Uniden BCT12 User Guide

Introduction

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of the BCT-12 Highway
Information System & Pre-programmed Warning Scanner!
State-of-the-art engineering and advanced electronics provide you
with a pre-programmed information radio designed for easy
operation and dependability.

With the BCT-12 Scanning Radio, you can listen to hundreds of
highway patrol, local police, sheriff’s department, department of
transportation, and news media frequencies as well as NOAA
weather channels.

The frequencies in your BCT-12 have been uniquely selected on a
State-by-State basis to provide you with the highest level of
scanning quality. Plus, new built-in technology sounds an alarm
when a priority channel is detected!

Best of all, you don’t have to program any frequencies. Just set the
BCT-12 for your state, and the scanner will do the rest. Please
read this Operating Guide thoroughly before attempting to operate
the unit.

Features

• Priority Alert • Windshield Mountable

• Local Police Coverage • Instant Weather

• Highway Patrol Coverage • Built-in Speaker

• 9-Level Strength Meter • DOT Coverage

• Weather Alert • News Media Coverage

• Highway Patrol Detection • Pre-programmed Scanner

Covers All 50 States Plus
Canada

Visit our Internet site at http://www.uniden.com.

1

Introduction

Terms and Definitions

Frequency Radio signals are sent as waves through the air. These

waves move up and down. A frequency is the number of
times in a certain time period, usually a second, that
these waves move all the way up and all the way down
and back to all the way up. For example: 123.450 kHz
means that the waves are moving all the way up and all
the way down and back all the way up again 123,450
times each second.

Mobile Extender Most Highway patrol vehicles on the road today are

equipped with a secondary radio system known as a
“mobile extender” or “vehicle repeater.” Whenever the
dispatcher transmits to any vehicle in the district, every
“mobile extender” in every car withing the district is
activated.

Priority Alert Using a constant PRIORITY check of specific

frequencies in each state, the BCT-12 recognizes and
alerts you to transmissions from “mobile extender”
radios as well as from car-to-car, aircraft-to-aircraft and
other special-purpose frequencies. You receive an
audible (beep tone) and visual (flash of warning light)
alert whenever you are within an approximate three mile
radius of many Highway Patrol/State Police units.

Scanning Scanning is the process by which your scanning radio

checks each frequency for the presence of a signal, and
when it finds a frequency with a signal, for example
someone talking on it, it stops, allowing you to listen to
the signal.

Weather Alert Lets your scanner function as a severe weather warning

radio. With Weather Alert turned on, when the NOAA
issues a severeweather warning radio. With Weather
Alert turned on, when the NOAA issues a severe
weather warning, the BCT-12 sounds an alert tone and
youl will hear the emergency weather broadcast.

2

Introduction

Unpacking

Carefully remove all items from the box. If there is any visible
damage, do not operate the equipment. Notify your dealer or
shipping carrier immediately.

For information or instructions on any problem that you may have,
call the Uniden Customer Service Center at:

[phone] Monday through Friday,
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central.

3

Included with Your BCT-12 Scanner

H

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Y

OFF

The BCT-12 Highway

Information System

MODE

MUTE

ALERT

L/0

STATE

HOLD

Windshield Mounting

Bracket and Hardware

BCT-12 Antenna Cigarette Adapter Power

Cord

το χοµε το τηε αιδ οφ τηε παρτψ.
τηεγαρδενωαλλ. Νοωιστηετιµε φο4ραλλγοοδµεν
χρεατεδεθυαλ.Τηε θυιχκβροων φοξϕυµπεδ οϖερ

χοµε το τηε αιδ οφ τηε παρτψ.

δεδιχατεδτο τηε προποσιτιοντηατ αλλµεν αρε

ωαλλ.Νοωισ τηετιµε φο4ραλλ γοοδµεντο

σετφορτη ανεωνατιον χονχειϖεδιν Λιβερτψανδ

Τηεθυιχκβροων φοξϕυµπεδοϖερ τηεγαρδεν

οφτηεπαρτψ. Φουρσχορε ψεασαγο ουρφατηερσ

προποσιτιοντηαταλλ µεναρεχρεατεδ εθυαλ.

Νοωιστηετιµε φοραλλγοοδ µεντοχοµετο τηεαιδ
χονχειϖεδιν Λιβερτψανδ δεδιχατεδτο τηε
ουρ φατηερσ σετ φορτη α νεω νατιον
τηεαιδοφ τηεπαρτψ. Φουρσχορε ψεασαγο
Νοωιστηε τιµεφορ αλλγοοδµεν τοχοµετο

φο4ρ αλλ γοοδ µεν το χοµε το τηε αιδ οφ τηε παρτψ.
βροωνφοξ ϕυµπεδοϖερτηε γαρδενωαλλ. Νοωισ τηετιµε

προποσιτιοντηατ αλλµεν αρεχρεατεδ εθυαλ.Τηε θυιχκ
νατιον χονχειϖεδ ιν Λιβερτψ ανδ δεδιχατεδ το τηε

παρτψ.Φουρσχορε ψεασαγοουρ φατηερσσετφορτη ανεω
Νοωιστηε τιµεφοραλλ γοοδµεντο χοµετοτηε αιδοφτηε

Visor Clip Mounting Bracket

BCT 12

SCANNER

Y
A
W

MODE

EM

T
GH
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L/0

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MUTE

STATE

ALERT

D
L
HO

OFF

Operating Guide

BCT-12 Operating Guide

Window Mount Antenna

Other Printed Material Straight Power Cord

If any of these items are missing, please contact your place of
purchase.

4

Installation

The BCT-12 uses a highly sensitive antenna to receive radio
signals. Its sensitivity and range depend on the method of
installation and the direction of the antenna in relation to the signal
source. Before you decide where to put your scanner, please keep
in mind one important factor:

For safety, do not mount the BCT-12 in a location where it will
obstruct your driving vision.

Helpful Tips

The antenna is located on the side of the unit. It should not be
obstructed and should be pointed as close to straight up or down
for best operation.

• Do not mount the unit in front of the heater or defroster vents.

• Do not leave the unit in direct sunlight or in the glove

compartment of a closed car for long periods of time. Also,
removing the unit from the windshield makes you less
susceptible to break-in and theft.

• Be sure the BCT-12 is mounted free of obstructions from the
rear view mirror, sun visors, or the ceiling of the automobile.

Optional Antennas

Your BCT-12 was designed for the easiest installation possible.
Uniden has packaged an additional Window Mount antenna with
your BCT-12 that will provide better performance on VHF
frequencies. For the best reception possible in every state, you
might consider a mobile scanner antenna which mounts
magnetically to your car or truck.

For more information on these and other options available for your
BearTracker, please ask your local Uniden dealer or call
1-800-248-5441.

5

Installation

Installing the Antenna

BCT-12 Antenna

1. Pinch the sides of the
antenna and attach it to the
BCT-12.

Window Mount Antenna

1. Mount the antenna on the
inside of the windshield at
the far right-hand
(passenger) side.

HIGHWAY

SYSTEM

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L

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ATE

Caution: Be sure the antenna does not obstruct the driver’s vision

in any way.

2. Route the antenna cable so it is out of the way and does not
obscure your view.

6

Installation

Caution: Be sure the cable is out of the way of anyone getting in

or out of the car.

3. Plug the cable’s BNC
connector into the BCT-12.

HIGHWAY

SYSTEM

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Mounting the BCT-12

Visor Mounting

1. Snap the visor clip onto the
BCT-12.

SQUELCH

Slots

Note: Make sure that the bracket tabs fit securely in the slots.

7

Installation

2. Slide the clip over the front of
the visor.

3. Adjust the angle of the
antenna as close to straight
up or down as possible.

SQUELCH

SQUELCH

Note: You can remove and replace the BCT-12 by sliding both

the unit and the visor mount off and on the visor.

8

Installation

Windshield Mounting

1. Find a good position for the BCT-12 on your windshield. Refer
to the Helpful Tips on page 5 for some guidelines on mounting
positions.

2. Put the metal
mounting
bracket with
the suction
cups on the
windshield to
adjust it for
best position.

1

4

3

1. Windshield

2. Road Surface

3. Metal Mounting
Bracket

4. Metal Mounting

2

Bracket parallel
to road

3. If necessary, adjust the metal
mounting bracket so that
when you slide the BCT-12

VOLUME

OFF

onto it, it is parallel to the
road surface and fits flush
against the windshield. Your
BCT-12 should look like one

VOLUME

OFF

of the examples at the right
once it is installed.

VOLUME

OFF

Caution: Do Not adjust the metal mounting bracket with the

BCT-12 attached. Doing so can cause damage to the
bracket and the unit.

9

Installation

4. Snap the windshield
mounting clip onto the
BCT-12.

5. Slide the plastic windshield
mounting clip into the metal
mounting bracket.

VOLUME

OFF

Slots

HIGHWAY

SYSTEM

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The mounting clip locks into the plastic portion at three different
positions. These positions can be used for vehicles with different
vertical angles of their windshields. The back position can be used
for vehicles with windshields that are slanted back.

10

6. Place the bracket and the
BCT-12 in the proper location
on the windshield of your
vehicle and press the suction
cups firmly against the
windshield. If the BCT-12
does not fit flush against the
windshield, try a different
position on the metal
mounting bracket.

7. Adjust the angle of the
antenna as close to straight
up or down as possible.

SQUELCH

Installation

VOLUME

OFF

VOLUME

OFF

VOLUME

OFF

11

Connecting the Power

Direct Connection

WARNING:The BCT-12 is designed to operate only with 12V DC,

negative ground power systems. Operation of the unit
on other voltages or polarities will cause damage to
the unit and may create a fire hazard.

The straight power cord provided with the unit has bare wires at
one end and a small connector at the other end.

1. Connect the positive wire to a 12V DC source in your vehicle’s
fuse box.

2. Connect the other wire to ground.

12

Fuse

Box

OFF

MODE

MUTE

ALERT

L/0

STATE

HOLD