Uniden Bc796d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

							Using this Manual
To get the most from this manual, review the contents to become familiar with the basic
functions available. If you are new to scanning or trunktracking, be sure to read the
“Understanding Scanning” section for a quick background on the technology behind the
hobby. 
The first thing you’ll need to do is plug the AC charger into the scanner. See “Setting Up
Your Scanner” if you need any help doing this.
Next, you’ll want to listen to see what you can hear with your scanner. Install the antenna,
then press 
SRVCand use the scroll bar to select TV Broadcast. Assuming you are in an
area with a strong enough TV broadcast, your scanner should soon stop on a station’s audio
program. Listen to this, or try searching another service for something more interesting,
while you review the rest of the manual.
5 
						

							Understanding Scanning
This section provides you with the background on how scanning works. You don’t really
need to know all of this to use your scanner, but some background knowledge will help you
to get the most from your BC796D.
Conventional Scanning
Conventional scanning is a relatively simple concept. Each group of users in a conventional
system is assigned a single frequency (for simplex systems) or two frequencies (for repeater
systems) to use. Any time one of them transmits, their transmission always goes out on the
same frequency. Up until the late 1980’s this was the primary way that radio systems
operated. Even today, there are a lot of 2-way radio users who operate using a conventional
system:
•Aircraft
•Amateur Radio
•FRS/GMRS Users
•Broadcast AM/FM/TV Stations
•Many Business Radio users
When you want to store a conventional system, all you need to know is the frequency they
operate on.
When you are scanning a conventional system, the scanner stops very briefly on each
channel to see if there is activity. If there isn’t, the scanner quickly moves to the next
channel. If there is, then the scanner pauses on the transmission until it is over.
Simplex Operation
Simplex systems use a single frequency for both transmit and receive. Most radios using this
type of operation are limited to line-of-sight operation. This type of radio is frequently used at
construction job sites, and with inexpensive consumer radios such as GMRS/FRS radios.
The range is typically 1-5 miles, depending upon the terrain and many other factors.
Repeater Operation
Repeater systems use two frequencies: one transmits from the radio to a central repeater;
the other transmits from the repeater to other radios in the system. With a repeater based
system, the repeater is located on top of a tall building or on a radio tower that provides
great visibility to the area of operation. When a user transmits (on an 
input frequency), the
signal is picked up by the repeater and retransmitted (on an 
output frequency). The user’s
radios always listen for activity on the output frequency and transmit on the input frequency.
Since the repeater is located very high, there is a very large line of sight. Typical repeater
systems provide coverage out to about a 25 mile radius from the repeater location.
6 
						

							Trunked Scanning
While conventional scanning worked great while there were only a few groups wanting to
use the frequencies, with the advent of smaller, lower-cost radios more and more agencies
and businesses wanted to take advantage of the utility of 2-way radio. As a result, the bands
that were used most became full, so new users were not able to take advantage of the
technology as quickly as they wanted.
Trunking solved this frequency shortage by allowing multiple groups to use the same set of
frequencies in a very efficient way. While each type of trunking system operates a little
differently (see the next few sections), they all work on the same basic premise: even in a
system with a lot of users, only a few users are ever transmitting at any one time. 
Instead of being assigned a frequency, as with conventional systems, each group is
assigned a Talkgroup ID. A central computer controls the frequency each group operates
on...and this frequency selection is made each time a user transmits. So, while on a
conventional system queries, replies, and follow-ups are all on a single frequency, they
could each be on completely different frequencies on a trunked system. This semi-random
frequency assignment made monitoring such a system impossible prior to Uniden’s invention
of the Trunktracking scanner.
Motorola Trunking
While there are 4 different types of Motorola trunking systems, they all use the same basic
trunking method. The system consists of one control channel plus one or more voice
channels (typically 10, 20, or 30 total channels). When a user presses Push To Talk (
PTT)
to transmit, their radio first sends their talkgroup information to the control channel. The
computer then assigns that talkgroup to a specific voice channel and transmits that data
over the control channel. All radios in that talkgroup switch over to the assigned voice
channel and the user can begin speaking. This all typically takes place in about a
second...the person transmitting hears a beep from their radio when the channel is assigned
and it is OK to start talking.
The four systems in use are:
•
Motorola Type I– the radios send the radio ID, the fleet and subfleet talkgroup ID to the
control channel each time they transmit. To program a Type I system, you need to know
the system’s fleet map. The most common fleet maps are included at the back of this
manual. You can also find fleet map resources on the web.
•
Motorola Type II– the radios only send the radio ID and radio channel code to the control
channel. The central computer keeps a database of radio ID’s and which talkgroup is
assigned to which channel code for each radio, so with this system the user’s radio sends
only about 1/3 the data as a Type I system with each transmission. Type II systems do not
use Fleet-subfleet talkgroups; instead they use a 5-digit ID for each talkgroup.
•
Type IIi Hybrid— these systems support a mix of both Type I and Type II users. Like
Type I systems, you must know the system’s fleetmap to ensure proper tracking.
•
Motorola Astro Digital — for channel control purposes, this type of system operates just
like a Type II system — although the control channel can be a 3600 bps data rate (for
mixed analog/digital systems) or a 9600 bps (for digital-only systems). Pure digital sys-
tems can be implemented under APCO 25 Phase 1 or Phase 2 standards. Your BC796D
is able to decode all unencrypted digitized voice traffic on either mixed mode or digital-only
APCO 25 Phase 1 systems.
7 
						

							One big difference you will notice with digital versus analog transmissions, is that with
analog systems, you might be able to hear weak signals interspersed with hissing. As you
move further away from the system, the interference gradually increases until you are
unable to make out the transmission. With digital systems, the cutoff point is much more
abrupt. You might have a small area where partial decoding occurs...in which case you will
hear partial and garbled audio. However, once the scanner is unable to receive the data well
enough to decode it, the audio stops entirely. For the best range, antenna selection and
placement is critical. See “Connecting an Antenna” for more information.
EDACS Trunking
EDACS trunking works in much the same way as Motorola trunking with a couple of major
differences. In an EDACS system, each frequency used by the system is assigned a Logical
Channel Number (LCN) so that less data needs to be transmitted by the control channel.
Also, talkgroups are assigned in an Agency-Fleet-Subfleet (AFS) hierarchy.  Also, there is
one variation of EDACS called SCAT that your BC796D can monitor.
•
Logical Channel Numbers– each frequency used by the system is assigned an LCN.
This information is programmed into each user radio. When a user presses 
PTT, their
radio sends their AFS information to the control channel. The computer then assigns that
talkgroup to a channel and sends the LCN so that all other radios in that talkgroup will
switch to the correct channel. To program a EDACS system in your scanner, you will need
to know both the frequencies used by the system and the LCN for each frequency so that
you can program the frequencies in LCN order.
•
Agency-Fleet-Subfleet– talkgroup ID’s for EDACS systems are assigned in a way that
makes it easy to see at a glance the affiliation of the user. Each radio is assigned a 2-digit
agency identifier from 00 – 15. For example, 01 might be used by the police, 02 by
ambulance service, 03 by the fire department, and so on. Each agency is then subdivided
up to 16 times to provide fleet identification, and then 8 more times to identify subfleets.
For example, the complete AFS for the Police Department West District’s dispatch channel
might be 01-062. 01 identifies the agency as the police department, 06 identifies the fleet
as the West district, and 02 identifies the subfleet as the dispatch channel. While these
assignments are somewhat arbitrary and vary from system to system, there are many
resources on the web for finding the assignments for most systems.
Because of the logical hierarchy of the AFS system, your BC796D lets you assign wildcard
ID’s that let you, for example, use only one ID memory to identify all units in either an
agency or a fleet.
•
EDACS SCAT– EDACS SCAT (Single Channel Autonomous Trunking) systems operate
on a single channel and alternate control data with analog voice traffic. While your
BC796D cannot track ID’s in this system, it can eliminate the control data so that all you
hear is the voice transmissions when you monitor this type of system.
8 
						

							LTR Trunking
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 control information as digital subaudible data that
accompanies each transmission, so there is no separate control channel. 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 User ID.
LTR systems also need to be programmed into your scanner in channel-order. 
Since many LTR systems use only odd-numbered channel slots, you would program these
systems using only the corresponding odd-numbered channels in a bank (for example, you
would program a system with channels at 1, 3, 5, and 9 into Trunk 2 channels 101, 103,
105, and 109).
Understanding Banks and Channels
The memory in your scanner is organized into 10 banks of 100 channels each. Each bank
can contain conventional channels as well as 1 trunking system. For each trunking system,
each bank can also store 10 groups of 10 talkgroup ID’s (100 per bank).
9 
						

							Getting More Information
By itself, this manual really only provides part of what you need to know to have fun
scanning – how to program and use the scanner. The two supplied Conventional and
Trunking frequency guides will give you a good head start on the other part of what you
need to know – what frequencies have interesting content. You can also find a wealth of
information on the Internet...check out scanners.uniden.com for the latest frequency
information in your area.
In addition, you can contact the following source of frequency information:
•Scanner Master
(800) 722-6701 (Hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through
Friday.)
To purchase another copy of the conventional or trunking frequency guide, contact one of
the following:
•Uniden Parts Department
(800) 554-3988 (Hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time Monday through
Friday.)
•Your Local Dealer
10 
						

							Front and Rear View
11
1. Volume/Squelch Control
2. VFO/Select
Channel/Frequency Control
3. Scan Key (
SCAN)
4. Service Key (
SRVC)
5. Display
6. Resume Key ( )
7. Hold/Up/Manual Key (
/HOLD)
8. Numeric Keypad
9. Menu/Bank Key (
MENU)
RSM
CHAN/FREQ
VFO/SELECT 
PUSH
SQUELCH
SCAN
SRVC
SRCH
MENUVOLUME
HOLD
LIMIT
TRUNK
L/OPRITRNFRMUTE MANUAL
BACK
MODE
BC796D1000CHANNELRSM
123
456
78
09
E
1-100
301-400
601-700
RVRS101-200
401-500
701-800
901-1000201-300
501-600
801-900
SELECT
134 5 6
78
910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 2
18. Antenna Connector
19. Tape Recorder Output Jack20. External Speaker Jack
21. DC Power Jack
22. Remote Control Terminal
23. Expansion Slot
18 19 20 21 22
10. Search Key (SRCH)
11. Limit/Down Key (
LIMIT/)
12. Trunk Key (
TRUNK)
13. Decimal/Reverse Key 
()
14. Lockout Key (
L/O)
15. Priority Key (
PRI)
16. Transfer/Mute Key (
TRNFR)
17. Enter/Select Key (
E)
23EXPANSION SLOT 
						

							Display Icons
12
                          DESCRIPTION
Priority Channel Indicator
Lock Out  Mode Indicator
Scan/Search Direction Indicator
Chain Search Mode Indicator
Service Search Mode Indicator
Scan Mode Indicator
ID Scan Mode Indicator
ID Search Mode Indicator
Channel Type
Conventional Type
Trunk Type
Motorola Tracking Type
LTR Tracking Type
EDACS Tracking Type
Control Channel Data
Voice Channel Data
Digital Communications
P25: APCO Project 25
Receiving Mode Indicators
Signal MeterICON
P
L/O
SRCH
SRVC
SCAN
ID SCAN
ID SEARCH
C
M
L
E
DAT
LNK 
P25
AM,FM
WFM,NFM 
						

							Included With Your Scanner
If any of these items are missing or damaged, immediately contact your place of purchase or
Uniden Customer Service at: (800) 297-1023, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Time, Monday
through Friday.
• BC796D Scanner
• AC Adapter (AD 580D)
• Cigarette Cord
• DC Cord
• Mounting Bracket
• Telescopic Antenna
• Operating Guide
• Trunk Tracker Frequency Guide 
• Other Printed Material
• BC796D SS CD-ROM
13 
						

							Setting Up Your Scanner
Connecting an Antenna
You must install an antenna before you can operate the scanner. You have been provided a
standard telescopic antenna that works well with this scanner, but you may want to 
purchases another type to increase the range. To connect the telescopic antenna, simply
connect it to the BNC type ANT. connector on the rear of the scanner. You can purchase a
variety of scanner antennas for both mobile and base station available at a local electronics
store. Choose the one that best meets your needs.
When deciding on a mobile or base station antenna and its location, consider these points.
•The antenna should be as high as possible on a vehicle or a house.
•The antenna and its cable should be as far as possible from sources of electrical noise
(ignition systems, gauges, and so on).
•The antenna should be vertical for the best performance.
Mounting an Antenna
Once you choose an antenna, follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna.
Then route the antenna cable to the scanner.
The antenna connector on your scanner makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of
antennas, such as an external mobile antenna or an outdoor base station antenna.
Always use 50 ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to connect an outdoor antenna.
For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable If your antenna’s cable
does not have a BNC connector, you will also need a BNC adapter (available at a local 
electronics store).
Follow the Installation instructions supplied with the antenna, route the antenna cable to the
scanner, then connect it to the 
ANT. jack.
Warning: Use extreme caution when you install or remove an outdoor antenna. If the
antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the 
antenna touches a power line, contact with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy
wires can cause electrocution and death. Call the power company to remove 
the antenna. DO NOT attempt to do it yourself.
Optional Antenna
If you have chosen an optional mobile antenna, connect the antenna plug into the ANT. 
connector on the rear of the scanner. (For more information on antenna installation, please
refer to the instruction guide that came with your antenna.)
14