Uniden Bc796d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

							To unlock an ID you locked out during ID search or ID scan:
2:SCAN  OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the Bank→ 7:L/O  ID  REVIEW
Then, use the scroll bar to select the ID you want to unlock and press L/O.
Or, press 
/HOLDthen 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 
/HOLDthen 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.
Unlocking All Talkgroups
To unlock all talkgroups for a system:
2:SCAN  OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the Bank→7:L/O  ID  REVIEW
Then, use the scroll bar to select the ID you want to unlock and press L/O.
Or, press 
/HOLDthen 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 BC796D 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 
SRCH. 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. 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.
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.
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							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 TRNFRwhen 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 scanner displays WARNING
DUPLICATE and the channel where the frequency is stored. To store the frequen-
cy 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 enter-
ing the search mode.
Automatically Storing Frequencies
During searching, you can have the scanner automatically store active frequencies into a
bank you choose. 
1:SERVICE  OPTION →:CHAIN  SEARCH →7:AUTO  STORE →
1:ON
1. Press the numbers corresponding to the banks you want the scanner to store found
frequencies into.
2. Press 
SRCHto start the auto-store operation.
3. Press 
/HOLDto 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.
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							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.
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 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:NONE
The delay is turned off.
2:1  SECOND
The delay time is 1 second.
3:2  SECONDS
The delay time is 2 seconds.
4:4  SECONDS
The delay time is 4 seconds.
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							5:INFINITE
When the scanner stops on a transmission, you must press RSMto resume
searching.
6:  -2  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 2 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 2-second pause.
7:  -5  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 5 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 5-second pause.
8:  -10  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 10 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 10-second pause.
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 SRCHfor 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.
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, then repeat Steps 2 and 3 for additional search ranges.
Searching for Trunk Systems
1:SERVICE  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
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							30
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. 
						

							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 
SRVC.
––– 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 /HOLDselect the desired
frequency using the scroll bar, then press 
L/O.
To restore all skipped frequencies, press and hold L/Ofor 2 seconds.
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.
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							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:
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.
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							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 
MENUtwo 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.
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 disabled 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. 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.
33 
						

							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 
/HOLDto move the entry position one
space to the right or press 
LIMIT/to 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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