I’ve started a new chapter in the guide, explaining the Mackie control in detail:
http://www.zynewave.com/wiki/doku.php?id=guide:mackie_control
The “arrangement selection mode” explains why the BCF will not be active before arrangement monitoring is activated. There is a downloadable utility for BCF that simulates the Mackie LCD display, which may be a help when using BCF with Podium.