BCD160DN Keys & Controls

Summary: What every key and the scroll control do on the BCD160DN.

How the Controls Work

Each key or knob can do different things depending on how you use it (press, press and hold, turn) and the mode you’re in. The orange labels on the number keys are second functions reached with the FUNC key.

The Keys

• HOLD – hold on a channel or frequency in any mode; press again to release.
• SCAN/srch – start or pause scanning or searching in Scan mode. FUNC + SCAN/srch starts a Quick Search (and in Band Scope toggles Max Hold).
• L/O – lock out the channel being monitored. Pressing toggles Temporary, then Permanent, then Unlock, then round again. In some modes a quick double press makes a permanent lockout.
• MENU – enter the menu; return to the previous menu. FUNC + MENU goes to the Edit menu for the current system in Scan mode, to Search for… in Search mode, to the WX Operation menu in any Weather mode, and to Tone-Out for… in Tone-Out mode.
• Power/Lock/Backlight – press and hold for more than 2 seconds to turn the scanner on or off; press for the backlight; FUNC then this key toggles the key lock.
• FUNC – press and release for Function mode for 3 seconds (an F shows). Press and hold to lock Function mode with no timeout (F blinks and HOLDING shows); press again to unlock.
• Number keys – enter numbers; 4 and 6 move the cursor left and right when editing text.
• .no(pri) – enters a decimal point, deletes values, errors and warnings, and selects “No”. FUNC + pri./No cycles the Priority modes.
• Yes/E – selects, accepts or saves a value, and selects “Yes”.

The Scroll Control (Multi-Function Knob)

Turn it to change scan/search direction and to continue scanning or searching; to scroll channels or frequencies in Hold; to scroll menus; to pick Tone-Outs in Tone-Out Standby; to select characters when editing text; and to change volume or squelch.

Press it to select a menu item, a character when entering text, a bank (in Scan or Scan Hold mode) and a channel or frequency; to display the volume level (then turn it: 16 levels); and, with FUNC first, to display the squelch screen.

The Orange Second Functions

• FUNC + 1 / 2 / 3 – the search keys sr1, sr2, sr3
• FUNC + 4 (ifx) – Intermediate Frequency Exchange
• FUNC + 5 (lvl) – volume offset (override in Scan Hold mode)
• FUNC + 7 (att) – attenuator; press and hold for global attenuation
• FUNC + 8 (svc) – list of service searches
• FUNC + 9 (mod) – modulation (override in Scan Hold and Search modes)
• FUNC + 0 (wx) – weather alert priority; press and hold for Weather Scan

Bank Keys

While scanning, the number keys 1-9 and 0 turn banks 1-9 and 10 (shown as bank 0) on and off. The same keys switch service banks and custom search banks in those modes. At least one bank must stay on.