How to scan frequencies quietly

First thing to try is to change the "squelch" setting. If you squelch is set wrong, you will hear static all the time and the scanner may not scan. Turn the squelch until you no longer hear the static and the scanner scans.

you need to turn back the squelsh untill the scanner stops and you have to enter the frequencys manualy to get them you will have to go on googles and search for scanner frequencies

Plug the AC adapter into the back of the scanner and into a wall electrical outlet. Screw the antenna into the receptacle on the back of the scanner (extend the antenna to full length for best reception).

2 Set the squelch level to allow signals to be heard by turning the squelch knob counterclockwise. Rotate the volume knob clockwise until you hear static. Slowly turn the squelch knob clockwise until the static noise disappears.

3 Start programming frequencies into the scanner by pressing the "Manual" button.

4 Press the up arrow or down arrow key until the channel you wish to program is visible on the display.

5 Use the numbers on the keypad to enter the frequency for the local transmitter you wish to receive.

6 Press the "E" key to complete the process of entering the frequency.

7 Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each additional frequency you wish to monitor.

8 Press the "Scan" key to start the scanning process. The scanner stops on a channel when it detects a signal strong enough to hear over the squelch setting. Two seconds after the signal stops, the scanning process resumes.

is your squelch up to much you should sit your squelch just right after the static is quiet no more and no less thats how i use mine

This scanner comes programmed with several wx frequencies depending on the region you live in It will go to the appropriate frequency when your using wx.. I dont know the frequency for indiana but that is one of the frequencies that shouldnt give any problem at all. The only thing i can think of is wherever your wx is coming from in your area is having problems. Know anybody else that has a scanner? Have them check it out to see if they get the same static.

Sounds like either your squelch is set too high or you don't have the proper frequencies for your area programmed into the scanner. When it starts scanning turn the squelch down gradually until the scanning stops and you hear noise, then turn up slowly until it starts to scan again. If you still don't pick up anything, you probably need to reprogram the frequencies. For a list of active frequencies and systems in your area visit
www.RadioReference.com
or
www.CityFreq.com
In case you need it, here's a link to the manual for your scanner.

If you have any other questions, please contact us again.

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You'll need to program the radio frequencies into your scanner before it will scan . For a list of frequencies in Anoka County CLICK HERE .
For specific programing instructions for your UNIDEN refer to your owner's manual. They will give you a step by step instruction on how to program the frequencies into your scanner memory (If you need a manual, CLICK HERE
...be sure to select the scanner option on their pull-down menu.
THEN when you have the radio frequencies stored into your scanner, you'll be able to press scan and away you go.
Be sure to adjust the squelch just high enough to eliminate the static...turn the squelch counterclockwise until you hear loud static, then turn Clockwise just enough to silence static...
Let us know if you still have trouble.

Turn the squelch back until it screams at you and then turn it forward until the radio JUST gets quiet. If you have over squelched, you will also block the signals.

A quick "get you started" guide.....

First set the squelch (gets rid of the hissing noise and allows the radio to scan)
to do this....

On the side are 2 buttons, the bottom one is monitor.
press and hold then look at the display,
turn the top dial until "AUTO" appears,

The squelch should now keep the radio quiet.

Now the tuning step..
You need to set this because if your radio was on 450.000 and you wanted to listen to 450.012.5 you would miss it if your radio was making 000.025 "steps". IE you would need 12.5 steps. This is the most common step used by ambulance etc in the UK, you will need to check local band plans.
Stick with 12.5 and you should get most stuff on VHF / UHF.
For airband 12.5 will get most stuff, but some is now changing to 8.33.
For HF (below) 136 Mhz I'd use 5

To set the step....

On the front there are 4 big buttons.
press [V/M.S.MW.SKIP] to select VFO mode,
then press [BAND.LOCK] to select the band you want to listen to,
then press [TS.SET] to enter the step
turn the dial to select your step (stick with 12.5 for now)
press [TS.SET] to exit back to VFO mode



To scan...

First set the scan type...
On the front there are 4 big buttons.
Press and hold the one that says [MODE.SCAN] for 2 seconds and look at the display,
turn the top dial until the screen reads ALL,
press [MODE.SCAN] again and the radio should start to scan with the 12.5 steps you set earlier.
If you want to change scan direction, just turn the top dial.
If you want to stop the scan, just press [MODE.SCAN].

When you hear something interesting, make a note of the frequency on the display.

To set memories (store frequencies).....

On the front there are 4 big buttons.
press [V/M.S.MW.SKIP] to select VFO mode,

to get close to the frequency you made a note of, press [BAND.LOCK]
Then set the actual frequency with the top dial,
press and hold [V/M.S.MW.SKIP] for 2 seconds to select memory write mode (1 short and 1 long beep)
turn the top dial to select which channel you would like to overwrite. Start with 01.
press [V/M.S.MW.SKIP] for 2 seconds. ( 3 beeps )

Thats it!

Any more problems just post on here and either me or someone else will help.

M3ODQ

If it just seems to be "stuck" on static, you probably need to adjust the Squelch. Try turning the squelch down until the static stops.
If you haven't programmed any frequencies into the banks, scanning won't do anything. Press "Func" and "Scan" to perform a Search. This way, if you find a frequency with a lot of chatter, you can program it into a bank for scanning later.
The easiest thing to do is to find frequencies for your local police, fire, etc. on the internet & program them into the various banks on the scanner.
BC72XLT user manual (page with PDF link)
Google for local frequencies