Uniden UBC 245XLT User Manual

Precautions

Before you use this scanner, please read and observe the following:

EARPHONE WARNING!

Be sure to use only the recommended optional monaural earphone
(EP009). You may also use a 32Ω stereo headset. Use of an incorrect
earphone or stereo headset may be potentially hazardous to your
hearing. The output of the phone jack is monaural, but you will hear in
both headphones of a stereo headset.
Set the volume to a comfortable audio level coming from the speaker
before plugging in the monaural earphone or a stereo headset of
proper impedance (32Ω). Otherwise you might experience some
discomfort or possible hearing damage if the volume suddenly
becomes too loud because of the Volume Control or Squelch Control
setting. This may be particularly true of the type of earphone that is
placed in the ear canal.

WARNING!

Uniden does not represent this unit to be waterproof. To reduce the
risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this unit to rain or
moisture.

GENERAL BATTERY WARNING!
Do not short-circuit any Battery.
Do not discard Batteries in a fire; they may explode.

Nickel-Cadmium Battery Warning

When using Nickel-Cadmium Batteries with this product, take note of
the following warnings:

Do not charge Nickel-Cadmium Batteries with any charger other than
the one supplied with this product. Using another charger may damage
the Batteries, or cause them to explode.

i

1. DC Power Jack 10. Light

2. Scan Key 11. Speaker

3. Manual Key 12. Display

4. Trunking Key 13. Remote jack

5. Decimal Key /ATT 14. Keypad

6. Service Key 15. Enter Key /Remote

7. Limit Key/Down Key 16. Search Key

17. Hold Key/Up Key

8. Priority Key/Turbo Key

18. Lockout Key

9. Delay Key 19. Data Key
/ Lock Key

Front View

ii

11

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1

2
3

4
5
6
7
8
9

10

BANK

TRUNK

DATA POLICE RR AIR MRN UHFC B
SCAN

SEARCH

.

PRI HOLD DLY L/O

ATT

BATT

12

13

14

15
16
17
18
19

Top View and Display

20

21 22

20. Antenna Connector

21. Earphone Jack

22. Squelch Control

23. On/Off Volume Control

24 25

12345678910

BANK

32

TRUNK

33

DATAPOLICE RR AIR
SCAN SEARCH

31

888.8888

888

HOLD DLY L/O

PRI

MRN UHF CB

23

BATT

ATT

26

27

28

30

29

24. Channel Display

25. Frequency Display

26. Bank/Activity Indicators

27. Attenuate Indicator

28. Battery Low Indicator

29. Keypad Lockout Indicator

30. Mode Indicators

31. Priority Channel Indicator

32. Bank/Trunk Indicators

33. Trunk System Indicators

CONTENTS

Introduction ...................................3

Important Notice ...............................4

Terminology...................................5

What is Scanning? ...........................5

What is Searching? ..........................5

What is Trunk Tracking? ......................5

Feature Highlights ..............................7

Where to Obtain More Information .................9

Information on the Internet .....................9

Included with Your Scanner .....................10

Setup .......................................11

Installing the Battery Pack ....................11

Charging the Battery Pack ....................12

Low Battery Indicator ........................12

Adapter Safety Feature ......................12

Flexible Antenna ...........................13

Belt Clip ..................................13

Basic Operation...............................14

Turn the Scanner On ........................14

Setting the Squelch .........................14

Keylock...................................15

LCD Back Light ............................15

Auto Light .................................15

Programming.................................16

Duplicate Frequency Alert ....................18

Programming Tips ..........................18

Deleting a Stored Frequency ..................19

Scanning ....................................20

RF Attenuation Feature ......................21

Setting the Delay Mode ......................22

Channel Lockout ...........................23

Lockout Tips...............................24

Restore a Locked Out Channel ................25

Restore All Locked-Out Channels ..............25

Priority Scan...............................26

Changing the Priority Channel .................27

Searching ...................................28

Setting a Search Range ......................28

Turbo Search ..............................28

Search Hold Feature ........................29

Data Skip .................................29

Frequency Skip ............................30

Storing Search Frequencies...................30

SVC Scanning ................................32

SVC Scan Lockout ..........................34

Programming with SVC Scan..................35

Trunk Tracking ...............................36

Types of Trunking Systems ...................36

EDACS

®

Tracking ..........................38

Setting the Squelch .........................39

Programming Trunking Frequencies ............39

Searching a Trunked Bank....................42

Changing the Display Mode ...................42

Frequency Find Mode .......................43

Direct Entry ID Hold Mode ....................43

ID Lockout ................................44

Restore a Single ID .........................44

Restore all IDs .............................45

Searching Tips .............................45

Channel Activity Indicators....................46

Scan Lists.................................48

Programming ID Scan Lists Manually ...........48

ID Scan Mode .............................52

Setting Priority in Trunking Mode ...............53

Programming Scan Lists During Search .........54

Deleting a Stored ID.........................54

Moving between Scan List Memories ...........55

Multi-Track ...............................55

Fleet Map Programming ........................56

Selecting Trunking Programming Mode..........56

Selecting a Preset Fleet Map ..................57

Programming a Fleet Map ....................58

Programming a Hybrid System ................59

Setting the Base and Offset frequencies for

Motorola VHF/UHF trunked systems ............60

Toggling the Status Bit .......................61

Remote Interface..............................62

Connecting the scanner ......................62

SmartScan Mode ...........................64

Remote (PC Control) Mode ...................70

Clone Mode ...............................72

Care and Maintenance .........................74

General Use ...............................74

Location ..................................74

Cleaning ..................................74

Repairs...................................75

Birdies ...................................75

Troubleshooting...............................76

Specification .................................78

Appendix ....................................79

Preset Fleet Maps ..........................79

User Defined Fleet Maps .....................81

One Year Limited Warranty ..........inside back cover

2

Introduction

The UBC 245XLT is a state-of-the-art radio with
TrunkTracking™ and automatic scanning capabilities.
It can store frequencies such as police, UHF CB,
marine, railroad, air, amateur, and other communications
into 10 banks of 30 channels each.

With the new SmartScanner™ feature, you can also
automatically program your scanner by downloading
directly from our Uniden/Bearcat national frequency
database via a PC or external modem.

Use your new scanner to monitor:

■ UHF High Band UHF 800/900 MHz Trunked Radio
Systems (the trunked radio network does not
operate solely for Public use)

■ Police and Fire Departments (including rescue and
paramedics)

■ Trunking for Motorola and EDACS* systems

■ Business/Industrial Radio

■ Utilities

■ Marine and amateur (ham radio) bands

■ Air band

3

Frequency Range Steps Transmission

66 - 88 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF Low Band
108-137 MHz 12.5 kHz Aircraft Band
137-144 MHz 5 kHz Land Mobile
144-148 MHz 5 kHz 2 Meter Ham
148-174 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF High Band
406-420 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
420-450 MHz 12.5 kHz 70cm Ham
450-470 MHz 12.5 kHz UHF Band
470-512 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
806-956 MHz 12.5 kHz “800” Band

EDACS* - analogue only

Important Notice

■ This scanning radio can be sold legally in Australia
and New Zealand only. This unit may be illegal for
sale in other countries.

■ The installation, possession, or use of this
scanning radio in a motor vehicle may be
prohibited, regulated, or require a permit in certain
states, cities, and/or local jurisdictions. Your local
law enforcement officials should be able to provide
you with information regarding the laws in your
community.

■ Changes or modifications to this product not
expressly approved by Uniden, or operation of this
product in any way other than as detailed by this
Operating Guide, could void your authority to
operate this product.

■ The screen displays used in this manual are
representations of what might appear when you
use your scanner.

4

Terminology

What is Scanning?

Unlike standard AM or FM radio stations, most two-way
communications do not transmit continuously. The
UBC 245XLT scans the channels you program 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, the scanning cycle
resumes until another transmission is received.

What is Searching?

The UBC 245XLT can search each of its 10 bands to
find active frequencies. This is different from scanning
because you are searching for frequencies that have not
been programmed into your scanner. You can choose
between two speeds while searching. Turbo Search, a
new feature for Uniden scanners, can search the VHF FM
bands at up to 300 channels per second.

What is Trunk Tracking?

Conventional scanning is a simple concept. You enter a
radio frequency in your scanner’s memory which is used
by someone you want to monitor. So when your scanner
stops on a frequency, you usually know who it is, and
more importantly, you can stop on a channel and listen
to an entire conversation. This type of scanning is easy
and fun.

As the demand for public communications has
increased, many public radio users don’t have enough
frequencies to meet their needs, and this has created a
serious problem. Trunking radio systems solve this
problem.

5

In a trunked radio system, which contains up to 28 different
frequencies, radio users are divided into groups, often
called talk groups, and these talk groups are assigned
specific IDs. When someone in a talk group uses their
radio, a brief burst of data is broadcast before each
transmission. The trunking system computer uses this data
to temporarily assign each radio in a talk group to an
available frequency. If the group using a frequency stops
broadcasting or pauses between replies for a few seconds,
they are removed from the frequency so another talk group
can use it.

Sharing of the available public service frequencies, or
trunking, allows cities, counties, or other agencies to
accommodate hundreds of users with relatively few
frequencies. Following a conversation on a trunked system
using a scanner is difficult, if not impossible, because when
there’s a short break during the conversation you’re
monitoring, it’s possible that the talk group will be assigned
to a completely different frequency in the trunked system.
This type of scanning is difficult and frustrating.

TrunkTracker™ changes this! Not only does your new

UBC245XLT

scanchannelslikeaconventionalscanner,it
actually follows the users of a trunked radio system. Once
you know a talk group’s ID, you won’t miss any of the
action.

If you’re a new scanner enthusiast, you may want to read
the first part of this manual and use your scanner in
conventional mode before you begin trunk tracking.
Understanding scanning fundamentals and its terminology
will make trunk tracking much easier. But if you’re already
an experienced scanner operator, you may want to go to
Trunk Tracking on page 36 now.

6

Feature Highlights

■ Trunk Tracking — Follow UHF High Band UHF
800/900 MHz trunked radio systems just as if
conventional two-way communications were used.

■ Multi-Track — Track more than one trunking
system at a time and scan conventional and
trunked systems at the same time.

■ 300 Channels — Program one frequency into
each channel. You must have at least one channel
programmed to use the Scan mode.

■ 10 Bands, 10 Banks — Includes 10 bands, with
Aircraft and 800 MHz. 10 banks with 30 channels
each are useful for storing similar frequencies to
maintain faster scanning cycles or for storing all
the frequencies of a trunked system.

■ 66 MHz-956 MHz — Indicates the range of
frequencies that can be searched within the bands
of your scanner.

Note: The frequency coverage is not continuous.

■ 10 Priority Channels — You can assign one
priority channel in each bank. Assigning a priority
channel allows you to keep track of activity on
your most important channel(s) while monitoring
other channels for transmissions.

■ Preprogrammed Service (SVC) Scan — Allows
you to toggle through preprogrammed police,
railroad, aircraft, marine, and UHF CB frequencies.

■ Unique Data Skip — Allows your scanner to skip
unwanted data transmissions and reduces birdies.

■ Memory Backup — If the battery completely
discharges or if power is disconnected, the
frequencies programmed in your scanner are
retained in memory.

■ Manual Channel Access — Go directly to any
channel.

■ LCD Back Light — An LCD light remains on for
15 seconds when is pressed.

■ Autolight — Automatically turns the light on when
it finds a transmission.

7

■ Battery Save — In manual mode, your scanner
automatically reduces its power requirements to
extend the battery™s charge.

■ Attenuator — Reduces the signal strength.

■ SmartScanner™* — Automatically program your

UBC245XLT with all the frequencies and t… talk
groups for your local area by accessing our
national database with your PC or just an external
modem. (No PC required)

■ Turbo Search — Increases the search speed to
300 steps per second. This applies only to
transmission bands with 5 kHz steps.

* the SmartScanner feature is not yet utilised in Australia and
New Zealand but may become available in the future.

8

Where to Obtain More

Information

Information on the Internet

If you have access to the Internet, you may want to visit
www. trunktracker.com or www. bearcat1.com/free.htm*

For more information about Uniden and our other
products, visit www.uniden.com.au

Note: The trunktracker and bearcat web sites are
designed for the American market. Tough they have
good reference material.

9

Included with Your Scanner

If any of these items are missing or damaged, immediately
contactyourplaceofpurchase.

Antenna Belt Clip

AC Adapter

Earphone

Programmable100-Channel BaseScanner

BC XLT860

Now is the time for all good men to
come to the aid of the party.

Four score yeas ago our fathers set
forth a new nation conceived in
Liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are
created equal. The quick brown
fox jumped over the garden wall.
Now is the time fo4r all good men to

come to the aid of the party.

Programmable100-ChannelBase Scanner

BC XLT860

Now is the time for all good men to
come to the aid of the party.
Four score yeas ago our fathers set
forth a new nation conceived in

Programmable100-ChannelBase Scanner

BC XLT860

Liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are

Now is the time for all

created equal. The quick brown

good men to come to the

fox jumped over the garden wall.

aid of the party. Four

Now is the time fo4r all good men to

score yeas ago our

come to the aid of the party.

fathers set forth a new

100

CHANNELBAND MHzSCANNIN

nation conceived in

12800 860

G

R

ADIOBCXL

Now is the time for all good men to

Liberty and dedicated to

T

TWINTURBO

DATAB

come to the aid of the party.

ANK

1234567891

the proposition that all

P

100

0

SCANPRIORITYSRCH

888.8888

WXAIR

HO

Four score yeas ago our fathers set

LDDELAYL/O

men are created equal.

1

SQUELCH

1-10

2

11-20

3

21-30

TURBO/

4

31-40

forth a new nation conceived in

PRIORITY

5

The quick brown fox

41-50

DATA

AUTO

6

51-60

7

WEATHER

61-70

LIMIT

8

71-80

SEARCH

Liberty and dedicated to the

9

81-90

jumped over the garden

HOLD

.

VOLUME

DELAY

0

91-100

E

LOCKOUT

proposition that all men are

SCAN

wall. Now is the time fo4r

MANUAL

OFF

created equal. The quick brown

all good men to come to

fox jumped over the garden wall.

the aid of the party.

Now is the time fo4r all good men to
come to the aid of the party.

Now is the time for all
good men to come to the

Now is the time for all good men to

aid of the party. Four

come to the aid of the party.

score yeas ago our

Four score yeas ago our fathers set

fathers set forth a new

forth a new nation conceived in

nation conceived in

Liberty and dedicated to the

Liberty and dedicated to
the proposition that all
men are created equal.

The quick brown fox
jumped over the garden
wall. Now is the time fo4r
all good men to come to

Operating

Guide

andOtherPrinted

Material

Battery Pack

Visit our

Website at

www.trunktracker.com

UBC245XLT

TM

Operating Guide

Remote Interface Cable

10

300-Channel Trunk Tracking Scanner

OperatingGuide

UDZZ01818ZZ

Setup

These are helpful guidelines when using your new
scanner:

■ If your scanner receives interference or electrical
noise, move the scanner or its antenna away from
the source.

■ If you need to improve reception, use an optional
antenna designed for multi-band coverage. (You
can purchase this type of antenna at a local
electronics store.)

■ Use the included earphone or an optional stereo
headset with proper impedance for private
listening. Read the precautions on the inside front
cover of this Guide.

Installing the Battery Pack

1. Open the cover.

2. Insert the battery
pack.

3. Replace cover and
press down until it
clicks into place.

11

10 BAND COVERAGE UBC235XLT

66-88 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF Low Band
108-137 MHz 12.5 kHz Aircraft Band
137-144 MHz 5 kHz Land Mobile
144-148 MHz 5 kHz 2 Meter Ham
148-174 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF High Band
406-420 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
420-450 MHz 12.5 kHz 70cm Ham
450-470 MHz 12.5 kHz UHF Band
470-512 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
806-956 MHz 12.5 kHz “800” Band

10 BAND COVERAGE UBC235XLT

66-88 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF Low Band
108-137 MHz 12.5 kHz Aircraft Band
137-144 MHz 5 kHz Land Mobile
144-148 MHz 5 kHz 2 Meter Ham
148-174 MHz 12.5 kHz VHF High Band
406-420 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
420-450 MHz 12.5 kHz 70cm Ham
450-470 MHz 12.5 kHz UHF Band
470-512 MHz 12.5 kHz Land Mobile
806-956 MHz 12.5 kHz “800” Band

Charging the Battery Pack

Use the AC Adapter/Charger to power the UBC 245XLT
from an AC outlet.

You can use your scanner while the battery charges. To
fully charge the battery, leave the AC Adapter/Charger
connected for 14 — 16 hours.

Note: Disconnect the AC Adapter/Charger from the unit
when charging is complete.

Low Battery Indicator

When the Battery Pack is low and needs to be charged,
the battery icon appears in the display. You will also hear
a beep every 15 seconds as an audible alert.

12

Use only the supplied AC Adapter

(AAD-245U)

0

Flexible Antenna

Attach the flexible antenna to the

Belt Clip

BNC connector.

Do not tighten the screws too tight.

You can damage the case or clip.

13

Basic Operation

Note: Fold out the Front Cover to see the Controls and

Indicators while reading this Guide.

Turn the Scanner On

Turn the
position.ubc245flashestwiceinthedisplay.Thescanner
automatically starts scanning.

VOLUME

control clockwise out of the detent

Setting the Squelch

To set the squelch, you must be in the Manual mode, and
you should not be receiving a signal on your scanner.

1. Press until you do
not hear a signal.

2. Make sure that the
VOLUME is set to a
comfortable listening
level.

3. Think of the Squelch Control as a gate. Turn
SQUELCH fully counter-clockwise. This raises the
“Squelch Gate” so high that only very strong signals
can get through.

4.

Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise until you hear a hiss.
This lowers the “Squelch Gate” so that everything
gets through—noise, weak signals, and strong
signals.

STRONG SIGNALS

MEDIUM SIGNALS

WEAK SIGNALS

NOISE

14

5.

Turn SQUELCH back counter-clockwise just until the
hiss stops. Now the “Squelch Gate” allows only clear
signals through.

STRONG SIGNALS

MEDIUM SIGNALS

WEAK SIGNALS

NOISE

Keylock

Key Lock prevents accidental key entries during
conventional scanning or while in trunk tracking mode.

1. To lock the keypad,
press and hold

12345678910

until the symbol
appears in the lower
right of the display.

2. To unlock the keypad,
press and hold

12345678910

until the symbol in
the lower right of the
display turns off.

LCD Back Light

Press and release to turn the LCD light on. It remains
on for 15 seconds and then goes out.

Auto Light

Press and hold until you hear 2 short beeps. The
scanner will automatically turn the light on for 5 seconds,
whenever a transmission is found.

15

Programming

Before the UBC245XLT can begin conventional
scanning, you must program a frequency into at least
one channel. Repeat this procedure for each channel
you want to program.

1. Select frequencies
from your dealer,
from various sources.

Here’s a list of sample frequencies you should try.

476.425 MHz UHF CB CH1

476.450 MHz UHF CB CH2

476.475 MHz UHF CB CH3

476.500 MHz UHF CB CH4

2. Press .

3. Select a channel.
a. Enter the channel

number.

b. Then press .

16

12345678910

4. Enter the frequency.
a. Enter the frequency

number.

b. Then press .

12345678910

Note: To clear a mistake while entering the frequency,

press repeatedly until the display is cleared.

If you enter a
frequency which is

12345678910

outside the scanner’s
frequency bands, a
distinctive beep
sounds and Error
appears in
the display.

Press and go back
to Step 4.

(See the Table on page 3 or the Band List on the
back of the scanner).

17

Duplicate Frequency Alert

If you enter a
frequency which is
stored in another
channel, you hear a
beep and the other
channel displays.

Press to clear and
start again.

OR

Press again to
store the frequency in
both channels.

n

Programming Tips

n

Group similar frequencies into adjacent channels.

For example, program police frequencies in
channels 1 through 10 and fire/emergency into
channels 11 through 20, and so on.

n

Put the frequency that you listen to the most or the
most important frequency into a Priority channel.

n

To quickly program a series of channels, start with
the lowest number channel.

For example, when you are programming five new
frequencies into Channels 4 through 8, start with
Channel 4. After you finish programming a
channel, press or to go to the next
higher channel.

n

Write down your programmed channels and
frequencies in some convenient place in case the
scanner memory is lost.

n

12345678BANK 910

18

Deleting a Stored Frequency

To delete a stored
frequency:

12345678910

a. Select a

channel.
b. Press .
c. Then press .

Note: Channels with no frequencies are automatically

locked out.

19

Scanning

1. After programming
frequencies, simply

12345678910

press to begin
scanning.

2. The bank indicators selected for scanning appear in
the display, and the bank being currently monitored
flashes. You can deselect banks from active
scanning by pressing their number on your keypad.
The indicator for each deselected bank turns off, and
the bank’s channels are not scanned.

Note: One Bank must always be active. You cannot
deactivate all ten banks at the same time. If you try
to turn all the banks off, the first bank is
automatically selected.

To restore a bank to active scanning, press the
bank’s number on your keypad. The bank’s indicator
will display again.

3. During normal
scanning the scanner

SCAN

skips unprogrammed
or locked
out channels.

CHANNELS

1 3 4 5 9 102 6 7 8

4. When a transmission
is received, the LCD
back light comes on
for five seconds and
the scanner stops on
that channel, provided
that you have
selected the Auto
Light feature. When
the transmission
ends, scanning
resumes
automatically.

20

Frequency

Locked Out

(L/O)

12345678910

Frequency not

entered

If you want to stop on
a channel during
scanning, press .

12345678910

If you want to resume
scanning, press .

12345678910

To directly access a specific channel:

1. Press .

2. Enter the channel
number you want
using the keypad.

3. Press again.

RF Attenuation Feature

TheUBC245XLTcomeswithanRFAttenuationfeature.If
you’re near an unusually strong signal source, the signal
may overload the scanner. The scanner may stop
repeatedly on that signal and miss other transmissions.

The RF Attenuation feature works in all modes and
attenuates (reduces) the incoming signal strength by about
15 dB, preventing stronger signals from overloading the
scanner.

To turn RF Attenuation on:

1. Press ATT.

21

2. You hear a beep, and

ATT

appears in the

display.

Now all incoming
signal strength is
reduced.

ATT

To turn RF Attenuation off, just press
icon goes out.

again. The

ATT

Setting the Delay Mode

A delay can be set for each programmed channel so that
when scan or search stops on a channel there is a brief
pause before the scanning cycle resumes. Delay must be
set for each programmed channel and it can be set when
your scanner pauses during a scan or when manual mode
is selected.

Delay in Scan or Search Mode

1. Press or set a
search range and
press .

2. When your scanner
stops on a channel
that you want to
delay, press .

DLY

displays and
scanning resumes two
seconds after the
transmission ends.

22

Delay in Manual Mode

1. Press .

2. Select the channel
that you want by
entering the number
and press .
Press and

DLY

displays indicating the
scanner will pause on
the channel when a
transmission is
received.

Channel Lockout

You can lockout any channel so it is not reviewed during
normal scanning. You can restore the channel to scanning
whenever you wish.

Lockout in Manual Mode

1. Press .

2. Select a channel.

Enter the channel
number.Press
again.

OR

Press or
to change higher, or

to lower

the channel.

3. Press to lockout
the channel.
L/O appears
in display.

12345678910

12345678910

23