Home of Shasta Public Safety News

This page was last Updated on: Friday, August 7th, 2020 at 11:37 P.M. PST
Improvements and other stuff for the Uniden BCT8 Scanner
Garbled Audio Fix while Trunking after the FCC Re-Banding

This also fixes the signal drops while trunking...

This information is provided to you under the assumption that you have a slight bit of cognitive ability to perform these
improvements or updates. I will not be held responsible for your screw up or inability to do such a thing!

If you would like me to do these improvements, updates or both for you, my information is listed below at the bottom of this page.

DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE SCANNERS FROM AN EBAY USER WITHOUT KNOWING
IF THE SCANNER HAS FIRMWARE VERSION 1.60 OR HIGHER AND THE GARBLED AUDIO FIX!!!
Any BCT8 that does not have these updates or fixes are useless to an end-user for Trunking! It just won't work and is not worth more than $50 total!
A BCT8 with the above mentioned updates and fixes will easily fetch you $125 + Shipping as of 8/10/2020...

1. Remove power from the scanner.

2. Remove the 4 phillips head screws that are found on the sides of the bottom cover.

3. Carefully pull off the bottom cover...it might be tight and there are wires to the speaker that you need to be aware of...so take it easy..

4. Locate a small tuneable coil that is close to the center of the circuit board. It is silver in color and about 1/4" square.
Examine the top and you will see the 'slug' with a small screwdriver slot in it. For 'insurance' purposes, mark the exact
location of the slot...just in case you need to reposition it if you screw up. (Ask me how I know to do this....!!)

5. At this point you might want to position the scanner so that you can re-attach the power cord and be able to put
the bottom cover back to the point where it might be close to its original position. You might find that when you do
this, the scanner will work as when new....or...you might not. This step is just a bit of 'experimenting' and might give
you an idea as to how far out of alignment it is.

6. Now...for the actual 'surgery'...with a small screwdriver, turn the slug in the coil 'Clockwise' a very small amount!
In my case, it was almost the smallest amount that I could move it... and still be able to say that I had indeed adjusted it.
7. Now...attach the power cord again...and give it a try. You should hear a big improvement... this might depend on how far
out of adjustment it was. You may want to give that slug another slight tweak...or not. The 2mm movement that was mentioned in
the preceeding post is a good guide...I don't think I went that far....but the change was immediate.
***My Wild A** Guess about this is that some of the components (a capacitor most likely) in the tuned circuit has changed value over
the years...with time, heat, cold, etc... and has allowed that tuned circuit to become 'detuned'.... Since I am guessing (again!)...
that your BCT-8 was working fine for a long time and then over a period of a few months, it got more and more flaky...that would mean
that only a tiny bit of tweaking is going to be all that is needed to bring it back to 100%..
8. Before reattaching the bottom cover, let it warm up for a half hour...listen to the audio...bask in your new success, give a big THANKS to Homer545...then remove power, reassemble scanner and SCAN AWAY!!

FCC Re-Banding Update

The Program, The Scanner Update File and Instructions are all in one single RAR File
The Firmware Update Software and Scanner Firmware are separately zipped so there is no confusion...
Click Here BCT8 ReBand Update Tools for Windows to Download (You might have to "Right-Click" and "Save File As")!
Click Here to download the BCT8 Owners Manual in PDF format!
These Updates and Fixes have brought new life and value to my BCT8.

I can provide service for the BCT8 Scanners in the following manner.
1. Garbled Audio Fix: $25.00 + return shipping.
2. FCC Re-Banding Update: $25.00 + return shipping.
3. Both the FCC Re-Banding Update and Garbled Audio Fix: $40 + return shipping (A $10 savings and highly recommended).
4. Programming Custom Band-Plan After FCC Re-band Firmware Update: $10 (You can do this yourself and save by researching online).
***Return Shipping is a flat $12.80 anywhere in the United States via USPS Priority Mail (Until they raise their rates again).

Contact my Facebook Page directly to inquire about this service and to get Mailing Information. Until I can get
a P.O. Box for doing stuff like this, my Physical Address will not be made public, only to those needing service that
have contacted me directly! All scanners must be clean and have no obstructions in order to gain interior acces before
shipping them to me. Always include a note, clearly written, explaining what services you want that I provide, your contact
information like a valid phone number, e-mail address and return mailing address.
If you live close by or will be passing through Redding, CA. and would simply like to drop it off for service, you can
do that too! It would save you all part of the "to and from" shipping charges. Drop Off or Ship the Scanner Only! Do not
include brackets, mounting bolts, power cords, antenna's or any other items.