay feature, enter into the Menu
mode.
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. For Scan mode, select 2:SCAN  OPTION/
32
HOLD/
MAN
SCAN
CH/
FRQ
MENU/BACK
L/O
.SELECT REVERSETRUNK
RSM
E
SEARCH SERVICE
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 32 
						

							1:CONVENTIONALby rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
3. Select the channel number of the stored frequency to be
delayed by rotating the VFOand pressing E.
4. Select 2:DELAYand press E.
5. Rotate the VFOto select 1:ONor 2:OFFand press E. 
6. For Search mode, select 1:SERVICE  OPTION/
:CHAIN  SEARCH/3:DELAY by rotating the VFO
and pressing E, then set to 1:ONor 2:OFFthe same
way as the Scan mode setting.
Channel Lockout
You can lockout any channel so it is not checked during
normal scanning. You can restore the channel to scanning
when you wish.
Lockout in Hold Mode
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
2. Select a channel.
a. Enter the channel number using
the keypad.
b. Press HOLD/MANagain.
––– OR –––
Rotate the VFOup or down to change
the channel.
3. Press L/Oto lockout the channel.
L/Oappears on the display.
Lockout in Scanning Mode
If the scanner keeps stopping on a particular channel due to
noise or frequent transmissions, you may want to keep that
channel from scanning.
1. Wait until the scanner stops on the channel.
2. Then press L/O.
3. The scanner immediately resumes scanning because the
locked out channel is no longer in the scanning sequence.
Lockout Tips Write down your locked-out channels and
put in a convenient place in case you need
to restore them.
33
         C 001
 141.5000 NFM
UNIDEN Group A
HOLD/
MAN
SCAN
CH/
FRQ
MENU/BACK
L/O
.SELECT REVERSETRUNK
RSM
E
SEARCH SERVICE
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 33 
						

							Restoring a Locked-out Channel
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
2. Select a locked out channel.
a. Enter the channel number using
the keypad.
b. Then press HOLD/MANagain.
3. Press L/Oto unlock the channel. 
The L/Oicon disappears.
Restoring All Locked-out Channels
You can restore all locked-out channels in a bank only when a
bank is selected for scan. If you have deselected a bank and
you want to restore all of its locked-out channels using the
steps below, you must press SCANand then enter the
number of the bank on your keypad.
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
Note: You must be in Hold mode before restoring all locked-
out channels.
2. Press and hold L/Ofor about 2 seconds.
You will hear two beeps when all the channels have been
restored.
Priority Scan
When Priority Scan is turned ON, your scanner checks the
priority channel in the banks you selected every 2 seconds for
activity. If a signal is present on the priority channel, your
scanner monitors the channel until the transmission ends,
then resumes normal scanning. You can designate one
channel in each bank as a Priority Channel. By default, the
first channel in each bank is the Priority Channel, but you can
change this.
To activate Priority Scan (in either the Hold or Scan Mode):
1. Press PRIto select PRIORITY  ON.
Note: If you have locked out the priority
channel, ERRORappears when
you select Priority mode.
2. Press PRIto select PRIORITY
OFFto deactivate Priority Scan.
34
       
PRIORITY ON
          C 010
1240.0000 NFM
ERROR
PRI CH LOCKOUT 
HOLD/
MAN
SCAN
CH/
FRQ
MENU/BACK
L/O
.SELECT REVERSETRUNK
RSM
E
SEARCH SERVICE
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 34 
						

							35
Changing the Priority Channel
You cannot eliminate the Priority Channel, but you can
change it to any one of the 100 available channels in each
bank.
1. Press HOLD/MAN.
2. Select a new Priority Channel:
a. Enter the channel number using
the keypad.
b. Then press HOLD/MANagain.
3. Press and hold PRIfor 2 seconds to
designate this channel as your new
Priority Channel.
Two beeps indicates that the Priority
Channel has been changed. The P
icon appears on the display.
Note:•Priority in Trunking mode works just the same,
except you set them for talkgroup IDs, instead of
setting priorities for channels. The scanner only
checks priority talkgroups between transmission, 
in 4 second intervals.
•Priority Scan is disabled while M, Eor L(Trunking
type) icons are illuminated (a beep will sound if you
try to scan). To make it possible, turn OFF each
function  then press PRIto select PRIORITY  ON.
Priority Channel Plus Scan
You can scan only the Priority Channels (except for the lock
out channels) in the banks you selected. To activate Priority
Channel Plus 
(Only in Scan mode):
1. Press PRIto select PRIORITY  PLUS.
2. Press PRIto select PRIORITY  ONor PRIORITY
OFFon the display to deactivate Priority Channel Plus
Scan.
Note:Priority or Priorty Plus Scan are disabled while Search
mode is selected.
HOLD/
MAN
SCAN
CH/
FRQ
MENU/BACK
L/O
.SELECT REVERSETRUNKE
RSM
SEARCH SERVICE
          C 001
 512.0000 NFM
UHF TV 1
UNIDEN Group A 
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 35 
						

							Searching
Setting a Search Range
Note: First you must set the search ranges through the Menu
screen prior to any searching.
The BC250D can search up to 10 separate frequency ranges
to help you discover new stations in your area.
To set a Search Range, enter into the Menu mode.
1. Press MENU/BACK.
2. Select 1:SERVICE  OPTION / :CHAIN  SEARCH
/ 2:SEARCH  RANGE- by rotating the VFOand
pressing E.
3. Select a range number by rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
4. Select 1:RANGEby rotating the
VFOand pressing E. Enter the
lowest frequency using the keypad
and then press E, then repeat the
same for the highest frequency.
Then press SEARCH.
––– OR –––
Another method is as follows:
1. Press and hold SEARCHfor 2 seconds.
2. Select -range number-1:RANGEand program the lowest
and highest frequencies the same way as step 3 and 4
above.
Note:•The scanner can continuously search up to 10
ranges. (Chain Search)
•You can select or deselect the search range freely
by pressing the corresponding number with the
keypad.
•The scanner automatically increases its search
speed from 100 to 300 steps per second for the
bands having 5 kHz steps. (Turbo Search)
•After you have set the search range through the
Menu the first time for a range, you will be able to
set new ranges for the same range by using the
keypad and the standard direct entry method.
•Searching feature is applied to Control Channel Only
mode (see page 73). 
36
SRCH  12.5k
1240.0000 NFM
Range 1234567890
BC250D  11/6/2 11:36 AM  Page 36