Uniden BC75XLT User manual

BC75XLT Owner’s
Manual
© 2012 Uniden America Corporation Printed in Vietnam
Fort Worth, Texas U01UB372ZZZ(0)
BC

2
PRECAUTIONS
Before you use this scanner, please read and observe the
following.
IMPORTANT
This scanning radio has been manufactured so that it will not
tune to the radio frequencies assigned by the FCC for cellular
telephone usage. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act
of 1986, as amended, makes it a federal crime to intentionally
intercept cellular or cordless telephone transmissions or
to market this radio when altered to receive them. 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 ocials should be able to provide you
with information regarding the laws in your community.
Changes or modications 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.
EARPHONE WARNING!
Be sure to use only a monaural earphone with this scanner.
You can also use an optional stereo headset. Use of an
incorrect earphone or mono headset might be potentially
hazardous to your hearing. The output of the phone jack is
monaural, but you will hear it in both headphones of a stereo
headset.

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Set the volume to a comfortable audio level coming from
the speaker before plugging in the monaural earphone or
headset. 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 might be particularly true of the type of
earphone that is placed in the ear canal.

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CONTENTS
PRECAUTIONS ......................................2
THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
SCANNINGLEGALLY................................... 8
INTRODUCTION....................................10
BC75XLT FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FREQUENCYRANGE..................................13
USABANDPLAN .....................................14
CANADABANDPLAN.................................16
SCANNINGBASICS.................................17
WHATISSCANNING?.................................17
WHATISSEARCHING? ................................17
ConventionalScanning............................18
SimplexOperation.................................18
RepeaterOperation................................19
WHATAREBANKS?...................................19
ChannelStorageBanks............................19
ServiceSearchBands..............................19
CustomSearchRanges ............................20
WHERETOLEARNMORE..............................20
SETUP.............................................21
WHAT’SINTHEBOX? .................................21
SETTING UP THE SCANNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
ConnecttheAntenna..............................22
Connect an Optional Earphone/Headphone . . . . . . . . 23
Connecting an Optional Extension Speaker. . . . . . . . . 23
AdjustingtheBeltClip.............................23
POWERINGTHESCANNER............................23
Installing Non-Rechargeable Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Installing Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Charging the Ni-MH Batteries through
USBConnection...................................25
LowBatteryAlert..................................27
TURNONTHESCANNER .............................27
AdjustSquelch....................................28
Adjusting for Interference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
BC75XLT CONTROLS AND DISPLAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
HARDWAREDESCRIPTION............................29
Keypad............................................29
ScrollControlKnob................................31
LCDDISPLAY.........................................32
OPERATION........................................35
SEARCHING ..........................................35
QuickSearch......................................35
CustomSearch....................................36
ServiceSearch.....................................37
STORINGFREQUENCIES ..............................38
Erasing a Stored Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SCANNING...........................................39
Enabling/Disabling Channel Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ScantheStoredChannels..........................40
ManuallySelectaChannel.........................40
SPECIALFEATURES.................................42
CLOSECALL®RFCAPTURE............................42
CloseCallOperationMode.........................42
UsingCloseCallMode ............................43
LOCKING OUT CHANNELS AND FREQUENCIES . . . . . . . . 44
TemporaryLockOut...............................45
PermanentLockOut...............................45

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Unlock............................................45
PRIORITY.............................................46
DELAY................................................47
KEYLOCK.............................................48
BACKLIGHT...........................................49
PCPROGRAMMING...................................49
TROUBLESHOOTING ...............................50
CAREANDMAINTENANCE..........................53
RESETTINGTHESCANNER............................53
GENERALUSE ........................................53
LOCATION............................................53
CLEANING............................................54
REPAIRS..............................................54
BIRDIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
SPECIFICATIONS...................................56
ONEYEAR LIMITED WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

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THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW
WARNING! Uniden does not represent this unit to be
waterproof. To reduce the risk of re or electrical
shock, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture.
Uniden® and Close Call® are registered trademarks of Uniden
America Corporation. Other trademarks used throughout
this manual are the property of their respective holders.
This scanner has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a scanning receiver, pursuant to Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This scanner generates, uses, and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this scanner does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which
can be determined by turning the scanner on and o, you
are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following methods:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the scanner and the
receiver
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation
is subject to the following two conditions: 1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and 2) this device must

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accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies used by many dierent
groups, including police and re departments, ambulance
services, government agencies, private companies, amateur
radio services, military operations, pager services, and
wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers. It is
legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner
can receive. However, there are some transmissions that you
should never intentionally listen to. These include:
• Telephone conversations (cellular, cordless, or other
private means of telephone signal transmission)
• Pager transmissions
• Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions
According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act
(ECPA), you are subject to nes and possible imprisonment
for intentionally listening to, using, or divulging the contents
of such a conversation unless you have the consent of a
party to the conversation (unless such activity is otherwise
illegal). This scanner has been designed to prevent the
reception of cellular telephone transmissions and the
decoding of scrambled transmissions. This is done to comply
with the legal requirement that scanners be manufactured
so they are not easy to modify to pick up these transmissions.
Do not open your scanner’s case to make any modications
that could allow it to pick up transmissions that are illegal to
monitor. Modifying or tampering with your scanner’s internal

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components or using it in a way other than as described in
this manual could invalidate your warranty and void your FCC
authorization to operate it.
In some areas, mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or
requires a permit. Check the laws in your area. It is also illegal
in many areas (and a bad idea everywhere) to interfere with
the duties of public safety ocials by traveling to the scene
of an incident without authorization.

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INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing a Uniden BC75XLT handheld
scanner. The scanner is versatile, compact, and easy to use.
In addition to its standard scanning features, your scanner
also includes Close Call®RF capture technology designed to
help you detect and identify strong local radio signals in your
area.
You can program up to 300 frequencies into the scanner’s
memory. The scanner lets you scan transmissions and is
preprogrammed with service bands for your convenience.
You can quickly search those frequencies most commonly
used by police and other agencies without tedious and
complicated programming. The scanner gives you direct
access to over 32,000 exciting frequencies.
Use your scanner to monitor:
• Police and re departments (including rescue and
paramedics)
• NOAA weather transmissions
• Business/Industrial radio
• Utilities
• Marine and amateur (ham radio) bands
• Aircraft band
BC75XLT FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Close Call® RF Capture Technology - you can set the
scanner so it detects and provides information about nearby
radio transmissions. See page 42 for more information on the
Close Call RF feature.

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PC Programming - lets you program your scanner using
your PC.
Custom Search - lets you program up to 10 custom search
ranges and search any or all of those ranges.
Quick Search - allows you to enter a frequency and start
searching up or down from that frequency.
Turbo Search - increases the search speed from 100 to 300
steps per second automatically for bands with 5 kHz steps.
Search Lockout - allows you to lock out up to 200 search
frequencies (100 temporary and 100 permenant) in Custom,
Service, Close Call, or Quick Search modes.
Lock-Out Function - lets you set your scanner to skip
over specied channels or frequencies when scanning or
searching. You must manually unlock these channels.
Temporary Lock-Out Function - lets you set your scanner to
skip over specied channels or frequencies when scanning
or searching. This temporary lock-out releases when you
manually unlock the channels or frequencies or when you
power down the scanner.
Priority Channels - You can program one channel in each
bank (10 channels total) as a priority channel. The scanner
checks that channel every 2 seconds while it scans the
bank so you do not miss transmissions on those channels.
(Default=Priority O)
Priority Scan - lets you set the Priority feature to check each
channel every 2 seconds regardless of whether or not the
scanner is receiving transmissions.

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Priority Scan with Do Not Disturb - lets you set the Priority
feature to check each channel every 2 seconds as long as the
scanner is not receiving transmissions.
Duplicate Channel Alert - lets you know when you have
entered a frequency that is already registered on another
channel.
Channel Storage Banks - the scanner has 10 banks. You can
store up to 30 frequencies into each bank (for a total of 300
frequencies), so you can more easily identify calls.
Two-Second Scan Delay - delays scanning for about 2
seconds before moving to another channel so you can hear
more replies that are made on the same channel.
Do Not Disturb prevents the scanner from interrupting
transmissions during receiving.
Ten Service Bands - frequencies are preset in separate
Weather, Police, Fire/Emergency, Marine, Racing, Civil Air,
HAM Radio, Railroad, CB Radio, and Other (Other = FRS/
GMRS/MURS) bands to make it easy to locate specic types
of calls.
Key Lock - lets you lock the scanner’s keys to help prevent
accidental changes to the scanner’s programming.
Direct Access - lets you directly access any channel.
Display Backlight - makes the scanner easy to read in low-
light situations.
Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector - provides adequate
reception in strong signal areas and is designed to help
prevent antenna breakage. You can also connect an external
antenna for better reception.

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Memory Backup - keeps the frequencies stored in memory
for an extended time if the scanner loses power.
Three Power Options - Use the supplied USB cable to
charge the BC75XLT through your computer or other USB
charging port. You can also power the scanner using two
AA rechargeable Ni-MH batteries (not included) or optional
alkaline batteries.
Key Conrmation Tones - the scanner sounds a tone when
you perform an operation correctly, and an error tone if you
make an error.
Battery Low Alert - warns you when battery power gets
low. The Battery Low icon ashes ( ) and a battery low
tone sounds every 15 seconds until the scanner is recharged,
turned o, or drained completely.
Battery Save - works when there is no transmission for 1
minute in Scan Hold mode and in any Search Hold mode
(does not work in Priority Scan and Close Call Scan modes).
This feature turns o RF power for 1 second and turns it on in
300ms intervals to extend the battery live.
Scan/Search Delay/Resume - controls whether the scanner
pauses at the end of the transmission to wait for a reply. You
can set the Delay time for each Channel, Close Call Search,
Custom Search, and Service Search mode.
FREQUENCY RANGE
These tables list the frequency ranges, default frequency
step, default mode (AM or NFM), and type of transmissions
you can hear for each range for USA or Canadian bands.

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Select the band plan (USA or Canada) when you turn on the
scanner (default = USA). Press and hold the key for 2-3
seconds to turn on the scanner while pressing and holding 1
for USA or 2for Canada. The band plan will remain until you
change it again.
USA BAND PLAN
Frequency Range
(MHz)
Step
(kHz)
Mode Transmission
25.00000-27.99500 5.0 AM Citizens Band/
Business Band
28.00000-54.00000 5.0 NFM 10 Meter
Amateur Band
108.00000-136.99166 8.33 AM Aircraft Band
137.00000-150.77000 5.0 NFM Military Band

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Frequency Range
(MHz)
Step
(kHz)
Mode Transmission
150.77500-150.81250 7.5 NFM
VHF High Band
150.81500-154.45250 7.5 NFM
154.45625-154.47875 7.5 NFM
154.48250-154.51250 7.5 NFM
154.51500-154.52500 5.0 NFM
154.52750-154.53500 7.5 NFM
154.54000-154.60750 7.5 NFM
154.61000-154.64750 7.5 NFM
154.65000-157.44750 7.5 NFM
157.45000-157.46500 5.0 NFM
157.47000-163.24500 7.5 NFM
163.25000-173.20000 12.5 NFM
173.20375-173.21000 6.25 NFM
173.21500-173.22000 5.0 NFM
173.22500-173.38750 12.5 NFM
173.39000-173.39625 6.25 NFM
173.40000-174.00000 5.0 NFM
406.00000-512.00000 6.25 NFM UHF

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CANADA BAND PLAN
Frequency Range
(MHz)
Step
(kHz)
Mode Transmission
25.00000-27.99500 5.0 AM Citizens Band/
Business Band
28.00000-54.00000 5.0 NFM 10 Meter
Amateur Band
108.00000-136.99166 8.33 AM Aircraft Band
137.00000-174.00000 5.0 NFM Military Band
406.00000-512.00000 6.25 NFM UHF

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SCANNING BASICS
This section provides a background on how scanning works.
You don’t really need to know all of this to use your scanner,
but some background knowledge will help you get the most
from your BC75XLT.
WHAT IS SCANNING?
Unlike standard AM or FM radio stations, most two-way
communications do not transmit continuously. Your
BC75XLT scans programmed channels until it nds an active
frequency, then stops on that frequency and remains on
that channel as long as the transmission continues. When
the transmission ends, the scanning cycle resumes until it
receives another transmission on a programmed channel.
WHAT IS SEARCHING?
The BC75XLT searches for active frequencies. This is dierent
from scanning because you are searching for frequencies
that have not been programmed into the scanner. When
you select frequency bands to search, the scanner searches
for any active frequency within the lower and upper limits
you specify for that band. When the scanner nds an
active frequency, it stops on that frequency as long as the
transmission lasts. If you think the frequency is interesting,
you can program it into one of the bands. If not, you can
continue to search.

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Conventional Scanning
Conventional scanning is a relatively simple concept. Each
group of users in a conventional system is assigned a single
frequency (for simplex systems) or two frequencies (for
repeater systems). Any time one of them transmits, their
transmission always goes out on the same frequency. Up
until the late 1980’s this was the primary way that radio
systems operated.
Even today, there are many 2-way radio users who operate
using a conventional system:
• Aircraft
• Amateur radio
• FRS/GMRS users
• Broadcast AM/FM/TV stations
• Many business radio users
When you want to store a conventional system, all you need
to know are the frequencies they operate on. When you
are scanning a conventional system, the scanner stops very
briey on each channel to see if there is activity. If there isn’t,
the scanner quickly moves to the next channel. If there is,
then the scanner pauses on the transmission until it is over.
Simplex Operation
Simplex systems use a single frequency for both transmit
and receive. Most radios using this type of operation
are limited to line-of-sight operation. This type of radio
is frequently used at construction job sites and with
inexpensive consumer radios such as GMRS/FRS radios. The
range is typically 1-8 miles, depending upon the terrain and
many other factors.

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Repeater Operation
Repeater systems use two frequencies: one transmits from
the radio to a central repeater; the other transmits from the
repeater to other radios in the system. With a repeater-based
system, the repeater is located on top of a tall building or
on a radio tower that provides great visibility to the area of
operation. When a user transmits (on an input frequency),
the signal is picked up by the repeater and retransmitted
(on an output frequency). The user’s radios always listen for
activity on the output frequency and transmit on the input
frequency. Since the repeater is located very high, there is
a very large line of sight. Typical repeater systems provide
coverage out to about a 25-mile radius from the repeater
location.
WHAT ARE BANKS?
Channel Storage Banks
To make it easier to identify and select the channels you
want to listen to, the 300 channels are divided into 10
channel storage banks containing 30 channels each. You
could use each channel storage bank to group frequencies
by department, location, area of interest, or any other way
you prefer. You can listen to any or all of the banks by using
the number keys to turn them on or o.
Service Search Bands
The scanner is preprogrammed with many of the frequencies
allocated to Weather, Police, Fire/Emergency, Marine,
Racing, Civil Air, HAM Radio, Railroad, CB radio, and Other
(Other = FRS/GMRS/MURS). Use the 10 bands allocated for

20
these service searches just like the channel storage banks,
searching the frequencies using Service Search mode (see
page 37).
Custom Search Ranges
Custom Search mode lets you program the upper and lower
limits of search ranges. You can then search these 10 custom
search ranges starting from the lowest frequency to the
highest frequency in the search range you entered. You can
turn o ranges you don’t want to search just like turning o
(disabling) channel storage banks in Scan mode.
Custom search ranges use the same LCD numbers on the
display as the 10 channel storage banks (see page 32).
WHERE TO LEARN MORE
By itself, this manual really only provides part of what you
need to know to have fun scanning – how to program and
use the scanner. The website, http://www.radioreference.
com, is the Internet’s premier source for user-supported
radio system information. You can nd lists of frequencies for
your area there. This web sites is not aliated with Uniden
Corporation.
For more information about Uniden and our other products,
visit http://www.uniden.com.