OK first things first - click on the 'Database' link at the blue toolbar, select your state and check out what frequencies are used in your area of California. If you see output and input frequencies on the listings, concentrate on the outputs - you would need to be quite close to hear any of the input frequencies.
If any of the listings mentions 'Motorola' or 'EDACS' - don't panic - these are types of trunking systems.
Trunking is a method where mutliple users can share the same set of frequencies, all without walking on top of one another. We have several articles linked in our Wiki section that can help explain all that...
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Trunking
(just single click on the blue text - you'll be taken there)
Now onto your BCT15 - there are several new concepts to this generation of scanners, and you need to get a handle on understanding them. Uniden's Paul Opitz wrote a nice article on the subject here...
http://www.grove-ent.com/SCANNERPROGRAMMING.htm
I would start by reading the above, then go to the California forum and see if folks have files for your area (quite likely they do). You will need software to program the BCT15, if you're not doing it by hand - and there are a couple of packages for doing just that - and they are linked at the bottom of...
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCT15
The UASD (Uniden Advanced System Director) and BuTel's ARC15 are by far the most popular, but Scan Control works with the BCT15, too. Let what you find in the California forum guide what software you purchase.
73s Mike
Bct15 Programming
Linear Mode
