BCD260DN Installing, Powering & Turning On

Summary: How to set up the BCD260DN as a base station or in a vehicle, connect antennas, speakers and a recorder, and turn it on for the first time.

Choosing a Location

• Use the supplied antenna or a properly and safely mounted outdoor antenna.
• If you get interference or electrical noise, move the scanner or its antenna away from the source.
• For better reception use an external multi-band antenna. If it has no cable, use 50-ohm coax with a BNC plug.
• Don’t use it in high-moisture places such as a kitchen or bathroom, and keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heaters and vents.
• Peel the protective plastic film off the display before first use.

The Rear Panel

1. Antenna jack (50-ohm BNC)
2. Record (REC) output jack (3.5 mm; the output is mono)
3. External speaker jack (3.5 mm mono)
4. DC 13.8V power jack (5.5 mm, centre positive)
5. DC 13.8V external power jack with the dim control terminal (orange wire) for vehicle installation
6. Accessory screw hole (maximum depth 10 mm)

Base Station Set-Up

1. Choose a spot near a wall outlet, with desk space and a way to extend the antenna or run a lead to a window.
2. Fit the four protective feet to the bracket for use on a flat surface. For a permanent mount, remove the feet and use wood screws through the bracket.
3. Use the bracket as a template to mark two screw positions and drill holes slightly smaller than the screws.
4. Fit the bracket under the radio using the two threaded knobs. Don’t overtighten.
5. Connect the supplied 13.8V, 750 mA AC adapter to the DC 13.8V jack at the rear, upper right.
6. Push the telescoping antenna’s connector onto the BNC jack.

Recording the Audio

The REC jack gives a constant-level audio output that isn’t affected by the volume control. Use a mono or stereo cable ending in a 3.5 mm plug, connected to a VOX-controlled recorder or a PC sound input. For a channel to record you must turn Set Record on for that channel (and for searches, tone-outs and weather where you want them). See BCD260DN Programming Channels & Banks.

Vehicle Installation

Avoid airbag deployment zones – ignoring this can cause injury and stop the airbag working. Be certain what’s behind a surface before drilling. If in doubt, ask a dealer or professional installer.

Using the bracket: mark and secure the bracket, fit the scanner and lock it with the knobs, plug the cigarette-lighter cord into a 12V DC socket, and connect a mounted mobile antenna.

Using the optional DIN-E sleeve (part DIN-0001): the scanner needs a 2 x 7-1/8 x 5-5/16 inch (50 x 180 x 135 mm) opening plus about 2-3/8 inch (60 mm) behind it.

1. Remove the bracket if fitted.
2. Remove the four Phillips screws on the rear tabs and pull the outer metal case off toward the rear.
3. Fit the DIN sleeve into the dash opening with the lip facing out and push out the top and bottom tabs.
4. Before sliding the scanner in, connect the antenna cable and DC leads: red to a positive (+) fuse-block connection, black to chassis ground (-).
5. Connect the orange lead to one side of the headlamp switch so the display dims with the headlights. Route all wiring clear of anything that could pinch or cut it.
6. Slide the scanner in until it locks.

To remove it, fully insert both removal keys into the slots on the left and right edges of the front panel (one key alone won’t work; don’t twist) and slide the radio out. ISO mounting uses the metric threaded holes on the chassis sides once the outer case is off; Uniden doesn’t supply the screws, so use a professional installer if you’re unsure.

Headphones and Extension Speaker

• Headphones: plug 3.5 mm earphones into the front jack; this disconnects the internal speaker. Use 32-ohm stereo headphones and set a low volume first.
• Extension speaker: plug an amplified extension speaker into the rear Ext. SP jack.
• Warnings: never connect anything except the recommended amplified extension speaker to the headphone jack, and never connect the headphone jack to the antenna jack or to an installation where antenna and audio are grounded together.

Turning It On

Turn the VOL knob clockwise until it clicks. The scanner powers up in Volume mode and shows the volume level. Keep turning until the level is around 6-8; the Uniden welcome screen appears. A used scanner returns to the mode it was in. A new or reset one shows Scan Mode Nothing to Scan. To search straight away, set volume and squelch and press the SVC key to choose a preprogrammed service.

Volume and Squelch

• Volume: turn the VOL knob; the level (00-29) shows at the top right and times out after 3 seconds.
• Squelch: turn the SQ knob counter-clockwise all the way, then clockwise until the noise stops (levels 00-19), then one level more. The display times out after 3 seconds.

Then set the backlight, RX LED, key beep, upside-down mode, contrast and band defaults from Menu, Settings – see BCD260DN Menus, Entering Data & Settings.