BCD436HP - What should i expect?

Just got this radio...
What should I be expecting as for activity?

I haven't modified anything via the Sentinel software. I entered my zip code and let the radio do its thing.

I get nothing from RPD, I get dispatches from the EMS. For the most part Raleigh seems DEAD. I get a lot of surrounding stuff - Wilmington and Chatham County for instance. Also, the Duke stuff comes in clearly.

Seems unlikely that RPD is so silent, right?
Not to mention I get no follow-up chatter from any of the EMS events.

Thanks for any insight,
bp

WakeWatcher said:

Just got this radio...
What should I be expecting as for activity?

I haven't modified anything via the Sentinel software. I entered my zip code and let the radio do its thing.

I get nothing from RPD, I get dispatches from the EMS. For the most part Raleigh seems DEAD. I get a lot of surrounding stuff - Wilmington and Chatham County for instance. Also, the Duke stuff comes in clearly.

Seems unlikely that RPD is so silent, right?
Not to mention I get no follow-up chatter from any of the EMS events.

Thanks for any insight,
bp

Click to expand...

Hey BP.
Welcome to RR.com.
You will find that the next step in the learning process is learning to use Service Types and learning how to make Favorites Lists.
Service Types are how you tell the scanner which Service Types (Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, etc) to monitor.
Read your radio using Sentinel then (from Sentinel) go to Edit->Edit Profile->Service Types Tab.
Make sure all of the Service Types are turned on. That way you won't miss any radio traffic. Right now you are hearing EVERYTHING. Your next step is to be more selective in what you are monitoring using Favorites Lists. I set my Favorites Lists (FLs) up by Agency or Area. I have one FL for Raleigh PD only, I have one for Wake Sheriff Only, etc. To get you started I have attached a Favorites List of just Raleigh PD to this post.
You will need to download it, unzip and save it somewhere you can find it. Then in Sentinel Select File->Import from hpe file. Select the "RaleighPDall.hpe" file and import it into Sentinel. Make you write the changes back to the scanner using the Scanner->Write to Scanner option. Select the RaleighPDAll Favorites List in the scanner and you should be good to go. You have a large learning curve ahead of you with this scanner but it is a great radio once you get over the learning hurdle and folks here and in the Uniden Forums will help you out.
Happy Monitoring!
Marshall KE4ZNR

Also, I just found out myself that when I set the range from 50 miles down to about 10 or 20 miles it performs better and you don't miss near as many transmissions, because the scanner doesn't have to scan through a million different frequencies.

Thanks man!

I'll certainly hit the forums until I get it going correctly - it's hard to know what to expect with these things. The listening flow is just not as simple as used to be when I listened to my aunt's scanner back in the day.

So once I get this Favorite List of yours added correctly to my device, I can scan only that list. Then would hear complete conversation/events? Ultimately, how much activity will I be hearing - to know that I am doing it correctly. (for reference, I am in town all day - going from the downtown area and then over to capital blvd/540 and between - so I would think reception would not be an issue)

Again thanks for the help!
bp

WakeWatcher said:

Thanks man!

I'll certainly hit the forums until I get it going correctly - it's hard to know what to expect with these things. The listening flow is just not as simple as used to be when I listened to my aunt's scanner back in the day.

So once I get this Favorite List of yours added correctly to my device, I can scan only that list. Then would hear complete conversation/events? Ultimately, how much activity will I be hearing - to know that I am doing it correctly. (for reference, I am in town all day - going from the downtown area and then over to capital blvd/540 and between - so I would think reception would not be an issue)

Again thanks for the help!
bp

Click to expand...

Yep. You can scan a) a single FL, or b) Multiple FLs at the same time, c) FLs and the Master Database, or d) just the master database (as you have been doing).

Once you master FLs you can then assign "Quick Keys" to them to make them easy to turn on/off. Assign the RaleighPD FL to Favorites List Quick Key 1 and you can just type 1 to turn it on/off.

Marshall KE4ZNR

I added your FL to this thing and yes - i'm hearing more activity now.

What kind of activity should I expect? I am currently scanning the entire RPD "library" that you gave me. Does that mean that all of RPD's communication can be found by the device now? What is a typical "conversation"? I guess, I am asking because, I hear things happen - traffic stop or accident or even just an alarm going off at a residence - and then I never find/hear the resolution of such an event. Is that the common way of these "conversations" or am I not following it correctly?

Does that make sense?
thanks again,
bp

WakeWatcher said:

I added your FL to this thing and yes - i'm hearing more activity now.

What kind of activity should I expect? I am currently scanning the entire RPD "library" that you gave me. Does that mean that all of RPD's communication can be found by the device now? What is a typical "conversation"? I guess, I am asking because, I hear things happen - traffic stop or accident or even just an alarm going off at a residence - and then I never find/hear the resolution of such an event. Is that the common way of these "conversations" or am I not following it correctly?

Does that make sense?
thanks again,
bp

Click to expand...

This RPD Monitoring Guide I created a few years ago should help:
Raleigh NC Police Monitoring Guide - The RadioReference Wiki

Most of the calls you describe above are initially voiced dispatched but are finalized (or "coded") on MCTs (Mobile Computers) to keep voice traffic levels reasonable.

You can plan on hearing initial dispatches but not coding for routine calls.
You can almost ignore the routine calls and wait for the high priority calls (shootings, robberies, etc) in which the dispatch channel will be "secured" (with a beep tone every couple seconds) for a brief time while the initial situation is brought under control then the incident radio traffic will be moved off the dispatch talkgroup to one of the LE OPS talkgroups.

Only recent change to my Monitoring Guide above in recent memory was the decision to rename "LE OPS 10" to "City 1" and "LE OPS 11" to "City 2".

Marshall KE4ZNR

Many Thanks!

You are a great help!
bp