Basics

How do I program the scanner?

First read the manual that came with it. Next, read it again. After reading it a third time then start playing with the radio and entering frequencies. The more you play with it the easier it gets!

Next read the rest of this page. If your question isn't answered here it has yet to be asked!

Digital

Is there a digital scanner out there?

Yes! Check www.scannermaster.com for details on digital products and send them e-mail at info@scannermaster.com to let them know of your interest.

Roughly what percentage of police departments use analog versus digital trunking? Is it worth buying a trunk radio or will they become obsolete in the near future to digital?

Right now most of the trunked systems are analog, only some use digital. Things are changing, but slowly. Unless you live in an area that is rapidly moving towards digital trunking (like MI) you will get a ton of enjoyment from a current scanner.

Even of your local agencies go digital your analog scanner is still useful. Don't forget, there is a lot more than just the poice to listen to!

L.T.R.:

I have noticed that my local LTR system seems to keep the ABC Company on the same channel most (but not all) of the time. Why is that?

LTR Users are assigned "Home Channels" They always listen to the Home Channel for calls. A subaudible signal is sent to keep the radios in line and assign them to specific channels. LTR does not use dedicated control channels like EDACS and Motorola systems do.

Do I need to put LTR channels in a specific order?

Yes. In fact you need to enter the frequencies in a specific *position*, this may require you to skip channels. For example ABC Company's LTR System uses Channels 1, 5, 9, and 14. Do not enter the channels into channels 1, 2, 3, and 4. While you may hear traffic the ID's may be incorrect.

How are the talkgroup codes set up on the newer trunk-following scanners that will work with LTR systems?

Here's what talkgroup codes mean for Johnson LTR systems and their variants:

EDACS:

Do I need to enter EDACS frequencies into a specific order?

Yes! Be sure that the frequencies are entered into the correct "LCN" (Logical Channel Number) order or you will miss call backs and see wrong ID's. The LCN may not always be in frequency order. The freqs may not use all channels, in that case you need to skip channels by entering zeros.

How do I find the correct LCN?

There are several ways. Hopefully someone already figured it out and posted it onto http://www.trunktracker.com. If not then first try in frequency order. If this results in missed callbacks or other funkiness then a bit more work is involved.

Our region has an EDACS system. Everything was fine, but now I seem to have lost a couple of frequencies. When I go to these frequencies on conventional mode, I will hear voice, but it'll be faint or breaking up.

If other freqs in the system are still at a strong level then it is possible that the repeaters used on those freqs have problems. Try a better antenna if possible.

Misc:

How can I tape record scanner traffic without a ton of blank tape between conversations?

Use a VOX (Voice Operated) tape recorder, available at Radio Shack, Best Buy etc. and connect it to the radio's Tape Out jack. If your scanner does not have a Tape Out jack then use an attenuating patch cord from the external speaker jack.

How do I adjust the Output level at the Tape Jack?

The BC780XLT's Record Jack is directly controlled by the Volume Control. This allows you to control the audio level into your tape recorder. Be sure to test the levels to be sure that the recorder is properly recording. Note the volume level when it sound good. You might even place a dab of "White Out" to mark where the record level is good on the volume control.

Is there any way to lock out a whole bank at a time or must I lock out each Channel one by one ?

While scanning press a number on the keyboard to turn on or off that bank.

Can I hear Smallville from Mayberry?

Depends on how far apart they are, what kind of antenna you use, how high your antenna is, and a multitude of other factors. Since each case is radically different there is no real way to guess if you will be able to hear specific areas from your location.

Trunking Issues:

My trunk scanner will not stop searching when in trunk mode, I am not getting any conversations on the radio while in trunk mode because it will not stop searching. What should I do?

It appears that you are not tracking the data channel. Are you sure that you have the system programmed correctly? If the system is Motorola and you have it programmed as EDACS it will not track correctly. If that is not the problem then be sure you can actually hear the system. Take the radio out of TRUNKED mode and see if you can hear the voice or data. If not then you are probably out of range. Try a better or higher antenna.

I just got a trunking scanner and I just wondered since everyone is on the same frequencies how can I lock them out so I can just get EMS or police! I don't want to get the city workers & garbage collectors!!

When tracking a trunked system one does not lock out frequencies, rather one lockouts Talkgroups. Figure out what talkgroups are in use by what agency and lockout the talkgroups you are not interested. Also you can just enter into a scan list the specific talkgroups you want to listen to and scan instead of search.

I programmed my local system into the radio but it does not track.

Be sure the system is set correctly. If there are beeps after voice messages then it is likely an EDACS system. Since most trunked systems are Motorola try that first.

We just got a new trunk scanner and don't know how to set it up can you help?

The best thing to do is read the manual. That is your best resource to setting up your new radio. All programming details are listed in the manual.

Can I listen to Nextel or Southern Link systems?

No. Nextel and Southern Link use a protocol called IDEN that can not be monitored on consumer grade equipment. While these systems technically are trunked they operate much differently than conventional trunked systems.

What can a trunking scanner do that a regular "12 band" one cannot? What sorts of users broadcast on "trunking" bands. Police, fire???

Trunking systems take several frequencies and share them among many groups of users. It allows more conversations and groups than plain conventional systems do. Trunked systems are controlled by a processor and use some form of data sent over the radio to tell individual radios and groups of radios which channel to go to for a call. It increases the efficiency of the limited spectrum available. For example a conventional system may have 5 police channels, 3 fire channels, 3 channels for Public Works, a couple for Water, a couple more for Streets, a channel for the dog catcher and maybe a couple for Maintenance. This type system may require 20 channels. Since most of the time these channels are idle it isn't very efficient. A trunked system for this area may use only 10 channels. Data is sent on one, leaving 9 channels available for voice traffic, all shared by all agencies. All users only hear the traffic meant for them, and priority levels are set up so that a channel is always available for emergency traffic.

Trunktrackers follow trunked systems. Since they can use any channel in the system for any conversation they are difficult to track with a regular scanner. You could hear the traffic but would have no idea if it were the police or the dog catcher. A TrunkTracker will display the talkgroup ID of the conversation and once the system is defined then you will know that the dog catcher is 1234 and the police are 4321 for example.

I have programmed a trunked radio system, but the scanner is not trunking. Why?

There could be a number of reasons for this. Here are a few for starters:

1. Are you certain you know the trunked system type (Motorola, EDACS, LTR)? There are some variations on each of these systems as well. In the Bearcat 780 you have to know the trunked system type.

2. Have you set the system type for the appropriate bank? Before you set the system type through the Menu, the scanner asks you to confirm the bank into which you're programming the trunked system. Make sure you've got the correct bank number.

3. After you've programmed a trunked frequency, you have to press and hold the TRUNK key for up to 2 seconds to assign the frequency as part of a trunked system. Be sure that you have done this and the proper icon (E for Ericsson, M for Motorola and L for LTR) appear along with each channel in the trunked system.

4. Is the system you wish to monitor an Ericsson trunked system? If so, you need to put the frequencies for the system in the correct order (known as Logical Channel Number "LCN" order).

5. Are you certain you are close enough to the system to get a solid lock on the control channel? If you are not sure whether or not you're getting the control channel clearly, take the scanner out of trunked mode and scan the channels that you have programmed (conventionally). One of the frequencies in a Motorola and in an Ericsson trunked system will have a continuous "chain-saw" sounding data burst. This is the frequencies that directs the talkgroup traffic on the voice (working) channels in the system.

6. Do you have all the frequencies for the system? Check the POLICE CALL book available through Scanner Master at 1-800-7222-6701, the web site www.trunktracker.com, or other online sites.

I've programmed the trunked system, pressed scan, and nothing is happening.

You need to enter some talkgroups into "Scan List" memory. Use the above mentioned resources or press the SEARCH key to find any active talkgroup on the system.

Frequencies:

Can you send me the frequency for my town?

If your town uses a trunked system check out http://www.trunktracker.com. If not then get a copy of Police Call (available at Radio Shack stores or through www.scannermaster.com).

I do not understand how to get a trunk frequency out of "04-043"

04-043 is a talkgroup ID from an EDACS system. A trunked system uses a group of frequencies, and from that group of frequencies the system segregates users into groups. Each group is assigned an ID number, in this case 04-043. This could be heard on any frequency of the system.

I moved from California to Florida. How do I erase the California freqs from my scanner?

You can just program new freqs over the existing ones or lock them out of the scan list.

I'm looking for a list of Family Radio Service frequencies. Do you have them?

Do you have any information on (Name your town)?

All the info we have is displayed. We are always looking for new and better data, if you have corrections or updates let us know! Also check the POLICE CALL Guide available at Radio Shack or through www.scannermaster.com.

My local agency has licenses on many frequencies including the ITAC freqs. Do I enter the ITAC freqs into the trunked system?

You never have to enter the ITAC Mutual Aid frequencies (866.0125, 866.5125, 867.0125, 867.5125, 868.0125) into a trunked system. You want to monitor these as conventional (non-trunked) since they are never used as trunking channels.

My local trunked system has over 50 frequencies. My scanner only has 30 (or 50) channels to a bank. How do I handle this?

While a system may have dozens of frequencies, only up to 28 will be used at any given site. Check the licenses carefully and see that you are only entering the frequencies for a certain site.

My local system has frequencies between 806 and 821 MHz. as well as 851 thru 866 MHz. Do I enter all these frequencies?

No, only enter the frequencies above 851 MHz. On 800 MHz. Systems the repeater inputs are from 806 to 821 and need not be entered.

Sometimes I want to listen to all the activity on my local trunked system, and other times I only want to listen to specific agencies (Police and Fire, but not Streets and Sewers). How can I do this?

Easy! When you want to listen to everything on a system just use the "Search" function. When you want to target a specific agency enter the talk group ID's into trunked scan lists.

I have a list of talkgroup ID's for my local system but they ID's are like "1E3" or "7FF" instead of regular numbers. How do I enter these?

What you are seeing is the Hex version of the talkgroup ID's. For a Motorola Type II system convert the Hex number to decimal and multiply by 16. For an EDACS system just convert the hex to decimal. You can use the scientific mode of the calculator in Windows to convert Hex to Decimal (and back if you wish). For EDACS systems on Uniden scanners that use the AFS method you can change the radio to use Decimal mode, enter the talkgroup ID in Decimal, then switch back to AFS mode to see the AFS method.

Hex uses the numeric digits 0 thru 9, and the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F to represent numeric values.

When close to a transmitter site, I will hear strange things such as TV broadcasts or pagers. Why?

This is due to high-powered local signals mixing and ending up on frequencies where you wouldn't expect to find them. It's fairly common on most scanners that this will happen near to high-powered transmission sites. Using attenuation and subaudible tones (with Tone Squelch) as described above will help eliminate the problem.

What other causes of interference are there

Many things can cause interference on a scanner, from the radios own internal oscillators (birdies), to computers, phone systems, certain types of lighting, and other electrical equipment. The 780 does an excellent job at overcoming most of these, but these factors may cause interference on certain frequencies. Try moving your scanner to a different location in your home or office to help eliminate any problem you might encounter.

What frequencies will the International Versions receive?

(Sorry, but International Versions are not availabel in the USA)

The band plan for the Australian UBC780xlt is

Battery Issues:

Is there a battery pack available for the BC780XLT?

Sure is! See http://www.scannermaster.com for more details.

Can I use one of those battery packs with a cigar lighter socket on them?

Sure can! Just use the cigar lighter cord that came with your BC780XLT.

TrunkCom:

What is TrunkCom?

TrunkCom is a mail list hosted by www.qth.net that allows scannists to discuss trunking issues via email. Subscribers can ask and answer questions about system layouts, frequencies, talkgroups and more.

How do I subscribe to TrunkCom?

To subscribe, go to http://www.qth.net. Select the TrunkCom list and follow the instructions given.

Antenna Issues:

What mobile antennas do you recommend?

If you only listen to a single frequency band or mostly listen to a single band then I suggest an antenna cut for that band. If you listen to a variety of bands then a decent all around antenna would be a VHF High band 1/4th wave. Cellular type antennas (The ones with the pigtail in them) work very well for 800 and 900 MHz. and work pretty well on VHF High band and UHF. Low band requires a larger antenna.

If I were to hook up my antenna to a 10 DB signal booster and then to the Antenna input on the scanner would this harm or blow the antenna input?

In a rural area free from pager or other strong interference sources this is usually not a problem, and can sometimes be beneficial. In an urban environment amps often cause more harm than good.

My suggestion is to try the amp. If it helps then go for it. If it doesn't, take it out.

How about outside antennas?

Outside antennas almost always work better, especially in rural areas.

"Control Channel Only" mode:

It is my understanding that the 780 will track a system even if you only know the data channel, is this correct?

Yes! We call it "Control Channel" trunktracking.

Can the 780 help "discover" the other freqs in the system being monitored?

Yes, the BC780XLT will track trunked systems with only the data channel, but only 800 and 900 MHz Motorola Type I, II, and IIi systems. Control Channel Only mode does not work with EDACS systems.

On a Motorola system it displays the active voice channel in CC Only mode, so it is very useful if you don't know all the frequencies used on your system.

I need walk through instructions for Control Channel Only Mode. I can't get the CC symbol to come up.

Set the Bank to Motorola Type II.

Find which is the currently active control channel of each freq listed. Once you figure that out enter it into a channel in the bank. Press and hold the Trunked button and the little "M" should appear.

Press the Menu button and select TRUNK DATA and then select Bank 1.

Select Trunk Type and then Type II 800. Scroll up again to where it says 0: CONTROL CHANNEL ONLY and select PLAN 3.

Be sure all other channels in Bank 1 are locked out. Press the Scan button then the Trunked button then Search to start looking.

Does Control Channel Only tracking work on EDACS or LTR systems?

No, only on Motorola systems. On EDACS systems the control data tells the radio to go to a channel already programmed in the radio, not to a specific frequency. LTR systems do not use a dedicated control channel.

780 Programming:

I keep getting "Error- Out of Band" messages when I try to set a channel up as trunking by pressing and holding the Trunk button down

The radio is telling you that the frequency you are entering does not match the trunking type that bank is set to. Go to the menu and be sure that the bank is set for the correct trunking type and frequency range.

How do I program a "Hybrid" system into the BC780XLT?

A hybrid system consists of a Type I system with one or more Type II banks. To program a Hybrid system select "Type 1" then "User Custom" fleet map. Use Size Code 0 for the Type II block(s). This is adequately explained on page 53 thru 55 in the BC780XLT's owners manual. Specifically look at the "Programming a Hybrid System" on page 55.

When correctly programmed as Hybrid you will see both Type I and Type II ID's appearing as appropriate.

The S13 you see applies to a specific block, not the entire fleet map. Due to the size of a S13 block it actually takes up 4 blocks, and can only be programmed in wither Block 0 or Block 4 (taking up blocks 0,1,2 & 3 or blocks 4,5,6 & 7). Thus one or more of the remaining blocks would likely be Type II (S0)

Is there a way to put the NOAA channel into the scanner and have it stop only if there is a SAME message? This way you can listen to whatever you like and still be warned of area weather alerts.

Unfortunately no. This would require the radio to have 2 separate receivers at a much greater cost.

I tried to test the WX Alert Siren on my 780 and couldn't get it to work.

Press the WX button, Press the Hold Button, Press and hold the PRI button. The radio should then go thru the several different alert tones.

How do I change the frequencies in the 780's Service Search?

Service Scan freqs are burned into the ROM of the radio and can not be changed.

When I press in the freq of 956.41875 (The Water Dept.) and a few others just above the 956 MHz. Range I get an error. I assume it is an out of range error because if I just press in 956. It accepts it. Will the BC780XLT accept 956.41875 or is 956.0000 the end of the range?

First off, 956.41875 is a telemetry channel only, there is no voice. It is used to report water levels to a computer. There are no voice communications above 956.000 so there is no reason to cover it.

How many Bearcat 780's models are there?

Just the one in the USA. There are versions for Australia and other regions but these are not available in the USA.

When Alpha Tagging a channel, how do you access the second line of the tag? After tagging the first line, when I press the arrow key to move to the second line, the cursor moves to the beginning of the first line.

The bottom line is reserved for the bank tag, not for channels. Press Menu/System Data/Bank Tag.

Will the BC780XLT work on my local trunking system?

Probably yes! The BC780XLT works on almost every type of trunking system, including Motorola Type I, Type II and Iii, as well as EDACS (wide and narrow!) and LTR.

Will there be a handheld version of the Bearcat 780XLT?

The upcoming BC250D is a handheld that will include the feature set of the BC780XLT as well as monitor digital systems. It should be available in late 2002.

What are "PL", "CTCSS" and "DPL"?

Continuous Tone Coded Sound Squelch (Also known by it's Motorola Trademarked name of "Private Line" {PL} as well as Channel Guard, Quiet Channel and others) is a low frequency tone that is transmitted along with a radio signal that allow the system users to ignore signals from other users, control repeaters, and other purposes. DPL stands for "Digital Private Line" which works the same way, but uses a digital word instead of an analog tone. The BC780XLT can search out and display the CTCSS or DPL code used (if any). You can also program known CTCSS and DPL codes to weed out unwanted users.

These codes are used by many police/fire and other public safety agencies as well as many business and private users.

There are 38 CTCSS and about 100 DPL codes in common use. Each of these codes is listed in the BC780XLT operators guide.

Occasionally, in the middle of a transmission, the scanner will resume scanning or searching. Why?

Simply turn Data Skip off to resolve this problem

Occasionally, when I monitor a Motorola trunked system only, the radio will drop the control channel and find it again. Why?

You will only notice this condition when you are trunking a single Motorola trunked system and no conventional frequencies, and the system you are monitoring is completely quiet for 10-15 seconds. The reason this is happening is that the scanner believes it may have lost the control channel as it has not received any talkgroup data for the aforementioned period of time. While the radio generally will recover the control channel in 800 milliseconds, you can try to mitigate this even further by putting using Control Channel trunking and placing the channels as the first frequencies in the appropriate bank. This gives the scanner fewer channels to check. Almost all users will find that this issue is so insignificant as to not require any special programming.

"It's a feature, not a bug!"

I will at times receive bleed-over from adjacent channels on a frequency. Is there anything I can do about it?

Because frequencies are so tightly spaced today this will occasionally happen. There are a few things you can do. If the frequency you want to listen to is a local or a high-power station, you can set ATTENUATION to ON for the channel. This will cut down on the strength of the signal you want to hear, but it should also eliminate adjacent channels from bleeding over.

Also check the Mode setting. In VHF the default in "FM". You may try the "NFM" setting which is also available through the CHANNEL MENU. 

Finally, if you know the sub-audible tone for the frequency (either a CTCSS or a DCS tone) you can program that into memory along with the frequency. This will also help to cut down on most types of interference. To find the tone, try TONE SEARCH which you can turn on through the SYSTEM MENU.

What Frequencies can the BC780XLT receive?

25.000 thru 512 MHz., 806 thru 956.000 MHz., and 1240 thru 1300 MHz. (Cellular frequencies excluded)

What Bands can the BC780XLT receive?

The BC780XLT receives the following commonly known frequency bands. Of course the BC780XLT also receives hundreds of other services and frequencies, this is just a sampling of the ranges you can hear:

Can the BC780XLT receive Cellular Phone Calls?

No, by law cellular frequencies are not included in this radio. There are no modifications that will allow the radio to receive cellular frequencies.

Hardware Issues:

I was interested in purchasing the Bearcat BC780XLT to put in our vehicles. I was wondering what the measurements (length/width/height) were for the scanner and whether or not there are pre drilled threaded mounting holes on the side to make it compatible with a standard radio mount for a police car.

The BC780XLT is 6 15/16 inches (176.5 mm) wide, 6 9/16 inches (167 mm) deep and 2 3/8 inches (61 mm) in height. The radio has a single threaded hole positioned at approximate center on each side.

What jacks are in the back of the unit that would not be accessible once installed in a radio mount in a vehicle?

The rear panel has a serial port for programming, speaker and tape out jacks, a 12VDC power jack and a BNC antenna jack. On my installation I used a Male-Female data cable to allow access to the serial port so I don't have to pull the radio in and out for programming.

I heard that if you reverse the speaker leads on the BC780XLT it will be a lot louder. Is that true?

No, reversing the speaker wires will not increase the volume, but it will void your warranty.

Do you have a schematic for the BC780XLT?

No, sorry. You can try www.uniden.com.

The on/off/volume knob on my 780 somehow got bent on a recent trip. What would be the way to try to straighten it? I'm not sure how to take the knobs off.

The knobs pull off straight out. Be very careful. You may need a pliers to do it, use a piece of cloth to protect them from gouging.

I lost the owners manual for my BC780XLT. Can you send me a new one?

http://www.uniden.com/productsupport.cfm?product=BC780XLT allows you to download the manual for free!

Software Issues:

I need the unlock key for the (insert name of software package here).

You need to contact the vendor of the software package for the unlock key.

Do you know if anyone is working on a Windows CE, Palm OS or Mac program for the Uniden 780?

I am sure there will be one eventually, but I don't know of any yet.

I am blind and use DOS instead of Windows so my text reader will work. Are there any DOS based programs for the BC780XLT?

Not yet, to our knowledge.

Will the BC780XLT track a "Multi-Net" system?

No, but ScannerMaster is working on an add-on solution for Multi-Net. Send an e-mail to info@scannermaster.com and let them know you're interested (include the city you're trying to monitor.)

I want to write my own software for the BC780XLT. Can you send me the Command Codes?

The Command Set is property of Uniden. You can request it from Uniden directly.

What other software is available for the BC780XLT?

ScannerMaster has software available  that will program, control and download data from the radio. Go to www.scannermaster.com for details. You can also look at various other websites for more options.

How about another way to convert ID's? Is there a chart available? How about a database?

This list includes the list I produced in the Spring of 1999, with the addition of the Binary and AFS fields. Since EDACS systems do not use ID's higher than DEC 2047, this will encompass even the largest of EDACS systems.

Save this link for the chart.

You may import this to FileMaker, a spreadsheet, or other database program. Printing this out will take a couple dozen pages, depending on how you format it.