Uniden BC780XLT - Manual

i Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside front coverImportant Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

1 Important Notice • This scanning radio has been manufactured so that it will not tune radio frequencies assigned by the FCC for cellular telephone usage. The Electronic Communications PrivacyAct of 1986, as amended, makes it a federal crime to intentionally intercept cellular orcordless telephone ...

2 Terminology What is Scanning? Unlike standard AM or FM radio stations, most two-way communications do not transmitcontinuously. The BC780XLT scans the channels you program until it finds an activefrequency. Scanning stops on an active frequency and remains on that channel as long as thetransmissio...

4 Feature Highlights • Trunk Tracking – Follows VHF High Band, UHF, 800/900MHz trunked public safety and public service systems just as if conventional two-way communications were used. • Multi-Track – Track more than one trunking system at a time. Scan conventional and trunked systems at the same t...

5 Where to Obtain More Information Before using your scanner, you must program frequencies into available channels. The BettyBearcat Frequency Guide lists typical frequencies used around the U.S.A. and Canada thatyou may program into your new scanner. To obtain another copy of the frequency guide, c...

6 Included with Your Scanner If any of these items are missing or damaged, immediately contact your place of purchase orUniden Customer Service at: (800) 297-1023, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Central Time, Mondaythrough Friday. • AC Adapter • Cigarette Lighter Adapter Cord • Operating Guide • Mounting B...

7 Setup Connecting an Antenna You must install an antenna before you can operate the scanner. You have been provided astandard telescopic antenna that works well with this scanner, but you may want topurchases another type to increase the range. To connect the telescopic antenna, simplyconnect it to...

8 Typical Mounting Methods The BC780XLT can be conveniently mounted on a table, bulkhead, overhead, or any otherdesired location (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....

9 Applying Power for Vehicle Installation You can power your scanner using either the supplied DC power cord or your vehicle’scigarette lighter socket using DC cigarette lighter power cord. Caution: You must use a power source that supplies 13.8 V DC and delivers at least 700 mA. Your standard 12V c...

10 Desktop Installation You can place this scanner on a desk, shelf, or table to use it as a base station. 1. Flip up the feet for desk installation. 2. Extend the antenna to full vertical position. Adjust the angle for best reception. Applying Power Using Standard AC Power To power the scanner from...

11 Connecting an Earphone For private listening, you can connect an earphone with a 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plug to the EXT. SP. jack on the back of the scanner. Be very careful as damage to your hearing can result if the VOLUME control is not set to the lowest level first. See below for “ListeningSafely”...

12 Note: Fold out the Front Cover to see the Controls and Indicators while reading this Guide. Turn the Scanner On Turn the VOLUME control clockwise out of the detent position. The scanner automaticallystarts scanning. Since there are no frequencies programmed in your scanner initially, youmay not r...

13 Understanding the Menu System It is very important for you to understand the Menu screen. To navigate through the Menuscreen is really quite simple. Many of the features of this scanner, can only be accessed bythe menu screens. There are several ways to get through the screens. First of all, pres...

14 Menu Description and Numeric Keypad Equivalents Below are the menu screens and a brief description or purpose of the feature. 1:SYSTEM DATA 1:DIMMER Allows you to change the brightness of the display. 2:SCREEN MASK Screen Mask allows you to limit what appears on the display to the alpha tags that...

17 4:L/O ID REVIEW Use this menu item to review the IDs that you have locked out during Search andScan. Use the Up/Down arrow keys or turn the VFO to the left or right to view theIDs that have been locked out. To leave the lockout IDs unchanged, press MENU to back out of the menu. To unlock an ID, p...

18 8:STATUS BIT (MOTOROLA) On Type II trunking systems there is a method by which specialized types ofcommunications utilize unique talkgroup numbers. An emergency call will occur ona unique talkgroup from its primary assignment, for example. Because theBC780XLT defaults to Status-Bit On mode, you n...

20 Before the BC780XLT can begin conventional scanning, you must program a frequency intoat least one channel. Repeat this procedure for each channel you want to program. Storing Frequencies into Channels 1. Select frequencies from your dealer, from various sources on the internet, or from one ofthe...

21 Duplicate Frequency Alert If you enter a frequency which has been stored inanother channel, you will hear a beep and the other channel displays WARNING . Press to clear and start again. ––– OR –––Press E again to store the frequency in both channels. Storing Text Tags You can customize your scann...

22 Beep Alert The scanner can alert you with three rapid beeps at the beginning of a transmission on anassigned frequency. Assigning the beep alert to a channel This alert can be set on/off to every channel (or to every ID memory for Trunking mode). 1. Press MENU. 2. Press s or t to select CH DATA a...

23 1. After programming frequencies, simply press SCAN to begin scanning. 2. The bank indicators selected for scanning appear in the display, and the bank being currently monitored flashes. You can deselect banks from active scanning by pressingtheir number on your keypad. The indicator for each des...

24 Still another method of direct access to a specific channel: 1 Press MAN. 2 Press s or t to select the channel. (or press and hold s or t to scroll more quickly.) Lastly to step up through the channels one at a time, repeatedly press MAN. RF Attenuation Feature The BC 780XLT comes with an RF Atte...

25 5. Press s or t to select one of the delay periods provided and then press E. DLY appears on the display unless no delay has been set. 6. For Search mode, select SEARCH EVENT - DELAY, then set the delay period. Note: The delay periods are as follows: • None: Delay feature off• 1 sec.: Delays for ...

26 3. The scanner immediately resumes scanning because the locked out channel is no longer in the scanning sequence. Lockout Tips • Write down your locked-out channels and put in a convenient place in case you need to restore them. Restoring a Locked-out Channel 1. Press MAN. 2. Select a locked out ...

27 Changing the Priority Channel You cannot eliminate the Priority Channel, but you can change it to any one of the 50available channels in each bank. 1. Press MAN. 2. To select a new Priority Channel: a. Enter the channel number.b. Then press MAN again. 3. Press and hold PRI for two seconds to desi...

28 Setting a Search Range Note: First you must set the search ranges through the menu screen prior to any searching. The BC780XLT can search up to 10 separate frequency ranges to help you discover newstations in your area. To set a search range, enter into the menu mode. 1. Press MENU. 2. Press s or...

29 Search Hold Feature 1. Press HOLD/ s at anytime to stop the search. 2. Press HOLD/ s to move to the next higher frequency. ––– OR ––– Press LIMIT/ t to move down to the previous frequency. 3. Press SRCH to resume searching. Data Skip A scanner will normally stop on any transmission it receives. T...

30 Storing Search Frequencies You can quickly store any frequency you find during Search. Caution: You must select the channel in which you will store the frequency before entering the search mode. Otherwise, you may erase a stored frequency that you want to keep. 1. During search, press HOLD/ s whe...

32 Note: • CTCSS: Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System. • DCS: Digital Coded Squelch. • For example, the scanner shows the following displays. • If the delay feature (-2 sec/-5 sec/-10 sec) has been set while in Tone search mode, it resumes scanning according to the delay setting. Additional Menu Op...

33 The Service Search feature allows you to toggle through the following ten preprogrammedservices. The frequencies selected for these services are the most commonly used aroundthe U.S. • 1: PUBLIC SAFETY • 6: RAILROAD • 2: NEWS • 7: AIR • 3: TV BROADCAST • 8: CB RADIO • 4: HAM RADIO • 9: FRS • 5: M...

34 Weather Channel Search To hear preprogrammed NOAA weather channels: 1. Press WX. Note: • It’s possible to receive more than one weather broadcast in your area. If the broadcast sounds weak or distant, press SRCH to look for a closer station. • Press HOLD/ s if you want to stop searching (WX hold ...

35 Programming FIPS Code The 6-digit Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) codes established by the NationalWeather Service (NWS) must be programmed in your scanner. These codes specify anemergency and the specific geographic area (such as county) affected by the emergency. 1. At the WX hold ...

36 Trunked Systems Your BC780XLT is designed to track three major types of trunked radio systems. Thesesystems are described here. v MOTOROLA - Including Type I, Type II, Hybrid, SMARTNET, and Privacy Plus. Motorola systems are widely used by public safety and business users. Most are onthe 800 MHz ...

37 Programming and Receiving Trunked Systems Programming Trunking Frequencies The first step in tracking a trunked system is storing the frequencies in one of the 10available banks in your scanner. Remember that you can only store one trunking system ineach bank. Important: If you are programming an...

38 + Important! 7. Press TRUNK for 2 seconds. A tone sounds, and E , M , or L icon appears on the display according to the system selected. Note: • To clear a mistake while entering the frequency, press (decimal key) repeatedly until the display is cleared. • If you enter a frequency which is out of...

40 Talkgroups display differently in Motorola, EDACS and LTR systems. You should read theappropriate parts of this guide to understand the formats. The bottom line of the display indicates the Bank and the type of trunked system you aremonitoring. You can change this to display a bank tag by using t...

41 Restoring Locked-out IDs To unlock a single ID, follow these steps: 1. Press MENU. 2. Select TRUNK DATA - BANK NO. - L/O ID REVIEW using s , t or VFO and pressing E, SELECT or VFO. 3. Select the locked out ID you want to unlock using s or t . 4. Press L/O. The ID is unlocked and the next locked I...

42 Scan Lists Each bank of your BC780XLT can be a trunk tracking bank and it can be a conventionalscanning bank. When you designate a bank as a trunking bank, your scanner sets up 10Scan Lists, which are simply lists used to store your favorite IDs. Each list can contain up to10 IDs, so you can stor...

ID Scan Mode 1. Press SCAN to begin scanning the lists you have programmed. If you haven't programmed any IDs, ERROR appears for a few seconds. 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 thatlist ...

45 Setting Priority in Trunking Mode You can set priority in your trunking lists, just as you do in your conventional ones. You canset the priority by pressing and holding PRI for 2 seconds. After you’ve set up your ScanList, press PRI to activate it. It’s very similar to conventional priority altho...

46 I-Call (Motorola/EDACS) I-Calls are direct unit-to-unit transmissions that are not heard by other system users. YourBC780XLT can receive these transmissions. How you receive I-Calls depends on whetheryou are in Search or Scan mode. During I-Call reception the display will show the Unit ID number ...

48 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 hearany replies that follow within two seconds (or whatever delay you may have set). After thatthe scanner will move on and not co...

49 EDACS ® Reception EDACS ® Tracking 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. Withyour TrunkTracker III listening to EDACS(s) is remarkably easy, and perhaps even easierth...

50 An EDACS ® Trunked system This chart shows how talkgroups are organizedwithin an EDACS system at the AGENCY level.The individual talkgroups cannot be shown at thisscale because there are over 2000. However thechart can show the 16 Agencies in this example.The system is logical and easy to underst...

52 LTR ® Reception LTR® Tracking LTR ® (Logic Trunked Radio) systems are trunking systems used primarily by business or private communications service providers, such as taxicabs, delivery trucks, and repairservices. These systems encode all trunking information as digital subaudible data thataccomp...

53 Motorola Reception Motorola Tracking There are really two types of Motorola trunking systems. These are usually referred to asType I and Type II systems. Type I only occurs on some 800 MHz systems. All VHF, UHFand 900 MHz trunking systems use Type II. One important distinction between these two s...

54 Fleet Map Programming If you have programmed a trunk tracking bank for Motorola type and press TRUNK to start Multi-Track, you will see user IDs display on your screen. Since the BC780XLT defaults toType II systems, all the IDs will appear as numbers. However, if you notice a mix of odd andeven u...

55 3. Select the size code for the first block using s , t , or VFO. 4. Press E, SELECT, or VFO. The next available block displays. 5. Repeat step 3 and 4 until you have selected a size code for each block.For details about each size code, see Fleet Map SizeCodes in the Appendix. Programming a Hybri...

56 7. Enter a new offset channel with the keypad. Note: You can only input within a range of 380-759. 8. Press E. The display changes for entering the next base frequency. 9. To exit from this mode, press MENU repeatedly. Note: • If the system is not tracking properly, you may need to try a new base...

57 Control Channel Only Mode When this function is activated, trunking is performed using control channel data only. Voicechannel (also known as "working channel") frequencies do not have to be programmed intomemory. When using this feature, the scanner will display "CC" and channel ...

59 Remote Interface You can communicate and program your BC780XLT in numerous ways with peripheraldevices using the Remote Interface Cable port. This radio offers the following modes: v SMARTSCAN MODE Automatically load frequencies, trunking talkgroups and fleetmaps from the UnidenNational Frequency...

60 To connect Scanner to External Modem: Plug the scanner end of the RS232C straight interface cable into the remote port on the rearof your scanner. Plug the other end of the cable (DB-9 serial connector) into the externalmodem. You may need a DB-9 to DB-25 (or DB-9) null modem adapter, available a...

61 6. After clearing, the DIAL START message appears. Press 1 to start dialing. 7. If the connection is successful, the scanner starts frequency downloading. COMPLETE will be displayed when your downloading is completed. 8. To start the scanner, turn the unit off then on. If downloading is not succe...

62 Menu for SmartScan In the menu mode (SYSTEM DATA - SMART SCAN), you can change several parametersused for SmartScan. • Bank lock • Transfer speed • Flow control setting • Dial type Bank Lock SmartScanner will overwrite frequencies that you have already programmed into yourscanner. To save the pre...

63 Flow ControlYou can choose the following flow control settings.Xon/Xoff is the default. The initial display appears. Press HOLD/ s for RTS/CTS. Press HOLD/ s again for non flow control. Press HOLD/ s again to turn off the flow control. Press E when desired setting is displayed. Dial Type You can ...

64 The SmartScanner database downloads frequency and trunking talkgroups (if applicable foryour area) to the scanner using the following order: 1. All licenses within your zip code. 2. All licenses within your community (with more than one zip code) 3. All your county licenses (such as County Sherif...

66 Change Transfer Speed To change transfer speed, enter into the menu mode. 1. Press MENU. 2. Press s or t to select SYSTEM DATA and then press E. 3. Press s or t to select PC CONTROL and then press E. 4. To change the transfer speed, press s or t . Then press E. Clone Mode You will need to purchas...

68 The following additional features are designed for you to customize your scanner. Oncethese features have been turned on or off, they will remain as they are set until you resetthem, even if you turn the scanner off and then on again. Dimmer To change brightness of the display: 1. Press MENU . 2....

70 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. • A...

71 Troubleshooting Problem Suggestion Scanner won’t work. 1. Check the connections at both ends of the AC Adapter.2. Turn on the wall switch of your room. You could be using an outlet controlled by the wall switch. 3. Move the AC Adapter to another wall outlet. Improper reception. 1. Check the anten...

72 Problem Suggestion Scanner won’t track. 1. May not be a system which can be tracked by your scanner. Make sure you press and hold TRUNK for 2 seconds to enter into trunk mode. 2. Missing the data frequency. 3. Change to a Type 1 Scanner setup. Review Fleet Map Programming on page 54. Scanner won’...

73 Specifications Certified in accordance with FCC Rules and Regulations Part 15, Subpart C, as of date of manufacture. Channel: 500 Banks: 10 (50 channels each) Service Bands: 11 preprogrammed search bands(including the NOAA Weather Service band) Frequency Range: 25.0-28.0 MHz Petroleum Prod., CB C...

74 Glossary of Terms Glossary of terms . Alpha tag - This term refers to an alphanumeric text tag that you can enter to describe the individual frequencies that you have programmed. Rather than having to associate aspecific frequency to the individuals that are using it, you can enter the actual nam...

77 Preset Map 1 Size Code S11 S11 S11 S11 S11S11S11 Block 1 0 234567 S11 Preset Map 2 Size Code S4 S4 S4 S4 S4S4S4 Block 1 0 234567 S4 Preset Map 3 Size Code S4 S4 S4 S4 S4S4 S12 Block 1 0 234567 -- Preset Map 5 Size Code S4 S4 S12 -- S4S4S4 Block 1 0 234567 S4 Preset Map 7 Size Code S10 S10 S11 S4 ...

79 User Defined Fleet Maps Type I Programming Information When a Type I system is designed, the address information for all the IDs is divided into 8equal sized blocks, numbered 07. When you program your scanner to track a Type I system,you must select a size code for each of these blocks. When you ...

80 Fleet Map Size Codes Size Code RestrictionsIf you select size code 12, 13, or 14, there are some restrictions as to which blocks can beused 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 ...

82 Range Offset 29.520 - 29.580 +0.1 MHz 29.620 - 29.680 -0.1 MHz 52.010 - 52.990 +1 MHz 53.010 - 53.990 -1 MHz 143.750 +4.375 MHz 143.900 +4.25 MHz 144.510 - 144.890 +0.6 MHz 145.110 - 145.490 -0.6 MHz 146.010 - 146.385 +0.6 MHz 146.415 - 146.505 +1 MHz 146.595 +1 MHz 146.610 - 146.985 -0.6 MHz 147...

83 CTCSS Frequency List (Hz) DCS Tone Code bc780xlt appendix.qxd 10/08/2000 4:51 PM Page 83

84 Memo bc780xlt appendix.qxd 10/08/2000 4:51 PM Page 84

One Year Limited Warranty 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, thisUniden product to be free from defects in materials and craftsman...