Uniden Bc296d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

							DSSCCC
Where
D = 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
your area by calling the National Weather Service at 1-888-
NWR-SAME or visit their web site at
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm.
To program weather alert operation:
1:SERVICE OPTION →1:WEATHER →
2:ALERT
1. Select 1:ONto turn on weather alert.
2. Use the scroll bar to select either ALL FIPS 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 Eagain.
4. Press MENU/BACKtwo times.
5. Select 1:MONITOR.
The scanner displays WX ALERT ON. All audio is muted
until an alert is received.
Note:If you lose power or turn off the scanner, the scanner
keeps the weather alert mode.
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							Warning:Never listen to the scanner using a headphone or
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 PRIfor 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 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.
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							37
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:
3:SYSTEM OPTION →9:BANK TAG
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 RSMto
move the entry position one space to the right or press
HOLD/MANto move the entry position one space to the
left.
3. When you have entered the tag, press Eto save the tag
and return to Step 1.
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							38
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 select the channel,
then press 0and 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 RSMto advance to the next letter or HOLD/MANto
back up to a previous letter.
3. When you have completed the text tag, press Eto 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.
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							•To quickly program a series of channels, start with the low-
est-numbered channel. The scanner automatically
advances to the next channel by default when you complete
programming a channel.
•Make a 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.
•When you store a new frequency in a channel, the text tag
previously assigned to that channel is deleted.
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							40
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:
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL
Enter the channel number, then press E.
2. Enter the Frequency
a. Press 1or highlight 1:FREQUENCYand 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.
•If you select a frequency that is not valid, the
scanner displays ERROR OUT OF BAND.
Enter a correct frequency to continue.
•If you enter a frequency that has already been
stored in the scanner, the scanner displays
WARNING DUPLICATEand the channel
number that contains the duplicate. To save the
frequency anyway, press E. Otherwise, press 
to cancel and enter a different frequency.
•If you change an existing frequency, all other
information stored for that channel is deleted or set
back to default values.
.
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							3. Assigning a 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 RSMto
move the entry position one space to the right or press
HOLD/MANto move the entry position one space to the
left.
c. When you have entered the tag, press Eto save the tag.
The scanner displays
1:OTHER CHANNEL
Select to pick another channel to program from Step
1
2:CHANNEL OPTION
Select to set additional channel options (see the
following sections).
3:DONE
Exit the channel setting and menu mode.
Setting the Delay
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→2:DELAY
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.
1:ON
Turn on the delay for the channel
2:OFF
Turn off the delay
Setting the Subaudible Tone Option
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→3:TONE DATA
Some radio systems use special tones to prevent interference
from 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”).
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							1:CTCSS
Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) is
used with Amateur Radio, FRS, GMRS, Business
Band, and other systems. When you select this
option, the scanner only opens squelch when a
matching CTCSS tone is present on the frequency.
2:DCS
Digital Coded Squelch is similar to CTCSS, but
instead of differentiating codes using frequencies,
DCS always uses the same frequency but encodes it
with a binary value. When you select this option, the
scanner only opens squelch when a matching DCS
value is present on the frequency.
3:OFF
The scanner opens squelch regardless of the
presence of 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.
Setting Beep Alert
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→4:BEEP ALERT
1:ON
The scanner sounds three alert tones when it stops
on a transmission on this channel.
2:OFF
Beep Alert is off.
Setting the Attenuator
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→5:ATTENUATOR
If you are near a very strong signal source, the signal can
overload the scanner’s RF front end, causing poor audio
quality or missed reception.
1:ON
RF attenuation is on for the channel
2:OFF
RF attenuation is off for the channel
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							Changing the Frequency Step
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→6:STEPS
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.
1:5KHz
Use 5 kHz steps
2:6.25KHz
Use 6.25 kHz steps
3:7.5KHz
Use 7.5 kHz steps
4:10KHz
Use 10 kHz steps
5:12.5KHz
Use 12.5 kHz steps
6:25KHz
Use 25 kHz steps
7:50KHz
Use 50 kHz steps
8:100KHz
Use 100 kHz steps
9:AUTO
Automatically set the step size based on the band
Setting the Modulation Mode
2:SCAN OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →
Channel No.→7:MODE
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.
1:AM
Amplitude Modulation
2:FM
Frequency Modulation
3:WFM
Wideband FM
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							4:NFM
Narrowband FM
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
there 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 PRIfor 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.”
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