BCD260DN Weather Operation & SAME Alerts

Summary: How to use Weather Scan and Weather Alert on the BCD260DN, set up SAME county alerts and record weather audio.

What It’s For

The scanner can find a local NOAA weather broadcast and alert you when a SAME alert is sent on a NOAA weather channel. Weather features are aimed at the US. There are 7 weather channels: 162.4000, 162.4250, 162.4500, 162.4750, 162.5000, 162.5250 and 162.5500 MHz.

The WX Operation Menu

Menu, WX Operation: Weather Scan, Weather Alert, Program SAME, Set Delay Time, Set Attenuator, Set Record, WX Alt Priority. Press SCAN/SEARCH to return to scanning.

Weather Scan

The scanner scans the weather channels and stops on the first good signal; if it’s lost it looks for another. Start it from Menu, WX Operation, Weather Scan, or press the WX key for about 3 seconds in Scan or Search mode. Press SCAN/SEARCH to exit.

In Weather Scan you can:

• Turn the Scroll knob to search for another weather channel.
• Press the WX key to open Weather Alert (choose Alert Only, SAME 1-5 or All FIPS); from Weather Alert, press WX and choose Weather Scan to go back.
• FUNC knob then 4 (IFX) for IF exchange; FUNC knob then 7 (ATT) for the attenuator.
• E Yes to store a frequency.
• FUNC knob then MENU for the Weather Operation menu.

Weather Alert

Turns on alerts and decides which signals trigger them. It mutes the scanner and scans only the weather channels. Choose one of seven options:

• Alert Only – sounds the siren when it detects the 1050 Hz weather alert tone, then opens squelch and stays on that channel.
• SAME 1-5 – sounds the siren for the counties programmed in that group, then stays on the channel.
• All FIPS – sounds the siren for any programmed county, then stays on the channel.

The scanner also displays the alert type. Warning: alerts play at full volume.

Program SAME Groups

SAME (Specific Area Messaging System), from the US National Weather Service, lets you hear alerts only for the counties you care about. The scanner receives SAME alerts within about 50 miles of where you use it, and you can programme up to 5 groups of 8 FIPS codes (40 codes).

FIPS codes are six digits, nSSCCC: n is a sub-county designator (0 for the whole county), SS the state code, CCC the county code. Tarrant County, Texas, is 048439. To find your code, call the NWS toll-free on 1-888-697-7263.

1. Menu, WX Operation, Program SAME.
2. At Select SAME choose a group (1-5).
3. Edit Name to change the default SAME X.
4. Edit County, choose a code number (1-8), and at Edit FIPS Code enter the code and press E Yes.
5. Repeat for the other numbers. Press MENU twice to choose another group, and once more to save and exit.

Other Weather Settings

• Set Delay Time – -10, -5, -2, 0, 1, 2 (default), 5, 10 or 30 seconds.
• Set Attenuator – 20 dB; default Off. FUNC knob + 7 also toggles it.
• Set Record – On sends weather audio to the REC jack; Off doesn’t.
• WX Alt Priority – checks the weather channels every 5 seconds for a 1050 Hz alert while the scanner carries on scanning or searching; if an alert arrives you hear a loud warble and then the weather audio. WX shows on the display. Press the WX key to toggle it in Scan and Search modes.

Event Codes

The manual lists the SAME event codes the scanner recognises (for example TOR Tornado Warning, SVR Severe Thunderstorm Warning, FFW Flash Flood Warning, HUW Hurricane Warning and TSW Tsunami Warning), each marked as a Warning, Watch or Advisory, plus “unrecognized” codes for events it doesn’t know.