Uniden BC796D - Manual

Introduction The BC796D APCO 25 Digital Trunking Scanner connects you to the exciting world ofscanning. Capable of scanning conventional frequencies, analog trunking systems, and themost popular digital trunking systems, it is a great all-in-one solution to your scanning needs. Here is a brief list ...

Using this Manual To get the most from this manual, review the contents to become familiar with the basicfunctions 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 thehobby. The first thing you...

Understanding Scanning This section provides you with the background on how scanning works. You don’t reallyneed to know all of this to use your scanner, but some background knowledge will help youto get the most from your BC796D. Conventional Scanning Conventional scanning is a relatively simple co...

Trunked Scanning While conventional scanning worked great while there were only a few groups wanting touse the frequencies, with the advent of smaller, lower-cost radios more and more agenciesand businesses wanted to take advantage of the utility of 2-way radio. As a result, the bandsthat were used ...

One big difference you will notice with digital versus analog transmissions, is that withanalog systems, you might be able to hear weak signals interspersed with hissing. As youmove further away from the system, the interference gradually increases until you areunable to make out the transmission. W...

LTR Trunking LTR® (Logic Trunked Radio) systems are trunking systems used primarily by business orprivate communications service providers, such as taxicabs, delivery trucks, and repairservices. These systems encode all control information as digital subaudible data thataccompanies each transmission...

Getting More Information By itself, this manual really only provides part of what you need to know to have funscanning – how to program and use the scanner. The two supplied Conventional andTrunking frequency guides will give you a good head start on the other part of what youneed to know – what fre...

Front and Rear View 11 1. Volume/Squelch Control2. VFO/Select Channel/Frequency Control 3. Scan Key ( SCAN ) 4. Service Key ( SRVC ) 5. Display6. Resume Key ( ) 7. Hold/Up/Manual Key ( ▲ /HOLD ) 8. Numeric Keypad9. Menu/Bank Key ( MENU ) RSM CHAN/FREQ VFO/SELECT PUSH SQUELCH SCAN SRVC SRCH MENU VOLU...

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 Ty...

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, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Time, Mondaythrough Friday. • BC796D Scanner • AC Adapter (AD 580D) • Cigarette Cord • DC Cord • Mounting ...

Setting Up Your Scanner 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 to purchases another type to increase the range. To connect the telescopic antenna, si...

Typical Mounting Methods The BC796D 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. Ch...

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 12 V c...

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 an...

Listening Safely To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an earphone or headphones. • Do not use the earphone to listen to the WX alert siren test or when in SAME Alertmode. The alert tone's volume is not adjustable and damage to your hearing couldoccur. • Do not listen at extr...

Basic Operation This section is your main reference for using the scanner once you have programmedconventional and trunked systems. Note that there are some slight differences to somefunctions depending on whether you are trying to affect conventional operation or trunkedoperation. Be sure to refer ...

Using the Menu Many of your scanner’s functions are accessed through its menu system. For completeinformation about a menu option, see the section referencing its use. A complete list of themenu structure is included in the back of this manual. To select a menu item, first press MENU to go to the fi...

To unlock locked-out banks, simply press that bank’s number again. The scanner displaysthat bank’s number and includes it when scanning. Note: You cannot lockout all banks. One bank must be unlocked at all times. Locking/Unlocking Channels To lock out a channel so that the scanner does not stop on i...

Disabling the APCO25 Card If you are not in an area where there is an APCO 25 digital system, you can save power bydisabling the APCO 25 (P-25) card. 3:SYSTEM OPTION → 0:P-25 CARD 1:ENABLE The card is enabled 2:DISABLE The card is disabled Muting All Audio To mute all audio, press and hold MUTE for ...

Searching Your BC796D includes powerful search features that let you discover new active frequenciesin your area. You can save up to 10 custom search ranges in your scanner. This sectiondetails how to use custom search ranges and also details the various settings that affectsearch operation. To star...

To skip over a frequency, press L/O when the scanner is stopped on a frequency you want to skip. Notes: • You can program up to 200 skip frequencies. The 201st skip frequency entered causes the first skipped frequency to unlock. • If all frequencies in the search range are set to skip, a beep sounds...

5:INFINITE When the scanner stops on a transmission, you must press RSM to resume searching. 6: -2 SECONDS The scanner only stops on transmissions for 2 seconds, then automaticallyresumes. To hold on the transmission, press ▲ /HOLD during the 2-second pause. 7: -5 SECONDS The scanner only stops on t...

Service Search The Service Search feature lets you scroll through the following twelve preprogrammedservices. The frequencies selected for these services are the most commonly used aroundthe U.S. • 1:WEATHER • 7:RAILROAD • 2:PUBLIC SAFETY • 8:AIR • 3:NEWS • 9:CB RADIO • 4:TV BROADCAST • 0:FRS & ...

Using Weather Search and Weather Alert (SAME) Your scanner allows you to either search for a local NOAA weather broadcast, or be set toalert when a SAME weather alert is broadcast on a NOAA channel. Searching for a Weather Broadcast To search for a weather broadcast in your area: 1:SERVICE OPTION → ...

To limit alerts to a specific area, you must also program in the FIPS code(s) for the area(s)you want to receive alerts for. The scanner can be set to either alert for all areas, or only theareas you have programmed. You can get FIPS codes for your area by calling the NationalWeather Service at 1-88...

Programming Bank Information In addition to channel and trunking system information you program into each bank (coveredin the following sections), this section covers general bank information. Bank Configuration Each of your scanner’s banks holds 100 channels that can be a mix of conventional (non-t...

35 General Programming This section includes procedures that apply regardless of whether you are programmingconventional or trunked channels. Deleting Frequencies from Channels To delete a stored frequency, manually select the channel, then press 0 and E . The contents of the channel are erased. Tra...

Programming Conventional Channels Each bank can hold a mix of conventional channels plus one trunking system. This sectiondescribes how to store known frequencies into conventional channels. The first few sectionsare intended to be performed in the order indicated if you are entering information the...

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 downscanning, but helps to prevent missing replies. 1:NONE The delay is turned off. 2:1 SECO...

39 Digital Coded Squelch is similar to CTCSS, but instead of differentiating codesusing frequencies, DCS always uses the same frequency but encodes it with abinary value. When you select this option, the scanner only opens squelch when amatching DCS value is present on the frequency. 3:OFF The scann...

Programming Trunked Systems Your BC796D is designed to scan most major types of trunking systems, including APCOProject 25 Phase 1 digital communication systems. These systems are briefly describedhere. For a more technical description of each system, see “Understanding Scanning.”General trunking op...

42 Setting Trunking Delay Setting a delay for trunking systems helps to ensure that you do not miss replies whilescanning. 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 T...

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...

Programming Motorola Systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for Motorola Type I, II, IIiHybrid, and APCO 25 Digital trunking systems. Using Control Channel Programming Your scanner has a powerful feature that lets you program in only the control channels forMotorola 8...

3. Select one of the following trunk types for Motorola Type 2 or digital Systems: 1:TYPE2/P25 800 Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the 800 MHz band 3:TYPE2/P25 900 Motorola Type 2 or Digital systems in the 900 MHz band 4. Select the channel to store the information into. 2:TRUNK CHANNEL Use th...

47 5. Select the channel to store the information into. 2:TRUNK CHANNEL Use the scroll bar to select a channel within the bank to store a system frequency, thenpress E . 6. Store the channel information 1:FREQUENCY Enter the frequency for the channel, then enter an Alpha Tag for the channel. Repeat ...

Toggling the Status Bit Motorola talkgroup ID’s are sent as a 16-bit binary number. Normally, the last 4 positions inthe number are 0’s, which result in all talkgroups being equally divisible by 16. These lastfour bits, however, can be used by the trunking system to indicate various status condition...

Programming EDACS Systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for EDACS Wide, EDACSNarrow, and EDACS SCAT trunking systems. Note that to program these systems, inaddition to knowing the system type and frequencies used, you must know the logicalchannel numbers (LCN) for th...

Setting EDACS Decimal Mode By default your scanner displays EDACS talkgroups in AFS format (see “UnderstandingScanning”). However, you can use this option to display and enter talkgroups in digitalformat. 2:SCAN OPTION → 2:TRUNK → Select the bank → :EDCS ID FORM 1:AFS Display the talkgroup ID in Age...

51 Programming APCO 25 Systems To program an APCO 25 system, follow the steps in the appropriate section for conventionalor Motorola Trunking. APCO 25 systems require only 1 additional setting: Sound Quality. Setting APCO 25 Sound Quality Each APCO 25 system has slightly different system settings th...

Programming LTR Systems Follow the instructions in this section to program information for LTR trunking systems. Formore information about LTR systems, refer to “Understanding Scanning.” 2:SCAN OPTION → 2:TRUNK → Enter the bank → 1:TRUNK TYPE → 1:ON → 9:LT → 2:TRUNK CHANNEL 1. Enter the channel numb...

Programming Talkgroups For many of the trunk scanning features to operate, you need to program the scanner withthe talkgroup ID’s. Each bank can store up to 100 talkgroups in 10 ID groups of 10talkgroups each. Group similar talkgroups together in the same ID group. When scanning,you can turn ID grou...

Using the Remote Interface You can connect your scanner to either a PC or another BC796D using the remote interfacecable port. This allows you to either control and program your scanner using a PC and thesupplied software and cable (not supplied) or clone the memory from one BC796D intoanother BC796...

56 During transfer both scanners display the following. When transfer is complete, the scanners display COMPLETE. Turn both scanners off andthen back on to initialize them. If data transfer is not successful, the following message appears. To clear the error, press . To exit the clone mode, repeated...

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. • Alwa...

58 Troubleshooting If your BC796D is not performing properly, try the following steps. If you experience difficulty while in TrunkTracker mode, try the following steps. 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 r...

Specifications Certified in accordance with FCC Rules and Regulations Part 15, Subpart C, as of date of manufacture. Channel: 1000 Banks: 10 (100 channels each) Service Bands: 12 preprogrammed search bands(including the NOAA Weather Service band) Frequency Range: 25.0-28.0 MHz Petroleum Prod., CB Cl...

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 a spe-cific frequency to the individuals that are using it, you can enter the actual name of thegroup. This w...

• Enter or modify the Trunking ID. ( this can be modified through the menu screen.) FIPS Codes - For the purpose of broadcasting weather information, the NWS (National Weather Service) has divided the United States into regions by state and county (orparish, where applicable) then assigned a 6 digit...

Appendix Preset Fleet Maps 64 Preset Map 1 Size Code SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11SIZE CODE 11 Block 1 0 234567 Preset Map 2 Size Code SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4SIZE CODE 4 Block 1 0 234567 Pres...

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 8equal sized blocks. When you program your scanner to track a Type I system, you mustselect a size code for each of these blocks. When you have assigned a...

70 CTCSS Frequency List (Hz) DCS Tone Code 67.0 91.5 118.8 156.7 210.7 71.9 94.8 123.0 162.2 218.1 74.4 97.4 127.3 167.9 225.7 77.0 100.0 131.8 173.8 233.6 79.7 103.5 136.5 179.9 241.8 82.5 107.2 141.3 186.2 250.3 85.4 110.9 146.2 192.8 88.5 114.8 151.4 203.5 023 051 114 143 174 245 266 332 411 452 ...

74 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, this Uniden product to be free from defects in materials and cr...