Update for BCD396XT and BCD996XT

Introduction
This is intended to be a supplementary manual for the use of the Uniden BCD396XT and
BCD996XT scanners that have been introduced. Since introduction, there has been a
wide observance that there "is no paper manual included" and that the "Wiki just isn't
the same". With this in mind, this document will try to help those making these
observations.

First Step(s)
Go here and download the old manual(s) for your device:
for the BCD396XT (copy of the BCD396T manual)
http://www.uniden.com/pdf/BCD396Tom.pdf

for the BCD996XT (copy of the BCD996T manual)
http://www.uniden.com/pdf/BCD996Tom.pdf

Yes, these are the older manuals, BUT since the difference between the T and the XT
models is more EVoluntionary than REVoluntionary, they should work to get you started
and cover most of the topics. What this document will do is to add the differences here,
in one place, for both 396 and 996 models since they have been "normalized" or made
to work more or less the same.

Major Difference for BCD396XT
When the BCD396T was introduced, it did not have the capability of multi-site systems.
This was rectified with the introduction of the BCD996T. When Uniden introduced the
BCD396XT, this issue was addressed and multi-site systems are now available for the
BCD396XT. Essentially this allows you to program multiple sites or towers for a single
system - say a statewide system, or multi-jurisdictional systems. You now have a new
menu option for site on the BCD396XT. If you need help with that, please see the site
section of the BCD996T manual.

System/Channel Number Tagging
While scanning, there are times when you desire to go directly to a certain system or
channel for instance if something is happenning in the south part of town, or you just
heard an interesting transmission on a channel and want to get back there. With Number
tagging, you can do just that.


(stolen from the wiki http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/
NumberTags#Programming_Number_Tags )

Number Tags
• Number Tags let you quickly navigate to a specific system or channel.
• You can assign Number Tags at the system level ( System Number Tag, or SNT),
at the channel level ( CHannel Number Tag, or CHNT), or at both levels.
• You can assign an SNT to the temporary system Close Call Hits that is created
during Close Call searches. This system and its SNT operate like any other
system.
• You can assign Number Tags to service searches and custom search ranges.
These search Number Tags operate like regular SNTs.
• When you are holding on a channel in Display Mode 1, the current system and
channel number tags are shown in the top left corner of the display as "T
SNT.CHNT". For example "T 2. 43" would indicate the current system uses
System Number Tag 2 and the current channel uses Channel Number Tag 43.
• Programming Number Tags
◦ Assigning an SNT
◦ Assigning a CHNT
• Using Number Tags

Programming Number Tags
Assigning an SNT
• SNTs can range from 0 to 999 .
• Systems can have the same SNT, but you will get a warning when you create
multiples. (This includes SNTs assigned to the Close Call Hits system or any
search ranges.)

To a system :
1. Open the Program System menu.
2. Select the system you want to assign the number tag to.
3. Select Edit Sys Option, then select Set Number Tag.
4. Enter the number tag you want to use for this system.

To the Close Call Hits system :
1. Open the Close Call menu.
2. Select Hits with Scan, then select Set Number Tag.
3. Enter the number tag you want to use for the Close Call Hits system.

To a service search range :
1. Open the Search for... menu.
2. Select Edit Service, then select the service search range you want to assign the
number tag to.
3. Select Search with Scan, then select Set Number Tag.
4. Enter the number tag you want to use for this search range.

To a custom search range :
1. Open the Search for... menu.
2. Select Edit Custom, then select the custom search range you want to assign the
number tag to.
3. Select Search with Scan, then select Set Number Tag.
4. Enter the number tag you want to use for this custom search range.
Assigning a CHNT

• You can assign CHNTs to channels even if the system does not have an assigned
SNT. However, without an SNT, you can only navigate to these channels from
within that system itself.
• CHNTs can be duplicated within their own system, but you will see a warning
when you create multiples.
• CHNTs can range from 0 to 999 .
1. Open the Program System menu.
2. Select the system containing the channel you want to assign the number tag to.
3. Select Edit Group, then select the channel group you want.
4. Select Edit Channel, then select the channel you want to assign the number tag
to.
5. Select Set Number Tag.
6. Enter the number tag you want to use for this channel.

Using Number Tags
To navigate
directly to:
Key Sequence Example
A system or
search range
1. Tap HOLD.
2. Enter the SNT + •.
3. Tap MENU.
If the SNT is
4 , enter HOLD / 4 / • /
MENU.

A channel in the
current system
1. Tap HOLD.
2. Enter the CHNT.
3. Tap MENU.
If the CHNT is 27, enter HOLD / 27 /
MENU.

A channel in a
different system

1. Tap HOLD.
2. Enter the SNT
followed by the
decimal point.
3. Enter the CHNT.
4. Tap MENU.
If the SNT is 4 and the CHNT is 27,
enter HOLD / 4 / • / 27 / MENU.

Notes:
• If two systems have the same SNT, they will be selected in sequence (i.e. the
first time you select the SNT, the scanner will go to the first system assigned
with that SNT; if you select the same SNT again, it will go to the 2nd system
assigned with that SNT, and so on).

• If two channels in the same system have the same CHNT, they will be selected in
sequence (i.e. the first time you select the CHNT, the scanner will go to the first
channel in that system assigned with that CHNT; if you select the same CHNT
again, it will go to the 2nd channel assigned with that CHNT, and so on).

NAC
Network Address Code (NAC) is another new feature of the scanners and was also
available with some of the later firmware updates on the prior scanners. This is shown in
Display Mode 1 so make sure that is set.

Control Channel Data Output
For some of the enthusiasts that are really involved in the lower level searching of
systems, they have used a "discrimnator tap" modification to the devices for a number of
years. This allowed much lower leve information about the system to be gleaned. Some
of this information is now available without having to make a hardware modification to
the scanner.

Once turned on in the scanner via menu options, this sends information out the serial
interface of the scanner. This can be viewed with a terminal type program
(HyperTerminal or similar) as the device operates. To make the most of this feature,
software is needed for your computer - Unitrunker is one program that is said to utilize
this information but there could well be others by now.

Fire Tone Out
When some fire departments broadcast important events, they will send one or two
tones at the beginning of the transmission to signify something important is coming.
These are called Fire Tone Outs and you can program them into your new scanner. But
how do you find out what the values should be for YOUR department? A good resource
for this is Radio Reference ( http://www.radioreference.com ) but if your system is not
listed there, then what? That's where this new feature comes in. You are able to find the
tone outs for conventional systems using the Tone-Out Search capability.

Menu>Tone-Out for...>Tone-Out Setup (which means you will press your menu key,
then scroll if needed to the item {Tone-Out for...} and select it by pressing your function
key then scrolling if needed to the next item {Tone-Out Setup} and selecting it by
pressing function). Here you will set up the conventional frequency that you are
interested in finding the Tone-Outs for. As you can tell, I am assuming here that you
have accomplished entering frequencies into your scanner, if not please check one of the
above linked manuals for that needed information.

Once you have the frequency entered, you may then back up one menu level and choose
Tone-Out Standy. From here, it is a waiting game to see what you find.

Band Scope
This is a new addition that will allow you to see the traffic on the different frequencies
around a center frequency. These are described in the Wiki at:
BCD396XT - http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BandScopeMode
BCD996XT - http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/
BCD996XTBandScopeMode
The following is the BCD396XT entry at this time but seems to work on both the 396XT
and 996XT.
Band Scope mode
Band Scope mode is a special type of Search mode where the scanner displays the
strength of any signal it finds.
• In a band scope search, the scanner starts at the lowest frequency in the range
and moves up the search range.
• In Max Hold Search mode, the scanner displays the strongest signal that it
found.
• If you manually set the mode to NFM or FM, the scanner will not reliably detect
signals that are modulated in either FMB or WFM.
• To turn on Band Scope mode:
• Reading the display in Band Scope mode
• Changing Band Scope Parameters
◦ Key operation in Band Scope mode

To turn on Band Scope mode:
Band Scope mode is the default setting for Search Key 3. To turn on Band Scope mode,
enter Search mode, then tap FUNCTION + 3 (SR3) . (To change the Search Key
assignment, see Search Keys#Programming Search Keys.)

Reading the display in Band Scope mode Changing Band Scope Parameters You can adjust the span, center frequency, and step size used in Band Scope mode. To make an adjustment, press ./no one time. The setting being adjusted flashes.

Repeatedly press ./no until the setting you want to adjust is flashing.
• CF -- Center Frequency. While CF is flashing, press E/yes then enter the desired
center frequency.
• SPN -- Span. While SPN is flashing, rotate the scroll knob to select the desired
frequency span. You can select from:
◦ 0.2MHz, 0.4MHz, 0.6MHz, 0.8MHz, 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 6MHz, 8MHz,
10MHz, 20MHz, 40MHz, 60MHz, 80MHz, 100MHz, 120MHz, 140MHz,
160MHz, 180MHz, 200MHz, 250MHz, 300MHz, 350MHz, 400MHz,
450MHz, and 500MHz
• STP -- Step. While STP is flashing, rotate the scroll knob to select the desired
frequency step. You can select from:
◦ 5kHz, 6.25kHz, 7.5kHz, 8.33kHz, 10kHz, 12.5kHz, 15kHz, 20kHz, 25kHz,
50kHz, and 100kHz.
Key operation in Band Scope mode
Key Name
(2nd
operation)
Action on:
Hold (Close call)
1 (Search 1) 2 (Search 2) 3 (Search 3)
Tap Enter Hold mode. NA NA NA
FUNCTION
+ Tap
Toggle Close Call
modes.
Start the search assigned to this Search key.
FUNCTION
+ Press &
hold
Enter Close Call Only
mode.
NA NA NA
Key Name
(2nd
operation)
Action on:
Scan (Search)
4 (IF exchange) 5 (Volume
offset)
6 (Display
mode)
Tap Enter Scan mode. NA NA NA
FUNCTION
+ Tap
Change the band scope
search type.
Switch the
Intermediate
Frequency used on
this Frequency.
NA NA
Key Name
(2nd
operation)
Action on: Lockout
7 (Attenuation) 8 (Reverse
freq.)
9
(Modulation)
Tap Press this key to close
the setting screen and
return to the Normal
Screen.
NA NA NA
FUNCTION
+ Tap
Press this key to restart
searching.
Toggle the
attenuator state
for the current
signal.
NA Change the
modulation.
FUNCTION
+ Press &
hold
NA Toggle the
attenuator state
for all signals.
NA NA
Key Name
(2nd
operation)
Action on:
Backlight (Power,
Lock) No (Decimal,
Priority)
0 (Weather) Yes (Enter,
GPS)
Tap Turn on the LCD
backlight.
Press this key to
select the next
setting item.
NA NA
Press &
hold
Turn the scanner on or
off.
NA NA NA
FUNCTION
+ Tap
Lock or unlock the
keypad.
NA Change the
Weather Alert
Priority
settings.
Enter GPS
mode.
FUNCTION
+ Press &
hold
NA NA Enter Weather
mode.
NA
To exit this mode, just press SCAN and you will go back to your scan/searching that you
were doing before.

Multi-Color Backlight Display
To access this Menu>Settings> Set Backlight> Set Color. At that point, you will see the
current color selection. As you scroll through the listing, the backlight color changes to
give you an idea of what your display will look like once that color is selected. Once you
have your desired color, press your menu key enough times to get you back to where
you were before starting.

Individual Channel Volume Offset
With these scanners, you can adjust the volume of the channels to somewhat
compensate for variations in volume while scanning. Why somewhat? MOST of the time,
a large discrepancy is due to incorrect mode settings (NFM when it's really FM, or
sometimes auto when the default for that band is incorrect for your frequency). Then
there are the various dispatchers, some speak softly while others speak in their "big
outdoor voice". Of course, these are things that the volume offset is NOT for. If you have
eliminated those and still need to compensate for a quiet channel, you do have that
option.

This is set at the "channel" level (individual frequency for conventional or talk group for
trunked systems) so you will need to access
menu> Program System> AlaskaLandMobile> Edit Group> Alaska ALMR> Edit Channel>
AST Fb Disp> Volume Offset (trunked system)
menu> Program System> TX DPS> Edit Group> TX DPS> Edit Channel> Repeater 10
A> Volume Offset (conventional system)

(please note that these are the supplied systems examples, change to suit YOUR needs)

Once we get to our destination, we have the options to adjust the volume offset from -2
to +2 with 0 being the center of course. As you would expect, a negative value will make
the channel quieter while the positive values will increase the volume.

Ok, so you're reading about this and thinking "not much adjustment" - well, it really
DOES come in handy and is quite a useful addition.
Intermediate Frequency Exchange While scanning, if interference is encountered on a certain frequency, one of the things to try would be to attenuate the signal. This can quickly be accomplished while holding on that frequency by Function and then the 7 key. This is a toggle in that when you
press it the first time, it will attenuate (turn attenuation on) the receiver, while the next
selection of the function will turn the attenuation off.

If the attenuation doesn't make enough difference, you also have the Intermediate
Frequency Exchange at your disposal. This will change the intermeidate frequency within
the scanner's receiver and can eliminate some forms of interference. Again this is a
toggle that you can use while holding on the frequency by pressing the Function key and
then the 4 key.

You'll notice that both these keys have a reminder abbreviated above each key, as do
the other keys on the keypad.
Key Safe Mode
In this mode, you limit what can be done to/with the scanner by your "user". This would
be nice in a setting where you need to configure several scanners for others to use. It
could also be used when you allow others in your family to use your scanner and
minimize the changes they can make.

To turn Key Safe mode on (or off)
• Turn the scanner off.
• Press and hold FUNCTION while you turn the scanner back on.
• The scanner display shows Key Safe Mode On (or Key Safe Mode Off ), then
returns to the operation it was performing when you turned it off.
• While Key Safe mode is on, MENU is disabled along with the key combinations
described in the table below.
• When you try to use a disabled key combination, the scanner display shows Key
Safe Mode. Press FUNC while Power On for Full Operation .
For examples of what the keys do in Key Safe Mode:
BCD396XT - http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/KeySafeMode
BCD996XT - http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD996XTKeySafeMode
Be sure you notice that when someone presses and invalid keystroke, the DO get the
information on the display on how to defeat Key Safe Mode, so it is not as secure as
some would like.

Private Systems
Danger, Danger Will Robinson!!!
This is a feature that can only be accessed via programming software. It *DOES* work,
much to the consternation of some users (already). What this does is to set the flagged
system as a "private" system which means that it can NOT (read that again *NOT*) be
changed. If your software allows it to be unflagged, you could be in luck, otherwise you
will have to reset your device wiping out all the informaton in it and making it
"showroom new". Do I need to repeat the "Danger Will Robinson" warning?
Priority ID Scan
Similar to priority feature on conventional frequencies, this feature allows you set a talk
group as a priority ID so that when it becomes active, your scanner will switch to it.
menu> Program System> AlaskaLandMobile> Edit Group> Alaska ALMR> Edit Channel>
AST Fb Disp> Set Priority
Your options are on or off.

I will mention that recently I saw someone remarking about the limit of priority channels
being somewhere around 1,000 so be aware of this and you might want to rethink how
many "priority" channels you really need.

Preemptive Priority on Motorola systems
The best I can tell, this is not something YOU have control over. It seems on some
Motorola systems, there is the option for the system manager to set a priority channel. If
they have it set, your scanner should track it.

Negative Channel Dropout Delay
When setting your delay time via the
menu> Program System> AlaskaLandMobile> Edit Group> Alaska ALMR> Edit Sys
Option> Set Delay Time you will see that you have negative options. These allow you to set it so that the scanner dwells on this system for no longer than the time you have selected. This will limit the
amount of "hang" you have if you encounter a stuck transmitter or it can be used to limit
the length of time spent on any system. So if you have a system that seems to move on
before the transmission are ending, this would be a good thing to look at.

Channel Alerts
Wouldn't it be nice if your scanner would display red for a Fire call or blue for a Police
call? Glad you asked! These new scanners now have that capability. In past, we were
able to set alert tones for various, user defined alert instances (warble tone for weather
updates on a mutual aid channel for instance). We now have the option to set a light
color to be displayed as well as the alert tone. Want even more? How about the ability to
make it solid, slow or fast flash? Yep, already in there.
menu> Program System> AlaskaLandMobile> Edit Group> Alaska ALMR> Edit Channel>
AST Fb Disp> Set Alert> Set Alert Light> color> then pick if you want it on, slow blink or
fast blink.

Once you come up with your own assignments, you'll be able to see the red from across
the room and know it's a fire call. If it's flashing rapidly, it's the primary system you're
interested in that's calling instead of one of the outlying Fire departments you're
passingly interested in which will flash slowly or be on steady. Get creative as these only
need to make sense to you.

Housekeeping
This document was neither condoned nor condemned by Uniden even though I did steal
some of their text from the Wiki (my thanks to those involved!) but I did try to give
credit where credit is due. And, if I missed some, you can probably spot it as being a
much more professional approach to the information. This was done to help with the "we
have no manual" cry that I have been hearing, but I know this will not suffice in and of
itself to supplant the official documents. This was not the aim. What I attempted to
accomplish here was to help document some of the new items and give some guidance
to new folks to the Uniden DMA type scanners.

The big help that I finally found on addressing the DMA style scanners from Uniden was
to "forget all that I knew about scanning from years past". Once I shook that, it was a
pretty easy system to pick and makes a lot of sense how they approached the setup.
The one shortcoming that I am aware of at this point is on the Fire Tone Out description.
I don't use this much and *think* I remember how I've used it in past but have not had
any hits to confirm that I got it right, so be warned that this may be a "general idea" of
how it works.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps in your learning and using your new scanner.