Conventional Systems

Please note that these pages are meant as general instructions. While most of the information here applies to all scanners, some options may not be available on certain scanner models. Model-specific options are indicated in the text.

Since a conventional system is really a collection of frequencies, the first thing you need to know is the frequency for each channel you want to program. Here is an example of a conventional system frequency list from RadioReference:

• Here is a conceptual layout diagram of a basic conventional system. (Click here for a legend of the diagram.)
• You can download a planning worksheet for conventional systems as a pdf file or an Excel spreadsheet file.

Programming a Conventional System

To program a conventional system, you'll need to program the required elements in following order (click here for information on using the menu):

Create a system

1. Go to the Program System menu and choose New System .
2. The scanner will prompt you for the System Type. Select Conventional .
3. When the scanner prompts you confirm, tap YES .
4. The scanner creates the system with a default name. Select Edit Name if you want to change it.
5. If you need to change any of the system properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

System properties

All of these options can be found under your scanner's Program System menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
None
Recommended
Name	Edit Name
Number tag	Set Number Tag
Quick key	Set Quick Key
Optional
Record Flag	BCD996XT and BCT15X: Set Record BCD396XT, BC346XT, and BC346XTC: Not available
Automatic Gain Control (AGC)	BCD396XT and BCD996XT: Set Audio AGC BC346XT, BC346XTC, and BCT15X: Not available
Set State	BCT15X: Set State Other Models: Not available
Delay time	Set Delay Time
Hold time	Set Hold Time
Lockout	Set Lockout
P25 wait time	BCD396XT and BCD996XT: P25 Waiting Time BC346XT, BC346XTC, and BCT15X: Not available
Startup key	Set Startup Key
Available operations
Copy a system	Copy System
Delete a system	Delete System

Create at least 1 channel group

Each conventional system can contain up to 20 channel groups, and all systems must contain at least 1 channel group.

1. On the Program System menu, select the system you just created.
2. Go to the Edit Group menu and select New Group .
3. If you need to change any of the channel group properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

Channel group properties

All of these options can be found by selecting the group name under your scanner's Edit Group menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
None
Recommended
Name	Edit Name
Quick key	Set Quick Key
Optional
Location information	Set Location Info
Lockout	Set Lockout
Available operations
Delete a group	Delete Group

Create at least 1 channel in each group

Each conventional system can contain up to 1000 channels in each group, and all groups must contain at least 1 channel.

1. On the Edit Group menu, select the channel group you just created.
2. Go to the Edit Channel menu and select New Channel .
3. Input the frequency for this channel in MHz. (Enter the frequency (Outlined in ORANGE) of the agencies you wish to monitor. See Conventional System example image above)
4. If you need to change any of the channel properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

Channel properties

(All of these options can be found by selecting the channel name your scanner's Edit Channel menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and the exact option name are listed beside each property.)

Property	Option name
Required
Frequency	Edit Frequency
Recommended
Analog/digital	BCD396XT and BCD996XT: Set Audio Type BC346XT, BC346XTC and BCT15X: Not available
CTCSS/DCS	Set CTCSS/DCS (BCD396XT: analog channels only)
P25 Network Address (NAC)	BCD396XT and BCD996XT: P25 NAC Option (digital channels only) BC346XT, BC346XTC, and BCT15X: Not available
Modulation	Set Modulation
Name	Edit Name
Number tag	Set Number Tag
Optional
Alert	Set Alert
Record	BCD996XT and BCT15: Set Record BCD396XT, BC346XT, and BC346XTC: Not available.
Attenuator	Set Attenuator
Lockout	Set Lockout
Priority	Set Priority
Volume Offset	Volume Offset
Available operations
Copy a channel	Copy Channel
Delete a channel	Delete Channel

This page applies to the following scanner(s): BCD996XT BCT15X BCD396XT BC346XT BC346XTC UsersGuide