BCT15X: BC15X about to go on a flight across the yard

Hello

I like to consider myself a fairly smart guy, but this thing has kicked my ***. I have programmed what I want into it using ARC PRO. The thing still stops on frequencies I haven't programmed it with. As if now it's scanning what I put in, as well as searching for any activity it can find. I need help.

Easier to Read BCT15-X Scanner Manual

Read the section on Using Bear Tracker Scanning, this may be the unwanted frequencies you are seeing and will explain how to disable them.

If you have any trunked systems programmed make sure it is in Scan Mode and not Search Mode.

These scanners can do a lot and reading the manual is a must. You probably won't even use half of the features. Use the above linked manual as a reference tool and when you get some free time read it all. You will enjoy your scanner a lot more when you understand how it works.

New or used unit?

Do any of the Weather channels pick up activity?

You also know this only an Analog scanner and it will not support any of the newer Digital systems.

I'm programming it for a friend. My 996 works like a champ, but this thing seems to be searching North Carolina as well as scanning my programmed systems.

N4RMT said:

I'm programming it for a friend. My 996 works like a champ, but this thing seems to be searching North Carolina as well as scanning my programmed systems.

Click to expand...

You need to turn off all of the BearTracker features that are turned on by default when you first turn the scanner on......
First thing you need to do is make sure the BearTracker features are turned off. The most frustrating thing about this radio is right out of the box, all BearTracker features are on by default which makes no sense at all if you don't know how to turn them off. My advice is to disable everything and start from there.
Press POL and HP until all the icons (PL, DT, HP, and BT) disappear from the display to turn off all pre-programmed frequencies.

When I first got the BCT15X, I felt exactly the way you feel! After I loaded the Freescan software, however, and I got it programmed exactly the way I wanted it, I tamed the beast. Now it quietly monitors military aircraft, civilian aircraft, and nationwide frequencies, and does precisely what I want it to do.

Easier to Read BCT15-X Scanner Manual scanning
The most frustrating thing about this radio is right out of the box, all Bear Tracker features are on by default which makes no sense at all if you don't know how to turn them off. My advice is to disable everything and start from there.

Press POL and HP (one at a time) until all the icons (PL, DT, HP, and BT) disappear from the display to turn off all preprogrammed frequencies. This will give you 'Nothing to Scan' in the display. Now you can jump into programming your frequencies.

Press POL once to turn on a state. Press then VOL(State). Scroll to 'Your State' and press E/ to save and exit. Press POL until all icons disappear again.
Note: District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and the Canadian provinces don't work in my scanner (??).

Bear Tracker Warning System
Most highway patrol vehicles on the road today are equipped with a secondary radio system known as a 'mobile extender' or 'vehicular repeater'. Whenever the dispatcher transmits to any vehicle in the district, a mobile extender in every car within the district is activated.

The Bear Tracker Warning System monitors these frequencies used by mobile extender radios as well as car-to-car, aircraft-to-car, and other special-purpose frequencies. When enabled, the scanner checks for activity on these frequencies for your state every 2 seconds. Whenever you are within an approximate three-mile radius of Highway Patrol/State Police units using a mobile extender unit, the BT display icon begins to blink, the Bear Tracker LED lights, you can select an alert tone, volume level, visual alert, or no alerts. The scanner scans all the channels of the Bear Tracker system.

Bear Tracker Scanning

My advice? Don't touch the radio, don't even turn it on, until you have the programming done FIRST. Freescan works terrific for the BCT15X. Set all of your parameters and programming through Freescan (you can do a direct RR library import for whatever systems you want), attach the programming cable, and only then turn on the unit. Upload your programming and settings, and taaa-daaa! The wildcat will become a kitten.

Blackink said:

You need to turn off all of the BearTracker features that are turned on by default when you first turn the scanner on......
First thing you need to do is make sure the BearTracker features are turned off. The most frustrating thing about this radio is right out of the box, all BearTracker features are on by default which makes no sense at all if you don't know how to turn them off. My advice is to disable everything and start from there.
Press POL and HP until all the icons (PL, DT, HP, and BT) disappear from the display to turn off all pre-programmed frequencies.

Click to expand...

That did it. Wow... Thanks everyone.