Uniden Bc785d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

							Note:Information on APCO P-25 Systems are referred to in “APCO Project 25 Reception”
on page 68.
STEP 2: Programming Trunking Frequencies
After you finish selecting the bank and trunk type you want to track, store the frequencies in
the channels for your selected bank in your scanner. Remember that you can only store one
trunking system in each bank.
Important: If you are programming an EDACS or LTR trunked system, you must enter the
frequencies in a specific order. Check the frequency guide included with the
scanner for the frequencies in your area. For additional frequencies, check the
web sites listed on page 10.
1. Press MENU.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the
VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
4. Select 2:TRUNK  CHANNELand enter the channel number by rotating the VFOand
pressing E.
5. Select 1:FREQUENCYand enter a frequency for the trunked system using the keypad
and pressing E.
6. Enter the alpha tag and pressing E. (See page 49).
7 You can also change the step size in this menu. (See page 93).
Note:•To clear a mistake while entering the frequency, press
(decimal key) twice, and the display is cleared.
•If you enter a frequency which is out of the system’s
trunking range, a beep sounds and ERRORappears
on the display.
•If you enter a frequency which has been stored in another channel, you will hear a
beep and the channel stored displays WARNING(Refer to “Duplicate Frequnecy
Alert” on page 27).
.
47
No. LCD display Icon TrunkingType Special requirements
1 Type 2 800 M Motorola Type 2 800 MHz
2 Type 1 M Motorola Type 1 a. Must program a fleet map.
3 Type 2 900 M Motorola Type 2 900 MHz
4 Type 2 UHF M Motorola Type 2 UHF b. Must program base, spacing,
5 Type 2 VHF M Motorola Type 2 VHF     frequency and offset channel.
6 EDCS WIDE E EDACS Wideband 9600 baud c. Must program frequencies
7 EDCS NARROW E EDACS Narrowband 4800 baud     in exact order and location.
8 EDCS SCT. E EDACS SCAT     
9 LT L LTR
          C 010
 0000.0000
ERROR
OUT OF BAND
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 47 
						

							Remember! You can also use or instead of rotating the VFO.
Also instead of pressing E, you can press the VFOcontrol (except for ALPHA TAG
setting).
STEP 2 is complete.
STEP 3: Programming ID Scan Lists Manually
Scan Lists
Each bank of your BC785D can be a trunk tracking bank and it can be a conventional
scanning bank. When you designate a bank as a trunking bank, your scanner sets up 10
Scan Lists, which are simply lists used to store your favorite Talk Group IDs. Each list can
contain up to 10 IDs, so you can store a total of 100 IDs for each trunk tracking bank. (1000
if you use all the banks as trunking banks!)
Scan Lists help you organize the trunking system users into categories. For example, you
might use List#1 for police IDs, List#2 for fire department IDs, List#3 for emergency medical
service IDs, etc. Once IDs are stored in lists, you can scan them like you scan conventional
frequencies and you can lockout any one (up to 9) of the 10 scan lists by pressing the
corresponding numeric key. When an ID is active, the scan list number will appear on the
display. You can program your Scan Lists either manually or during Trunking Search mode.
Check the web site www.bearcat1.com/free.htmfor a complete list of talkgroups for your
area that you can program into your Scan Lists.
In order to program Talk Group ID’s, you must first complete Step1–“Selecting or Changing
Trunking System Type”, page 46 and Step 2 – “Programming Trunked Frequencies”, page
47.
1. Press MENU.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating the VFOand pressing E.
4. Select 3:TALK  GROUPby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
5. Select the ID location by rotating the VFOor using the keypad and then press E. You
decide which location you want to place the Talk Group ID.
(The first number represents the Scan List number and the
second number represents the Memory Location number.)
(Direct entry method example: enter 1-5 by pressing 1,
(decimal key), 5.)
6. Select 1:IDby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
7. Enter the ID number. 
Note: After you have programmed the ID in a selected location, while still in the Menu
mode, you can set your Alpha Tag (see page 28), or turn ON the Beep Alert for an
individual talkgroup (see page 22).
.
48
         M1-5
------
¡
ENTER ID 
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 48 
						

							To enter a Type 2 Talk Group ID:
1. Enter the ID you want to store.
2. Press E.
To enter a Type 1 ID:
For a Type I ID, the block number, Fleet number and Subfleet
number make up the Talk Group ID number. Please see page
87.
1. Enter the ID you want to store (ID = Block number + Fleet
number +  (decimal key) + Subfleet number).
2. Press E.
To enter an EDACS
®ID:
1. Enter the ID you want to store.
Use the  (decimal key) for the dash.
2. Press E.
Hint: Remember that Unidens AFS format allows you to enter full or partial EDACS IDs for
powerful flexibility in all modes. Be sure to read the section EDACS Reception on
page 58 to learn how this works.
Note: The BC785D default to AFS talkgroup displays for EDACS
®only.
To enter a LTR ID:
For a LTR ID, the Area Code, Home Repeater number and ID
make up the Talk Group ID. Please see page 62 for more
information.
1. Enter the Area Code and then press  (decimal key)
2. Enter the Home Repeater number and then press  (decimal key).
3. Enter the ID you want to store 
4. Press E.
Note: To clear a stored ID while entering an ID, press 0and Esuccessively, and start over.
Remember! You can also use or instead of rotating the VFO.
Also instead of pressing E, you can press the VFOcontrol.
Assigning a Text Tag to a Talk Group ID
1. Press MENU.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating the VFOand pressing E. You can also enter the
Bank number by using the keypad.
.
.
.
.
49
          M5-0
4128
1216
¡
ENTER ID 
          M5-0
------
050-2
¡
ENTER ID 
           E5-0
------
09-022
¡ 
ENTER ID
           L5-0
------
0-02-120
¡ 
ENTER ID
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 49 
						

							50
4. Select 3:TALK  GROUPand ID location number by
rotating the VFOand pressing E.
5. Select 2:ALPHA  TAGby rotating the VFOand pressing
E.
6. The cursor appears on the display. Rotate the VFOto
change letters, and press /HOLDor LIMIT/to move right or left. Both capital and
lower case letters are available, as well as numbers and punctuation marks.
7. After entering the desired text, press E.
Remember! To clear a mistake while entering the letters, press /HOLD, LIMIT/or 
(decimal key) repeatedly until the display is cleared.
Setting the Squelch
For trunked reception, a good setting for the SQUELCH
control is in the center of the range with the color marker
pointing up. See the illustration.
If it is set too high (CCW) in some cases it could prevent
your scanner from locking to the Control Channel reliably. If
it is set too low (CW) it will slightly delay finding the Control Channel. The best setting is the
same as for conventional reception, and is not critical.
Receiving Trunked Systems
When you have properly programmed all the frequencies for a trunked system, you can
receive the system in several different ways. You will find that Search, Hold, Lockout, Scan
and Delay are all similar to conventional scanning.
❖ID SCAN lets you receive those talkgroups that you store in Scan Lists.
❖ID SCAN HOLD lets you selectively listen to a talkgroup in your Scan Lists.
❖TRUNKED SEARCH lets you hear all system talkgroup activity (unit-to-unit I-Calls
may be received as well). This is the best way to get started.
❖ID SEARCH HOLD works with Search mode to let you quickly freeze reception on an
interesting transmission. Or you can manually specify a talkgroup with DIRECT
ENTRY in ID HOLD.
❖ID LOCKOUT works with Search and Scan to exclude talkgroups that you dont want
to hear.
❖ID DELAY works with each talkgroup to be delayed when the communication ends.
The setting periods can be changed (See page 32).
When receiving EDACS systems, remember that Unidens AFS talkgroups give you powerful
flexibility. In a few key presses, you can specify a single talkgroup, a fleet, or an entire
agency in all the above modes. Read the section EDACS Reception to understand how
this works.
Hint: If the scanner is not in the Trunking mode, you can enter the Trunk Programming
mode by pressing TRUNK. Pressing TRUNKin the Trunking mode will move to the
Scan Hold mode.
.
           M5-0
1216
-------
ENTER ALPHA TAG
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 50 
						

							ID Scan Mode
1. Press SCANto begin scanning the lists you have
programmed.
If you havent programmed more than 2 IDs, ERROR
appears on the display.
Hint:Press and hold RSMfor 2 seconds, the scanner will move to the next trunking bank.
2. To remove a Scan List from active scanning, press the number of the Scan List on your
keypad.
The Scan List indicator turns Off, and the IDs in that list are not scanned.
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.
4. Press SRCHto return to Trunk Tracking Search mode.
Remember! When you press and hold TRUNKfor 2 seconds, you can switch Trunk
Tracking modes (Scan or Search).
Note:•While ID Scanning, to change all trunking banks to the Service Search mode, press
SRVC.
•Selecting a Scan List is also possible in the Menu mode. (LTR only)
•ID  SCANappears on the display during Trunk Scan instead of simply SCAN.
ID Scan Hold Feature
If you want to stop on a ID during ID scanning, press /HOLD.
If you want to resume scanning, press RSM.
To directly access a specific channel:
There are several ways to access a specific ID quickly.
1. Press /HOLD.
2. By using the keypad or rotating the VFOenter the ID
location number (See page 48).
3. Press /HOLDagain.
Trunked Search
Once you have programmed all the frequencies for a trunked system, Search will let you
immediately start hearing transmissions.
51
ID SCAN
 867.9875 NFM
List  1234567890
 
  M1-1:4128
 867.8375 NFM
ID Tag
LIST Tag 
          C1000
0000.0000
Bank 10
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 51 
						

							Press SCAN, and select the bank(s) you wish to receive, just as you select banks in
conventional scanning and ID scanning.
Hint:Press and hold RSMfor 2 seconds, the scanner will move to the next trunking bank.
Talkgroups display differently in Motorola, EDACS and LTR systems. You should read the
appropriate parts of this guide to understand the formats.
The display indicates the bank and the type of trunked system you are monitoring. You can
change this to display a bank tag by using the System Option menu.
Regardless of the system, you wont know exactly who you are receiving until you listen for
a while, or refer to frequency guides or internet sites such as www.bearcat1.com. 
Of course, figuring out who each ID represents is half the fun of TrunkTracking.
Later, when you learn more about a system, you will want to store lists of talkgroups. Then
you can scan specific agencies and users, and use the many other features your radio
provides.
ID Monitor Mode
To enter Scan Hold mode for conventional system in the bank selected for a trunked system,
press /HOLDand the radio will seek and acquire the trunked system control channel.
ID Search Hold and Direct Entry ID Hold Mode
Just like in Conventional Search, Hold lets you pause ID Search on an interesting
transmission without storing the talkgroup into memory.
If you hear an interesting ID during Search mode, and want to continue listening to it --
•Press /HOLDor LIMIT/to stop the search.
If you want to listen to a specific ID, while in Hold mode --
•Use the keypad to enter the ID you want and press 
SCAN, RSMor SRCH(SRCHkey can not be
used for EDACS).
If you want to resume searching --
•Press RSMto return to Search 
mode.
Note: ID Hold feature is also applied to ID Scan mode.
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 encumber their communications, and you may want to lock out
these unintelligible broadcasts.
To Lockout an ID, press L/Owhen the ID you want to
lockout displays.
The ID is locked out. You can 
Lockout up to 200 IDs.
52
M ID:4128
 867.8375 NFM
MOT ID:8192
Bank:04 MOT TYP2
  M1-1:4128
 867.8375 NFM
MOT ID:8192
LIST Tag 
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 52 
						

							53 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.
EDACS BLOCKOUTis a powerful form of ID  LOCKOUTthat can be used only with AFS
and EDACS systems. This feature lets you lockout entire Agencies or Fleets, not just
individual talkgroups. Using ID  BLOCKOUTyou can, for example, prevent Search from
stopping on any of hundreds of talkgroups in the Utilities agency. You can do this with just a
few key presses. To use ID  BLOCKOUTjust enter the Agency- part, or the Agency-Fleet
part, of the talkgroup code and press L/O. For example, to Blockout Agency 4 in Trunk
Search, press /HOLD, 0, 4,  (decimal key), and then L/O. For other ways to use partial
AFS entry, be sure to read the section EDACS Reception.
Review ID Lockout
You can check all IDs already locked out.
1. Press MENU.
––– OR –––
1. When you press and hold L/Ofor 2 seconds in trunking, you can also check all IDs
locked out.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Enter the bank number using the keypad and pressing E.
4. Select 7:L/O  ID  REVIEW.
Remember! You can also use or instead of rotating the VFO.
Also instead of pressing E, you can press the VFOcontrol.
Restoring Locked-out IDs
To unlock a single ID, follow these steps:
1. Press MENU.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating the VFOand pressing E.
4. Select 7:L/O  ID  REVIEWand the locked out ID you
want to unlock by rotating the VFO.
5. Press L/O. The ID is unlocked and the next locked ID
displays.
To unlock all locked out IDs in a bank once:
1. Press L/Ofor 2 seconds after selecting 7:L/O  ID REVIEWin step 4.
.
          L
LT ID:0-02-042
L/O ID REVIEW
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 53 
						

							Reverse Key
For Motorola and EDACS system; to change your display between the Scan List indicators
and trunk bank display, press RVRS.
For LTR systems only, the talkgroup must be active in order to change the Scan List and
bank indicators. If the talkgroup is not active, change the Scan List by using the Menu
screen.
Setting the Delay Mode for Trunking Mode
The delay time is automatically set for each talkgroup for ID Scan mode and ID Search mode.
The setting periods can be changed. To set the delay feature, enter into the Menu mode.
1. Press MENU.
2. Select 2:SCAN  OPTION/ 2:TRUNKby rotating the VFOand pressing E.
3. Select the bank number by rotating the VFOand pressing E.
4. Select 4:DELAYand then press E.
5. Select a delay time (see page 32) and then press E.
Note: If you want to verify the Delay mode setting, press and hold MENUfor 2 seconds in
Trunking mode.
Setting Priority in Trunking Mode
You can set priority in your trunking lists, just as you do in your conventional ones. 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 6, memory
position 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.
Programming Scan Lists During Search
To select a Scan List location and store an ID during Search
mode, follow these steps:
1. When your scanner stops on an ID you want to store, press
/HOLD.
54M ID:4128
 867.8375 NFM
ID tag
Bank:04 MOT TYP2 
ID SCAN
 867.9875 NFM
Bank  1234567890 
BANK:10 MOTTYP2ID SCAN
 867.9875 NFM
List  1234567890 
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 54 
						

							2. Press TRNFRand the smallest empty Scan List appears on
the display, then press E. In case you want to change the
memory location, you can change it by rotating the VFO.
3. Press RSMto return to Trunk Tracking Search mode.
Deleting a Stored ID
To delete a stored ID:
a. Press /HOLD in the ID Scan mode.
b. Rotate the VFOto select the Scan List location you
want to delete.
c. Press 0.
d. Then press E.
Moving between Scan List Memories
There are a number of ways to step and move through your Scan List memories:
1. Press /HOLD in the ID Scan mode and rotate the VFOto move to up or down.
2. Or, press /HOLD 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, 4, 0, /HOLD
Set Activity ID to ON, when your scanner finds an active ID during a transmission, the active
ID appears every 0.5 seconds.
I-Call (Motorola/EDACS)
I-Calls are direct unit-to-unit transmissions that are not heard by other system users. Your
BC785D can receive these transmissions. How you receive I-Calls depends on whether you
are in Search or Scan mode.
During I-Call reception the display will show the Unit ID number of either the transmitting or
receiving mobile unit, not a talkgroup. Unit IDs will display differently according to the type of
trunked system, and will replace the ns shown here.
EDACS and MOTOROLA TYPE 1innnnn
MOTOROLA TYPE 27nnnnn
Hint-- There are thousands of Unit IDs in typical systems, but relatively few I-Calls at a
given moment, so it is normally best to let the scanner receive any I-Calls without
trying to specify particular units.
I-CALLS IN SEARCH MODE
In Search mode, the scanner default is that I-Call reception is OFF. This means that I-Calls
will not be received until you program them to be ON. You have three choices for controlling
I-Call reception. Through the Menu system, go to 2:SCAN  OPTION / 2:TRUNK -
select bank number -/ 9:I-CALL, and make your selection. The menu choices are:
55
M ID:4128
 867.8375 NFM
MOT ID------
LIST:01 No.01 
 M1-1
 851.0375 NFM
LIST:01 No.01 
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 55 
						

							56 You can hold any I-Call IDs. Because you can only hold on one ID, and there are two IDs
involved in any I-Call communication (the transmitting and the receiving units), you might not
hear the full conversation, but you probably will.
In Search mode, when you hear an interesting I-Call, you can enter the instant
shortcut  (decimal key) then RSMto enter I-Call Only mode. This blocks all
talkgroup traffic and lets you hear just the I-Call. To return to normal reception, you
must use the Menu system to select the ONor OFFoption.
Note: When storing I-Call IDs, remember that the ID will be for only one of the units – either
the transmitting or receiving unit. Unless you specifically want to receive a certain ID,
it might be better to use the special code in the HINT below.
I-CALLS IN SCAN AND HOLD MODE
You can store I-Call IDs in Scan Lists, just like talkgroup IDs, for use by ID Scan and Scan
Hold modes. To program a specific I-Call Unit ID into a Scan Lists:
EDACS or Motorola Type 1
Press  (decimal key) followed by the Unit ID digits, then E.
Motorola Type 2
Press 7 followed by the Unit ID digits, then E.
HINT- There is a special code to let you receive all I-Call IDs with a single Scan Lists
entry. Press  (decimal key), 0, E. This will store the special code i0in an
EDACS Scan Lists, or 700000in a Motorola Scan Lists or Digital. Then,
whenever you Scan this entry, or select it in Hold mode, the scanner will receive
any active I-Calls, regardless of the Unit IDs.
Note: Motorola I-CALL tracking performance may vary between systems.
Multi-Track
The BC785D allows you to track more than one system at a time. Here are some highlights
of this feature:
❖You can actually track up to 10 trunking systems at one time.
❖You can trunk, scan, or search and scan conventional frequencies at the same time.
.
.
.
I-CALLs TALKGROUPS
1
OFF Not received Received normally This is the BC785D default 2ON YES Received normally Use this choice to receive I-Calls 
together with normal 
talkgroup traffic.
3 ONLY YES NOT RECEIVED Use this setting to listen to I-Calls, 
and block all talkgroup reception. 
For quick access to this mode, 
press       (decimal) then RSM. 
.
BC785D  11/8/2 1:01 PM  Page 56