To determine whether the information on this page applies to your scanner, see the tags at the bottom of the page.
This menu lets you configure how the scanner operates in Weather (WX) mode and Weather Alert (WX Alert) mode.
Weather Scan
Start a normal weather scan. In normal weather scan mode, the scanner does not react to alert tones on weather channels.
Weather Alert
Choose how you want the scanner to filter any alerts it detects on the weather channels:
Alert Only
The scanner responds to all alert tones detected on the weather channels, regardless of region or hazard level. When an alert is detected, the scanner sounds an alert siren and opens squelch on the weather channel.
SAME 1 through SAME 5
Choose one of 5 programmable regions to filter alerts by. The scanner only responds to alerts that affect the selected region you select here, and only if the hazard level is an Advisory, a Watch, or a Warning. When an alert is detected, the scanner sounds an alert siren, displays available information (hazard level, type, etc.) on the screen, and opens squelch on the weather channel.
All FIPS
The scanner responds to alerts regardless of region, but only if the hazard level is an Advisory, a Watch, or a Warning. When an alert is detected, the scanner sounds an alert siren, displays available information (hazard level, type, etc.) on the screen, and opens squelch on the weather channel.
Program SAME
You can pre-program up to 5 regions for filtering hazard alerts, then select one of these regions on the Weather Alert menu. The scanner will only respond to alerts in the selected region.
Edit Name (SAME)
Enter the name you want to use for each region. The default names are SAME 1 through SAME 5.
Edit County
Enter the designated FIPS code for up to 8 counties. To edit a FIPS code, select it from the list. Use the number keypad to enter the 6-digit code, and press YES when you're finished. If you don't enter all 6 digits, the scanner can't store the code and displays it as "-----" on the county list.
(See
Introduction to SAME messages for more information.)
Set Delay Time
Set the number of seconds the scanner should wait after a transmission stops before moving on to the next channel. Select
0,
1,
2 (default),
5,
10, or
30 seconds.
To have scanner leave the channel after a designated number of seconds whether the transmission stops or not, select one of the negative values. Choose
-10 seconds to have the scanner leave the channel after 10 seconds even if the transmission is still going on; choose
-5 seconds or
-2 seconds to have the scanner leave after 5 seconds or 2 seconds, respectively.
Note that since weather broadcasts are continuous, the scanner does not apply negative delays. If you select a negative delay in this mode, the scanner will treat it as a 2 second delay.
Set Attenuator
Turn on attenuation to reduce the signal strength by 20 dB. This can help to reduce interference and improve reception if you are in an area with high RF levels.
You can turn on attentuation for individual frequencies and channels or for entire sites. If you turn on attenuation for a site, all frequencies within that site will be attenuated.
Set Audio AGC
Turn on Automatic Gain Control (AGC) for this system. When you activate this feature, the scanner automatically adjusts the volume for each channel based on the signal strength. You can turn on the gain control for
Analog and
Digital signals separately.
To change the settings for the audio AGC, see
Adjust Audio AGC
Set Record (BCD996XT Only)
Turn on this option if you want the weather mode audio to be included on the rear RECORD OUT jack.
WX Alt Priority
Select
On if you want the scanner to check the weather channels in the background during Scan, Search, or Close Call mode. The scanner can't run Weather Alert Priority check in Search and Store, Close Call Auto Store, Tone-Out or Band Scope modes.