Strong Signals
First Impressiosn

Uniden BC780XLT
BC780XLT image

by
Rich Wells, N2MCA

Every once in a while we come across one of those events which promises to be a once in a lifetime event. With a new must-have gadget being developed and marketed every other week and coupled with the Internet's ability to serve up both fact and fantasy at lightning speeds on a global level, you have the recipe for supreme happiness or disappointment when it comes to the give-it-to-me-now mentality fostered by today's society.

Waiting day after day for the device which holds promises of pleasures beyond belief, the hard drive and head fill up with "facts" at a phenomenal rate. Do you dare believe even part of what you read? The tiniest slivers of information rapidly swell into claims of features and levels of performance that are hardly imaginable.

The days turn into weeks, the weeks into months and what the flying fish is talking so dang long! You do your best to bite your tongue and push down the irrational fears which tell you not to get your hopes up too high lest you have to take the hard fall.

And then that magical day arrives and you can hardly believe it. This is better than being a 10 year old trying to sleep on Christmas Eve! The excitement and adrenaline levels are almost incalculable. Has your heart ever beat any faster while sitting at the computer? And then that wait for the UPS man while you have nightmares of your package getting lost in the shuffle, never to be seen again...

These are just a few of the feelings and emotions many of us in the radio monitoring hobby had to endure during the endless, Uniden summer of denial when the BC780XLT seemed to be within reach, only to be yanked away again. But it's finally here, almost unbelievably. So what of the hype? Would the painful waiting for months be erased by the application of power and the pressing of a few keys? Could any radio possibly live up to the legendary status it achieved even before it was even released? The answer is...

What follows are my personal impressions regarding the features and usability of this radio. This, in no way, should be viewed as an endorsement to purchase this radio nor is it intended to discourage anyone from buying it. I have no personal nor business relations with Uniden America Corporation. These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing this particular software or simply knowing more about it.

A lot of hard work and effort has gone into the testing and writing of this review. I would appreciate it if every effort is made to keep this document whole with me as the original author. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this document is copyrighted and therefore protected by US law and international treaties governing intellectual property. Except for personal use, and for the sake of brief passages quoted in reviews and given appropriate credit, no part of this work may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.

And if you want to share your thoughts about this review with me or have further questions, feel free to send e-mail.

Thank you and enjoy!

Rich Wells
N2MCA
Strong Signals Resource Page

This document contains the following sections:
  • What You Get
  • Model Tested
  • Basic Specs
  • Operating Manual
  • Construction and Physical
  • Pictures
  • Antenna
  • Features
  • Menu System
  • Memory
  • VFO
  • Scanning
  • Searching
  • Weather Alert
  • Trunking
  • Priority
  • PC Interface
  • WinScan780 Sneak Peek
  • VHF/UHF Performance
  • Ranking
  • Things I Like
  • Things I Would Change
  • Summary
  • Recommendation
  • Thanks!
    • What You Get
  • BC780XLT
  • Telescopic Antenna
  • AC Adapter
  • Cigarette Lighter Adapter Cord
  • DC Power Cord
  • Mounting Bracket with hardware
  • Operating Guide
  • TrunkTracker Frequency Guide
    • Model Tested
  • Serial #: 06001xxx
  • FCC ID: AMWUB305
  • Made in The Philippines
    • Basic Specs
    Channels 500
    Scan Banks 10
    Search Bands 10
    Coverage 26-512 806-956 1240-1300 MHz
    Scan 100 chan/sec
    Search 100/300 step/sec
    Steps 5/7.5/10/12.5/25/50/100 kHz
    selectable
    Modes AM, NFM, FM & WFM
    selectable
    Sensitivity Not available
    Selectivity Not available
    IF Rejection Not available
    Conversion Triple
    IFs Not available
    Priority 10 conventional channels
    10 trunking IDs per bank
    Search skip 200 (limit)
    100 (service)
    200 (trunking)
    Auto-Store Yes
    S-meter Yes
    Delay Per channel
    Lockout Per channel
    Attenuator Yes, 20dB?
    Lock No
    Tone codes CTCSS (38) & DCS (104)
    Computer intf RS-232
    Rotary controlYes
    Channel count No
    Data skip Yes
    Clock No
    Timers No
    Weather Yes
    Weather Alert Yes, SAME
    Light Display & Keypad
    Power 13.8V DC
    Audio 2.3 W typical
    Size 7"(W) x 2"(H) x 6.5"(D)
    Weight 2.9 lbs
    Memory non-volatile
    Operating Manual
  • An admirable effort given the complexity of the features involved
  • But there are some errors and places where the wording just isn't what it should be for clarity and ease of use
  • Be sure to read my BC780XLT FAQ for details on what needs fixing
  • It starts off with an informative edge by providing the 780's bandplan of frequency coverage, receive modes and step sizes inside the front cover
  • This is followed by 2 pages of menu shortcuts designed to ease the effort of accessing frequently used features in the 780's new menu system
  • Coupled with these shortcuts is a fold-out inside the back cover which uses flow charts to detail the entire menu system
  • The Table of Contents is welcome and will be used often (if the owner has any sense and wishes to retain their sanity)
  • In the front is a section which explains the use of the menu system followed by detailed descriptions of each menu entry. READ THESE DESCRIPTIONS WELL OR YOU WILL SUFFER! Part of the problem with the use of this manual is that details found here are not found in the rest of the manual where most owners will look for them
  • Programming details are followed by scanning, searching, trunked operations, serial interface functions (upload/download, control, cloning and Smart Scanner) and additional features
  • Following the usual scant Specifications section is a Glossary which might better serve the user by being up front instead of tucked away here in the back where few will find it
  • I was surprised to see detailed tables for the SAME weather alert codes, repeater offset reverse feature and CTCSS/DCS tone codes
    • Construction and Physical
  • The case is all metal as is the back panel while the front is a large "slab" of plastic
  • The front panel is particularly well laid out
  • On the far left are two large control knobs flanked on the right by a column of four buttons
  • The majority of this real estate is dominated by the large LCD
  • Below the LCD is the BC780XLT moniker which looks more like BC780HLT
  • Just to the right is another column of four keys
  • On the far right is the expected 4x3 keypad with a row of 3 more control keys directly beneath
  • The control knobs have thick ridges which I don't particularly care for but most likely Uniden had in mind the use of public safety personnel wearing gloves
  • And what a treat to have red setting stripes on the Squelch and Volume controls!
  • The top panel is bare while the bottom panel houses the flip-down, plastic footrest which props the radio up as a base unit while behind it is the bottom-firing speaker grill
  • Why is there a bar on the inside of this grill which is covering one third of the grill holes?
  • The side panels house four screws each which facilitate removal of the upper and lower case halves
  • In the middle of each side panel are the mounting holes for attaching the 780 to the provided mounting bracket using the provided knobs
  • A look at the back panel reveals the following interfaces from left to right: BNC antenna jack, 1/8" tape recorder audio jack, 1/8" external speaker jack, DC power jack (13.8V @ 700mA) and DB-9 RS-232 connector
  • In the lower, right hand corner is the FCC identification label
    • Pictures
  • Annotated LCD
  • How the BC780XLT "stacks" up WARNING: This picture may cause excessive drooling!
    • Antenna
  • The provided antenna is a twist on the same one they've been providing with their base/mobile units for years
  • The twist, and it's a good one, is that this one has an elbow joint
  • The bad news is that it has the same cheesy, plastic connector found on previous Uniden telescoping whips (you make a radio of this caliber and then insult it with this?)
  • It contains four segments which, when fully extended, spans 21"
  • This antenna will suffice in the interim until a worthy replacement can and should be purchased for this deserving receiver
    • Features
  • One of the crowning achievements of this radio is its brilliant and well detailed LCD
  • Similar to the LCDs found on high-end models from AOR, Yaesu and Yupiteru, the 780 LCD combines pre-defined indicators along with areas of dot-matrix-type readouts for user-defined information
  • The LCD can be basically broken down into 5 lines of material
  • The first line contains memory channel, bank and scan lists numbers along with various indicators for the mode (scan, search or hold) and feature settings (delay, lockout, attenuator, data skip, weather alert, auto store, tape record, etc.) These indicators are quite small and will be hard enough for some to read while at home not to mention the difficulty some will have while mobile
  • Line 2 displays various trunking attributes and the channel activity indicators (30 of them so no multi-use of indicators as on the previous TTs)
  • The third line houses the frequency display, receive mode, tone setting, tone code, trunking ID, enter lock and S-meter
  • Lines 4 and 5 are used to display feedback information to the user which usually consists of the scrolling menu system or the various alpha-tags for memory banks/channels, search bands and trunking IDs
  • To cut down on LCD clutter and make the display easier to read (primarily for mobile users) Uniden has added a Screen Mask feature which, when enabled, blanks out lines 2 and 3
  • One good reason that the 780 will be THE choice for those looking to add a mobile unit to their vehicle is its brilliant backlight LCD and keypad. There are also rings around the control knobs which also light up!
  • The display is well illuminated from 4 orangish/amber LEDs on both sides
  • Using the menu system, it is possible to change this lighting between normal, dim and off
  • The backlit keys made the 780 easy to use at night and the design of the LCD made it easy to read in any light condition during the day
  • The LCD does have a wide viewing angle which only really breaks down when it is below eye level by 10-12 inches
  • The keys have great tactile feedback and respond with a snap when pressed
  • Each press is accompanied by a beep which varies with volume and can be disabled if desired
  • The top knob along the left hand side is used as a rotary control which has various uses including channel/scan list browsing, menu navigation and VFO frequency adjustment
  • Pressing this knob allows it to act like the SELECT key which is used for menu selection
  • Below this are the two knobs used for volume and squelch control
  • The squelch control is a larger diameter and against the front panel while the smaller volume control is in front of it
  • I would characterize the squelch tail as average for most signals
  • Audio power from the bottom-firing speaker is quite adequate for home use but I found it lacking in a mobile environment
  • Part of this is due to frequency response
  • Audio fidelity is probably best classified as good but nothing great. If it had more high-end response it could better cut through background noise while in a vehicle
  • With the speaker at the very rear of the bottom panel and sitting on a desk, it can't help but come out muffled sounding. A higher frequency response would help here as well
  • I also can't help but wonder what the removal of the bar in the speaker grill would do for overall frequency response
  • Another handy mobile feature is the inclusion of a Mute button which effectively disables speaker output without having to fiddle with the Volume control
  • Once enabled, a "MUTE ON" message is displayed on the 4th line to make sure you don't forget to disable it
  • And having the mute on will not effect the weather alert alarms
  • One feature borrowed from the recently upgraded SportCat models is that of the beep alert. This feature allows you to tag any memory channel or trunking ID and if that channel or ID becomes active while scanning, three beeps are sounded to get your attention
  • It's too bad such a useful feature had to be hamstrung with such a low volume. There's no way on Earth that I'll ever hear those beeps in the car. This feature is designed to get your attention and in this regard I think Uniden dropped the ball
  • As mentioned earlier, the LCD contains a S-meter display which consists of 6 vertical bars of increasing height designed to convey the strength of the signal being received. I was pleased to find that my unit seems well calibrated and will therefore serve as a useful tool for monitoring and antenna testing
  • While most of us listen to repeater radio systems on the stronger output frequency, it is many times helpful to listen to the input signal coming from mobiles and portables. The reception of this input frequency means the unit is nearby since they are low powered. To help users in this quest, the Reverse Mode feature was added which, with the simple press of a key, will monitor the reverse frequency of the one currently being received for the standard repeater offsets. A table in the rear of the manual lists the 46 frequency bands supported by this feature and the offsets used for each
  • The Data Skip feature found on most Uniden models is also included on the 780. At its best, this allows the radio to skip over quiet birdie frequencies and unmodulated signals. It is available while scanning or searching of signals with FM/NFM receive modes but not while priority is active
  • For those who are still chained to their tape recorders for recording signal audio, Uniden has included the tape record feature found on their high-end base models. Simply connect the tape record jack to the microphone input of a VOX tape recorder and then tag the desired memory channels or trunking IDs with this feature to have their audio recorded when they become active
  • The 780 supports both CTCSS and DCS. Memory channels can be tagged with one of either 38 CTCSS or 104 DCS tone codes. It's also possible to use the tone search feature which will find any tones in use. The problem is that CTCSS searching is done by sampling roughly two codes per second. Luckily the search picks up where it leaves off each time a signal becomes active and then goes away. But it still takes quite a while to go through all 38 CTCSS tones (roughly 19 seconds of transmission time is needed to search all CTCSS). The DCS search is done instantly. There is also a tone lockout feature which allows you to specify a tone that you DON'T want to open the squelch for
    • Menu System
  • The Menu System of the 780 uses the lower two lines of the display to prompt the user for control and feature settings
  • Pressing the MENU key activates this mode which brings up the first level of 4 choices
  • The rotary VFO control or up/down arrow keys are used to move to the desired menu selection. The SELECT or E key is then pressed (or you can press the rotary VFO control) to select an option or descend into the next level of menu choices. It's also possible to press the number of the menu choice to immediately access it
  • Once you've made it to the final layer of choices and selected the feature you want or made the setting change you desire, the MENU key is pressed repeatedly (or held down) to return back up the Menu System chain and exit this mode
  • While accessing the Menu System, the receiver is basically shut down
  • This can be a tad annoying, I've found, since if you are sitting on a trunking ID when you enter the Menu System the 780 will start scanning or searching when you exit the Menu System since it restarts the receiver which seems to mean it must seek out the control channel which is then always followed by the last scan/search mode
  • As mentioned above, inside the rear cover of the manual is a chart of the entire Menu System (which helps greatly until you learn your way around all the choices) and each menu selection is described near the front of the manual
    • Memory
  • The 780 comes with 500 memory channels divided up into 10 banks
  • Given the advanced nature of the 780, I had hoped it would have twice the number of banks like the BC9000XLT which it replaced
  • A radio like the 780 with wide range, trunk tracking, selectable modes and steps, and alpha-tags begs to be used for all your listening but I have 7 public safety trunking systems alone to monitor and need another 9 banks for conventional systems. I guess it's Uniden's way of forcing me to buy two 780s!
  • As mentioned earlier, each of the 10 memory banks can be labeled with a 16 character alpha-tag as can each of the 500 memory channels
  • Each memory channel has its own setting for lockout, delay, attenuator, alert beep, CTCSS/DCS, step size, receive mode and tape record
  • When a frequency is programmed, the 780 automatically selects the step size and receive mode based on the bandplan which is printed inside the front cover. Be advised that the FM mode is used for all applicable services below 400 MHz and NFM (narrow FM) used for all those from 400 - 1300 MHz. I would imagine that Uniden took this step to comply with the 30 kHz channels on VHF and 25 kHz on UHF. Due to the recent refarming of services on both bands, you might need to use the NFM mode on VHF if your agencies begin to use the new channel spacings
  • Uniden took a revolutionary step when it implemented the delay feature for the 780. Not only can each channel have its own delay setting but this setting can be selected among 7 choices! First, there are the 1, 2 and 4 second choices which delay this amount after a signal disappears before scanning resumes. The next choice is Infinite which basically stops scanning on this channel when activity is detected. The last three choices are -2, -5 and -10 seconds which force the radio to resume scanning if a signal is active longer than this amount
  • Like all Uniden radios, the desired channel to be programmed is simply located by using the arrow keys, repeatedly pressing MAN, keying in the channel number followed by MAN or using the rotary control. You then punch in the frequency followed by E. Channels are erased by entering a frequency of 0 and such channels are automatically locked out
  • Attempts to program a frequency which is already in memory results in a warning. You can then abort or complete the operation
  • While there is a L/O key on the front panel, all other channel settings must be accessed using the Menu System
  • There is also a method provided to unlock all locked out channels within the current bank
  • To prevent someone from tampering with the contents of memory once it has been programmed, there is an Enter Lock option in the Menu System. Once enabled, the E key fails to function which means no one can program a new channel or overwrite another
    • VFO
  • While Uniden has claimed "VFO" status in the past, this is the closest they have come to the real deal!
  • First, you need to put the rotary VFO control in FREQ mode by noting the indicator on the display and pressing the VFO control if necessary
  • The two modes of operation allow you to enter this mode using the frequency in an existing memory channel or, much better, key in the frequency you wish to monitor
  • Regardless of which method you use, you are basically tuning off of the resources of the memory channel number displayed in the upper right hand corner of the LCD (more later)
  • Once in this mode, the rotary control is used to tune the frequency
  • While you do have the ability to change the step size, receive mode and attenuator while in this VFO mode, any changes you make are actually being applied to the memory channel number mentioned above
  • That means that any changes you make must be "undone" when you exit VFO mode if you wish to restore the original contents of the channel
  • For this reason this is not a true VFO and users might want to always change to channel 500 (or some unused channel) before entering VFO mode so that you don't have to worry about restoring settings when you leave
    • Scanning
  • Scanning is as simple as it every was. Simply stab the SCAN button and then sit back and enjoy the action
  • The banks being scanned appear at the top of the display beneath the BANK indicator
  • Banks are enabled and disabled for scanning by pressing the associated number key
  • While it is scanning, the bottom line of the LCD displays '> SCANNING' and when activity stops, any programmed alpha-tags are displayed along with the associated memory channel number and frequency
  • Scanning stopped on an active channel can be forced to resume scanning by pressing SCAN or by pressing L/O which also locks out that channel from the scanning sequence
    • Searching
  • Searching comes in two flavors; limit and service
  • For the limit searches, the 780 comes with 10 bands which can be each be programmed with frequency limits, step size, receive mode, and alpha-tag
  • All 10 bands share a common delay, attenuator, tone data, tape record and auto store setting
  • The auto store operation automatically stores active frequencies into empty channels of one or more memory banks of your choosing. Duplicate frequencies are not stored in this mode
  • Searching is started by pressing the SRCH key and just like scanning, the 10 search bands can be enabled or disabl/ed by pressing the respective key
  • During a non-auto store search, activity on a frequency forces the scanner to pause to allow you to listen to the audio. Once the signal disappears the search will resume (after any programmed delay setting) or you can force the search to resume manually by pressing SRCH. You can also press L/O to lock this frequency out of the search band and force searching to resume. Up to 200 such frequencies can be locked out in this way
  • During a non-auto store search it is also possible to change the search direction by pressing and holding the appropriate arrow key
  • To hold on an active frequency indefinitely, press HOLD
  • Once in hold mode, the frequency can be adjusted using the arrow keys or rotary VFO control
  • Active frequencies can also be programmed into the memory channel whose number is flashing in the upper right hand corner by simply pressing E
  • The 780 also comes with 11 banks of pre-programmed frequencies. 10 of these belong to the Service Search feature while the 11th is for weather channel monitoring
  • The 10 banks associated with Service Search are broken up into the following agencies: public safety, news, TV broadcast, ham radio, marine, railroad, air, CB radio, FRS and special (itinerant and low power frequencies)
  • Any one of these agencies may be searched by simply pressing and holding SRCH until the prompt screen is displayed for you to pick the desired agency
  • During the search, the L/O key may be used to lock out up to 100 undesired frequencies
  • I was quite miffed to discover that the public safety bank contained MANY frequencies in the 470/480 range which, around here is still used by broadcast TV which forced me to "waste" a significant and unnecessary number of the lockouts to keep from stopping on the various TV and its associated sideband signals found in this band
  • While doing a service search, there is no access to the delay or attenuator setting (if you go into the Menu System, it looks like you can set the attenuator since the ATT indicator appears on the LCD but when you exit the Menu to return to the search the ATT disappears)
    • Weather Alert
  • As mentioned above, the 780 comes with a bank of pre-programmed NOAA weather frqeuencies (7 for the US) which can be scanned by pressing the front panel WX key
  • If activity is detected on a weather frequency, it stops to allow you to hear the weather information being broadcast
  • Since the 780 comes with a SAME decoder, it is possible to put the 780 into weather alert mode so that it will sound an alert and display an appropriate warning message should the your NOAA weather station emit a severe weather broadcast alert
  • Depending on the type of alert broadcast, the 780 will emit one of three tones designed to get your attention and indicate the class of event being broadcast
  • There is a test mode which you can run to hear the three tones
  • The 780 also supports programming of up to 15 FIPS codes which are used to filter all alert broadcasts to make sure an alert is only sounded if the alert being broadcast is intended for your area
  • Use the provided references in the manual to look up the FIPS codes in use in your area
  • Check the 3 SAME Event Code tables in the rear of the manual for a full breakdown of support SAME alerts
  • Be advised that when the 780 is in weather alert mode it can function in NO other capacity (that means no scanning or searching of any kind)
    • Trunking
  • Like the BC245XLT TrunkTracker II, the BC780XLT TrunkTracker III supports various Motorola and EDACS trunked radio systems
  • The 780 has specifically added support for narrowband EDACS and LTR systems!
  • Another new twist is that programming the 780 for trunked operation is different when compared to the first 2 generations of TTs
  • Similar to the old method, you first use the Menu System to indicate the type of trunking for a bank (what flavor of Motorola, EDACS or LTR)
  • Once done, you can then program your trunked frequencies into that bank as well as any conventional frequencies you'd like to monitor
  • The difference is that while conventional frequencies are programmed in normally, after a trunked frequency is entered, the TRUNK key must be pressed and held to mark it as a part of the trunked system. Doing so will light up the appropriate L (LTR), M (Motorola) or E (EDACS) indicator next to TRUNK on the display
  • Once programmed, scanning is started by pressing SCAN and then TRUNK to enable trunktracking of trunked banks. To perform searching of the trunked banks, press SRCH at this point. Note that all trunked banks must be in search or scan mode but not both and it is possible to scan conventional banks while searching trunked banks
  • In search mode, like all previous TTs, active IDs are displayed while the entire system activity is related through the channel activity indicators on the 2nd line of the LCD. Up to 200 IDs can be locked out in this mode. Specific IDs can also be held on as they pop up or manually entered using the keypad
  • For EDACS users, there is the EDACS Blockout feature which allows you to lock out an entire agency or fleet without having to lock out individual IDs
  • Once you have the list of trunking IDs you wish to monitor, you can then program them into the 10 scan lists supported by each bank with each list holding 10 IDs
  • Once entered, you can program an alpha-tag for each scan list and an alpha-tag for each ID! You will wear out the keypad, the rotary control and your fingers by doing so but you'll be ecstatic with the results! When the 780 stops on an active ID, the appropriate alpha-tags will be displayed (along with the "old-fashioned" numeric trunking ID between the frequency and S-meter)
  • Once programmed, trunked banks can be scanned and the keypad used to toggle respective scan lists on and off
  • Once you begin scanning more than one bank, a VERY handy key to get to know well is SELECT
  • Using the SELECT key toggles the display between showing the banks which are being scanned and the scan lists being scanned for each trunking bank
  • When SELECT is used to display the active banks, stopping on an active trunking ID will also display the scan list and ID location in the upper left hand corner, the ID alpha-tag on the 4th line and the bank alpha-tag on the 5th line
  • When SELECT is used to display the active scan lists, stopping on an active trunking ID will also display the bank number in the upper left hand corner, the ID alpha-tag on the 4th line and the scan list alpha-tag on the 5th line
  • Be SURE to master the SELECT key, how it is used and what it displays in each mode so that you can fully control the scanning of banks and scan lists and the alpha-tags being displayed without driving yourself insane!
  • Probably THE most powerful tool added to the trunktracking repertoire of the 780 is that of the I-Call feature. This can be used on both Motorola and EDACS systems to display the private patches which are made between units on the system which do not use the normal trunking IDs we are all use to dealing with and see published everywhere
  • By default, I-Call is disabled so the first thing you'll want to do is enable it for use. And you have the option to monitor both normal trunking IDs and I-Call IDs or just I-Call IDs!
  • Monitoring I-Calls makes for some fascinating listening as the parties involved think they are on a private line (they are as far as the trunking system goes since no one else but the two parties involved hear each other). In the short time I've used I've heard some VERY interesting things and I'm sure you will too
  • For EDACS listeners, a new Emergency Call Alert feature lets you know if someone presses the Emergency button on their trunking radio (which is usually done accidentally but when it's for real it means trouble). There is also a new Patch Tracking feature which allows you to listen to temporary patch IDs which are usually a combination of multiple, existing trunking IDs
  • For Motorola listeners, the Status Bit and Disconnect Tone Detect functions of previous generation TTs are provided. Another new and powerful feature added to the 780 is Control Channel Only Mode (CCOM) for 800/900 MHz systems
  • Using CCOM, it's possible for you to program a trunking bank with just a single frequency to begin listening to activity on an entire trunking system!
  • Once programmed and enabled, CCOM allows you to listen to traffic in something similar to ID search mode. In this mode, the 780 sits on the control channel until activity is detected and when it is, it automatically tunes to the appropriate frequency (without you having programmed it in) and monitors the active ID. But it does not program your radio for you as rumors have been saying
  • While this mode does have its uses, it is not the greatest thing since sliced bread as it would appear
  • First, if you use some old control channel in this mode and decide to listen to it in this mode, if the control channel changes, you're out of luck unless you can locate the frequency the control channel moved to. Some Mot systems leave the control channel on the same frequency all the time while others rotate it on a periodic basis. If you want to follow all traffic, this means you have to at least program in all of the control channel frequencies, not just one of them
  • Secondly, when you enable CCOM you must also choose one of 4 frequency plans based on a set of rules which are dictated by the last 3 digits of all frequencies used on that system. If you pick the wrong plan, this feature will not be able to properly follow all traffic since it will switch to invalid frequencies as it tries to keep up with active IDs. Granted, there are only 4 plans to choose and it can be used in a trial and error method until you feel it's operating properly.
  • If you have only a few trunking frequencies for your system, then this mode is not likely to save you much time and effort. However, if you have a trunked system with 20 or so frequencies, you can get along by simply programming just the control channel frequencies and selecting the proper plan. This can save a lot of programming effort and leave many more channels open for programming conventional frequencies
  • One item I'd like to discuss before leaving this section is that which has come to be known as the 're-acquire' problem
  • Shortly after I programmed and began monitoring my local public safety Motorola trunked system, I noticed unusual activity on the display. About every 10 seconds, the 780 would drop out of trunked mode and into conventional mode where it would scan the bank frequencies to locate the control channel and then begin trunktracking again
  • Come to find out, from postings by me, Greg Knox and others on my BC780XLT Board, we found out this was only happening when there was no activity on the system for about 10 seconds. It appears to have no impact on actual monitoring and since it only does it when things are quiet, there's little chance you'll miss any activity while this re-acquire thingy is going on
  • Personally, I would like to know why this is done and feel that it is not operating as would normally be expected. What's the purpose of leaving a valid control channel frequency to go scanning through the bank frequencies only to find the same frequency and lock back onto it again? I can see doing this if the signal were to disappear (such as when the control channel frequency actually changes to another, if the antenna is removed, etc.) or the need to do so when mixing conventional frequencies in with trunked but not otherwise
  • Another interesting note by an astute member of the BC780 board was that when it goes off to re-acquire the control channel, it does not start with last used memory channel control frequency (as one might assume to provide for cases where the signal fades briefly) but with the next channel in the memory bank. As such, it forces the scan to go to the end of bank, wrap to the beginning and then sample each frequency until it ends up back on the channel it started out on. In other words, it's about as inefficient as you can get since it is sampling each and every frequency in the bank. As pointed out, you can remove much of this inefficiency by locking out the voice-only frequency channels and thus preventing the re-acquire thingy from wasting time testing non-control channel frequencies
  • In closing, I feel it's inefficient and a visual annoyance (as the display changes from ID SCANNING (during trunking) to SCANNING and changing the display frequency (as it looks to re-acquire the control channel). Unless someone can give me a valid reason for its operation in this manner, I would like to see it remedied by the Uniden designers
  • My use of the 780 has also not shown it to operate as described in the manual when it comes to the entry of Monitor Mode. In this mode, the 780 sits on the control channel and shows active trunking IDs but does not follow any conversations. On past TTs, there was a special keypress needed to put it into this mode but on the 780, the manual states that simply pressing SCAN followed by TRUNK is enough to put the 780 into Monitor Mode. Not so for this pilgrim. My 780 always drops into scan or search mode. Luckily another member of my BC780XLT board found that if you now press TRUNK twice (to disable and then re-enable TTing) that it kicks into Monitor Mode
    • Priority
  • Priority sampling is provided for both conventional and trunk scanning modes
  • As expected, there is one priority channel for each memory bank to be used during conventional scanning of that bank. Any channel within a bank can be made the priority channel
  • Once scanning and priority is enabled, the priority channel in each enabled bank is sampled every two seconds for activity
  • In trunking mode, one ID in each scan list can be designated as a priority ID
  • Unlike conventional scanning priority, trunking ID priority is not sampled every 2 seconds but when times permits while ID scanning. In other words, if the trunk scanning stops on an ID, no priority sampling is done until scanning resumes
  • Unfortunately you can not turn on conventional priority sampling when when the TRUNK indicator is on (necessary to trunktrack in scan or search mode)
    • PC Interface
  • The RS-232 port on the back panel is designed to support three types of interface abilities
  • #1 PC interface for total data upload/download and control
  • #2 780-to-780 cloning (make a friend do all the programming work and then clone their 780 data into yours!)
  • #3 Smart Scanner - dial into the pay-per-call Uniden database and have it automatically program your 780 for you based on your Zip code
  • One interesting feature of the 780 is that when put in remote mode (for use of the RS-232 port), the keypad and controls are still responsive (unlike the 895 and 245 which lock them out until taken out of remote mode)
  • One item to be aware of when operating the 780 via the remote interface (at least with my use with WinScan780) is that the rotary control is much more unresponsive due to the processor being busy servicing the serial port
    • WinScan780 Sneak Peek
  • I was fortunate to be contacted by Adam Goldman of Pozilla who asked if I would be interested in helping them Beta test their upcoming 780 software. No further prodding was needed and I was soon playing with a virtual 780 long before the real thing showed up!
  • If you're at all familiar with the Pozilla products, you'll be right at home with this one. While the look of the interface is changing as this product line matures and obviously to support the unique features of the 780, it's still easily recognizable and therefore easy to come up to speed
  • Like all of their products, half of the window is dedicated to depicting a virtual image of the front panel of the radio itself. As you can see in this image, they did a superb job at replicating it as well as the informative LCD
  • Two of the greatest aspects of this WinScan offering is its ability to program the radio (without having to go through all of the key pressing and rotary twirling - and that's a lot given up to 500 channels, 2000 trunking IDs, 10 search bands and all their associated alpha-tags!) and perform logged monitoring while you're away which includes logging of all audio transmission to your hard drive via WAV files
  • Dedicated panes in the interface window allow you to program in all the channel frequencies as well as the individual settings for each. When done, the results can be downloaded into the radio with just a few mouse clicks. The same goes for the trunking IDs
  • What I had a great time using was the Search Results pane which allows you to log all search activity whether it's conventional, trunked or Control Channel Only Mode
  • Control Channel Only Mode has a dedicated pane to log the frequencies it tunes to which is a great aid. Even better, it indicates whether each frequency is used for voice or data (control channel)! Next to this pane is another which is used to log all active trunking IDs
  • For trunked banks being monitored in normal search mode, there is a separate pane for logging active IDs just like WinScan had for the 245 and 895. This is particularly useful for logging all of those I-Call IDs!
  • The last pane is reserved for the logging of active conventional and service search frequencies. It's here where you will also see the control channel frequency be displayed when a trunked bank drops out of trunked mode to re-acquire the latest control channel (whether it should have or not ;-)
  • I had a great time using WinScan780 and think it makes a great addition for anyone wanting to extract the ultimate monitoring potential from their new BC780XLT!
    • VHF/UHF Performance
  • And now the moment many of you have probably been waiting for!
  • The birdie test revealed only 18 such frequencies over the 780's entire 25-1300 coverage!
  • While at home, I used the stock antenna and swept the entire receive range looking for problems with images and intermod. The overall results were very promising with a cell data image heard on 137 MHz, two TV images heard on 419 and 1285 MHz and what may have been TV/FM broadcast intermod on 945 MHz
  • I then performed the same test with the 780 hooked up to the seven foot tall 20-014 ground plane antenna mounted about 15 feet above ground level. Pretty much the same results with the only added interference being that weak FM broadcast images and intermod were noted throughout the 78-88 band. Overall, the FM broadcast band itself was moderately overloaded using this large antenna
  • Having been given a new Super-M mobile antenna to test by Nil-Jon, I decided to put it into service and see what kind of partner it would be for the 780.
  • Sitting in the driveway the results were phenomenal! I was very impressed to hear across the entire spectrum from the State Highway Patrol I monitor on 42 MHz to Motorola trunked systems around 937 MHz!
  • We drove around and through town for a while to see how the 780 reacted to all of the strong signals it was being swamped with. Overall results were very good with some intermod detected on two 460 MHz signals
  • We then parked in a nasty part of town where I take all radios to see how they hold up to an assortment of nearby transmitters
  • A few cell data images were heard in 36-41 MHz
  • FM broadcast intermod was a problem from 58-88 MHz with the FM band itself being pretty overloaded
  • Cell data images were again heard on a few 137 MHz freqs
  • A few pager intermod signals were caught in the 2 meter ham band
  • The problems began around 395 MHz with TV and pager images
  • From there on up to 498 MHz, my notes logged lots of pager and TV images and intermod. With the exception of a few small holes, nearly every 1 MHz range had at least one problem signal in it
  • Looking at my older notes, these results seem very similar to those I logged for the BC235XLT but to a slightly larger extent and a bit more than I would like. Hopefully those 780 users who are in and around large cities will be able to use CTCSS/DCS to block out this interference which seems to effect all bands in the 400-500 MHz range
  • Recent sensitivity figures for the 780 were posted by Phil, N2HUC, on my 780 board and a look at the 400-500 MHz ranged showed a typical reading of about 0.25µV which explains most of the problem right there. This is one hot radio in this band
  • There was almost no interference on the the 800 MHz band and the only troubling interference elsewhere were some cell images from roughly 947 - 952
  • Doing some more mobile work, I brought along the widely despised PRO-2067 and hooked it up to the RadioShack mag mount antenna. While this radio does not shine on fringe 800/900 MHz systems due to its lack of sensitivity there, hooked to a good antenna it is one nice radio. While no meaningful results could be drawn since the two radios were using different antennas, the 2067 could hear everything the 780 could. Left alone to scan just trunked banks, they were for all intents and purposes the same radio. While the 780 is much nicer to use thanks to the larger LCD and more verbose alpha-tags, the 2067 has more audio power and its higher frequency response helps even more to cut through road and wind noise allowing audio to be easier to understand
  • With this phase of testing completed to my satisfaction, we returned home to do some back-to-back testing against a worthy competitor. Given all I had seen the 780 do so far in the receive department indicated to me that the classic PRO-2006 would be the best radio to put it up against and it's a benchmark almost all are familiar with and respectful of
  • Taking two of the leads off my Stridsberg multi-coupler which I fed using the classic ANT-8 telescoping whip for this test, I fed one to the 2006 and the other to the 780 to begin test. I could then adjust the length of the ANT-8 to present a challenging signal on the verge of reception to see what each radio was made of
  • With the playing field leveled for the two participants as much as it could be, I proceeded to test a number of signals between 42 and 936 MHz
  • On roughly 75% of the signals tested the radios turned in identical results! There were a few places were one was better than the other but in five cases the 780 won with three others going to the 2006
  • The 780 truly does shine in the sensitivity department!
  • One final note to mention here is based on some talks I had with Jeff Goldman, WA1UDB, about our 780s. Right off the bat, Jeff noted the large difference in levels between when the squelch closes and how much you have to backtrack to get it to open up again. Even I must admit this largea mount of hysterisis is a bit annoying
  • A bigger problem would be the difference in squelch sensitivity levels that Jeff noticed right off the bat. If you tune a VHF signal and then adjust the squelch tightly (but still within usable levels), tuning to a UHF frequency in the 400s can have some undesired effects. While it might open the squelch right off the bat when no signal is received, most of the time you will notice that if a signal does become active, when it goes away the squelch will not close! This can be particularly annoying if you scan a mix of VHF and UHF signals which we probably all do. If you set the squelch for the VHF signals, stopping on a UHF signal will open the squelch and likely leave it open after the signal stops. You therefore have to set the squelch a bit higher to appease the UHF frequencies thereby sacrificing a bit of sensitivity for the VHF signals. I noted the same symptom for 800/900 MHz signals but to a lesser extent
  • Perhaps this will only be a problem on the calibration of the first set of production units and will not be indicative of models shipping later in the year
    • Ranking
    Category Score Out of
    Sensitivity 25 25
    Selectivity 5 15
    Interference rejection 15 20
    Coverage 65 90
    Channels 15 15
    Channels per bank 5 15
    Ease of use 10 20
    Scan/Search speed 10 10
    Receive modes 10 15
    Step sizes 20 25
    Conversion 10 10
    Audio 15 20
    Antenna 5 20
    Construction 10 20
    Size 10 15
    Search 35 35
    Attenuator 20 20
    Auto-store 20 20
    Search frequency lockout 10 15
    Backlight 30 30
    Alpha-tagging 20 20
    VFO 5 10
    Squelch tail 5 10
    Priority 10 20
    Delay 15 15
    Hold 10 10
    Rotary Control 10 10
    S-meter 10 10
    Power-on resume 0 10
    Computer Interface 20 20
    Tone Decode 10 15
    Battery indicator 0 10
    Channel count 0 5
    Tape record control 5 5
    Clock 0 5
    Timers 0 5
    Weather programmed 5 5
    Weather alert 5 5
    Data skip 5 5
    Bank delete 0 5
    Bank sort 0 5
    Total 480 670
    Total 72 100

    For all the gory details of how this ranking system works, read the ranking criteria

    Things I Like
  • Informative LCD
  • Excellent backlight
  • Alpha-tags for everything
  • Great size
  • I-Call monitoring opens up a whole new world
  • Control Channel Only Mode is interesting
  • Wide band receive
  • Overall dynamic range (great sensitivity with little interference)
  • CTCSS/DCS
  • 10 programmable, linkable search limits
  • Lots of tweakable features
  • An almost real VFO
  • Standard RS-232 jack
  • Computer upload, download and control
  • Antenna with elbow joint
  • Mounting bracket and fuse box DC cord
  • WFM with broadcast TV (some) and FM bands
  • Reference material in the Operating Guide (bandplan, flow charts, SAME codes, tone codes, etc.)
    • Things I Would Change
  • 20 banks
  • 20 IDs per Scan List
  • Better 400 MHz filtering
  • More audio power
  • Instant CTCSS decoding
  • Allow delay and attenuator use during service search
  • Add power-on resume
  • Buttons across bottom of LCD for easy access to mode, step, attenuator, etc.
  • LCD contrast adjustment
  • Cheesy antenna plastic connector
    • Summary
  • The BC780XLT is like most other models in that it has its rough edges here and there
  • What makes the 780 stand out from the rest of the crowd is its blend of receiver features, monitoring features, overall performance and usability for a number of different tasks
  • Add all of this together, price it quite reasonably and you have what makes for a top-notch piece of radio monitoring equipment that will appeal to 95% of hobbyists and will be a proud addition to any shack
  • Even if you never use the exemplary trunktracking features you will have gotten your money's worth and then some
  • The 780's size is truly deserving of the "base/mobile" classification and gives good reason to laugh when you consider Uniden's previously "bloated" entries in this category
  • Nice to see that Uniden is adopting features and user interface controls to augment their use. These are the types of things you see on the high end models from AOR, Icom, etc. and I'm sure these companies will be paying more attention to Uniden's offerings
  • While I've never been a big Uniden fan, I feel that the 780 is their finest offering to date and better yet, it has raised the bar by quite a bit and will make their competition sit up and take notice. And that's great news for all of us and what the future holds for new models
  • Now if I can just convince the Mrs. that we need one in every room and vehicle and I'll be a happy camper!
    • Recommendations
  • If you are in the market for good mobile radio, buy a 780
  • If you don't have the money, save up and then buy a 780
  • If you've been thinking about a new base model scanner, buy a 780
  • Given the features, performance and price, there's nothing else that can compare anywhere near this price point (which also says something about the lack of base scanner models currently on the market)
  • The only other "real" options are the Optoelectronics Optocom (which is a totally different class) and the RadioShack PRO-2067. The PRO-2052 might be an option for some but given its price and then comparing features, I don't see why someone would pick it
  • Given the price of the 2067, the only reasons to pick it would be for its dash-mountable size or instant CTCSS decoding. It is a fine radio and I enjoy using mine but now that the 780 is out, the price tag of the 2067 will HAVE to be dropped or it will ALWAYS lose when compared to the 780
  • Nicely done, Uniden and good reason to be proud of your efforts
  • But can you outdo yourself by putting all this in a handheld package? Do that and I will be a fan of Uniden products (as long as it doesn't have cheap keys with lettering that wears off like my SC200!)
  • For those who saddle up to the TrunkTracker III table, the question will not be whether or not to buy one. It will be how many will be enough?
    • Thanks!
    Before you leave, I would like to thank Glenn Cohen of     Scanners Unlimited for his generosity in supplying the unit used in this review! His efforts also made it possible for me to be one of the first to receive this model and begin immediate support on my BC780 resource pages. Because of his kindness, you hopefully have the information you need to help make an informed purchase decision or perhaps learn something about your unit that you did not know before!

    If you are interested in ordering one of these radios or simply want more information, please stop by his web site (click below) or write Glenn at scannerunl@aol.com.

    Visit Scanners Unlimited

    I would also like to thank Adam Goldman of Pozilla Software for providing the evaluation version of WinScan780 you read about! Because of his generosity, you have an advanced look at this powerful piece of software which is currently being planned for release this January 2001. If you would like more info on this product, visit their web site (click below) or write to Pozilla at products@pozillasoft.com.

    January 6, 2001
    Copyright © 2010 by Richard J. Wells Return to Home Page