How to use Tone Scan on Wouxun two way radios

Recently we received a question from a reader in our blog who was searching for a device that could scan an incoming radio signal to detect and identify CTCSS tones and DCS codes. Although devices do exist that will perform this task, some radios will actually do it for you. Most Wouxun radios that we carry have a built-in tone scan feature, and some even allow you to save the scanned tone or code and add it to the current channel.

This is a very handy feature to have on any radio for a couple of reasons. For instance, if your group is using the same channel and/or frequency, but one person cannot hear the others, it is usually because the receiving unit likely either has a CTSS tone or DCS code enabled and the other radios don't, or the tone or code programmed into that radio is different from the one the rest of the group is using. Either way, the communication on that channel will be filtered out unless the correct tone or code is enabled, and the only way to do that is to obtain that tone or code and program it into the radio.

Another use for the tone scan, and probably the best example of it, is to identify the proper CTCSS or DCS needed to connect a radio with a repeater. Some repeaters are completely open and do not require a tone or code to use them, but many others do, and unless you know what it is, you won't be able to access it. With the tone scan, you can identify the correct tone or code and add it to the channel on your radio that is programmed for the repeater.

Tone Scan sounds like a great feature to have on any radio, and it is! It can also be a confusing one for those who are not familiar with how it works, because it's not simply a matter of enabling it in the radio menu. It requires a little more than that.

A common misconception of the Tone Scan feature is that you enable it in the menu, and the next time you receive a signal, it just pops up the code or tone on your screen. Well, yes and no. Yes, the radio will display it, but no, not just any time. Unlike most other features in a typical Wouxun radio menu, this one is different. You can't just enable the Tone Scan menu item and forget it. You need to be in the menu and enable Tone Scan while the signal is being received. In other words, the scan is active the moment you turn it on, but only while there is a signal to scan.

The reason for this is simply because you can't scan for a tone when there is no signal.

Here's how to use Tone Scan on a typical Wouxun radio. Keep in mind that these are general instructions intended Wouxun branded radios only.

To activate the Tone Scan, press the MENU key and choose the Tone Scan item. It may be listed as TONE SCAN, TONE-SCAN, TONESCAN, or something else entirely, depending on the model. Press MENU again to choose it and the first tone or code on the list should display on the screen. It is important to stay in the menu and keep the Tone Scan menu item open during the scan. Exiting the menu at this point will prematurely end the scan.

The scan will begin when a signal is received. The scan will stop when the signal ends and resume from where it left off the next time the signal is received. This cycle will continue until it identifies the correct tone. Tip: for faster results, you can usually use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scan in a different direction when using one of the Wouxun models listed in the chart below.

On Wouxun models that also support non-standard CTCSS, positive DCS, and negative DCS, there is usually an option to scan for some of them as well. Refer to the user manual for your specific model to read more information.

Once the tone or code is identified, all you need to do is note it and program it into the desired channel on your radio.

For added convenience, some Wouxun radios that are equipped with Tone Scan also include another feature called Tone Save. This item determines how a CTCSS tone or DCS code is saved to a channel after a CTCSS/DCS scan. On most Wouxun radios with this feature, you will have the option to either save the scanned tone to the receive CTCSS/DCS setting, the transmit setting, or both.

Note: *The models in green have separate menu items for CTCSS and DCS scan.
**The model in yellow indicates that the CTCSS/DCS Scan is only accessible directly from the keypad of the speaker microphone.