Discriminator output

The Discriminator output from a scanner is the raw, unfiltered signal that a scanner produces before it is sent to the audio stage for output through the speaker -- also called the "baseband audio." This discriminator source is required for applications such as Trunker, T4Win, and UniTrunker. Most scanners must have a simple modification made to them to feed the discriminator output to Data Slicers, or in the case of UniTrunker, a soundcard.

Note that for providing a signal for ACARS decoding, a connection from an earphone or speaker output is all that's required. This is because ACARS runs at a much lower speed, and the discriminator is not involved in AM reception.

[edit] Modifications

Also see the Scandata faq q2 article for a list of older scanners' tap points. This is from an original article by the late Bill Cheek.

Uniden

BC-245 Discriminator Tap
JPEGs of BC246 discrim tap
BC296D/UBC 3300XLT
BC-396T Discriminator Tap
- NOTE: You must be a member of the BCD396T Yahoo to view this message.
- The JPEG for the discriminator tap can be viewed here

BC-780 Discriminator Tap
BC785D Discriminator Tap
BC796D Discriminator Tap
BC895XLT Discriminator Tap
BCD996 Discriminator tap point
BCT15 Discriminator tap point
NOTE: Look dead center of the circuit board, then go right and down. Both the 996 and BCT15 appear to share the same tap point location.

Radio Shack

Other Radios

R7100 Discriminator Tap Notes

[edit] Links

These pages or links contain more information on discriminator taps for many brands and models of scanners, including older models

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Categories: Modifications | RR Glossary