BCD160DN Batteries, Charging & Turning On

Summary: How to fit the antenna and batteries, charge the Ni-MH batteries over USB, turn the scanner on and set volume, squelch and the other first-time options.

Connect the Antenna

Push the antenna onto the antenna post and twist it to secure it.

Install the Batteries

Use 2 rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries (included) or 2 AA alkaline batteries (not included). Remove the battery cover, fit the batteries matching the polarity marks, and replace the cover. When the scanner beeps every 15 seconds, replace or recharge the batteries.

Charging the Ni-MH Batteries

Never try to charge non-rechargeable batteries – they can get hot or burst. If the scanner detects batteries that can’t be charged (such as alkaline) it shows BATTERY ERROR; remove them.

Charge with the supplied USB cable while the batteries are in the scanner and the scanner is switched off:

1. If the scanner is on, turn it off.
2. Connect the USB cable to the BCD160DN. The USB port is under the rubber flap on the right side.
3. Connect the other end to a standard 5V wall adapter (not included) or another USB power source. Battery Charge – Start Charging? Yes = E / No = . appears; press Yes/E.
4. The scanner shows Normal Charging and continues for the time set in Menu, Settings, Battery Option, Set Charge Time.
5. When finished it shows Charge Complete.

The charge time can be 1-14 hours. The manual gives two different default figures (14 hours in the set-up section, 8 hours in the Settings section), so check what your scanner shows. Charging only works between about 50 and 104 F (10-40 C).

Battery Level and Battery Save

• Battery level: press the scroll control while scanning, searching or receiving; the voltage shows in small figures at the top right. Press again to close (or it closes after 10 seconds).
• Set Battery Save (Settings, Battery Option): the scanner powers off for 1 second and on for 300 ms when you hold on a channel or frequency with no activity for more than a minute. No icon shows whether it’s on.

Turning It On

Press and hold the power key for about 2 seconds. A welcome message appears. If the scanner has been used, it returns to the mode it was in. If it’s new or has been reset, it shows Scan Mode Nothing to Scan because nothing has been programmed. To search straight away, set the volume and squelch, then press FUNC and then svc/8.

Set the Volume

1. Press the scroll control to show the volume level.
2. Within 10 seconds turn it to adjust (levels 0-15); the scanner beeps at the chosen level.
3. Press the control again to set it (it also times out after 10 seconds).

Set the Squelch

1. Press FUNC and then the scroll control to show the squelch level.
2. Turn it fully counter-clockwise, then clockwise until the noise stops (levels 0-15), then one level more.
3. Press the control to set it (or wait for it to time out).

Other First-Time Settings

Set the backlight, key beep, contrast and band defaults from Menu, Settings – see BCD160DN Menus, Entering Data & Settings.

Keypad Lock

Press FUNC then the power/lock key to lock the keypad; only FUNC, HOLD and the scroll control (for volume) keep working. Repeat to unlock.