BCT15X Tone-Out Mode

Summary: How to set up and use the BCT15X’s Tone-Out mode to wait for two-tone, single-tone or group paging tones, and to search for the tones themselves.

What Tone-Out Does

Tone-Out watches up to 10 channels for paging tones – the two-tone sequential, single-tone and group tones some services (fire services, for example) use to page their crews. When a tone that matches a channel’s settings arrives, the scanner shows the tone information and opens squelch so you hear the message. If several tone-out channels share the same frequency, modulation and attenuator settings the scanner checks them all at once; otherwise it checks each in turn.

Setting Up a Tone-Out Channel

Go to MENU, Tone-Out for…, Tone-Out Setup, choose Tone-Out 1 to 10 and press E. The settings are:

• Set Frequencies – required
• Set Tone (Tone A and Tone B) – required
• Edit Name – recommended
• Set Delay Time – optional: 0, 1, 2 (default), 5, 10 or 30 seconds, or Infinite to wait for your input
• Set Alert – tone and light on a match
• Set Record – send the audio to RECORD OUT

Tone A and B can each be from 250 Hz to 3500 Hz, or 0 Hz.

How Tone A and Tone B Work Together

• Tone A and Tone B both set – listens for two-tone pages only. The scanner must hear a tone matching A for at least 250 ms, then within 500 ms a tone matching B lasting at least 100 ms.
• Tone A set, Tone B = 0 Hz – single-tone pages only. The A tone must last between 1.25 and 3.75 seconds.
• Tone A = 0 Hz, Tone B set – group tones only. The B tone must last at least 3.75 seconds.
• Both 0 Hz – Tone-Out Search: the scanner listens for any of the three types. If the tone matches a saved tone-out channel with the same frequency, modulation and attenuator settings, squelch opens. If it doesn’t match anything saved, squelch opens, the tone information flashes, and the scanner asks whether you want to save it.

Using Tone-Out Mode

1. Choose MENU, Tone-Out for…, Tone-Out Standby. The scanner starts on the most recently used tone-out channel (and any others that share its settings).
2. To use a different channel, turn the SCROLL knob.
3. To hear all traffic on the frequency, even when no tone is present, press HOLD; press it again to return to tone-out searching.
4. To leave Tone-Out mode, tap SCAN.

To use a Search Key for Tone-Out, assign a Tone-Out search to it (see BCT15X Searching: Service, Custom, Quick Search & Search Keys).

Keys in Tone-Out Mode

• SCAN – go to Scan mode.
• HOLD – toggle Tone-Out Hold.
• Number keys – enter digits in direct entry; FUNCTION + 4 toggles IF exchange for the current frequency; FUNCTION + 7 toggles the attenuator and FUNCTION + press and hold 7 toggles it for all signals; FUNCTION + 9 changes modulation; FUNCTION + 1/2/3 starts the search assigned to that Search Key.
• GPS/WX – tap for GPS; FUNCTION + tap for Weather Priority; FUNCTION + press and hold for Weather Scan.
• SQUELCH – tap to mute alerts (hold for permanent), FUNCTION + tap toggles Close Call modes.
• VOLUME – tap for backlight level; FUNCTION + tap selects your state.
• SCROLL – rotate to choose the Tone-Out channel.

Tips

• If you don’t know a paging tone, use Tone-Out Search on the right frequency and let the scanner tell you what it hears – then save the result.
• Choose the modulation and attenuator settings carefully; two tone-out channels with different settings are checked separately rather than together.