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.

External Links

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

• Disciminator NL
• Mods DK
• RadioModifications Yahoo Group
• ScannerTech Yahoo Group
• SCANDATA.FAQ

Uniden Scanners

• BC245 discriminator tap point
• BC895 tap instructions
  • Text document from Greg Knox
  • JPEG of the location of the discriminator tap point
• BC780 discriminator tap points

Internal Pages

• BC898T Discriminator Tap