BCD436HP/536HP Close Call

Summary: How Close Call detects strong nearby transmitters, its modes and bands, and how to use it.

What It Does

Close Call detects, alerts you to and displays the frequency of a nearby strong transmission. It can check every 2 seconds in the background while you scan, search or listen to weather, or run as Close Call Only. Do-Not-Disturb only checks when you’re not receiving a transmission. Close Call doesn’t operate in Weather Scan or Tone-Out.

It works best for finding strong local transmitters such as handheld and mobile radios where there are no other strong sources. Performance improves with higher transmit power, an antenna suited to the target band and low background RF. It may show the wrong frequency for a transmitter using a highly directional antenna (such as an amateur beam), or when many transmitters are active at once.

Modes and Keys

• BCD536HP: press SQ to cycle Off / DND / Priority; press and hold SQ for Close Call Only.
• BCD436HP: hold on a channel and press Func + Avoid to cycle; Func + press and hold Avoid for Close Call Only.

The Close Call Menu

Menu, Close Call:

• Close Call Only
• Hits with Scan – a special system that stores the last 10 hits until you cycle power. Accessible only from this menu, and it must be unavoided to be scanned (default Permanent Avoid). Set Avoid and Set Hold Time (0-255 seconds).
• Set CC Mode – Off, CC DND or CC Priority.
• Set CC Bands – VHF Low 1 25-54 MHz, VHF Low 2 54-108, Air Band 108-137, VHF High 1 137-225, VHF High 2 225-320, UHF 320-512, 800 MHz+ 758-960 and 1240-1300 MHz (cellular frequencies aren’t scanned).
• Set CC Alert – Set Alert Tone, Set Alert Light, and Set CC Pause (3, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60 seconds or Infinite).

Using Close Call Only

You’ll see activity on the seven bands (an asterisk marks a band that’s off). When a hit is found the display shows CC Found! and Press Any Key for the Close Call Pause time. Number keys toggle the bands.

• Cancel a hit: turn the scroll control.
• Hold on a hit: press System, Department or Channel. Press Channel to cancel; turn the scroll control for a Quick Search.
• View the last hit: press System, Department or Channel.
• Avoid a hit: press Channel to hold, then Avoid (temporary) or twice (permanent); or press quickly to toggle Permanent Avoid/Stop Avoiding.
• Store a hit: hold on it, then E/yes (see BCD436HP/536HP Searching: Quick Search, Custom Search & Search Keys).
• Attenuation: Func + 4 per band; Func + press and hold 4 global.
• Modulation: Func + Channel. IFX: Func + 7. Repeater: Func + press and hold 8.
• Replay (not while recording is enabled) and record.
• Review / clear avoids: hold, then Func + Avoid; hold, then press and hold Avoid (Search Frequencies All Unavoided).
• Quick Search at the current frequency: hold, Func + E/yes, E/yes, Channel.
• Weather Alert Priority: Func + 6. Close Call menu: Func + Menu.