Need help with StarCom re-do

[whacker]

I knew it would happen sooner or later, and the day has finally come: Being an occasional visitor to Chicago I like to check out things on my Uniden BCD396T, and have never come up against the rebanding issue. Now I'm here and want to monitor the Chicago North and South ISP sites, and have followed Wiki instructions about creating a new System with Custom band plans.

I've done it, but something's not right, as the scanner isn't checking out the control freqs. Confirmed with radio's Search that the control freqs are active (for North). Does one need to have both band plan descriptions (1 & 2) filled in for the one System, as I do? Can't think of anything I've missed or screwed up. It just is not showing it's monitoring the control channel and display "DAT" with some signal bars as I'm used to.

As far as the South, I programmed the 774 MHz freqs as in a normal P25 System with no other tweaks. I stay on the north side (Irving Pk. Rd./Kennedy Expy), and under the previous site setup I could monitor South from where I am, but I'm getting nothing. Any tricks with 700?

This is all being done from the radio front panel, as I'm on the road, so to speak, without my own computer. I'm used to it though, as I often program in things on the fly. Any help appreciated.

I'm using firmware v3.01.00.

Also, according to what I read if the TRS is "explicit mode", then I should leave the band plan fields blank. How do I know this is the case, instead of "implicit mode"? If I leave them blank, what is the point of selecting Custom Band Plan in the first place?

[whacker]

Well, it was fun while it lasted!

Figured out that with a P25 system, even though it's not explicitly stated, you don't use "800 MHz Custom Band Plan" when programming, even though it's in a rebanded area. Great. Trial and error works!

Still wondering about the 700 MHz thing though. Maybe I'm just out of range. I'll have to check that out when I make the drive home on Tuesday.

[N9JIG]

As you found out, you don't need to change the system type when rebanding occurs on a true P25 system like StarCom21. Since the 700 MHz. freqs have not changed you can use the same system type for those sites as well. As for range, they should be pretty much the same as 800 MHz. sites. You might have issues with locations, such as being in nulls between simulcast sites or off-beam of directional antennas.

[whacker]

Thanks Rich. I'm having fun taking some time to get back into monitoring public service in the Chicago area. Lots of changes and new things in the past several years. That's why I lub my RadioReference.com!