Uniden BCT8 manual

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Precautions Before you use this scanner, please observe the following: WARNING! Uniden America Corporation does not represent this unit to be waterproof. To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock, or damage to the unit, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture. IMPORTANT! • This scanning radio has been manufactured so that it will not tune [...]

Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Front and Rear Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Icon Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Trunk Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Setting the Squelch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Programming Trunking Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

1 Introduction The BCT8 is a state-of-the-art Trunk Tracking Scanner with BearTracker technology which will alert you when the highway patrol is within approximately a 3 mile radius. It can store 250 frequencies such as police, fire/emergency, marine, railroad, air, amateur, and other communications into 5 banks of 50 channels for a total of 250 ch[...]

Front and Rear V iews 1. Squelch Control / Flash Brightness Selector ( SQL , FLASH ) 2. Alerting Light ( ALERT ) 3. Volume Control / Alert Tone Selector ( VOL ) 4. Mute Key ( MUTE ) 5. Display 6. Lockout Key ( L/O ) 7. Delay Key ( DELAY ) 8. Service Key ( SVC ) 9. Private / Highway Scanning Key ( PVT/HWY ) 2 S TATE HWY PVT SVC SRCH TRUNK 1 1-50 4 1[...]

Icon Display Uniden ® , BearTracker ® and Bearcat ® are registered trademarks of Uniden America Corporation. TrunkTracker is a proprietary trademark of Uniden America Corporation. 3 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 20 28 21 22 21 23 24 25 26 27 1. Trunk Tracking mode ( TRUNK ) 2. Motorola trunking channel ( M ) 3. EDACS trunking ch[...]

4 T erminology What are Highway Patrol Alerts? Most highway patrol vehicles on the road today are equipped with a secondary radio system known as a “mobile extender” or “vehicular repeater.” Whenever the dispatcher transmits to any vehicle in the district, “mobile extender” in every car within the district is activated. Using a constant[...]

5 In a trunked radio system the frequencies are shared among the police and fire departments and a computer systematically assigns available frequencies when they are needed for communications. Sharing of the available public service frequencies, or trunking, allows cities, counties, or other agencies to accommodate hundreds of users with relativel[...]

6 Feature Highlights • Pre-programmed frequencies specific to each state (except Hawaii). • Pre-programmed Trunked and conventional Highway Patrol frequencies • Highway Patrol Priority Alert -Receive audible and visual alert when within three miles of many Highway Patrol/State units • Pre-programmed frequencies for the following categories:[...]

7 Where to Obtain More Information Before you can scan the PRIVATE bank, you must program frequencies into the scanner’s channels. The Frequency Guide lists typical frequencies used around the U.S.A. and Canada that you may program into your new scanner. However, this is not a complete list of frequencies for your area. To obtain frequency inform[...]

8 Included with Y our Scanner Package • BCT8 Scanner • AC Adapter (AD 140U) • DC Power Cord • Cigarette Lighter Adapter Plug (Model CD007) • Telescopic Antenna (Model AT129) • Window Mount Antenna (Model AT002) • Operating Guide • Trunk Tracker Frequency Guide • Other Printed Materials If any of these items are missing or damaged,[...]

9 Installing the BCT8 For Home Use (Desktop Installation) 1. Insert the DC plug end of the AC Adapter into the DC 12V jack on the rear panel. 2. Plug the AC Adapter into a standard 120V AC wall outlet. 3. Plug the Telescoping Antenna into the ANT connector. Extend the antenna to its full height. For frequencies higher than 406 MHz, shortening the a[...]

10 3. Drill the necessary holes and secure the mounting bracket in place using the screws provided. 4. Mount the radio to the bracket only after the wiring has been connected to the rear panel. Connecting the Power Cord Note: If you are not experienced in connecting accessories to the vehicle fuse box, please see your automotive dealer for advice o[...]

11 T ypical Mounting Methods The BCT8 can be conveniently mounted on a table, bulkhead, overhead, or any other desired location with the optional mounting Bracket (MB007) (refer to figure below for typical mounting methods). Caution : Make sure there are no hidden electrical wires or other items behind the desired location before proceeding. Check [...]

Applying Power for V ehicle Installation You can power your scanner using the supplied DC cigarette lighter power cord or an DC power cord. DC power Installation To power the scanner from a vehicle’s 12V power source (such as a cigarette-lighter socket), you need a cigarette-lighter adapter. To connect an DC cigarette-lighter power cable, insert [...]

13 Applying Power Using Standard AC Power To power the scanner from an AC outlet, use the provided AC adapter with a 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1mm inner diameter tip. Caution : You must use a Class 2 power source that supplies 12V DC and delivers at least 500 mA. The cord connector’s center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scan[...]

Scanning Overview You can scan in one of three ways: 1. Highway Patrol Scanning After selecting a state to scan, press PVT/HWY to activate Highway Patrol Scanning. You can scan pre-programmed Highway Patrol frequencies. 2. Service Scanning Press SVC to select one of the nine services to find an active frequency. 3. Band Search Select a frequency ba[...]

15 How Squelch Works Think of “SQUELCH” as a gate. If the gate is too low (squelch too low), everything (all noise as well as signals) gets through. If the gate is set too high (squelch too high), nothing gets through. If the gate is set just right (squelch set properly), just the desired signals get through. Setting the Squelch 1. To set the s[...]

Highway Patrol Scanning Highway Patrol frequencies are pre-programmed on a U.S. state-by-state. While Highway Patrol scanning, Highway Warning Alert will be activated. Selecting the State 1. Press STATE to select the state you are operating in. Press and hold STATE to scroll rapidly. Hint : For the State Cord Order, please see page 56. 2. To step f[...]

17 Highway Patrol Scan Hold 1. When scanning stops on a desired frequency, press HOLD/RESUME to hold on that frequency as long as you like. When in the HOLD mode, press the ▲ or ▼ key to step up or down the frequency. To step up or down rapidly, press and hold the ▲ or ▼ key. If you change into a frequency which is a control channel, the sc[...]

• Press MUTE to cancel One Moment Mute. • Press and hold MUTE for two seconds to cancel Continuous Mute. You hear two beeps and the MUTE LED goes out. • Change states. The MUTE LED goes out after scanning starts. • Turn the scanner off and on. Note :I f MUTE is pressed for less than 2 seconds during the Continuous Mute mode, nothing will be[...]

19 You will experience a slight in the conversations you hear as the scanner checks the Priority channels. You can cancel the priority check and the interruptions in the conversations by pressing HOLD/RESUME to hold on the frequency. Note : The Highway Warning Alert is inoperative while the scanner is on Hold. Remember to press HOLD/RESUME to retur[...]

T runked Highway Frequency Trunked Highway frequencies are pre-programmed on a U.S. state-by-state. When the scanner finds the control channel data, the scanner begins to find any active IDs. If the scanner finds any ID, the active ID appears on the display and you will hear it. If you press the ▲ key while monitoring on ID, the scanner will chec[...]

21 Private Bank Scanning Programming Frequencies into Channels Before the scanner begins Private Bank scanning, you must program a frequency into at least one channel. Program frequencies you purchased from your dealer, from various free and FCC-based sources on the internet, or from the Frequency guide included in BCT8 package. You will need to pr[...]

22 Duplicate Frequency Alert If you enter a frequency which has been stored in another channel, you will hear an error tone and the other channel displays. Press (decimal key) to clear and start again. ––– OR ––– Press E again to store the frequency in both channels. Note : The smallest channel appears on the display when you store same[...]

23 Hold/Resume If you want to stop on a channel during scanning, press HOLD/RESUME . If you want to resume scanning, press HOLD/RESUME . Direct channel access: There are several ways to access a specific channel quickly. 1. Press HOLD/RESUME . 2. Using the keypad, enter the channel number. 3. Press HOLD/RESUME again. Note : You can also use the PRV[...]

Restoring All Locked-out Channels You can restore all locked-out channels in a bank only when a bank is selected for scan. If you have deselected a bank and you want to restore all of its locked-out channels using the steps below, you must press PVT/HWY until “ PVT ” appears and then enter the number of the bank on your keypad. 1. Press HOLD/RE[...]

25 Service Scanning The service scan feature allows you to rotate through the following nine service banks. q Local Police and County Sheriffs *1 w Fire and Emergency Medical Service e News Media r Weather (NOAA, weather and Canadian Coast Guard broadcasts) t CB Band y Aircraft *2 u Railroads i Marine Band o Department of Transportation *1 *1) Freq[...]

26 Band Search Setting a Search Band The BCT8 can search up to 13 separate frequency ranges to help you discover new stations in your area. To set a Search Bands, enter into the Band Search mode. 1. Press SRCH . The upper and lower limits of the Bands currently selected are on the display. 2. Use the ▲ or ▼ key to select the band you want to se[...]

27 • While Private Scanning in the trunking banks, press SRCH , then it will move to ID Search mode. Search Hold Feature 1. Press HOLD/RESUME at anytime to stop the search. To move up or down 1 frequency step, use the ▲ or ▼ key. 2. Press HOLD/RESUME to resume searching. Data Skip A scanner will normally stop on any transmission it receives. [...]

Storing Search Frequencies You can quickly store any frequency you find during Search. 1. During Search, press HOLD/RESUME . If you want to change the frequency, use the ▲ or ▼ key to move up or down 1 frequency step. Then press E . Or when the scanner stops on the frequency you want to store, press E . 2. Select a bank you want to store by usi[...]

29 T runk T racking Your BCT8 is tracks three major types of trunked radio systems. These systems are described here. ❖ MOTOROLA - Including Type I, Type II, Hybrid, SMARTNET, and Privacy Plus. Motorola systems are widely used by public safety and business users. Most are on the 800 MHz band, and recent systems are appearing on other bands. (see [...]

30 Programming T runking Frequencies There are three steps for programming a trunked system: 1. Program the Trunk Type – What type of system will the scanner be tracking, Motorola Type II, Type I, EDACS, LTR, etc. 2. Program the Trunked Frequencies – Within a trunked system, the frequencies are shared among all the users, called “Talk Groups?[...]

31 Lt (LTR) * Requires programming of a Base and Spacing frequency Offset channel (See page 45). ** Requires programming of a Fleet map (See page 44). *** Requires programming of frequencies in exact order and location. STEP 2: Programming T runking Frequencies 1. Select and press E . Use the keypad and (decimal key) to enter a frequency for the tr[...]

32 that you can program into your Scan Lists. In order to program Talk Group ID’s, you must first complete Step1–“Selecting Trunking System Type”, page 30 and Step 2 – “Programming Trunking Frequencies”, page 31. 1. After programming a frequency, press HOLD/RESUME to return to the main screen of system type selected and select . Then [...]

33 For a LTR ID, the Area Code, Home Repeater number and ID make up the Talk Group ID. Please see page 42 for more information. 1. Enter the Area Code. 2. Enter the Home Repeater number. 3. Enter the ID you want to store 4. Press E . Note : To clear a stored ID while entering an ID, press 0 and E successively, and start over. Receiving T runked Sys[...]

Note : One Scan List must always be active. If you try and deactivate all the Scan Lists, Scan List 1 will automatically be active. 3. To restore a Scan List to active scanning, press its number again. ☞ Remember! When you press TRUNK in the Trunking mode, you can be out of the Trunking mode and enter into Private Scan Hold mode. Note : • appea[...]

35 ID Monitor Mode By using ID Monitor mode, you can determine which talk groups are the most active without hearing conversations. 1. Press and hold SRCH for 2 seconds until you hear two beeps. Then begins flashing and all active talk group IDs appear on the display every 0.5 seconds. 2. To activate ID search mode, press SRCH Note : Lockout ID als[...]

36 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 encrust their communications, and you may w[...]

37 Setting the Delay Mode for T runking 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 DELAY while trunking, “ DLY ” will appear or disappear depending on your setting. T runking Frequency Confirmation You can check the frequency while a ta[...]

38 Multi-T rack 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 system[...]

39 EDACS ® Reception EDACS ® T racking 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 [...]

40 An EDACS ® T runked 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 i[...]

41 Special EDACS ® Features AFS Partial Entry Feature AFS is Uniden's 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 talkgr[...]

42 LT R ® Reception LT R ® T racking 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 [...]

43 Motorola Reception Motorola T racking 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 w[...]

Fleet Map Programming If you have programmed a trunk tracking bank for Motorola, press TRUNK to 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 [...]

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 syst[...]

9. Use the keypad to enter a new Offset Channel, then press E . Notes: • 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[...]

47 PL1 (plan 1) : This plan is the most common. Use Plan 1 if the last three digits of ALL the frequencies in use end in one of the following three digits: 125, 375, 625, or 875 (example: 856.1125, 860.7375, 859.6625, 855.8875). PL2 (plan 2) : If the last three digits of frequencies are less than 860.000 and end in one of the following three digits[...]

Remote Interface You can communicate and program your BCT8 in numerous ways with peripheral devices using a Remote Interface Cable port. This radio offers the following modes: ❖ PC Control mode Program and control your scanner from a PC using Uniden’s BCT8 Scanner Software. ❖ Clone mode Clone all the frequencies, trunking talkgroups, and flee[...]

49 Start Remote Mode and Change Transfer Speed: 1. Press and hold RMT for 2 seconds to activate the Remote mode. 2. Select the transfer speed except for , then press E and the scanner will start Remote mode. A unique feature of the BCT8 is that all the front panel keys on the radio remain operational in Remote mode. For information on purchasing BC[...]

50 To connect the Scanner to Scanner: Plug the male end of the RS232C straight interface cable into the remote port on the rear of one of the two scanners. Then connect the DB-9 to DB-9 null modem adapter to the cable. Plug the other end of the null modem adapter into the other scanner (DB9 Gender Changers are also available at your local electroni[...]

51 5. The data transfer begins from the First Unit to the Clone Unit. During the data transfer, both scanners show the following displays. When the data transfer is complete, displays. If the data transfer is not successful, the following error message will appear. Note : • To clear , press (decimal key). Note • Once you have completed the clon[...]

Care and Maintenance General Use • Turn the scanner OFF before disconnecting the power. • Always write down the programmed frequencies in the event of memory loss. • If memory is lost, simply reprogram each channel. The display shows 000.0000 in all channels when there has been a memory loss. Location • Do not use the scanner in high-moistu[...]

53 T roubleshooting If your BCT8 is not performing properly, try the following steps. Problem Suggestion 1. Make sure y ou are scanning in Highwa y Mode. 2. Check antenna connections. 3. Conditions to activate the alarm are variable and depend upon the timing of the dispatcher transmissions and pro ximity of patrol car to your v ehicle. Also , terr[...]

If you experience difficulty while in TrunkTracker mode, try the following steps. If you still cannot get satisfactory results while using your scanner or if you want additional information, please call or write the Uniden Parts and Service Division. The address and phone number is listed in the warranty at the end of this manual. If you would like[...]

55 Specifications Certified in accordance with FCC Rules and Regulations Part 15, Subpart C, as of date of manufacture. Channel: 250 Banks: 5 (50 channels each) Service Bands: 9 preprogrammed search bands (including the NOAA and Canada Weather Service band) Frequency Range: 25.0-28.0 MHz Petroleum Prod., CB Class D channels, Business and Forest Pro[...]

Appendix State Cord Order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM Alasaka Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Ka[...]

Preset Fleet Maps E1P1 Size Code SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 SIZE CODE 11 Block 1 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 E1E2 Size Code SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 Block 1 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 E1P3 Size Code SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CO[...]

58 E1P9 E1P11 E1P13 E1P15 E1P16 E1P14 E1P12 E1P10 Size Code SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 Block 1 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 Size Code SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 4 Block 1 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 Size Code SIZE CODE 4 SIZE CODE 0 SIZE CODE [...]

59 User Defined Fleet Maps Type I Programming Information When a Type I system is designed, the address information for all the IDs are divided into 8 equal sized blocks. When you program your scanner to track a Type I system, you must select a size code for each of these blocks. When you have assigned a size code to all 8 blocks, you have defined [...]

Fleet Map Size Codes Size Code Restrictions If you select SIZE CODE 12, 13, or 14, there are some restrictions as to which blocks can be used for these codes. • SIZE CODE 12 can only be assigned to Blocks 0, 2, 4, or 6. • SIZE CODE 13 can only be assigned to Blocks 0 and 4. • SIZE CODE 14 can only be assigned to Block 0. Since these SIZE CODE[...]

63 One Y ear Limited W arranty Important : Evidence of original purchase is required for warranty service. WARRANTOR : UNIDEN AMERICA CORPORATION (Uniden) ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY : Uniden warrants, for one year, to the original retail owner, this Uniden product to be free from defects in materials and craftsmanship with only the limitations or exclusi[...]