Uniden Bc296d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

							Trunk Scanning 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)
If 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 TRUNKuntil
the scanner flashes READY TO ID SEARCH. The
BC296D stops on every active talkgroup, regardless of
whether you have programmed it into your scanner. 
Notes:•If you have not yet programmed any ID’s for the
system, this is the only mode available.
•In 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 SCANwhile scanning that system; or, press
and hold TRUNKuntil the scanner displays READY TO ID
SCAN. When one of the talkgroups you have stored becomes
active, the scanner switches to that transmission and displays
the ID number and the alpha tag for that talk group.
Note:You 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 TRUNKagain.
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 REVERSEuntil 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. 
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							Holding on a 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 talkgroup 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 don’t
want to hear.
To lockout a talkgroup, press L/Owhen the scanner stops on
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 L/Oto unlock it.
To unlock an ID you locked out during ID search or ID scan:
2:SCAN OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the Bank
→ 6:L/O ID REVIEW
Then, use the scroll bar to select the ID you want to unlock
and press L/O.
Or, press HOLD/MANthen press L/Ofor 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/MANthen press L/Ofor 2 seconds to clear all the
lockouts 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.
.
.
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							Unlocking All Talkgroups
To unlock all talkgroups for a system:
2:SCAN OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the Bank
→6:L/O ID REVIEW
Then, use the scroll bar to select the ID you want to unlock
and press L/O.
Or, press HOLD/MANthen press L/Ofor 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
PATCH ID, 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.
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Searching
Your 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
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
1:CHAIN SEARCH
1:ON
The scanner allows you to search multiple ranges
simultaneously.
2:OFF
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
RSMor 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.
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							3:SYSTEM OPTION →7:DATA SKIP
1:ON
The scanner skips data frequencies.
2:OFF
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 Frequencies
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/Owhen 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.
•If 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/Ofor 2 seconds in Search Hold mode.
Storing Found Frequencies
If you find a frequency you want to save into a channel,
simply press TRNSFRwhen 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 Eagain.
•After you store the frequency, the scanner resumes
searching.
•If all channels are used, the scanner defaults to the
last-used channel prior to entering the search mode.
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							Automatically Storing Frequencies
During searching, you can have the scanner automatically
store active frequencies into a bank you choose. 
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
6:AUTO STORE →1:ON
1. Press the numbers corresponding to the banks you want
the scanner to store found frequencies into.
2. Press SEARCHto start the auto-store operation.
3. Press HOLD/MANto stop auto-store. The scanner exits
the auto-store mode.
Note:To ensure that you catch most active frequencies 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 frequencies 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 Squelch Mode”).
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
5:TONE DATA
1:CTCSS
Lets you set the CTCSS tone.
2:DCS
Lets you set the DCS.
3:OFF
Does not use subaudible tones.
Note:If, instead of pressing Eto 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
If you set the system tone option to 3:TONE SEARCH(see
“Setting Squelch Mode”), the scanner will determine the
correct tone for the received signal.
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							Attenuating All Search Ranges
If 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:
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
4:ATTENUATOR
1:ON
The attenuator is turned on.
2:OFF
The attenuator is turned off.
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.
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
3:DELAY
1:ON
The delay is turned on.
2:OFF
The delay is turned off.
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:
1:SERVICE OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
2:SEARCH RANGE
or by pressing and holding SEARCHfor 2 seconds.
2. Use the scroll bar to select the range you want to
program, then press E.
3. Set the following options:
1:RANGE
Select, then follow the prompts to enter the lower and
upper frequency limits for the search range.
2:STEPS
Select, then set the step size to use while searching
the custom range. If you select 9:AUTO, the
scanner will use the step sizes most often assigned
for each band.
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							3:MODE
Select, then set the modulation mode to use while
searching the custom range. If you select 5:AUTO,
the scanner will use the modulation mode most often
used for each band.
4:ALPHA TAG
Select, then assign an alpha tag to the search range.
5:TRUNK
See “Searching for Trunk Systems.”
4. Press MENU/BACK, then repeat Steps 2 and 3 for
additional search ranges.
Searching for Trunk Systems
1:SEARCH OPTION →:CHAIN SEARCH →
2:SEARCH RANGE →Select the range →5:TRUNK
This option lets you search for a Motorola trunking control
channel within the selected range. To activate this function,
select 1:ON, 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.
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Service Search
The Service Search feature lets you scroll through the
following twelve preprogrammed services. The frequencies
selected for these services are the most commonly used
around the U.S.
•1:WEATHER•7:RAILROAD
•2:PUBLIC SAFETY•8:AIR
•3:NEWS•9:CB RADIO
•4:TV BROADCAST•0:FRS & GMRS
•5:HAM RADIO•:RACING
•6:MARINE•:SPECIAL
Note:Special Frequencies are low-power, itinerant,
“splinters” and other frequencies 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 1:SERVICE OPTION.
2. Select a preprogrammed service to search by selecting
from the Service Search menu. 
Note:Except for Weather, when you press Eto 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/Owhen the scanner has
stopped at a frequency you want to skip.
To restore a skipped frequency during search, press
HOLD/MANselect the desired frequency using the scroll bar,
then press L/O.
To restore all skipped frequencies, press and hold L/Ofor
2 seconds.
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							Notes:•You can not skip frequencies in the Weather
Service mode.
•If you start Service Searching for a service that has
all frequencies 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:
1:SERVICE OPTION →1:WEATHER →
1:MONITOR
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 carries 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:
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