Uniden Bc796d Trunk Tracker Scanner Owners Manual

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General Programming
This section includes procedures that apply regardless of whether you are programming
conventional or trunked channels.
Deleting Frequencies from Channels
To delete a stored frequency, manually select the channel, then press 0and E. The contents
of the channel are erased.
Transferring Channel Information
To transfer settings from one channel to another:
1. Manually select the channel with the information you want to transfer.
2. Press 
TRNFR. The scanner displays the lowest-numbered empty channel. To select a
different channel, use the scroll bar to select the channel.
3. Press 
E. All channel information is stored in the target channel and deleted from the
original channel.
Note:Trunking system information is not transferred.
Entering Alpha Information
Your BC796D lets you assign text tags to banks, channels, talkgroups, and search ranges.
Follow these steps to enter a text tag.
1. Use the scroll bar to select the letter.
2. Press 
/HOLDto advance to the next letter or LIMIT/to back up to a previous letter.
3. When you have completed the text tag, press 
Eto accept the entry.
General Programming Tips
•Do not program weather frequencies into channels. Since they have continuous broad-
casts, your scanner will always stop on them. Use weather service search to access
NOAA weather broadcasts.
•Group related services into a bank. For example, program city trunk system in Bank 1,
amateur radio in Bank 2, and so on.
•To quickly program a series of channels, start with the lowest-numbered channel. The
scanner automatically advances to the next channel by default when you complete pro-
gramming a channel.
•Make a programming plan before you sit down to program your scanner. Write down what
frequency you will store in each channel, along with other system information. Or, use the
supplied software to organize your information before you start. Keep a record of what you
programmed in case you lose programming. This lets you more quickly program the scan-
ner the next time. 
						

							•Entered frequencies are rounded off according to the step size for the channel.
•When you store a new frequency in a channel, the text tag previously assigned to that
channel is deleted.
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							Programming Conventional Channels
Each bank can hold a mix of conventional channels plus one trunking system. This section
describes how to store known frequencies into conventional channels. The first few sections
are intended to be performed in the order indicated if you are entering information the first
time. If you are editing existing information, manually select the channel, then use the
complete menu process to access the information you want to change.
Note:To quickly store only a frequency in a channel, manually select the channel, enter the
frequency, then press 
E. Do not use this method for Trunking systems, however, as
these systems require additional information to scan correctly.
1. Select a Channel to Program
To start, first select the channel you want to program:
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL
Enter the channel number, then press E.
2. Enter the Frequency
a. Press 1or highlight 1:FREQUENCYand press E.
b. Enter the frequency you want to program, then press 
E.
Notes:•If the channel already had a frequency programmed, it appears above the prompt.
•If you select a frequency that is not valid, the scanner displays 
ERROR  OUT
OF  BAND
. Enter a correct frequency to continue.
•If you enter a frequency that has already been stored in the scanner, the scanner
displays 
WARNING  DUPLICATEand the channel number that contains the
duplicate. To save the frequency anyway, press 
E. Otherwise, press  to cancel
and enter a different frequency.
•If you change an existing frequency, all other information stored for that channel
is deleted or set back to default values.
3. Assigning a Text Tag
a. Use the scroll bar to select the channel you want to tag, then press E.
b. Use the scroll bar to select the letter, then press 
/HOLDto move the entry position one
space to the right or press 
LIMIT/to move the entry position one space to the left.
c. When you have entered the tag, press 
Eto save the tag.
The scanner displays
1:OTHER  CHANNEL
Select to pick another channel to program from Step 1
2:CHANNEL  OPTION
Select to set additional channel options (see the following sections).
.
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							3:DONE
Exit the channel setting and menu mode.
Setting the Delay
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→2:DELAY
The delay option lets you set a delay after a transmission for each channel. This slows down
scanning, but helps to prevent missing replies.
1:NONE
The delay is turned off.
2:1  SECOND
The delay time is 1 second.
3:2  SECONDS
The delay time is 2 seconds.
4:4  SECONDS
The delay time is 4 seconds.
5:INFINITE
When the scanner stops on a transmission, you must press RSMto resume
searching.
6:  -2  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 2 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 2-second pause.
7:  -5  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 5 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 5-second pause.
8:  -10  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 10 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 10-second pause.
Setting the Subaudible Tone Option
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→3:TONE  DATA
Some radio systems use special tones to prevent interference from other nearby systems
operating on the same frequencies. When tones are being used, the radios only open
squelch when a transmission with a matching tone is present on the frequency. Some
services, such as FRS, GMRS, and Business Band refer to these tones as Quiet Codes,
Privacy Codes, or similar and use a number to associate a particular tone. The table in the
back of the manual provides a cross reference to common associations. For this feature to
work, you need to turn on the Tone Mode (see “Setting Squelch Mode”).
1:CTCSS
Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) is used with Amateur Radio,
FRS, GMRS, Business Band, and other systems. When you select this option, the
scanner only opens squelch when a matching CTCSS tone is present on the
frequency.
2:DCS
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Digital Coded Squelch is similar to CTCSS, but instead of differentiating codes
using frequencies, DCS always uses the same frequency but encodes it with a
binary value. When you select this option, the scanner only opens squelch when a
matching DCS value is present on the frequency.
3:OFF
The scanner opens squelch regardless of the presence of tones.
Note:If, instead of pressing Eto select a tone you press L/O, the scanner will stop on any
transmission except for those with the selected tone.
Setting Beep Alert
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→4:BEEP
ALERT
1:ON
The scanner sounds three alert tones when it stops on a transmission on this
channel.
2:OFF
Beep Alert is off.
Setting the Attenuator
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→
5:ATTENUATOR
If you are near a very strong signal source, the signal can overload the scanner’s RF front
end, causing poor audio quality or missed reception.
1:ON
RF attenuation is on for the channel
2:OFF
RF attenuation is off for the channel
Changing the Frequency Step
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→6:STEPS
The channel frequency step option controls the frequency step size used when you manually
tune up or down from the frequency stored in the channel. Your BC796D is preprogrammed
with the most common steps sizes for each band, so you seldom need to change this
setting.
1:5KHz
Use 5 kHz steps
2:6.25KHz
Use 6.25 kHz steps
3:7.5KHz
Use 7.5 kHz steps
4:10KHz
Use 10 kHz steps
5:12.5KHz
Use 12.5 kHz steps 
						

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6:25KHz
Use 25 kHz steps
7:50KHz
Use 50 kHz steps
8:100KHz
Use 100 kHz steps
9:AUTO
Automatically set the step size based on the band
Setting the Modulation Mode
2:SCAN  OPTION →1:CONVENTIONAL →Channel No.→7:MODE
Radio transmissions are modulated in several different ways. The BC796D is able to
demodulate the most common transmission types. Your scanner has the most common
modulation mode preset for each band, so you seldom have to change this option. However
there are occasional services that use a modulation mode that is not standard for that band.
1:AM
Amplitude Modulation
2:FM
Frequency Modulation
3:WFM
Wideband FM
4:NFM
Narrowband FM
Setting Priority Channels
You can set one conventional channel in each bank as a priority channel. When you turn on
the Priority Scan option (see “Priority Scanning”), the scanner automatically checks these
channels every 2 seconds to see if there is activity. If there is, the scanner immediately
switches to the priority channel.
Notes:•The scanner does not check priority channels in locked-out banks.
•The scanner does not check priority channels if the channel is locked out.
By default, the first channel of each bank is set as priority. To change the priority channel:
1. Manually select the channel you want to set as priority.
2. Press and hold 
PRIfor 2 seconds. The scanner beeps and the new priority assignment
is made.
Note:To program priority talkgroup ID’s for trunk scanning, see “Setting Priority
Talkgroups.” 
						

							Programming Trunked Systems
Your BC796D is designed to scan most major types of trunking systems, including APCO
Project 25 Phase 1 digital communication systems. These systems are briefly described
here. For a more technical description of each system, see “Understanding Scanning.”
General trunking options are also covered in this section. To program the systems, refer to
the sections in the manual referenced below
•
APCO Project 25 Phase 1 Systems— Digital systems that support the APCO Project 25
protocol developed by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO),
the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Electronic Industries Alliance
(EIA). Systems can operate in conventional, trunked (9600), trunked (3600) and mixed-
modes (analog and digital) in any frequency band including UHF, VHF, 800 MHz, and 900
MHz. See “Programming Motorola Systems.”
•
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 “Programming Motorola
Systems.”.
•
EDACS – Including “Wideband” 9600 baud, and “Narrowband” 4800 baud systems.
“Wideband” systems are mostly on the 800 MHz band, and are used by public safety, utili-
ties, and business users. Some systems are used on the VHF and UHF bands.
“Narrowband” systems are used in the 935-940 MHz band, many by utilities. See
“Programming EDACS Systems.”
•
EDACS SCAT – These systems are mainly used in the Midwestern United States and are
one-channel trunking sites using the EDACS format. See “Programming EDACS
Systems.”
•
LTR – These systems are mostly for business users, and found on the UHF, 800 and 900
MHz bands. See “Programming LTR Systems.”
When tracking these types of systems, remember these important points:
•Your scanner defaults to monitor Motorola Type II systems; however, you can change this
if the system in your area is different.
•The frequencies for many of the trunked public safety systems are listed in the
TrunkTracker National Public Safety Trunked System Frequency Guide included with your
BC796D scanner. Frequencies sometimes change, check with scanner.uniden.com for the
latest information.
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Setting Trunking Delay
Setting a delay for trunking systems helps to ensure that you do not miss replies while
scanning.
2:SCAN  OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the bank→4:DELAY
1:NONE
The delay is turned off.
2:1  SECOND
The delay time is 1 second.
3:2  SECONDS
The delay time is 2 seconds.
4:4  SECONDS
The delay time is 4 seconds.
5:INFINITE
When the scanner stops on a transmission, you must press RSMto resume
searching.
6:  -2  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 2 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 2-second pause.
7:  -5  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 5 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 5-second pause.
8:  -10  SECONDS
The scanner only stops on transmissions for 10 seconds, then automatically
resumes. To hold on the transmission, press 
/HOLDduring the 10-second pause.
Using I-Call (Motorola and EDACS only)
I-Calls are direct unit-to-unit transmissions that are not heard by other users. Your BC796D
can monitor these transmissions in either the search mode or (if you have stored the unit
number as a talkgroup) in the scan mode.
When the scanner stops on an I-Call, the scanner displays the individual radio unit ID
instead of a talkgroup ID.
EDACS or Motorola Type 1 i nnnnn
Motorola Type 2 7 nnnnn
Note:•Each radio in a system has its own unique unit ID. Unit ID’s are not published for
systems, and since officers might not use the same radio every day, it is difficult
to predict who and what you will hear for a specific radio ID.
•Since a conversation consists of two or more radios, and each radio has its own
ID, if you hold on an I-Call, you will only hear one side of the conversation.
Turning I-Call On and Off for ID Search
2:SCAN  OPTION →2:TRUNK →Select the bank→9:I-CALL
1:ON 
						

							The scanner will stop on I-Calls or normal talkgroups.
2:OFF
The scanner ignores I-Calls.
3:ONLY
The scanner only stops on I-Calls.
Turning I-Call On for ID Scan
To receive I-Calls for ID Scan, simply store the radio unit number as ( ) plus the unit
number in place of the talkgroup. To receive any I-Call while scanning, enter the I-Call
wildcard ( ) 0. For EDACS and Motorola Type 1 systems, this appears as i0; for Motorola
Type 2 systems, this appears as 700000.
Setting Priority Talkgroups (Motorola and EDACS only)
Talkgroup priority works slightly different than conventional priority. With talkgroup priority,
the priority talkgroups are only checked when the scanner is on the control channel. So, if
you have delay turned on for the system or are holding on an ID, the scanner will
immediately switch to the priority talkgroup if it becomes active during the delay or while
there is no transmission on the held talkgroup.
To assign a talkgroup as the priority talkgroup, select it in Scan Hold mode (see “Holding on
a Single Talkgroup”). Then, press and hold 
PRIfor 2 seconds.
Multi-Track
The BC796D 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.
❖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 
SCAN. The scanner will instantly begin scanning. If you have not
programmed a trunking bank with talkgroup ID’s, you will receive 
NO  ID  (----)
message for that bank. 
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 and hold TRUNKor, press SCANor SRCH
while scanning.
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:
.
.
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							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 that a talkgroup in one of your active Scan Lists becomes active, you
will begin to hear that communication and the scanner will display the proper talkgroup
number and any alpha tag. 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
RSMwhile 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 
RSMkey 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.
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