Uniden Bct 8 Radio Scanner Owners Manual

							37
Setting the Delay Mode for Trunking Mode
A default delay of 2 seconds is automatically set for each talkgroup for ID Scan mode and ID
Search mode. To set the delay feature on or off, press 
DELAYwhile trunking, “DLY” will
appear or disappear depending on your setting.
Trunking Frequency Confirmation
You can check the frequency while a talkgroup ID is active.
Press the 
key ,and the active frequency on which the talk group is transmitting will flash on
the display. Or press and hold the 
key for 2 seconds, the ID and the frequency alternately
appears on the display. To cancel this mode, press the 
key again.
Hint: This feature is applied to ID Scan mode and ID Search mode.
Setting Priority in Trunking Mode
You can set priority in your Scan lists, just as you do in your conventional ones. Default
setting for the Priority ID is the first location in each Scan List. You can set the priority by
pressing and holding 
PRIfor 2 seconds in ID Scan Hold mode. After you’ve set up your
Scan List, press 
PRIto activate it.
It’s very similar to conventional priority although there is no interrupt during the
transmissions. Priorities are checked in between transmissions.
With Priority ON, you can hold on an ID in your Scan List, such as Scan List 3, memory
location 7, and the scanner will check all the priorities in all the active Scan Lists in between
any transmissions on the ID on which you’re holding. The lowest numbered priority will be
checked first. For example, the Priority ID in List 1 will be checked before the Priority in List
2, etc.
Note:•This function does not work in LTR tracking.
•Priority Scan does not operate when Priority IDs are locked out.
Moving between Scan List Memories
There are a number of ways to step and move through your Scan List memories:
1. Press 
HOLD/RESUME in the ID Scan mode and use the or key to move to up or
down.
2. Or, press 
HOLD/RESUME in the ID Scan mode, next press 0-9(scan list number), then
press 
0-9(memory position). For example to move to Scan List 4, memory position 10,
press: 
HOLD/RESUME, 4, 0, HOLD/RESUME 
						

							38
Multi-Track
The BCT8 allows you to track more than one system at a time. Here are some highlights of
this feature:
❖You can actually track up to 5 trunking systems at one time.
❖You can trunk scan, or search and scan conventional frequencies at the same time.
❖You can program conventional frequencies in the same bank as trunking systems.
After the scanner finishes checking a trunked system for activity, it will conventionally
scan the other frequencies in the bank (remember, only trunking frequencies are
programmed in Trunk mode).
To scan a mix of trunking and conventional banks, select the banks you wish to be active,
and then press 
TRUNK. The scanner will instantly begin scanning. You can switch to Search
mode and the scanner will search for any active ID’s on the system.
Note: To switch ID Scan or ID Search, press PVTor SRCHin the trunked system.
Multi-Track Operational Details
When more than one trunk system is active (for example two or more trunked systems or a
trunked system and one or more conventional frequencies), the radio jumps between
systems/frequencies as follows:
TRUNK SCAN: The scanner moves to a trunked system and looks for IDs in your Scan
List(s) for up to 1 second. If it finds no activity on your programmed talkgroups, it moves
on to conventional channels in the same bank or to the next active bank.
If the scanner finds a talkgroup in one of your active Scan Lists, you will begin to hear that
communication and the scanner will of course display the proper talkgroup number. When
the communication ends, the scanner will wait for 2 seconds for any further replies and, if
none, the scanner will move to the conventional channels in the same bank or to the next
bank.
The scanner will not look for any other IDs within the same trunked system (as this
would slow the scan process). If you press the 
key while you are listening to one ID,
the scanner will check to see if another ID in your Scan List is active. It will disregard the
ID to which you were just monitoring.
TRUNK SEARCH: This mode works similarly to Trunk Scan. If the scanner finds any (non-
locked-out) ID when it checks the control channel, you will hear it. You will then hear any
replies that follow within 2 seconds. After that the scanner will move on and not
continuously search the system for additional IDs (on busy systems you would never leave
the system if this were the case). If you press the 
key while monitoring one ID, the radio
will check if any other IDs are active (it will disregard the ID you just left), and if none are
active, it will move on.  
						

							39
EDACS®Reception
EDACS®Tracking
TrunkTracker III now allows tracking of EDACS®trunked systems. Until now these widely
used systems have been almost impossible to monitor with a conventional scanner. With
your TrunkTracker III listening to EDACS(s) is remarkably easy, and perhaps even easier
than conventional scanning.
EDACS systems use Transmission Trunking, which means that each transmission is
assigned a new frequency. As the conversation moves through the systems frequencies,
your TrunkTracker III automatically follows it.
This chart shows a 30 second sample of EDACS transmissions. Eight different talkgroups
are using the system as their transmissions switch between the thirteen system frequencies. 
Notice how the dotted line shows talkgroup 02-023 moving from channel to channel. Your
BCT8 can clearly and automatically follow this talkgroup, or any other, as you select.
EDACS systems are organized in a logical way that keeps related talkgroups together. Your
scanner is designed to take maximum advantage of this organization to make your scanning
easy. It lets you zero in on just the part of the system you want to hear, whether it is an
individual channel, an entire department or city.
Programming EDACS System Frequencies
When you program EDACS frequencies, it is critical that you store each one in the
CORRECT LOCATION. By the nature of EDACS systems this is necessary for tracking. This
often is not the frequency order, so you must be sure you have the right sequence. Sources
for this information can be found at 
scanner.uniden.com. 
						

							40
An EDACS®Trunked system
This chart shows how talkgroups are organized within an
EDACS system at the Agency level. The individual
talkgroups cannot be shown at this scale because there
are over 2000. However the chart can show the 16
Agencies in this example. The system is logical and easy
to understand. EDACS systems are typically arranged in
an  outline structure.
The system users are given blocks of talkgroups. Sizes
vary but most large cities and other agencies have blocks
of 128 channels. Smaller cities have only 64 or 32
channels.
In this example, the County Sheriff is agency 01. The city
of Sullivan is Agency 03. Adams Hill and Matthew Junction
share Agency 08.
Your scanner shows EDACS talkgroups in AFS (Agency-
Fleet-Subfleet) format. This helps you see, at a glance,
who you are monitoring. And with the partial-entry feature
you can easily include nearby, related channels in the
same Fleet or Agency. You can just as easily exclude
entire unwanted Fleets and Agencies.
When in Search mode, with the system frequencies
programmed, and your scanner locked to the control
channel, you can select a desired city by keying in the
Agency part of the AFS talkgroup. For example, in Hold
mode you can select the entire city of Sullivan with 4 key
presses 
0, 3, 
(decimal key), 
SRCHkey.
When you hear an interesting talkgroup, in Hold mode
capture it to your Scan List by pressing 
Eduring the
transmission.
Or hold on it by pressing 
HOLD/RESUME.
If you want to monitor the Sullivan Police Dispatch channel
(which is talk group 03-062), press 
0, 3, (decimal key), 0, 6, 2, the key. Your scanner
can also work in decimal format. 
Talkgroup 03-62 in decimal format is 402. But decimal format does not give you any information
about the system hierarchy. 
For example Sullivan, in decimal, uses channels from 384 to 511. This is not as easy to
remember as Agency 03. But decimal is useful if you need to work from decimal talkgroup lists..
. 
						

							41
Special EDACS®Features
AFS Partial Entry Feature
AFS is Unidens method of encoding EDACS talkgroups. 
AFS stands for Agency-Fleet-Subfleet.
AFS talkgroups are used in all EDACS reception -- in ID Search, ID Lockout and ID Scan. The
powerful AFS Partial Entry feature designed into the BCT8 lets you use either a complete
talkgroup code, or just the most significant part.
This feature lets you expand or narrow searching and 
scanning to one of 4 levels. By entering only the desired part
of an AFS talkgroup, you can select 128 talkgroups, 8
talkgroups, or a single talkgroup. 
For example, you could program every talkgroup in a police
department with just 4 key presses. You can use the AFS 
Partial Entry feature anywhere you need to specify EDACS
talkgroup. 
Your BCT8 can also enter or display EDACS talkgroups in decimal format (0-2047).
1.  Press and hold 
TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change. 
2. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4. Use the 
or key to select  or  , then press
E.
You can use this feature to translate decimal talkgroups lists to the much more powerful
AFS format.
Examples of how you might use AFS are shown above in the description of an EDACS
trunked system, and elsewhere in this manual. It is very easy to use. Be sure to become
familiar with AFS Partial Entry, and your scanning will become far more flexible and efficient.
EDACS ID Range Search 
When the scanner searches EDACS talk group IDs, the scanner can search within a range
you set for Agency or Fleet listings. For example if you want to search within the 01 agency,
while in Hold mode press 
0, 1,  (decimal key) then SRCH. Or if you want to search within
the 01 agency and 01 fleet, while trunking press 
0, 1, (decimal key), 0, 1, then SRCH.
To stop the ID range search, press 
SRCH.
EDACS SCAT
With the EDACS SCAT feature, the data stream transmissions will be  eliminated  allowing
you to clearly monitor the voice communications on EDACS SCAT systems.
To monitor EDACS SCAT systems you only need to program the frequency in the Trunk
Tracking Programming mode. You do not need to enter group ID’s.
Note:As EDACS SCAT is different from the other tracking feature, and it is not a feature
which the scanner  tracks any ID, you do not need to program Talk Group ID’s.
.
. 
						

							42
LT R®Reception
LT R®Tracking
LTR®(Logic Trunked Radio) systems are trunking systems used primarily by business or
private communications service providers, such as taxicabs, delivery trucks, and repair
services. These systems encode all trunking information as digital subaudible data that
accompanies each transmission. Users on an LTR system are assigned to specific
talkgroups, which are identified by the radio as six digit numbers. 
These numbers are in the form AHHUUU, where:
A= Area code (0 or 1)
H= Home repeater (01 through 20)
U= User ID (000 through 254)
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the LTR mode, it first
decodes the LTR data included with the transmission. In the ID Search mode, the scanner
stops on the transmission and displays the talkgroup ID on the display. In the ID Scan mode,
the scanner only stops on the transmission if the LTR data matches a talkgroup ID that you
have stored in the bank’s talkgroup ID list and have not locked out.
LTR systems are frequently programmed so that each radio has a unique ID code. 
						

							43
Motorola Reception
Motorola Tracking
There are really two types of Motorola trunking systems. These are usually referred to as
Type I and Type II systems. Type I only occurs on some 800 MHz systems. All VHF and
UHF trunking systems use Type II.
One important distinction between these two systems is the amount of data transmitted by
each radio when its push-to-talk button (
PTT) is pressed. Every radio in a trunked system is
assigned a unique ID so the central site computer can identify it when it’s used. Both Type I
and Type II systems place radios (or radio users) into groups, called talkgroups, and these
talkgroups are also assigned unique IDs. Some radios have access to only one talkgroup,
while others have access to many talkgroups. The talkgroup(s) each radio can access is
called the radio’s affiliation(s).
In a Type II system, when someone uses their radio, only the radio ID is transmitted when
PTTis pressed, whereas in a Type I system the radio ID and its current affiliation are both
transmitted when 
PTTis pressed.
Why the difference? Type II systems are slightly more advanced because the central
computer maintains a database which is used to determine each radio’s affiliation(s).
Changes to a Type II system are easier than Type I because the system manager only
needs to update the database instead of reprogramming individual radios.
Another difference between the systems is that Type I systems are arranged in a Fleet-
Subfleet hierarchy. For example, its possible for a city using a Type I system to designate 4
Fleets, each with 8 Subfleets. Their fleets might be the Police Department, the Fire
Department, Utilities, and Administration. The Police may decide to further divide their fleet
into subfleets such as Dispatch, Tactical Operations, Detectives, North, South, East and
West Side Patrols, and Supervisors. All the available police radios would then be assigned
to one of the police subfleets. Determining the exact Fleet-Subfleet hierarchy for a particular
area is referred to as Fleet Map Programming, which is discussed further in this manual.
The disadvantage of a Type I system is that when 
PTTis pressed, the brief burst of data
must contain the radio’s ID and its Fleet and Subfleet. This is three times the amount of data
a Type II system radio sends, and as a result Type I systems usually accommodate fewer
users than Type II systems.
Even though there are many Type II systems, Type I systems are still in use. There are also
Hybrid systems which are a combination of both Type I and Type II. Your scanner defaults
to monitor Type II systems, but its possible to select a Preprogrammed Fleet Map or create
a Custom Fleet Map for your area.
For VHF and UHF Type II trunking systems, you will need to know the base, spacing
frequencies and offset channels. See page 45 for details. 
						

							Fleet Map Programming
If you have programmed a trunk tracking bank for Motorola, press TRUNKto start Multi-
Track, and you will see user IDs on the display. Since the BCT8 defaults to Type II systems,
all the IDs will appear as numbers. However, if you notice a mix of odd and even user IDs,
for example 6477, 2560, 6481, 6144, 1167, etc., then you are probably monitoring either a
Type I or Hybrid systems. 
You may also notice that you are missing responses when you hold on an active ID. Unlike
Type II, Type I/Hybrid systems require a Fleet Map that sets specific Fleet-Subfleet
parameters. It is easy to select a Fleet Map for your scanner; what is not always easy is
selecting or programming a map that matches your particular area.
There are 16 preset Fleet Maps listed in the Appendix that you can choose, and these are
usually a good place to start when setting up a Type I/Hybrid trunk tracking bank. If you
choose a preset map and still have difficulty following complete conversations, then youll
have to program your own Fleet Map.
Selecting Preset Fleet Map
1.  Press and hold TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change. 
2. Use the 
or key to select  (Type 1 system), then press E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4. Use the 
or key to select the map you want, then press
E. The scanner returns to FLEET Map list item.
Note: You will now begin to see Type I Fleet-Subfleet IDs. For
example, 100-12, 100-9, 000-12, 400-8, etc. 
See User Defined Fleet Maps in the Appendix for 
more information about Type I IDs.
How do you know if the preset map is correct? You will have to listen to see if youre
following complete conversations. If not, you should try another preset map.
Programming a User Fleet Map
You may want to read User Defined Fleet Maps in the Appendix before programming a
Fleet Map. It contains a detailed explanation of Scanner Fleet Map Programming, as well as
a table listing the Fleet Map Size Codes.
1.  Press and hold 
TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change. 
2. Use the 
or key to select  (Type 1 system), then press
E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
5. Use the 
or key to select the size code for the first block,
then press 
E.
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							45
The next available block appears on the display.
6. Repeat step 5 until you have selected a size code for each
block.
For details about each size code, see Fleet Map Size Codes
in the Appendix.
Programming a Hybrid System
A Hybrid system is simply a Type I system with some blocks designated as Type II blocks.
To program a Hybrid system, follow the steps listed in Programming a User Fleet Map in
the previous section. However, if you want a block to be Type II, select Size Code  .
When you begin searching a trunking bank with a Hybrid Fleet Map, you will see both types
of system IDs. That is, Type II IDs usually appear as an even number without a dash; Type I
IDs appear as a three or four digit number, followed by a hyphen, followed by a one or two
digit number.
Setting the Base, Spacing Frequencies and Offset Channel for Motorola
VHF/UHF Trunked Systems
To properly track Motorola VHF and UHF trunked systems, you must enter what is known as
the Base, Spacing Frequencies and Offset Channels for each system.
To find these out, check the 
scanner.uniden.comor www.trunktracker.comand other
web sites and frequency resources.
To enter the Base, Spacing Frequencies and Offset Channel: (You can set up to three sets
of these, but almost all systems only use one set)
1.  Press and hold 
TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change. 
2. Use the 
or key to select  (Motorola Type2 VHF) or  (Motorola Type2
UHF), then press 
E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4.  Use the keypad to enter Configuration Block Number(1-3).
5.  Use the keypad to enter a new Base Frequency, then press
E.
6. Press the 
key and select  for entering the Spacing
Frequency.
7.  Use the keypad to enter a new Spacing Frequency, then
press 
E.
Note:  You can only enter within a range of 5-100 kHz, and 5 or
12.5 kHz multiples.
8. Press the 
key and select  for entering the Offset
Channel. 
						

							9.  Use the keypad to enter a new Offset Channel, then press E.
Note:•You can only input within a range of 380-759.
•If the system is not tracking properly, you may need to
try a new Base Frequency or Offset Channel, or you
may be missing frequencies from the system.
•You can set up to three Base, Spacing and Offsets for Motorola VHF/UHF trunked
systems.
Toggling the Status Bit
On Type II trunking systems there is a method by which specialized types of communications
utilize unique talkgroup numbers. An emergency call will occur on a unique talkgroup from its
primary assignment, for example. Because the BCT8 defaults to Status-Bit ON mode, you
never need to worry about missing these transmissions. If you have programmed talkgroup
33264 into Scan List memory, for example, and there is an emergency call within the group,
you will hear it on 33264.
The only time you may wish to turn Status Bits OFF is if youre trying to figure out the proper
Fleet Map of a Type I trunking system. 
1.  Press and hold 
TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change.
2. Use the 
or key to select  (Motorola TYPE2 800MHz),  (Motorola Type2
VHF) or  (Motorola Type2 UHF), then press 
E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4. Use the 
or key to select  or  , then press E. The scanner returns to
Status Bit list item.
Control Channel Only Mode
When this function is activated, trunking is performed using Control Channel data only.
Voice channel (also known as DATA channel) frequencies do not have to be programmed
into memory. This feature only applies to Motorola 800 MHz systems.
1.  Press and hold 
TRUNKfor 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to change.
2. Use the 
or key to select  (Motorola Type2 800MHz) or  (Motorola Type1
800 MHz), then press 
E.
3. Use the 
or key to select  , then press E.
4. Use the 
or key to select a plan from 4 frequency plans,
then press 
E. The scanner returns to Control Channel Only
list item.
Note:  You must choose a plan before you begin to Control Channel Trunk (Only when 800
MHz system is selected). 
When you deselect Control Channel only mode,  appears on the display.
Read the descriptions of the Plan 1~4 for details on which may apply for you.
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