Uniden Receiver BC245XLT Operating Instructions

							group, while others have access to many talk groups. The
talk group (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 PTT is pressed, whereas
in a Type I system the radio ID and its current affiliation are
both transmitted when PTT is 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 need 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, it’s 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 PTT is
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 it’s
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 and offset frequency. See page 60
for details.
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							EDACS®Tracking
TrunkTracker II 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 II listening to EDACS 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
system’s frequencies, your TrunkTracker II automatically
follows it.
This graph depicts a 30 second sample of transmission in
an EDACS trunked system, showing the frequency
transitions that a particular radio conversation might use.
Note: Many 900 MHz EDACS
®trunking systems (such
as those used by some utilities) utilize a control
channel that cannot be tracked with
theBC 245XLT.
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							Setting the Squelch
Since Squelch is automatically adjusted in trunking mode,
it isn’t necessary to manually adjust the squelch control
while trunk tracking. However, the squelch setting you
select before you begin trunk tracking can affect how fast
your scanner acquires the data channel, and, in some
instances, the squelch setting can prevent your scanner
from acquiring the data channel at all.
SetSQUELCHin this
position before
selecting a
trunking bank.
Note:You can
change this
recommended setting,
if necessary, to
provide better
performance in
your area.
Programming Trunking Frequencies
Before you start programming your scanner to track a
trunked system, consider the following:
nYou can only program one trunking system in each
bank of your scanner.
nTrunking frequencies must be entered while in the
Trunking Programming mode.
nIf you’re in the Trunking Programming mode, you
cannot select channels in other banks.
For example, if you are programming Bank 4, you
can only select channels 91-120 with the
or keys.
nIMPORTANT: If you are programming an EDACS®
trunked system, you must enter the frequencies in
a specific order. Check the frequency guide
included with the radio and the listed web sites
for details.
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							The first step in tracking a trunked system is storing the
frequencies in one of the 10 available banks in
your scanner.
1. Press for 1.5
second.
You will hear two
beeps, andBANKand
TRUNKwill begin to
flash in the display.
2. Select the Bank you
want to store the
frequency, by
pressing 1 through 0.
3. Choose the system
you want to track.
Use or
to choose the
system, and press .
List of trunking options as follows:
E2 800 (Type II 800 MHz)
E2 900 (Type II 900 MHz)
E2 Hi (Type II VHF 137-174 MHz) *
E2 UHF (Type II UHF 406-512 MHz) *
Ed (EDACS
®)***
E1 (Type I 800 MHz) **
* Requires programming of a base and an offset frequency.
See appropriate section.
** Requires programming of a fleet map. See section on
Programming a Fleet Map.
*** Requires programming of frequencies in exact order
and location.
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							4. Use the keypad to
enter a frequency for
the trunked system.
For example, enter
856.2625(Type 1), or
enter a frequency of
the system you’re
going to track.
Note:To clear a mistake while entering a
frequency, press twice, and start over.
Then press .
If the frequency is out
of the range of the
system chosen in this
step, an error
message displays.
Press and go back
to Step 3.
5. Press either or
to select the
next channel in
the bank.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4
until all frequencies
have been entered.
7. Press to begin
searching the bank
you’ve programmed.
Note:You will see the
frequencies quickly
displaying as your
scanner looks for the
data channel which
controls the system.
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12345678 910BAN K
TRUNK
SCAN
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							Searching a Trunked Bank
If programming a Type I system, you cannot Scan the
trunking bank you just programmed unless you enter talk
groups into memory. See ahead for details. With the
search function, you’ll be able to find all the active talk
groups within the trunked system.
Once the data
channel is acquired,
the scanner begins
trunk tracking. Talk
group ID’s, which
represent different
service groups, begin
to display.
While searching, you won’t know exactly who the ID’s are
assigned to unless you listen awhile or until ID lists are
available in frequency guides or on internet sites. However,
it usually only takes a few minutes to figure out police, fire,
and emergency medical personnel. Other IDs may take
some time, but determining who each ID represents is half
the fun ofTrunkTracker™.
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							Frequency Find Mode
nPress the while
a talk group ID is active
and the display will flash
the frequency on which that
talk group is transmitting.
nPress and hold for
two seconds and the display
will automatically flash the ID
and the frequency alternately
until you set the condition by
pressing the key again.
Direct Entry ID Hold Mode
During Search mode, you can hold on an ID without
entering it into memory.
1. When a talk group is
active, press
to stop the
search mode.
2. Use the keypad to
enter the ID you want.
Channel number
flashes in the display.
3. Press again.
HOLDflashes in the
display.
4. Press to return to
Search mode.
Note:The ID Hold mode works in Scan List mode, and
the steps are the same; however,
SEARCHdoesn’tappear in the display.
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							ID Lockout
Like conventional scanning, it’s possible to lockout
unwanted traffic. This is particularly important in trunked
systems because in many areas, water meters, door
alarms, traffic signals, and other mechanical devices are
assigned IDs just like other users. Also some departments
scramble or encrypt their communications, and you may
want to lock out these unintelligible broadcasts.
To lockout an ID,
press when the
ID displays.
The ID is locked out,
and the next active ID
displays. You can
lockout up to 200 IDs.
Note:If you lockout an ID in Search mode, it is also
locked out in Scan List mode. Conversely, if you
lockout an ID while in Scan List mode, it is locked
out in Search mode. For information about Scan
Lists see page 48.
Restore a Single ID
To unlock a single ID, follow these steps:
1. Press and hold
until you hear two
short beeps.
2. Use or
to select the ID you
want to unlock.
3. Press .
The ID is unlocked
and the next locked ID
displays.
4. Press to return to
the Search mode.
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							Restore all IDs
To unlock all locked out IDs at once, follow these steps:
1. Press and hold
until you hear two
short beeps.
2. Press to unlock all
the IDs at once.
Note:If you unlock all the IDs, then the Scan List
Memory mode displays. Press to scan the IDs
stored in your Scan Lists or press to return to
the Search mode. For information about Scan Lists
see page 48.
3. Press to return to
the Search mode.
Searching Tips
ID Delay Mode
nUse the key to select the Delay mode if it’s not
active. This mode holds an ID for 5 seconds while
you wait for a reply. Other groups may use the
system, but your scanner will only look for the ID in
the display.
Note:If you consistently miss responses while in
ID Delay mode, you may need to change the
default system type or change the fleet map you’re
using if you’re trying to track a Motorola Type I
system. For Motorola Type II or EDACS, if you’re
missing pieces of conversations, you’ve likely left
out one or more of the frequencies used by
the system.
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							Hold Mode
nPress to hold on a particular ID in the
display. You can hold a specific talk group, such as
fire department on-scene operations, no matter
which frequency the group uses.
nPress to continue searching the entire
trunked system.
ID Monitor Mode
nIf you press and hold for 2 seconds, until you
hear two short beeps, you will select the ID Monitor
mode.SEARCHbegins flashing in the display, and
all active talk group IDs begin to display in
succession. You won’t hear conversations in this
mode, but this is an excellent way to determine
which talk groups are the most active.
Note:Locked out IDs display during ID Monitor
mode with theL/0icon turned on.
nPress to continue searching the entire
trunked system.
Channel Activity Indicators
TheBC 245XLThas 20 Channel Activity Indicators to
visually display a trunked system’s activity when you select
delay, hold, scan etc. You’ll always know which
frequencies are in use and how much communication
traffic is occurring.
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