BCD160DN Overview, Features & Specifications

Summary: A tour of the Uniden BCD160DN handheld digital scanner: what it can receive, what’s in the box, its main features and key specifications.

What the BCD160DN Is

The BCD160DN is a compact handheld scanner that receives analogue signals and the DMR and NXDN digital modes. It works from banks of channels that you programme yourself (1,000 channels in 10 banks of 100), and it can also search for activity using preset service lists, custom ranges, Quick Search and a Band Scope. It doesn’t decode P25: the display shows a P25 or DAT indicator, but the scanner skips P25 signals when scanning or searching.

Unlike Uniden’s “HomePatrol” models, it has no built-in database and no trunk tracking. You give it frequencies, and it stays on them (see BCD160DN Programming Channels & Banks).

What’s in the Box

• Mini USB cable
• Wrist strap
• 2 x AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries (2300 mAh)
• Belt clip (attached)
• Antenna
• Printed owner’s manual (English and French), plus the frequency and app forms

Main Features

• 10 channel banks of 100 channels – 1,000 channels in total.
• 10 Custom Searches and service searches (public safety, media, ham, marine, railroad, air, CB, FRS/GMRS/MURS, racing, FM broadcast, military air) with editable service lists.
• 3 Search Keys – assign a custom search, weather scan, tone-out search, service search or Band Scope to number keys 1, 2 and 3.
• Quick Search – search from the current frequency or one you enter.
• Band Scope mode – a real-time picture of signal levels across a range.
• DMR and NXDN reception, with decoding and display of CTCSS/DCS tones, DMR Color Codes and NXDN Area and RAN codes, and searching for them.
• Attenuator of about 20 dB, per channel or search band, or global.
• Broadcast Screen – ignores hits on known broadcast and pager frequencies in search modes.
• Automatic channel set-up – accepts frequencies that don’t fall on the band plan’s default step.
• Configurable band defaults – step and modulation for 30 bands.
• SAME weather alert and priority, with programmable FIPS codes.
• Tone-Out Standby and Tone Search for up to 10 tone-out settings.
• Priority and Priority Plus scan, and per-channel alerts (9 tone patterns, 15 volume levels, and blink patterns).
• Adjustable delay up to 30 seconds and forced resume up to 10 seconds, per channel or search.
• Individual channel volume offset, Intermediate Frequency Exchange (IFX) and duplicate frequency alert.
• Search lockouts – 400 (200 temporary, 200 permanent).
• Turbo Search – 100 to 300 steps per second automatically on bands with 5 kHz steps.
• Key lock, a three-level backlight, and a built-in battery charger with a timer.
• Text tagging – names of up to 16 characters for channels, custom searches, tone-outs, service lists and SAME groups.
• PC programming with Uniden’s BCDX60DN SS software, or with UKAFG’s Squawker PC (see BCD160DN Loading Frequencies From Squawker PC & Squawker Online).

Frequency Coverage

The scanner covers 25.0000 to 960.0000 MHz, except 513-758 MHz and 823.99-849.01 MHz, which aren’t supported. When you enter a frequency the scanner rounds it to the nearest supported step; for example, 151.473 MHz becomes 151.475 MHz. Airband uses AM with an 8.33 kHz default step.

Key Specifications

• Bands: 30
• Size: 2.64 x 1.29 x 4.53 inches (67 x 32.7 x 115 mm) without antenna, knob and clip
• Weight: 6.2 oz (175 g) without antenna and batteries
• Operating temperature: -4 to +140 F (-20 to +60 C); charging works between +50 and +104 F (+10 to +40 C)
• Power: 2 x AA Ni-MH (included), 2 x AA alkaline (not included), or 5V DC via the mini USB cable
• Display: 64 x 128 dot-matrix LCD with orange backlight
• Speaker: 24 ohm, 0.8W maximum; about 218-245 mW nominal
• Headphones: 3.5 mm socket, 12-22 mW nominal into 32 ohm (audio is mono)
• Connectors: BNC antenna, 3.5 mm phone jack, 5-pin mini USB B
• Weather channels: 7
• Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD): typically 0.2 to 0.4 microvolts on most bands (0.5-0.7 on wideband FM and broadcast FM)