Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Included with the BC9000XLT. . . . . . . . 3 Feature Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Base Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What is Scanning?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Searching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Banks and Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Setting the Squelch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using the Rotary Tuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Programming Channels . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Programming By Manual Entry . . . . . . . 12 Programming With the Rotary Tuner Use these controls: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Programming with Search . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Programming With AUTO STORE . . . . 17 Deleting a Programmed Frequency. . . . 19 Transferring a Programmed Frequency. 19 Programming Channels with Alpha Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 To Delete Alpha Characters . . . . . . . . . 22 The Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Scanning All Programmed Channels and Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Turning Banks ON or OFF. . . . . . . . . . . 25 Locking Out Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Using Priority Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Search Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Beginning a Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Scrolling Frequencies During a Search . 30 Using Turbo Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Using Search Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Locking Out Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Unlocking a Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Unlocking All Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Birdies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Additional Scanner Features . . . . . . . 34 Scanning Weather Channels . . . . . . . . . 34 Using Data Skip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Changing the Frequency Step . . . . . . . . 35 Setting the Signal Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Using Signal Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Preventing Accidental Programming . . . 38 Using COUNT to Monitor Channel Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Displaying Bank Memory Status . . . . . . 40 Using Auto Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Viewing Scanner Status Information . . . 42 Display Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Using Hi-Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 CTCSS Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Installing the CTCSS Board. . . . . . . . . . 45 Using CTCSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 To Change the CTCSS Tone Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 CTCSS Tone Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . 49 Care and Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Optional Accessories and Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 1 Introduction The BC9000XLT is a sophisticated information radio with automatic scanning capabilities. You can use it at home as a base unit, or install in your vehicle as a mobile unit. The BC9000XLT can store frequencies such as, police, fire/emergency, marine, air, weather, and other broadcasts into 20 banks of 25 channels each. The new Rotary Tuner feature enables rapid and easy selection of channels and frequencies. And with AUTO STORE, you can automatically program any channel. With the BC9000XLT, you can scan all 500 channels with Turbo Scan. In the Search Mode, you can choose super fast Turbo Search. In addition, the BC9000XLT has AUTO SORT ­ an automatic frequency sorting feature for faster scanning within each bank. Types of Communication You will be able to monitor communication such as: n n n n n n n n n Police and fire department (including paramedics) NOAA weather broadcasts Business/industrial radio Motion picture and press relay Utility Land transportation frequencies, such as trucking firms, buses, taxis, tow trucks, and railroads Marine and amateur (ham radio) bands Air band Public Service 800 MHz band And many more in the 25-1300 MHz range. (Note: Cellular telephone frequencies cannot be received.) Where to Obtain More Information The Bearcat Radio Club and other similar hobby clubs have publications, information on computer bulletin boards, and even contests for the radio enthusiast. See the enclosed pamphlets for more information. Additional information is also available through your local library. 2 Included with the BC9000XLT MEM COUNT AUX SHIFT STATUS BC9000XLT BC9000XLT TWIN TURBO BRI DIM OFF A B G FREQ C H CHAN D I E J SQUELCH PROG SEND ALPHA F HOLD SCAN SRC AUTO MANUAL 1 AM 2 NFM 3 WFM PRI TURBO LIMIT CTCSS DATA 4 5KHz 5 12.5 KHz 6 25KHz LOCK VOLUME L/O EXT SP DELAY ATT 7 CLR 8 50KHz 9 HI-CUT LINE 0 E OFF Operating Guide (OMBC9000XLT) 0 XL T Betty Bearcat Starter Frequency Guide Telescoping Antenna (AT124) XLT 0 r ne 900 BC E SQUE 0 D C CHAN J I an LCH 0 Sc FREQ A G OFF F BC Au to 9 OFF DIM WFM 3 NFM AM 12.5 1 5 4 5KHz SKHz HI-CU 2 BRI 25KH 6 z 9 50KH 8 O MANU TURB AL TWIN DATA SHIFT STATU ALPH SCAN A CTCS S AUX MEM COUN SEND T PRI TURB PROG HOLD AUTO SRC LINE LIMIT EXT SP L/O DELA O Y ATT S CLR 7 z 0 T E LOCK VOLU B H ME OP ER AT IN G GU ID E AC Adapter (AD580U) Other Printed Material n n n Read this Operating Guide thoroughly before you use the scanner. Immediately fill out and mail the supplied Registration Form. If any of the above items are missing or damaged, contact the place of purchase immediately. 3 Feature Highlights n Twin Turbo Scan/Search ­ This lightning-fast technology enables the BC9000XLT to scan up to 100 channels per second and search up to 300 steps per second (in 5kHz steps). Because the frequency coverage is so large (see ÉSpecifications,Ê page 53, for band listing), a very fast scanning system is essential. That is why we combined our latest technology ä Turbo Scan and Search ä into the BC9000XLT. RotaryTuner Control ­ Turn the large Rotary Tuner to select the desired frequency or channel. 500 Channels ­ You can program each of these memory channels to store one frequency. 20 Banks ­ Each bank contains 25 channels, useful for storing similar frequencies in order to maintain faster scanning cycles. 25 - 1300 MHz ­ Indicates the range of frequencies that can be searched within the bands of your scanner. (Note: The frequency coverage is not totally continuous between 800-900 MHz.) 10 Priority Channels ­ You can assign one Priority channel for each of the 10 banks, A-J. This allows you to keep track of activity on your most important channel(s) while monitoring other channels for transmissions. Auto Store ­ Automatically stores all active frequencies within the specified bank(s). Auto Sorting ­ Programmed frequencies are automatically sorted within each bank for faster scanning. Auto Recording ­ This feature lets you record channel activity from the scanner onto a tape recorder. Scan/Search Delay--In the Scan or Search Mode, causes the scanner to remain on a frequency two seconds after the last transmission to wait for a possible reply. Direct Channel Access--Allows you to manually select a specific channel without scanning. Direct Frequency Programming--Allows you to program a specific frequency into a channel without searching. Frequency Transfer--Lets you transfer a frequency into an empty channel, or replace the frequency in the current channel. Programmable Alpha Characters--You can program channels 1 - 250 with 16 alpha characters for easy reference. 4 n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n Variable Frequency Steps (Increments)--In the search or Manual Mode, lets you change the steps between frequencies. Channel/Frequency Lockout--Lets you temporarily remove channels or frequencies from the scanning or search cycle. Signal Attenuation--Reduces the scanner's sensitivity for unusually strong signals often found on the WFM (wide frequency modulation) bands. Data Skip--Lets you set the scanner to automatically continue searching or scanning when it encounters an unmodulated or data signal. Enter Lock--Temporarily disables programming keys to prevent accidental programming. External Speaker Jack--Allow you to connect an external speaker or earphone for custom listening. See "Included with your Scanner" on page 3, and "Optional Accessories & Replacement Parts" on page 52. Line, and AUX Jacks--Allow you to connect a tape recorder. Display Light--Lets you view the display more easily in dark or low-light conditions. n n n n n 5 Getting Started DC 13.8V Jack Auxillary Jack Antenna Jack Telescoping Antenna AC Adapter/ Charger (AC580U) OFF ON Standard 120V AC Wall Outlet DC13.8V AUX ENTER LOCK ANT Plug Off-On/ Enter-Lock Switch Base Installation 1. Insert the DC plug end of the AC Adapter into the DC 13.8V jack on the rear panel. 2. Plug the AC Adapter into a standard 120V AC wall outlet. 3. Plug the Telescoping Antenna into the "ANT" connector. Extend the antenna to its full height. For frequencies higher than 406 MHz, shortening the antenna may improve the reception. 4. If you need a better viewing angle, flip the folding legs down to raise the front of the scanner. For use with an optional external speaker: Plug the external speaker into the "EXT SP" jack located on the front of the scanner. PROG SEND ALPHA HOLD For use with an optional tape recorder: Be sure to use a tape recorder with microphone and remote input jacks. SRC AUTO PRI LIMIT L EXT SP 1. Connect a cable from the "LINE" jack on the front of the scanner to the microphone input of a tape recorder. 2. Connect a cable from the RCA-type "AUX" jack on the back of the scanner to the recorder's "REMOTE" jack. (See "Using Auto Record," page 41.) LINE For use with an optional CTCSS Tone Board: See "CTCSS Operation, " page 45. 6 What is Scanning? Unlike standard AM or FM radio stations, most two-way communications (listed below) do not transmit continuously. The BC9000XLT scans programmed channels at the rate of up to 100 channels per second until it finds an active frequency. Scanning stops on an active frequency, and remains on that channel as long as the transmission continues. When the transmission ends, and no response is detected, the scanning cycle resumes until another transmission is received. SCAN CHANNELS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Frequency Not Entered Frequency Locked Out (L/O) An optional DELAY can be set so that the scanner stays on the channel for 2 more seconds, waiting for another transmission before resuming scanning. Searching Scanning and searching are similar in that they both involve finding active frequencies within a group of frequencies. The difference is Scanning looks only at a group of programmed frequencies that are stored in the scanner's channels and grouped into banks. Searching looks at all the frequencies within a pre-selected range of frequencies. If you find an interesting frequency while searching, you can store it in a channel for easier access later. See "Programming with Search" on page 14. The main purpose of the Search function is to help you find active frequencies to program into memory. 7 Banks and Channels BC9000XLTBanks and channels are the way stored frequencies are organized in your scanner. A channel is a memory location where you store a frequency. The channels in the BC9000XLT are numbered 1 - 500. A bank is a group of channels. The BC9000XLT has 20 banks with 25 channels in each. The banks are useful for storing similar frequencies in order to maintain faster scanning cycles. You can turn each bank on or off to control whether its channels are included during scanning. When you turn off a bank, its channels are not erased, but are only temporarily excluded from scanning. You can also temporarily lock out individual channels within a bank during scanning. Setting the Squelch Use these controls: BC9000XLT MEM COUNT AUX SHIFT STATUS A B G FREQ C H CHAN D I E J SQUELCH PROG SEND ALPHA F HOLD SCAN SRC AUTO TWIN TURBO BRI DIM OFF MANUAL 1 AM 2 NFM 3 WFM PRI TURBO LIMIT CTCSS DATA 4 5KHz 5 12.5 KHz 6 25KHz LOCK VOLUME L/O EXT SP DELAY ATT 7 CLR 8 50KHz 9 HI-CUT LINE 0 E OFF ON/OFF/VOLUME and SQUELCH Controls 1. Press muntil you do not hear a signal. Adjust VOLUME to a comfortable listening level. Bank A ch 22 L/O 000.0000MHz 8 2. Think of the Squelch Control as a gate. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise. This raises the "Squelch Gate" so high that no signals can get through. SQUELCH VOLUME 3. Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise until you hear a hiss. This lowers the "Squelch Gate" so that everything gets through ... noise, weak signals, and str ...