• 13 Service Searches: Frequencies are preset in separate Public Safety, News, HAM Radio, Marine, Railroad, Air, CB Radio, FRS/GMRS, Racing, TV Broadcast, FM Broadcast, Military, Air, and Special searches, to make it easy to search for specific transmissions.
• Close Call™ RF Capture Technology: Lets the scanner detect and automatically tune to nearby radio transmissions.
• Close Call Do-Not-Disturb: When set, the scanner makes periodic Close Call checks whenever the scanner is not receiving audio in another mode. This eliminates the annoying breaks in conversation while still allowing for Close Call functionality.
• Close Call Temporary Store: Temporarily saves the last 10 Close Call hits and includes them when scanning.
• Dynamically Allocated Channel Memory: Your scanner’s 6,000 channels are organized so that it more closely matches how radio systems actually work, making it easier to program and use your scanner and determine how much memory you have used and how much you have left.
• Preprogrammed Systems: Your scanner is preprogrammed with over 500 agencies covering police, fire, and ambulance operations in the 25 most populated counties in the US, plus the most popular digital systems. This is just a very basic starting point and is OK for traveling but for most areas you'll want to have the scanner programmed specifically for your location or you, the customer, will have to do it yourself properly and in detail for your area.
• 100 Quick Keys: You can set the scanner so you can quickly select systems and groups by using the keypad. This makes it easy to listen to or quickly lock out those systems or groups you don’t want to scan.
• Soft Search Keys: Lets you quickly search specified ranges.
   
• Channel Lockout: You can lock out any system, group, frequency, or channel while scanning. If you lock out a system or group, any channels belonging to that system or group are also locked out.
• Frequency Lockout: You can lock out up to 500 frequencies (250 permanently locked out + 250 temporarily locked out). The scanner skips locked-out frequencies while using the Close Call™ feature or while searching.
• CTCSS and DCS Squelch Modes: Prevent interference from stations not using the tone code you select. Analog and Digital Audio AGC — Helps automatically balance the volume level between different radio systems.
• Fire Tone-Out Standby: Lets you set the scanner to alert you if a two-tone sequential page is transmitted. You can set up to 10 settings (transmit frequency, tone frequencies) then select one for standby monitoring. Up to ten tone-outs on the same RF setting can be scanned at one time.
• Broadcast Screen: Sets the scanner to ignore Close Call™ or search hits on known broadcast frequencies including common pager frequencies.
• Custom Screen: Lets you input up to 10 frequency ranges that the scanner will ignore during Close Call™ or search operation.
• Scan/Search Delay: The scanner pauses at the end of a transmission to wait for a reply. You can set the delay time for each system you scan, and while searching and using the Close Call™ feature.
• Attenuator: Reduces the input strength of strong signals by about 20 dB.
• Repeater Reverse: Automatically switches to the input frequency on a conventional repeater system.
• Channel Alert: Alerts you when there is activity on any channel you specify using your choice of nine unique alert tones.
• Memory Check: Lets you see at a glance how much total memory is left.
• Search with Scan Operation: Lets you include selected service searches or custom search ranges during normal scan operation.
• Custom Alerts: For each alert in the scanner (such as channel alert, Close Call alert, emergency alert), you can select from 9 different tone patterns and also set the alert volume level independently from the main volume level.
• Automatic Channel Step: Accepts frequencies on any valid channel step, even if it does not fall within the band plan’s default step.
• Frequency Step: Lets you select a frequency step (5, 6.25, 7.5, 8.33, 10,12.5,15, 20, 25, 50 or 100 kHz) for manual mode and search mode.
• Text Tagging: You can name each system, group, channel, talk group ID, custom search range, and SAME group, using up to 16 characters per name.
• Data Skip: Allows your scanner to skip unwanted data transmissions and reduces the affect of birdies.
• Duplicate Frequency Alert: Alerts you if you try to enter a duplicate name or frequency already stored in a system.
• Memory Backup: If power is lost or disconnected, the scanner retains the frequencies you programmed in its memory.
• Temporary Lockout: Makes it easy to temporarily lock out a system, channel, or frequency. The lockout is cleared when you turn power off, then back on so you don’t have to remember to unlock the channels later.
• Startup Configuration: Lets you easily manage multiple configurations for your scanner.
• Single-Handed Function Control Operation: You can tap the Function/Scroll Control to enable the Function mode. It reverts to normal mode in about 3 seconds from your last press if no other action occurs.
• Record Out Jack: Using the appropriate cable and audio recording device with signal control, you can record live audio of designated channels.
• Display and Keypad Backlight: Makes the display and keypad easy to see in dim light using two color options and six light levels plus off.
• Vehicle Power Connection (Orange Wire) — Lets you connect to your vehicle’s dimmer circuit to also dim the scanner’s display with the vehicle’s dimmer control.
• Multi-Site Trunking: Lets you share system channels across multiple sites to more efficiently use the scanner’s memory and more easily select sites to monitor.
• Control Channel Only Scanning: If the scanner is set to scan a Motorola system, you can set it so it scans using only control channel data. You do not have to program voice channel frequencies into memory in this mode as long as all possible control channels are programmed.
• Adaptive Digital Threshold: Automatically sets the digital decode threshold for APCO 25 systems.
• GPS Location Based Scanning: If you connect a GPS unit to the scanner it can automatically enable and disable systems based on the Location Information (longitude, latitude, Range) that you provide.
• GPS Non-Radio Based Features: The scanner alerts you to Dangerous Intersections, Speed Alerts, and Points of Interest that you program into the scanner.
• GPS Display Mode: Lets you display extended GPS information such as Distance to a POI, Direction to a POI, Time to a POI, Speed, Position, and more.
• Weather Search: Lets your scanner receive your local NOAA weather transmission.
• SAME Weather Alert: Lets your scanner sound an alert when a SAME weather alert signal is transmitted on a NOAA weather channel. The scanner also displays the transmitted alert type. This helps you quickly find out about severe weather in your area and lets you avoid false alarms.
• WX Priority: Lets your scanner alert you when a weather alert is transmitted on a NOAA weather channel.
• Service Search — Lets you quickly select and search the scanner’s preprogrammed frequencies. There are 10 Service Search ranges including: Public Safety, Air, Marine, Rail, Military Air, FRS/GMRS and more
• Custom Search: Lets you program up to 10 custom search ranges. You can search any of these ranges simultaneously.
• CTCSS/DCS Search: Lets the scanner search for CTCSS or DCS tones or codes on any channel or during a search. The scanner can identify up to 50 CTCSS tones and 104 DCS codes.
• Quick Search: Lets you search from the currently-tuned frequency if you are searching a conventional system.
• Frequency Auto Store: Automatically stores all active frequencies into the selected conventional system.
• Talk Group ID Auto Store: Automatically stores all new talk group ID’s into a channel group you select.
• Priority Scan: Priority channels let you keep track of activity on your most important conventional channel(s) while monitoring transmissions on other channels.
• Priority Plus: You can set the scanner so it scans only the priority channels.
• PC Control and Cloning PC Control: You can transfer programming data to and from your scanner and your personal computer, and control the scanner using a computer. This helps you find frequencies listed on the Internet and load them into the scanner. PC control and programming software will be available from Uniden direct although for full featured software functionality including the amazing ability to download directly from the Radioreference.com web site into software see the ARC996 Basic and Pro software available on this web site.
• Clone Mode: You can clone all programmed data, including the contents of the scanner’s memory, menu settings, and other parameters from one BCD996T scanner to another BCD996T scanner.

This digital Bearcat scanner can also monitor standard analog transmissions.