BCT15X Setting Up: Power, Antenna, Speaker & Vehicle Installation

Summary: How to power the BCT15X, connect the antenna, headphones, extension speaker and recorder, and mount it on a desk or in a vehicle.

What’s in the Box

The scanner comes with an AC adapter, a vehicle accessory (cigarette lighter) power cord, a three-wire power harness, a mounting bracket and hardware, an antenna, a serial programming cable, the manual on CD-ROM and other printed material. The DIN-E mounting sleeve and removal keys (part number DIN-0001) are an optional extra on the BCT15X.

Choosing a Location

• Keep the scanner out of high-moisture areas, direct sunlight, and away from heaters and vents.
• If you get interference or electrical noise, move the scanner or its antenna away from the source.
• For better reception use a multi-band external antenna. If the antenna has no cable, use 50-ohm coaxial cable.
• Never unplug the AC adapter while the scanner is accessing memory for programming or auto-store, or the memory could be corrupted. Always switch the scanner off before disconnecting external power, because some settings are only saved as it powers down.

Power Notes

• If the VOL/power control is already switched on when you connect the AC adapter, the scanner may not power up. Turn the control off and on again.
• If the scanner loses power with its switch still on (for example, when a car ignition is switched off), it can lose settings such as display colour and backlight. To make these settings stick, change them via the menu, or power the scanner off and on using its own switch after changing them.
• When you switch off using the power switch, the scanner remembers its last settings and mode and resumes them at power-on.

Setting It Up as a Base Station

1. Pick a spot near a wall outlet with desk space for your programming worksheets and a place to extend the antenna or run a lead to a window.
2. If you’ll use the bracket on a flat surface, fit the four protective feet. For a permanent mount, remove the feet and use wood screws through the bracket instead.
3. Fit the bracket under the radio using the two threaded knobs. Don’t overtighten them.
4. Plug the 13.8V, 750 mA AC adapter into the DC jack on the rear.
5. Push the telescoping antenna connector onto the BNC jack.

Vehicle Installation Using the Bracket

Use the bracket as a template to mark the mounting position. Be certain of what’s behind the surface before drilling, and keep clear of airbag deployment zones – an incorrect position could cause injury and stop the airbag working properly. Secure the bracket, slide the scanner in and lock it with the knobs, connect the cigarette-lighter power cord to a 12V DC socket, and connect a suitable mobile antenna to the antenna jack.

Vehicle Installation Using the DIN-E Sleeve (Optional)

The scanner needs a mounting area of about 2 x 7-1/8 x 5-5/16 inches (50 x 180 x 135 mm), with roughly 2-3/8 inches (60 mm) spare behind it for connectors and wiring.

1. Remove the bracket if fitted.
2. Remove the four Phillips screws on the rear tabs and slide off the outer metal case.
3. Fit the DIN sleeve into the dash opening with the lip facing out, and push out the top and bottom tabs to lock it.
4. Before sliding the scanner in, connect the antenna cable and the power leads. Red goes to a positive (+) connection on the fuse block; black goes to vehicle chassis ground (-).
5. Connect the orange lead to one side of the headlamp switch so the display dims when the headlights come on. Route all wiring clear of anything sharp or pinching.
6. Slide the scanner slowly into the sleeve until it locks.

To remove it, push both removal keys fully into the slots on the left and right edges of the front panel (one key alone won’t work, and don’t twist them) and slide the radio out. If you’ll later add a GPS receiver or external speaker, expect to remove the scanner to reach the connectors.

ISO Mounting

Some vehicles suit ISO-style mounting, which uses metric screw holes on the sides of the chassis once the outer metal sleeve is removed. Uniden doesn’t supply the screws, and choosing them and the vehicle bracket takes experience – if in doubt, use a professional installer. Connect all power, audio and antenna leads before securing the scanner.

Connecting to a PC

The supplied serial programming cable connects the scanner’s serial port to your computer for programming and control. For step-by-step connection and driver guidance with Squawker PC, see BCT15X/UBC3500XLT/UBC800XLT Programmer – Overview & Getting Connected and Connecting for Programming.

Display Film

Peel the protective plastic film off the display before first use.

Antenna, Headphones and Speakers

• Antenna: the BNC connector accepts an external mobile or outdoor base antenna. Use 50-ohm RG-58 or RG-8 BNC-terminated coax. For runs over 50 feet, use low-loss RG-8. Cable loss increases at higher frequencies.
• Headphones: plug 3.5 mm earphones or headphones into the front jack; this switches off the internal speaker. Set the volume to a comfortable level before plugging in, as sudden loud audio can damage hearing. Use 32-ohm stereo phones.
• Extension speaker: for noisy environments, plug an amplified extension speaker into the rear Ext. Sp. jack. Only connect the recommended amplified speaker – never connect anything else to that jack, and never connect the audio jack to the antenna jack or into an installation where antenna and audio are grounded together.

Recording the Audio

The REC jack on the rear 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 and connect it to a VOX-controlled recorder or to your PC’s sound input. For a system to send audio there, set its Set Record option to All Channel, or to Marked Channel and then switch Record on for each channel you want recorded.