BCT15X Priority Scan & Alert Settings

Summary: How Priority Scan and Priority Plus work on the BCT15X, and how to set alert tones and lights for channels, emergencies, Close Call, tone-outs and locations.

Priority Scan

Priority mode has two sub-modes:

• Priority Scan – at a set interval, the scanner pauses what it’s doing, checks the unlocked channels flagged as priority, and then carries on.
• Priority Plus Scan – the scanner stops everything else and checks only the priority channels.

Flag a channel with Set Priority in its channel options. This applies to conventional priority channels; for trunked systems you must also turn on Priority ID Scan in the system options.

Switch priority on with FUNCTION + POL/PRI (repeat until Priority Mode Plus On appears for Priority Plus). The PRI icon is steady for Priority Scan and blinks for Priority Plus.

The Priority Scan menu controls:

• Set Priority – On (priority scan now, and whenever you enter Priority mode), Plus On (Priority Plus) or Off.
• Set Interval – 1 to 10 seconds between priority checks (normal Priority Scan only).
• MaxCHs/Pri-Scan – how many priority channels to check each interval, 1 to 100. If you have more than this, they’re checked in groups: with 100 priority channels and a maximum of 20, a full priority check takes five intervals.

The same interval and channel-count settings govern how often State-by-State searches and BearTracker interrupt normal reception.

Alerts

The scanner can sound a tone and flash the backlight when certain things happen. Set them here:

• A channel becomes active – Program System, the system, Edit Group, the group, Edit Channel, the channel, Set Alert.
• An emergency flag appears in an active talk group – Program System, the system, Edit Sys Option, Emergency Alert.
• A Close Call hit – Close Call menu, Set CC Alert. You can also enable Set CC Pause.
• A tone-out match – Tone-Out for…, Tone-Out Setup, the channel, Set Alert.
• You approach a location – Program Location, pick the type and location, then Set Alert (points of interest) or Alert Volume and Alert Light (dangerous crossings and roads).
• BearTracker activity – Set Bear Tracker, Set Alert.
• Weather alerts – these sound an alert siren automatically; you can’t edit the tone or light.

Alert Tones

Choose from nine tone patterns (Alert 1 to Alert 9) or Off, and then choose a volume from Level 1 to Level 15, or leave it on Auto to follow the volume control. As you scroll the scanner plays each tone so you can hear it. Location alerts have their own set of four tones (Alert 1 to Alert 4), and dangerous crossings and dangerous roads use fixed tones. The Settings menu also lets you set the key beep volume.

Alert Light

The BCT15X has a single-colour (orange) backlight. Choose how it behaves when an alert fires: steady On, Slow Blink, Fast Blink, or leave it Off. (Models with multi-colour backlights choose a colour as well; the BCT15X doesn’t.)

Muting Alerts

• Tap SQUELCH during an alert to stop the tone and temporarily mute alerts; tap again to restore.
• Press and hold SQUELCH to mute alerts permanently; tap again to restore.
• The Alert Mute icon shows steady for permanent mute and blinks for temporary.

Alert Plus Mode

FUNCTION + HP/ALT starts Alert Plus scanning. The scanner is silent except for channels that have an alert assigned to them, so you’re only interrupted by the channels you care most about.