FAQ Contents
- What is the BC245XLT?
- What is a TrunkTracker?
- What is a trunked radio system?
- What is a TrunkTracker II?
- What does it cost?
- How does it differ from the BC235XLT?
- Will it track Motorola systems?
- Will it track GE/Ericsson EDACS systems?
- Will it track Narrowband EDACS systems?
- Will it track LTR systems?
- Will it work on digitally trunked systems?
- What frequency ranges will it TrunkTrack in?
- What's its overall frequency coverage?
- What is Multi-Track?
- Why does scanning seem so slow with Multi-Track?
- What's a trunking or talk group ID?
- What's a Scan List?
- What's a Fleet Map?
- What's AFS?
- What is XPAND?
- What is LCN?
- Where can I find out more about the systems in my area?
- What is SmartScanner?
- What can you do with the computer control?
- What is cloning?
- What's an attenuator?
- Can its cellular coverage by opened up?
- What about importing a Canadian or European model?
- What does the radio come with?
- What's Service Scan?
- What's Autolight?
- Will the BC245XLT work with BC235XLT accessories?
- How should I charge the battery?
- Are there other batteries available?
- Can I get more power out of the earphone jack?
- Are there errors in the Operating Guide?
- What is the Status Bit?
- How are encrypted IDs handled?
- What is the Disconnect Tone Detect function?
- What's the deal with an unresponsive keypad and flashing key icon?
- How do I convert IDs between decimal, hexadecimal, Motorola and AFS?
- Is it normal to hear "buzzing" while monitoring EDACS systems?
- Are there hidden functions accessible with the DATA key?
- Are there better 800/900 MHz antennas available?
- Are there mailing lists for the BC245XLT or trunking in general?
- How do I properly interface it to other devices?
What is the BC245XLT?
The BC245XLT is Uniden America Corporation's latest TrunkTracker scanning
receiver utilizing new TrunkTracker II technology.
Not only can it function as a "conventional" scanner, it is also able to
follow the radio traffic on most trunked radio systems.
What is a TrunkTracker?
A TrunkTracker is a specially programmed scanning receiver which has been
"taught" how to decode a number of trunked radio systems. Having this ability
allows it to listen to such a system quite effectively which is not usually
possible with just a "conventional" scanner.
What is a trunked radio system?
A trunked radio system is a specialized radio system consisting of multiple
frequencies (usually between 5 & 30) utilized by complex radios which are all
controlled by a specialized computer.
Each time a user presses the transmit key to send a message, the computer
picks an empty frequency to broadcast on. Through the use of a dedicated
computer control frequency that all radios monitor, the computer is able to
inform all radios which frequency in the system should be tuned to hear the
broadcast.
Since the computer is picking the physical frequency being used and due to
other radio traffic on the same system, a single conversation between two users
can take place on multiple physical frequencies. Or, in other words, it can
"hop around" a lot which can make effective listening using a conventional
scanner downright frustrating, if not impossible.
TrunkTrackers are specially programmed to be able to monitor the control
data of the radio system so as the conversations move to new frequencies, it
tunes the scanner to the appropriate frequency so nothing is missed!
What is a TrunkTracker II?
The "original" TrunkTrackers (BC235XLT, BC895XLT, PRO-90, PRO-91, PRO-2050
and PRO-2066) could only TrunkTrack certain radio systems made by Motorola
which operated in the 800 MHz bands. They were also limited to the monitoring
of a single trunked system at any one time. And they could not monitor a
trunked system and "conventional" (i.e. non-trunked) frequencies at the same
time either.
The introduction of the TrunkTracker II fixed many of these limitations! Not
only can the BC245XLT monitor Motorola Type I, Type II, Hybrid, SMARTNET, and
PRIVACY PLUS trunked systems, it can also track trunked radio systems made by
GE/Ericsson which are commonly called EDACS.
Such systems can now be monitored with the BC245XLT if they are in the VHF,
400, 500, 800 or 900 MHz frequency bands. Other enhancements allow the
simultaneous monitoring of multiple trunked radio systems along with
conventional frequencies all at the same time!
What does it cost?
Prices will vary from dealer to dealer but at its introduction, it sold for
between $220 and $270.
How does it differ from the BC235XLT?
- It can TrunkTrack Motorola and GE/Ericsson EDACS systems
- It can TrunkTrack in VHF, 400, 500, 800 and 900 MHz bands
- It can scan/search multiple trunked systems simultaneously
- It can scan multiple trunked and conventional banks simultaneously
- It can scan trunked and conventional frequencies in the same bank
- It has 10 Scan Lists with 10 trunking IDs each
- It can lock out up to 200 trunking IDs per bank
- It can display the receive frequency while receiving a trunking ID
- It allows one trunking ID in each Scan List to be priority tagged
- It has the SmartScanner feature to automatically download data from
Uniden's 1-900 server
- It has a computer interface port allowing control and data upload/download
(just like the BC895XLT)
- It is supplied with the necessary computer interface cable
- The contents of one BC245XLT can be cloned into another BC245XLT
- It has the Autolight feature which automatically turns on the LCD when a
signal is received
- The Service Search includes railroad frequencies
- Up to 50 frequencies can be locked out during a search
Will it track Motorola systems?
Yes, it will TrunkTrack Motorola Type I, Type II, Hybrid, SMARTNET, and
PRIVACY PLUS analog systems located in the VHF, 400, 500, 800 & 900 MHz ranges.
Will it track GE/Ericsson EDACS systems?
Yes, it will TrunkTrack EDACS analog systems designed by GE/Ericsson in the
VHF, 400, 500, 800 & 900 MHz ranges.
Be advised that there are some 900 MHz EDACS systems which use a different
control channel protocol that the BC245XLT can not follow.
Will it track Narrowband EDACS systems?
No. Luckily, most such systems are used by businesses and not public safety!
Will it track LTR systems?
No.
Will it work on digitally trunked systems?
No. Only analog systems.
What frequency ranges will it TrunkTrack in?
137-174, 406-512, 849-869 & 935-940 MHz
What's its overall frequency coverage?
29-54, 108-174, 406-512, 806-956 MHz
What is Multi-Track?
Multi-Track is part of the new TrunkTracker II technology that not only allows
multiple trunked systems to be tracked simultaneously, but it allows
conventional frequencies to be scanned at the same time.
What does scanning seem so slow with Multi-Track?
The BC245XLT has been programmed to scan/search each trunked system for roughly
4 - 5 seconds to monitor for activity. After this time elapses, it will then
check any conventional frequencies in the same bank. It will then move on to
any other banks being scanned and then the process repeats.
Personally, I find that this forced monitoring time is excessive, especially
when you consider how fast Uniden scanners are to begin with. I would like to
see this reduced to between 1/2 and 1 second. Perhaps if enough people feel the
same, Uniden will change it in their next production run.
What's a trunking or talk group ID?
On conventional radio systems, we tend to associate physical frequencies with
the agencies that use them. On trunked radio systems, a different
representation must be used since any frequency can be used by any agency on
that system.
Since a trunked radio system is at the mercy of the computer controller, it is
beneficial to use the same representation that it does to identify the various
agencies found on a system. This is done when the system is first installed
and programmed with various numbers which are used to identify different
agencies and their different purposes. Such numbers are generally refered to
as trunking IDs or talk group IDs.
One of the TrunkTracker's tasks is to display the ID of the user when it
detects a transmission on the system. If you have no refernece for the system
you use, you'll have to figure out which agencies use each ID and for what
purpose. Once this is done, you can select the IDs you wish to monitor
exclusively and program them into a Scan List.
What's a Scan List?
To make an analogy, a Scan List is to a trunking ID what a conventional memory
bank is to a frequency. In a conventional scanner, you program frequencies into
a bank to control who you listen to by selecting various banks for scanning.
On a TrunkTracker, you program trunking IDs into the Scan Lists to do the same
thing! Find out which IDs you want to listen to and then divide them up into
useful groupings (usually by agency). You can then program each grouping into
a separate Scan List (the BC245XLT has 10 Scan Lists with each capable of
holding ten IDs).
Once the Scan Lists are programmed, you start scanning in trunked mode and can
select which Scan Lists to listen to thus directing who you hear!
What's a Fleet Map?
This is a term used to represent how a trunked radio system is configured. That
is, the number and types of radios that make up that system. The Fleet Map
itself can be thought as a table which divides the system into blocks and lists
the number of radios in each block.
Most times, the default Fleet Map that the TrunkTracker picks will be good
enough to follow most trunked systems. However, older Type I and Hybrid (Type
I and II together) systems might not be effectively monitored with this default
Fleet Map. You'll know it because you'll see both even and odd IDs on the LCD
and you may even miss some replies while trying to follow conversations. If the
Fleet Map does not match the system being monitored, the TrunkTracker can't
track it 100%.
TrunkTrackers come with 16 predefined Fleet Maps. These are a good place to
start experimenting to see what might work better for your system. If these
don't do the trick, you have the ability to modify them so that they match
your system configuration exactly.
What's AFS?
An acronym for Agency-Fleet-Subfleet. It's also a numeric format which the
BC245XLT uses to represent and display trunking IDs for EDACS systems.
On any one EDACS systems, up to 16 agencies (00-15) configured to use the
system. Each agency is then divided into fleet of which there can be 16 (00-15)
as well. And each fleet can further be divided into 8 subfleets (0-7).
The numeric AFS format is AA-FFS where AA is the agency number (00-15), FF is
the fleet number (00-15) and S is the subfleet number (0-7).
For more details, see pages 50 & 84 of your BC245XLT Operating Guide.
What is XPAND?
This is a feature of the BC245XLT which allows you to tailor the search and
scan operations while tracking an EDACS system. It uses the natural heirarchy
of the Agency-Fleet-Subfleet (AFS) numbering scheme to do this.
Normally, users are uniquely identified by their full AFS ID. Such IDs are seen
in search mode and can be programmed into a Scan List for scanning. But say
you know that Agency 04 is programmed for all police units and that's what you
want to listen to exclusively. Normally, you'd have to find out what all the
unique AFS IDs are for all the police users in this Agency.
With XPAND, you simply program the AFS ID by just specifying the Agency. In
this case, 04. The radio will now only track transmissions which have 04 as
the agency and ignore all others (agencies 00-03 and 05-15).
To further refine this "filtering", you can specify the Agency and Fleet but
leave the Subfleet unspecified. The radio will now track transmissions of any
Subfleet that match the Agency and Fleet you specified!
For more details, see pages 50 & 84 of your BC245XLT Operating Guide.
What is LCN?
An acronym for Logical Channel Number. Unlike Motorola systems which do not
care about the physical order in which frequencies are programmed into the
scanner, EDACS systems do require a specific ordering. If this order is not
followed, the scanner will not be able to effectively track transmissions on
the system.
How are you to know the ordering? If you're lucky, you'll be able to find a
book or web page authored by someone who has already figured it out for you!
If your are on your own, some have speculated that you can monitor the system
while in conventional mode to determine the proper frequency order. Try to
manually track a single conversation and note the order in which frequencies
are used.
David Safdy says that some EDACS systems require "blank" channels in this
ordering scheme. This requires that the blank channels in the ordering become
"empty" or non-programmed channels when you program the BC245XLT. And it
appears that the only way you can figure out if "blank" channels are needed is
by perserverance in noting how well the radio tracks the conversations.
Where can I find out more about the systems in my area?
Uniden's TrunkTracker Site
Radio Shack's Trunk Scanner Site
Trunked Fleet IDs
Trunked Radio Systems
South East Trunked Radio Information
E-Trax EDACS Information
Police Call Plus (in RadioShack stores)
What is SmartScanner?
This is a feature of the BC245XLT which allows the radio to dial into the
Uniden server via a 1-900 telephone number and automatically program the radio
with frequencies, trunking IDs and fleet maps for your geographic area. It does
this based on a ZIP code that you supply as well as the distribution of
services in your area.
Visit the
Uniden web site
to acquire the most recent version of the SmartScanner software.
What can you do with the computer control?
By connecting the BC245XLT to your computer through an available serial port,
not only can you upload and download frequency and trunking data, you can also
remotely control the radio using your mouse and keyboard!
Think of the benefits from having a program control your scanner all day while
you're at work. It can record audio transmissions and log all frequency and
trunking IDs that were used. When you're ready, you can look over the data and
see if it's turned up discoveries you haven't made through manual monitoring!
What is cloning?
This feature allows the frequencies of one BC245XLT to be copied into another.
In other words, you make a "clone" of a BC245XLT.
To perform this operation, you'll need two BC245XLTs, each radio's interface
cable and a null modem adapter. When the null modem adapter is purchased (from
most large electronic and computer stores), be sure to pay attention to the
gender of the connections so that all the connections mate properly.
What's an attenuator?
This is radio circuitry which is used to attenuate, or weaken, the strength of
all signals that are received. While this might seem unusual, it comes in very
handy in areas where strong radio signals can overload the radio and cause
detrimental interference. In such cases, the attenuator can be enabled to help
reduce and many times completely eliminate such interference!
Can its cellular coverage by opened up?
No. Today's radios are controlled by the software programmed into the
electrical components so there's no way to trick it into tuning frequencies
which it is programmed to disallow.
What about importing a Canadian or European model?
Looking at the original TrunkTrackers (BC235XLT & BC895XLT), there was only a
North American version which was sold in the US and Canada which had no
cellular band coverage. They were also not sold in Europe which means there is
no version of these radios with cellular coverage intact.
It's very likely the TrunkTracker II line will be treated the same.
What does the radio come with?
6" rubber duck antenna
Plastic belt clip w/screws
AC Adapter
800 mAh NiCd battery pack
RS-232C interface cable
Earphone
Operating Guide
TrunkTracker National Public Safety Trunked System Frequency Guide
NOTE: It does NOT come with a 2nd battery or the charging cradle as did the
BC235XLT
What's Service Scan?
This feature is an operation which scans a large (typically several thousand)
variety of preprogrammed frequencies. At the factory, Uniden programs the radio
with a set of frequencies which are commonly used throughout the US for various
agencies.
The BC245XLT has the most common US frequencies programmed for the following
agencies: police, fire/EMS, railroad, aircraft, marine and weather. Using the
SVC key allows you to select which agency (service) is scanned.
What's Autolight?
This is a new feature which is designed to illuminate the LCD backlight for 5
seconds each time the squelch is opened (a signal is received). This is
particularly useful for night time monitoring.
Initial feedback seems to indicate that it does not function as most users
had expected. When scanning, if this feature is enabled and the radio stops on
a transmission, the backlight will come on. But if another transmission comes
in before roughly 2 seconds have elapsed, it won't trigger the light to come
on.
Will the BC245XLT work with BC235XLT accessories?
Yes. The dimensions and interfaces are identical between the two radios. The
BC245XLT also uses the same BP-180 800 mAh NiCd battery pack as the BC235XLT.
So users are buying an extra battery and the CRX-120 charging cradle originally
intended for the BC235XLT to use with their BC245XLT.
How should I charge the battery?
Out of the box, it should be charged non-stop without using the radio for about
16 hours. Keep in mind that it will take about 3 full charge/discharge cycles
before the battery pack achieves it full power capacity.
In everyday use, you should use the radio and battery continuously until the
radio tells you the battery needs recharging. At this point, the battery should
be FULLY charged with the radio turned off (about 14 hours).
Do NOT get into the habit of draining the battery just a bit and then charging
it fully. Do NOT let the radio sit continuously plugged into the AC adapter
and thus charging the battery. Doing either will drastically reduce the
lifetime of the pack.
Be aware that if you let the radio sit on the shelf, the battery will slowly
discharge on its own. Expect it to be fully drained in 6-8 weeks. Try not to
let this happen. Leaving such batteries in a discharged state runs the risk of
permanently damaging them.
Treated properly, you can get 4-5 years of use from a pack (depending on how
much you use your radio and thus how often it is charged). Mistreat it and
you'll be buying a new pack every year.
Are there other batteries available?
Several companies sell battery packs which are cheaper as well as packs which
have higher capacity for longer lasting power.
Frequency Fan Club
MetroWest
Mr. NiCad
NiCad Lady
Can I get more power out of the earphone jack?
Jeff Goldman's investigation into the earphone jack reveals that it is current
limited just like most other Uniden handheld models. While this may be fine for
earphone/headphone use, it's really not enough power to drive a speaker, say,
in your vehicle.
READ THE FOLLOWING AT YOUR OWN RISK!
ANY "FIDDLING" YOU DO MAY VOID YOUR WARRANTY
IF YOU DAMAGE OR KILL YOUR RADIO IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT!
For more power, the limiting resistor can be bridged with a piece of wire to
effectively short across it and remove it's "detrimental" effects.
Glenn Cohen says that using a piece of wire to electrically connect the outer
ring of the antenna's BNC connector (ground) to the PHONE plug's visible metal
ring on the top panel does the same thing. And it does!
If you buy your BC245XLT from the
Frequency Fan Club,
they will perform this modification for you!
Just keep in mind that louder audio comes at the expense of increased battery
drain. The louder it gets, the sooner your battery will be exhausted.
Are there errors in the Operating Guide?
Yes. So far 8 errors have been found in the first run manual. Thanks to Glenn,
Rich, Mike, Glenn, and Jim for their help in their findings!
#1: Page 52. Says 'press MAN' when it should say 'press SCAN'
#2: Page 54. Step 1 says 'press SCAN' when it should say 'press HOLD'
#3: Page 41. Step 6 says to repeat 'steps 3 and 4' when it should say 'steps 4
and 5'
#4: Page 61. Says 'hold for two seconds' when it should say 'hold
SCAN for two seconds'.
#5: Page 62. Says 'You may need a DB-9 to DB-25 null modem adapter, available
at most computer stores.'. This sentence should be removed.
#6: Page 31. Step 9 says 'pressing E' when it should say 'pressing MAN'
#7: Page 7. 'Service Search' should be 'Service Scan'
#8: Page 59. Step 8 says' 'Repeat Steps 8 and 9' when it should say 'Repeat
Steps 6 & 7'
While not an error, Dave McCormick found wording on page 72 which is confusing.
The syntax used in Step 1 could be clearer. I submit the following to replace
Step 1:
- On each scanner, press 3.
OR
Press LIMIT/Down or HOLD/Up until this screen is displayed on both
scanners, and then press E.
Following either path will take you to the screen which displays 'FirSt' as
mentioned in Step 3.
What is the Status Bit?
The status bit is a piece of information encoded in the computer data stream
designed to designate "special" communications such as encrypted or emergency
signals. While such signals use unique trunking IDs, these are based on
primary trunking ID assignments. So while the police dispatch ID might be
272, an emergency call on this ID might be 273 (272 + 1).
The BC235XLT TrunkTracker would show all these signals with their unique
trunking ID assignments so you could see 272 and 273. But the BC245XLT
defaults to a different approach. It is aware of the the status bits which
designate these "special" signals. By doing so, it is able to filter the unique
ID and come up with the primary ID. So both the 272 and 273 IDs appear as 272.
To make the BC245XLT operate like the BC235XLT, which does have its advantages,
then the Status Bit function must be turned off. Once this is done, the radio
will no longer filter the IDs and all unique IDs will be displayed.
See page 61 of your BC245XLT Operating Guide for more details.
How are encrypted IDs handled?
If you have no read the section 'What is the Status Bit', then do so now
before proceeding.
Encrypted signals are a class of "special" signals which normally use unique
IDs. But on the BC245XLT, its default action is to filter such IDs to map
them onto their primary assignments. Some users, who were use to seeing two
unique IDs on their BC235XLTs, are now seeing just one ID on their BC245XLTs.
It also rules out the ability to block these "special" signals since they are
no longer identified with unique IDs.
Luckily, the BC245XLT comes with a feature which allows it to function like
the BC235XLT by turning the Status Bit function off.
See page 61 of your BC245XLT Operating Guide for more details.
What is the Disconnect Tone Detect function?
When monitoring Motorola systems, the radio knows to stop monitoring a
transmission and return to the control channel when it detects a series of
sub-audible "disconnect" tones. Unfortunately, on some systems, outside
interference can trick the radio into thinking it has received these tones. The
result? The radio will abandon a transmission before it is completed which can
be very frustrating to the listener.
Early model BC235XLTs had this problem which was rectified in later production
runs by including the ability to turn off this Disconnect Tone Detect function.
The BC245XLT comes with this ability and it's accessed by pressing the SVC key
while monitoring a Motorola sytem. The radio should beep twice and the DATA
icon should be flashing. This feature is now disabled. Repeat the process to
enable it.
With this feature disabled, the radio will only leave a transmission when the
squelch closes. As such, the squelch might need to be "fine tuned" (with this
feature normally enabled the squelch is ignored altogether) for best reception.
And you can expect each transmission to have a longer squelch tail due to the
delay between the time the squelch closing is detected and the audio is muted.
What's the deal with an unresponsive keypad and flashing key icon?
This means the radio is in REMOTE mode and is waiting for input from the
computer port and not the key pad. To get it out of this mode, press and hold
the E key (which doubles as the REMOTE access key) until the radio beeps twice.
How do I convert between various trunking ID formats?
Rich Carlson, N9JIG, has authored a handy
web page chart.
Terry was kind enough to donate this
Microsoft Excel spreadhseet
The GTRAC site has their own
online converter
Is it normal to hear "buzzing" and "beeps" while monitoring EDACS systems?
At times, yes. Some users have reported this as a possible problem with the
BC245XLT when it is, in fact, the way an EDACS radio system operates since
actual users of such systems report hearing the same noises on thier
mutli-thousand dollar radios!
Are there hidden functions accessible with the DATA key?
Rich Barnett pointed out this undocumented feature on the TrunkCom mailing list
and later on my BC245XLT Message Board.
While trunk scanning, the DATA key can be pressed to cycle through three
display options:
- Active Scan Lists (TRUNK and Scan List #s displayed)
- Active Scan Banks (BANK, TRUNK and memory bank #s displayed)
- Repeater activity indicators (TRUNK displayed with no #s)
In the 'Active Scan Lists' mode, you use the number keys to toggle individual
Scan Lists on and off for scanning. In the Active Scan Banks mode, you use the
number keys to toggle individual memory banks for scanning.
Are there better 800/900 MHz antennas available?
Dave McCormick suggests the
Optoelectronics RD800
John Drake suggests the Diamond RH-77CA
the Ham Station
sells the Centurion Tuf Duck (#EXE-806-BN)
Durham Radio sells the Watson 800 BNC
Grove Enterprises and
Metro West sell the MAX 800
Radioware sells the Seeker 800
Are there mailing lists for the BC245XLT or trunking in general?
BC245XLT mailing list
T2 mailing list
TrunkCom mailing list
How do I properly interface it to other devices?
The BC245XLT is supplied with an interface cable allowing it to connect to a
modem, PC or another BC245XLT. One end of this cable terminates in a DB-9
connector ("D" shaped with 9 pins) which is the interface point to these other
devices. How this DB-9 connector is succesfully interfaced depends on the type
of connection you are trying to make.
For hooking it up to a PC, most people will simply be able to plug it into an
open COM (serial) port on the back of their PC. For those with older PCs which
use the DB-25 connectors (25 pins), you'll need to purchase a simple 9 to 25
pin adapter at an electronics or computer store. The BC245XLT DB-9 connector is
then plugged into the 9-pin side of the adapter and the adapter is plugged into
the PC.
For hooking the BC245XLT directly to a modem, you'll need a null modem adapter
which simply swaps around some of the internal signals for proper communication
between such devices. If your modem uses a DB-25 connector, you'll need to
follow the guidelines in the paragraph above for converting the DB-9 to a DB-25
format.
For connecting two BC245XLTs for cloning, you'll need the two radios and their
supplied interface cables. You'll also need to purchase a null modem adapter at
an electronics or computer store. Depending on the model you purchase, you MAY
also need to buy some gender changers. Your best bet is to take both cables
with you when buying. Find a DB-9 null modem adapter and see how the cables
plug into it. If there are problems due to having the same gender, you'll have
to buy gender changers so that everything plugs together properly.
Thanks to Mike for help in pointing out the manual deficiencies in these
interface areas!
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