Charlotte Meck Trunking Programming Issue

k4gps · Jan 26, 2018

I have programmed Char/Meck via the RR database download into my Uniden 536hp. I am a bit out of range from home but today I was in town and brought the scanner with me to verify. Low and behold something is not right.

I have verified it AGAIN and I see no issues so I have gone in manually but not sure what settings they should be.

#1 issue I noticed is that there appears to be many TG's missing from the RR database. For instance PD South/Steel Creek etc etc not showing, just North and Central.

#2 When observing the s-meter and scanning ONLY Char/Meck I see it drop out for a few moments then pick right back up. I have all the listed frequencies in the Site Entry, I verified it by manually looking it up in the display menu. All frequencies are entered and correct.

#3 I am not seeing Data LNK or P25 displaying at all... it's as if it does not know it's a trunked system.

I am scrolling thru the site settings but not sure what they should be for this system since everything is not spelled out on the RR database. Is it FM or NFM ? Is the bandplan, Custom, Splinter or 800/900 Standard (I know it's rebanded is that a splinter or custom ?)

Can anyone tell me what settings I should have when I manually scroll thru the SITE entry ? Again I am seeing a signal just not sure the radio knows it's P25.

Also where can I find a complete list of TG ID's or moreso the ones that are missing from RR ?

Thanks,
Rich

troymail · Jan 26, 2018

There can be talkgroups missing from the database... it's up to all of us to find and submit new things when we find them.

With some very limited exceptions - even with a solid signal that cannot be any better, while scanning, you will always see the signal bars and DAT blink at regular intervals. Of course, if the signal isn't of good quality, the indicators may blink at less regular intervals. Exceptions when getting a solid signal/reception include: holding on a talkgroup and/or setting the "hold" time for the system/site to other than 0.

When you have poor reception (including and in particularly on simulcast systems), you may not see the DAT symbol at all. If your are only monitoring one system/site and you move the radio around and can see occasional DAT and/or signal bars but not at regular intervals, you have poor quality reception (again, even more so for simulcast systems). Of course, if you are scanning multiple systems to possibly include conventional channels or even older Motorola systems, you won't see the DAT symbol all of the time.

k4gps · Jan 26, 2018

Not the case here... I was in prime coverage area very near the transmitter site and I was locked in on their system only, no others. DAT was not picked up at ALL over a 4 or so hour period. And I did move to a couple of locations during that period, all in good coverage area as I have verified before with my PRO-106 scanner.

As far as the TG's these are not new ones, they were in the database at one time they just disappeared for some reason.

Hopefully someone local to Charlotte will chime in and verify that something "special" is needed when programming the 536HP.

troymail · Jan 26, 2018

Good luck

kg4pbd · Jan 26, 2018

k4gps said:
I have programmed Char/Meck via the RR database download into my Uniden 536hp. I am a bit out of range from home but today I was in town and brought the scanner with me to verify. Low and behold something is not right.

I have verified it AGAIN and I see no issues so I have gone in manually but not sure what settings they should be.

#1 issue I noticed is that there appears to be many TG's missing from the RR database. For instance PD South/Steel Creek etc etc not showing, just North and Central.

#2 When observing the s-meter and scanning ONLY Char/Meck I see it drop out for a few moments then pick right back up. I have all the listed frequencies in the Site Entry, I verified it by manually looking it up in the display menu. All frequencies are entered and correct.

#3 I am not seeing Data LNK or P25 displaying at all... it's as if it does not know it's a trunked system.

I am scrolling thru the site settings but not sure what they should be for this system since everything is not spelled out on the RR database. Is it FM or NFM ? Is the bandplan, Custom, Splinter or 800/900 Standard (I know it's rebanded is that a splinter or custom ?)

Can anyone tell me what settings I should have when I manually scroll thru the SITE entry ? Again I am seeing a signal just not sure the radio knows it's P25.

Also where can I find a complete list of TG ID's or moreso the ones that are missing from RR ?

Thanks,
Rich

Which system are you listening to? It sounds like you may be on the old 0F18 system, which would explain why you aren't seeing the P25 indication you mentioned.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=282

The only divisions left on that system for CMPD are Central and North. All divisions including Central and North are on the new P25 system.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6561

k4gps · Jan 26, 2018

OK that could make sense... let me look closer. I was just going by what the PGM'ing was telling me to do. When I saw those other TG's missing I knew something was up.

k4gps · Jan 26, 2018

That was it... I went of course to the "Motorola" system... I had no idea it was USAI or whatever that is... let me get to work on it. Now... thanks again!

troymail · Jan 27, 2018

Ok- well, once you get the correct system programmed (which is the one I believed you were talking about all along), the above comments still apply.

k4gps · Jan 27, 2018

kg4pbd said:
Which system are you listening to? It sounds like you may be on the old 0F18 system, which would explain why you aren't seeing the P25 indication you mentioned.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=282

The only divisions left on that system for CMPD are Central and North. All divisions including Central and North are on the new P25 system.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6561

Thanks again Scott! I took the radio with me into town again today with everything loaded up properly and it worked fine. Sadly it seems I lose the Mecklenburg site just outside of York with a small magnetic mount antenna on the truck and then I lose the Gaston site on the west side of York about 2 miles short of my house!

I just tested it out on a small yagi on the roof that is roughly in the direction of both sites on a 20ft piece of LMR-400 and it's still too weak. Not sure if it will improve with re-aligning the Yagi which HAD been pointed at a cell site but I may try that some other time. It's a slim chance...this antenna is not THAT much directional to bring it from nothing to something that will be solid on trunking.

rescue674aa · Aug 11, 2018

Charlotte

Does anyone know the bandplan for NAS of the Charlotte system?

Charlotte Meck Trunking Programming Issue

k4gps

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troymail

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k4gps

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troymail

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kg4pbd

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k4gps

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k4gps

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troymail

Silent Key

k4gps

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rescue674aa

I’m an idiot

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