DTRS Help

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So I always thought I had my Bearcats programmed good enough to get the channels I wanted to listen to. I have my listening station in my office and started tinkering around with exploring new ways to scan. So I started using Unitracker. Just from what I see I know I'm missing 80% of the transmissions out there. For example. I'm watching the Longmont Tower information on the screen and see that Longmont PD is talking non-stop. My BC996 is also programmed with the Longmont Tower in Search mode. My radio sits quite as all these transmission aren't coming through. The only way to be able to listen to the transmissions is to go to that channel (i.e. Longmont PD Talkgroup) and stay on that channel. Then all the traffic comes through. But that's no fun as I can't listen to other talkgroups.

Any suggestions on what I need to be doing?
 

seberry

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It sounds like Longmont PD might be locked out? I can't think of any other reason why you'd be able to hear the traffic sitting on the channel but not in scan mode.

Steve
 
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It's not just Longmont PD traffic. It's the same with CSP channels. I know 6C is talking but nothing is coming through, not even when when my scanner is in talkgroup search mode
 

seberry

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Now that you mention it, I recall hearing that at one point, uniden scanners were having trouble following talkgroup patches. I'm not sure if this is what's affecting you, but it might be worth investigating.
 

snoopyII

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Chris,

I still listen to LPD on the VHF simulcast, its still pretty reliable. I use Bald North for LFD. 6C has always been hit or miss with me, (its probably has to do with the time of day I'm listening) I seem to always find them combined with another troop like 1D.
 

k0pwo

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Chris,

How many towers are in your scan list of your uniden? That is exactly why I do not use unidens for the DTRS. I have found the only reliable way of catching most of the traffic coming from a single tower is to set up a bank that has that one tower and only that tower in it. Only then was I able to get most of the traffic on the talk groups I was scanning using a uniden.

I am not saying unidens are bad radios because they are not. I own many of them. But I find that the GRE radios for the DTRS are must easier to use and catch much more of the traffic on the towers.

Just my thoughts.
 
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While I'm doing my testing I'm only scanning one tower at a time. I used Longmont as an example earlier since that's where I live, but I have also been listening to other sites on my BC996 and then monitoring the tower information with another radio on my computer. My computer is showing a bunch of continuous traffic such as CSP, Metcom, Jeffco, RTD, and so on are all transmitting. My scanner is just monitoring the one tower and is sitting there is search mode not opening up or stopping on any of those talkgroups showing up on the computer. Occasionally it stops on a talkgroup for a school bus that's late for a pickup. Really nothing else though. I've gone through my settings over and over trying to make adjustments to see if I can make it better. My 996 also has 4-5 bars on the sites I monitor.
 

scanlist

Scanning since the 70's to today.
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Which programming software are you using with your scanner? Post a copy of your radio's programming here so the uniden experts can take a look at your programming to determine what may be causing your issues.

In the case of the early P25 uniden scanners 296D/796D (which I still have in service) when in talkgroup search if you lockout talkgroups during search it also locks out the talkgroup in that bank/system. It's possible that search lockouts could be locking them out in scan mode.

If the newer generation radios kept with uniden tradition holding down the L/O key while in scan mode should clear all locked out talkgroups in scan. Same procedure can be applied when the radio is in talkgroup search.

In the case of CSP 6C. They are constantly being patched to other CSP troop talkgroups and if the scanner does not have patch tracking capablity it's difficult. I am in Boulder during weekdays and even though one would think that 6C would show up constantly on the gunbarrel site the majority of the time they are not on it. Thorodin is the best choice for now until 3A takes over for the Northern portion of the county in the future.
 

soundchaser

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Double check that the groups or channels are not locked out. If the channel or group is locked out, Search mode won't stop on it.

For example when I listen to Xcel, I lock out the "Disconnects" TG and a few of the others I have no interest in, then I scan in Search mode which will stop on any other talk group including ones I haven't programmed in yet.

Another thing to try is to program a new DTRS "System" with the towers you want, and don't program any talk groups. Then scan in Search mode and you will hear everything that the tower is putting out.
 
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