New SDS100-Questions about LWIN setup.

JKS3613 · Aug 8, 2018

Well, my new SDS100 came in today! I set it up with the Sentinel software, (updated firmware and database) and programmed the LWIN system and about 5 different "Favorites" into it. All Favorites are turned on and set to download and I am finally receiving my local Zachary PD! However, on the middle of the display it shows all of the different sites it is scanning and it is scanning towers all over the state. I want to know how to make it scan only the towers in my range. The talkgroups (departments) I set up are coming through, but I'm sure I'm missing things since it spends so much time scanning systems I care nothing about. I will study up as soon as I can but just want to get it optimized as much as possible NOW! lol
Thanks!!!

jonwienke · Aug 8, 2018

Turn Location Control ON in your favorite list.

JKS3613 · Aug 8, 2018

Thank you so much, Jon, for helping a neophyte like myself! I promise, I will eventually put in the due diligence to, if nothing else, at least ask more intelligent questions next time! lol The info you provided was EXACTLY the piece I was missing. I now am hearing everything I want and it is as clear as a bell. After all of the recent aggravations with my BCD396T, this is truly music to my ears. So much more to learn, but at least now I can enjoy it as I explore. I've read enough on this forum to appreciate your level of knowledge and expertise, and I really do want to thank you for helping me out with such a (to you) easy solution!
What a great forum this is!!!!!

jonwienke · Aug 8, 2018

You're welcome.

charlie12 · Aug 14, 2018

I'm glad you can hear ZPD now. What towers are you hearing stuff on? If you want to try some conventional stuff. You can listen to 146.835 mhz that's our 2 meter ham repeater. Our net is at 8pm Wed. and you will hear all the hams checking in.

JKS3613 · Aug 14, 2018

Thanks, not as much Zachary traffic as I had hoped but at least I'm getting it now. I will def check out your HAM freq. As for the towers I'm hearing....once I turned Location Services on, it only scans towers in range and not the whole LWIN database, lol, so it scans about 10 towers in total. I mostly hear things either on BR Simulcast , Baywood, or Denham Springs it seems.
Thanks again!
Kevin

jonwienke · Aug 14, 2018

10 sites likely means you're still scanning sites out of range. Try setting the scanner Range to 5 miles or less.

charlie12 · Aug 15, 2018

JKS3613 said:
Thanks, not as much Zachary traffic as I had hoped but at least I'm getting it now. I will def check out your HAM freq. As for the towers I'm hearing....once I turned Location Services on, it only scans towers in range and not the whole LWIN database, lol, so it scans about 10 towers in total. I mostly hear things either on BR Simulcast , Baywood, or Denham Springs it seems.
Thanks again!
Kevin

Good tune in tonight (Wed) at 8pm on 146.835 and you'll hear our ham net. You should be getting stuff from the Jackson tower you are about the same distant from it as you are Baywood. If you was to hear more talking add East Feliciana Sheriff Office they talk a good bit at times. They are on 18000

charlie12 · Aug 15, 2018

jonwienke said:
10 sites likely means you're still scanning sites out of range. Try setting the scanner Range to 5 miles or less.

From where he told me he lives if he sets it to 5 miles or less he won't be in range of any towers. The two closest towers are the Baywood & Jackson and they are about 9 to 11 miles from him

jonwienke · Aug 15, 2018

charlie12 said:
From where he told me he lives if he sets it to 5 miles or less he won't be in range of any towers. The two closest towers are the Baywood & Jackson and they are about 9 to 11 miles from him

Wong, that's NOT how the scanner Range setting works. Read this:
How it Works: Location, Location, Location

Unless you're trying to receive traffic from distant cities counties, parishes, etc, leave Range at 5 miles or below, especially if you're not running an outdoor antenna. Otherwise the scanner will try to scan all kinds of stuff it can't actually hear. Like 10 LWIN sites, when only 4 of them are actually in reception range.

charlie12 · Aug 15, 2018

jonwienke said:
Wong, that's NOT how the scanner Range setting works. Read this:
How it Works: Location, Location, Location

Unless you're trying to receive traffic from distant cities counties, parishes, etc, leave Range at 5 miles or below, especially if you're not running an outdoor antenna. Otherwise the scanner will try to scan all kinds of stuff it can't actually hear. Like 10 LWIN sites, when only 4 of them are actually in reception range.

Sorry I was just answering with common sense and knowing the area. He wouldn't be in range if it was a 5 mile range.
I'm old school been into scanning since about 1975 and programmed what I wanted to hear not
letting the scanner tell me what I wanted.
I see that it's a Home Patrol, the friends that I know that got Home Patrols hated them and some sent them back I hope they have the bugs worked out on his new model.

I'll back out of this since I can't be of help

jonwienke · Aug 15, 2018

charlie12 said:
Sorry I was just answering with common sense and knowing the area. He wouldn't be in range if it was a 5 mile range.

The scanner Range setting is added to the service range setting for each department or transmitter site in the database. So if a site is listed as covering a 10-mile radius from its location, and you set the scanner Range to 10 miles, then the scanner will try to monitor the site if it is within 20 miles from the scanner's location. Setting the scanner Range greater than zero is useful if you want to monitor a city or agency from outside its borders, but unless you have a good outdoor antenna, you'll quickly start scanning stuff outside actual reception range.

charlie12 · Aug 15, 2018

jonwienke said:
The scanner Range setting is added to the service range setting for each department or transmitter site in the database. So if a site is listed as covering a 10-mile radius from its location, and you set the scanner Range to 10 miles, then the scanner will try to monitor the site if it is within 20 miles from the scanner's location. Setting the scanner Range greater than zero is useful if you want to monitor a city or agency from outside its borders, but unless you have a good outdoor antenna, you'll quickly start scanning stuff outside actual reception range.

Not something I would want. I put what towers and agencies I want to listen to in my scanners. What a site is listed to do isn't always what it does in real life and I'm into real life. Sometimes being too fancy is not good.

jonwienke · Aug 15, 2018

The settings are put into the database by people who have listened to the site in real life, so the data is generally good enough to be useful.

And it's the only practical way (in conjunction with a GPS) to operate when traveling.

charlie12 · Aug 15, 2018

jonwienke said:
The settings are put into the database by people who have listened to the site in real life, so the data is generally good enough to be useful.

And it's the only practical way (in conjunction with a GPS) to operate when traveling.

I only travel in about 100 mile radius so I can program mine like want to what I want to listen to.
I don't need the fancy stuff.

JANFINE · Aug 15, 2018

LWIN system

Just delete or lockout the sites that you don't want to listen to.

charlie12 · Aug 23, 2018

JKS3613 said:
Well, my new SDS100 came in today! I set it up with the Sentinel software, (updated firmware and database) and programmed the LWIN system and about 5 different "Favorites" into it. All Favorites are turned on and set to download and I am finally receiving my local Zachary PD! However, on the middle of the display it shows all of the different sites it is scanning and it is scanning towers all over the state. I want to know how to make it scan only the towers in my range. The talkgroups (departments) I set up are coming through, but I'm sure I'm missing things since it spends so much time scanning systems I care nothing about. I will study up as soon as I can but just want to get it optimized as much as possible NOW! lol
Thanks!!!

Now that you've had some time with your new scanner how do you like it? What are you hearing?

JKS3613 · Aug 24, 2018

I really like it a lot! So nice to be able to clearly hear everything I had been missing. The only thing I am missing now though, is the Zachary fire dept. I added all of the BRfire dispatch TG's as well as the ZFD TGs, but have yet to hear a Fire dispatch call. Can you ask your buddy what he is hearing them on?
Thanks

charlie12 said:
Now that you've had some time with your new scanner how do you like it? What are you hearing?

JKS3613 · Aug 24, 2018

Also, even though I am only a few miles from the Baywood tower, almost everything I hear comes from the further away BR Simulcast tower.

charlie12 · Aug 24, 2018

JKS3613 said:
I really like it a lot! So nice to be able to clearly hear everything I had been missing. The only thing I am missing now though, is the Zachary fire dept. I added all of the BRfire dispatch TG's as well as the ZFD TGs, but have yet to hear a Fire dispatch call. Can you ask your buddy what he is hearing them on?
Thanks

I'll asked him but have you tried 17352 East Baton RougeParish Volunteer Fire Department - Dispatch 1

BRFD dispatches the Vol. FD's.

I just heard ZFD get dispatched to Murphy's on a medical call. It was on 154.445 mhz. They still use that for dispatching and it might be simulcasted too.
I used to be a FF so I'm used to their radios. I haven't tried to listen to them on 700 the old high band works better for me.

I just put 154.445 in my ham radio and heard that

New SDS100-Questions about LWIN setup.

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

More Info Coming Soon!

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads