BCD396T/BC996T: Scanner Is Still In CSQ On Digital Channels

[WB0VHB]

I have this scanner installed as a mobile and programmed with area conventional digital channels. It's working OK except as I travel, there are some areas with high spurious signals that cause the channels programmed as Digital Only to stop with an open carrier.

Is it normal for a Digital Only channel to still be CSQ instead of only receiving a "Digital Only" channel as programmed?
BTW, using FreeScan for programming.

 

[wtp]

i have that radio, i have searched the manual...
how do you set it for digital only ?

 

[donc13]

I too had a 396T that I got when they first came out, in fact, I did some of the beta testing on it for UPMan. Sold it 2 years ago, but my point being that it was P25 trunking, EDACS (but not provoice) or conventional only.

 

[dave3825]

i have that radio, i have searched the manual...
how do you set it for digital only ?

If you use freescan there is a drop box on conventional freqs giving option for either analog only or digital only. So on your 396, it should be in the audio options.

 

[WB0VHB]

i have that radio, i have searched the manual...
how do you set it for digital only ?

In FreeScan, there is a column to select Audio Type. Choices are All, Digital Only, Analog Only. Maybe this menu selection doesn't program anything in the radio?

With an analog channel, the choice of adding a PL or DPL code is available to eliminate distant non-desired signal reception. Surely with a digital channel, there is a way to eliminate receiving any signal other than the desired digital with the correct NAC??

 

[WB0VHB]

If you use freescan there is a drop box on conventional freqs giving option for either analog only or digital only. So on your 396, it should be in the audio options.

That is correct. I have selected Digital Only for the service in question. But that channel will receive the digital signal like it should. But it also is still in CSQ because any signal on that frequency is still heard.

 

[dave3825]

Surely with a digital channel, there is a way to eliminate receiving any signal other than the desired digital with the correct NAC??

Pretty sure that radio does not allow NAC entry. I think the 396XT might.

 

[tvengr]

i have that radio, i have searched the manual...
how do you set it for digital only ?

I have looked in the scanner menus, ARC396 software, and the manual. I don't see a way to set a conventional frequency to digital either. If you are using FreeSCAN, you can set it to digital only but that doesn't mean the scanner can do it. In FreeSCAN, you can set the audio to digital only and enter PL tones or set audio to analog only and enter NAC codes. Neither of those is possible. The software is designed to program a number of different scanners. I don't see a way to enter conventional NAC either in the scanner menus.

 

[KevinC]

I think the audio type only applies to the XT.

 

[WB0VHB]

Thanks for everyone's input. It appears that if this scanner is programmed for digital, it's also going to suck in everything else.

Pretty rare anymore to not have the ability to filter out the junk with PL/DPL on analog. Looks like Uniden was asleep when it came to designing the digital side of this radio.

 

[tvengr]

Looks like Uniden was asleep when it came to designing the digital side of this radio.

The BCD996T, the mobile version of your scanner, added the ability to set audio type to digital only in addition to doing multi-site trunking. The 996T cannot do NAC either.

 

[WB0VHB]

The BCD996T, the mobile version of your scanner, added the ability to set audio type to digital only in addition to doing multi-site trunking. The 996T cannot do NAC either.

Thanks for the info. I might be looking for another scanner, who wants to drive around with a bunch of frequencies in carrier squelch?

 

[tvengr]

Thanks for the info. I might be looking for another scanner, who wants to drive around with a bunch of frequencies in carrier squelch?

The BCD996T is also a very old scanner. It cannot do NAC on conventional frequencies. For now, you could get by with a BCD325P2 handheld or BCD996P2 base/mobile. You can also use FreeSCAN on those scanners.

 

[donc13]

Thanks for everyone's input. It appears that if this scanner is programmed for digital, it's also going to suck in everything else.

Pretty rare anymore to not have the ability to filter out the junk with PL/DPL on analog. Looks like Uniden was asleep when it came to designing the digital side of this radio.

The 396T is quite capable of DCS/CTCSS tone squelch operation. The radio was released in 2005 so we're talking about an 18 year old radio design.

I owned and used one for 15 years. With the version 3 firmware, it is a superb radio.

It has NO "digital only" setting

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