Official Uniden BC246T Scanner Thread

[als_medic]

Scanning Motorola Smartzone systems (VHF-HI)

If anyone on here is using their BC246T to scan Motorola Typre 2 Smartzone systems, could they PM me?
Here is my problem:
Here in Ontario we have a relatively new system for the Provincial Police and EMS. Police are APCO-25, but EMS are analog.
We have someting like 80 towers and I have the control channels for all of them enetered in one system (minus duplicates it is 35 CCs), as CC only scanning. Thing is it seems like I am missing a lot of transmissions.
I have the hold and delay set to 3 seconds, but I hear EMS get paged out on a conventional frequency and then don't always hear them on the trunked system. If I manually scan the control channels I see the EMS TGs, but when I switch to scan, I don't hear them.......
Any ideas?

 

[br0adband]

The third pic there is what everyone's should look like, more or less. Some people might have a bit more curvature in the rubber, some people will have a nice flat surface.

I'm amazed at how much controversy this thing stirs up. It's a piece of rubber, so if you're not happy with the way it's bent or curved, grab it between your fingers and flex it the other way for a few minutes then reinsert it into the case opening.

The amount of time you leave the scanner plugged into the data cable will directly affect the curve of that rubber flap. I barely keep mine plugged in most times; I'm sure that's not the case with others who leave it plugged in because they're controlling the scanner with their computers.

That's fine, but it can be flexed back into a relatively flat shape if needed.

Just my $.02.

Paul

 

[BJ_NORTON]

I think VHF systems are a bit different than normal Motorola Systems. I have never scanned one, but when the NHP was on one here in Vegas we had listings for base and channel offsets. I think this might be your problem. You might read through the wiki for a little more help

BJ

 

[slicerwizard]

My best advice at this point would be to hold the cover as shown in photo #5 (no, that's not my thumb) and heat it with a hot hair dryer. Don't melt it and when you do close it, PUT THE TIP IN FIRST.

 

[osros]

Picky PL\DPL decode from scan

Has anyone else noticed that sometimes in scan the unit will not always stop on a channel even when there is a signal with the right pl/dpl, or slower to lock in. But when you program the channel for CSQ its just fine. Stops on the freq at the same time as my 785D. With a programmed PL/DPL its just not 100%

Can this be why other folks here complain that the unit is deafer than other scanners right next to it?

 

[Voyager]

Re: Scanning Motorola Smartzone systems (VHF-HI)

If anyone on here is using their BC246T to scan Motorola Typre 2 Smartzone systems, could they PM me?
Here is my problem:
Here in Ontario we have a relatively new system for the Provincial Police and EMS. Police are APCO-25, but EMS are analog.
We have someting like 80 towers and I have the control channels for all of them enetered in one system (minus duplicates it is 35 CCs), as CC only scanning. Thing is it seems like I am missing a lot of transmissions.
I have the hold and delay set to 3 seconds, but I hear EMS get paged out on a conventional frequency and then don't always hear them on the trunked system. If I manually scan the control channels I see the EMS TGs, but when I switch to scan, I don't hear them.......
Any ideas?

The scanner will only lock onto the FIRST ACTIVE CC it sees. It that happens to be a distant CC, only that one will be evaluated for activity. If there is no EMS unit affiliated to that site, you won't hear the transmissions.

Try programming them in more than one system (like three). Try to space out the sites so you don't have adjacent sites in the same system.

That should help.

I'm assuming you have the tables set up correctly.

Joe M.

 

[slicerwizard]

Re: Scanning Motorola Smartzone systems (VHF-HI)

If I manually scan the control channels I see the EMS TGs, but when I switch to scan, I don't hear them.......
Any ideas?

It's fairly obvious that the scanner locks on to a site that isn't carrying the comms of interest. This gets even worse when you are airborne, since you can hear many distant sites. In an ideal world, a scanner would tell you which sites (control channels) it can hear and let you select which one you want. The 246T doesn't give you this control, nor does it tell you which site it selected.

The usual workaround is to create several (4 to 6) systems such that in any given area, you can force the scanner to monitor a specific site (since all other CC's defined in that system will be for distant sites). Unfortunately, with the number of EMS talkgroups you've put in your Fleetnet system, you'd quickly fill up the scanner's memory. To make things worse, once you're airborne, this hack won't work anyway.

 

[safetyobc]

I am not convinced that this scanner scans 100 channels / second.... I have several conventional systems in a row and it absolutely blows through them at lightening speed...Also the trunked systems. If there isn't any activity it scans over 500 channels/TGID's in what seems like a second or two.

By the way, how do they check the scan speed for technical specs.? I just think that the scan speed is underated by Uniden. It seemed to out scan my BC250D before I sold it.

 

[slicerwizard]

The radio doesn't "scan" talkgroups. You're mixing apples and oranges.

 

[Voyager]

I am not convinced that this scanner scans 100 channels / second.... I have several conventional systems in a row and it absolutely blows through them at lightening speed...Also the trunked systems. If there isn't any activity it scans over 500 channels/TGID's in what seems like a second or two.

By the way, how do they check the scan speed for technical specs.? I just think that the scan speed is underated by Uniden. It seemed to out scan my BC250D before I sold it.

You said " I have several conventional systems in a row and it absolutely blows through them at lightening speed". Would you say it does that at 100 channels per second or better? :wink:

You can't count stopping on TRS control channels since it has to spend time evaluating them. The same goes for conventional channels you have CTCSS/CDCSS programmed on but are receiving a carrier without the same CTCSS/CDCSS tone/code. The scanner has to take time to check for the correct tone/code. Lots of things can affect scan speed.

Joe M.

 

[safetyobc]

Okay forget the trunked systems. Conventional only it seems to really excel above the 250D I had. I think the 246 scans faster than 100 ch/sec. It may not, but it seems to.

 

[WX5JCH]

Does anyone know if Uniden is going to release the schematics for the 246? It would be nice for after the warranty runs out...

 

[Voyager]

Does anyone know if Uniden is going to release the schematics for the 246? It would be nice for after the warranty runs out...

I doubt it. They won't even let the FCC post them anymore on the TA notifications due to 'sensitive technology' issues. They've done this since the TrunkTrackers came out.

Joe M.

 

[UPMan]

This was actually due to an agreement RS and Uniden made with the FCC regarding "cellular" hardening of the product. No schematics for any 800 MHz-capable scanner.

 

[WX5JCH]

Ok, thanks for the answers, I understand. Not a problem....

 

[Voyager]

This was actually due to an agreement RS and Uniden made with the FCC regarding "cellular" hardening of the product. No schematics for any 800 MHz-capable scanner.

That's interesting. The cover letters posted on the FCC TA pages always claimed it was due to the sensitive nature of the circuits.

I quote from here:
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/...p;application_id=243173&fcc_id='AMWUB268'
(Confidentiality letter)

"...because the information provided contains trade secrets and is proprietary."

It was signed Kazuhiro Kusuhara.

Joe M.

 

[pro92b]

This was actually due to an agreement RS and Uniden made with the FCC regarding "cellular" hardening of the product. No schematics for any 800 MHz-capable scanner.

Uniden has followed this policy except for the posting of BC780 schematics on the FCC site.

Radio Shack began providing service manuals containing schematics a while back. Here are some of the manuals available: PRO-92, PRO-93, PRO-94, PRO-95, PRO-96, PRO-99, PRO-2067, PRO-2050, PRO-2053, PRO-2052. With the very latest models R/S doesn't even post a parts list so I guess manuals are once again not available (PRO-83, PRO-2096, PRO-2051, PRO-97).

The claim of trade secrets and confidentiality is routinely used with the FCC to suppress publication of schematics on recent models. Many manufacturers of electronic devices take advantage of this, not just scanner companies.

 

[VA3DBJ]

Re: Scanning Motorola Smartzone systems (VHF-HI)

If anyone on here is using their BC246T to scan Motorola Typre 2 Smartzone systems, could they PM me?
Here is my problem:
Here in Ontario we have a relatively new system for the Provincial Police and EMS. Police are APCO-25, but EMS are analog.
We have someting like 80 towers and I have the control channels for all of them enetered in one system (minus duplicates it is 35 CCs), as CC only scanning. Thing is it seems like I am missing a lot of transmissions.
I have the hold and delay set to 3 seconds, but I hear EMS get paged out on a conventional frequency and then don't always hear them on the trunked system. If I manually scan the control channels I see the EMS TGs, but when I switch to scan, I don't hear them.......
Any ideas?

I have the GMCP CC channels grouped in 4 systems. I have each tower setup so that it is about 3 to 4 towers apart, so that at any one time only on CC is receivable in each system. As you go north and northwest/east away from Toronto, you can be about 2 towers apart. When I am using the rubber duckie it works great, except at times when you are on a high point of a ridge, then sometimes it will skip conversations, cause it picks up another tower, 98% of the time it works..

 

[baddandy23]

2 ideas for the next possible firmware update, although minor they would be nice. When doing a service search and then pressing the "menu" button, it should take you back to the service search menu, not to the main selection of menus. Also, when the scanner stops on an active channel, pressing the scroll knob should hold it on that channel as if you pressed the Hold button. Once again, just two ideas. :?: :idea:

 

[CZ]

When using the "Search For..." > "Service Search" function in any band, once it stops the only way you get it to start searching again is to press "HOLD" twice.

I'm curious: Is there a way to resume searching by pressing only one key once, instead of twice as with the "Hold" key? Yes, I looked in the Manual for something on it