19Understanding Scanningcycle resumes until the scanner receives anothertransmission.What is Searching?The BC246T can search each of its 21 bands and up to10 bands together to find active frequencies. This isdifferent from scanning because you are searching forfrequencies that have not been programmed into thescanner. When you select frequency bands to search, thescanner searches for any active frequency within thelower and upper limits you specify. When the scannerfinds an active frequency, it stops on that frequency aslong as the transmission lasts. If you think the frequencyis interesting, you can program it into the scanner’smemory. If not, you can continue to search.What is CTCSS/DCS?Your scanner can monitor systems using a ContinuousTone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) and Digital CodedSquelch (DCS) system, which allow squelch to open onlywhen the tone you have programmed with a specificfrequency is received along with a transmission.CTCSS and DCS are subaudible tone signaling systemssometimes referred to as PL or DPL (Motorola’s trade-marked terms for Private Line and Digital Private Linerespectively). CTCSS and DCS are used only for FMsignals and are usually associated with both amateur andcommercial two-way frequencies. These systems makeuse of a special subaudible tone that accompanies atransmitted signal.CTCSS and DCS are used for many purposes. In manycases, CTCSS and DCS are used to restrict access to acommercial repeater, so that only those units, whichtransmit the correct tone along with their signal can “talk”to the repeater.CTCSS and DCS are also used in areas that receiveinterference where there are several stations with outputfrequencies close to each other. When this occurs, youmight hear multiple communications on the same
