BCD436HP/536HP Fire Tone-Out

Summary: Setting up and using Tone-Out to wait for two-tone, single-tone and group paging tones, or to search for unknown tones.

What It Does

Fire Tone-Out monitors up to 32 channels (Tone-Out 0-31) for paging tones: two-tone sequential, single tone and group tone. Tone-Out Standby is for programmed tones; Tone-Out Search is for when you don’t know them.

All tone-outs with the same frequency, modulation and attenuation as the one you select are also (and only) monitored, so you can monitor up to 32 on one frequency. In Standby the scanner shows each tone-out channel for two seconds, but it isn’t scanning them; it alerts on any received tone that matches a stored channel for that frequency. Search mode doesn’t show each channel for two seconds. Close Call and Weather Alert Priority don’t operate in Tone-Out.

Tone-Out Setup

Menu, Tone-Out for…, Tone-Out Setup, then choose Tone-Out (0-31):

• Edit Name
• Set Frequency – Edit Frequency, Set Modulation (Auto, NFM, FM), Set Attenuator
• Set Tone – Tone A and Tone B in Hz:
• Two-tone pages: both tones.
• Single-tone (1.25-3.75 seconds): tone A, and 0 for B.
• Group / long tone (over 3.75 seconds): 0 for A, and the tone for B.
• To search: leave both at 0.
• Set Delay Time – 0 resumes standby as soon as the carrier drops; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or 30 seconds after; Infinite requires pressing Hold.
• Set Alert – tone, level, light colour and pattern.
• Set Audio AGC (analogue; default Off).

Using It

Start with Menu, Tone-Out for…, Tone-Out Standby. BCD536HP: Func + SQ starts it. BCD436HP: assign Tone-Out Standby/Search to a Search Key.

• Scroll to choose a Tone-Out channel (0-31), and to change frequency.
• Received audio isn’t heard, but you see the signal strength bars.
• Func + System exits.
• Press Channel to temporarily hear all traffic; no alerts sound while you do. Press again to return.
• In Search mode, found tones are displayed; press E/yes and then E/yes at Set Found Tone A and B? to save. You then reach the Tone-Out setup for that channel; press Avoid to return.
• Func + 4 attenuation (Func + press and hold 4 global), Func + Channel (MOD) modulation, Func + 7 IFX, Func + Replay recording, Func + Menu Tone-Out menu.