TRX-1: In over my head!

Good God! Somebody help! I thought a scanner would be cool and fun. I wanted to listen to NASA, the weather, airport, and the medical helicopters (Survival Flight and AroMed). My husband though it would be cool to check out what was happening around the Big House during home games, in Ann Arbor.
It was suggested to me, that a phase 2 digital scanner/P25 would be best. I purchased a Whistler TRX-1. Neither one of us have any idea what we are doing and all of this terminology is new to us.
Putting that aside, we are not able to pick up anything we were hoping to. We may be out of range???
Can anybody recommend an antenna that we could install on the roof of our house? We are hoping this would increase the strength of the signal. We would like an antenna that can pick up everything - just like the TRX-1. Yeah, I know. We are nosy people :-/

The stock antenna is junk. The remtronix 800b works great for many but it is not a roof top antenna.What is your zip code and what are you trying to monitor , also see this facebook group for help https://www.facebook.com/groups/630663587135978/ be sure to become a group member and check out the files section for great tips.

+1 for the RS/Remtronix 800 MHz antenna, it's usually a big help...unless you have LSM simulcast. If you do all bets are off and you might even be better off using a paper clip for an antenna...or in need of a directional antenna (yagi). The search function on this site is your friend. And here is a good place to start even before you begin searching:

Easier to Read Whistler WS1080/1088 Handheld Scanner and Software Manual

Note that while it says "WS-1080 et al", the TRX series are pretty much the same from a programming/operation standpoint; in fact, this family of scanners traces its lineage all the way back to the old Grecom PSR-800, and if you learn how to program any one model, you'll be at home with the rest of them. It is intimidating at first, and I fully sympathize. I got back into scanning after a long hiatus with one of this family of radios. And if an old fart like me can figure it out, I am sure you can too. Don't be shy about posting any questions you may have.

InOverMyHead - first, Replace the Antenna with a good HAM dual band or Triple Band high gain Antenna. the Radio Shack telescoping Center Loaded HAM antenna Is a good start, or the Diamond RH77CA antenna. next only use the Scanner outdoors with a DUCK antenna , In you want to Listen Indoors , go to a HAM Radio store and get a suction cup Antenna mount and mount the Antenna in a Big Window.
I take my TRX-1 everywhere with me on the GO. I use a Cellular Earphone so I don't Bother people.
the NEXT step is to UPDATE everything in the scanner, the FREE software that comes with a TRX-1 makes this easy. just follow the printed Instructions. most Importantly UPDATE the frequency Database at least weekly as many Agency are switching over to Digital. Its important to update ONLY the things that interest YOU. that way, when Scanning you Don't Pick up the Garbage Men , when your target is the Local PD.

You should list what County you're in, I have the WS1080, the scanner that led to the WS1088 and TRX-1. I had the same troubles that this guy in THIS video below from (MICHIGAN) experienced ... except here in Ill-annoyed. The Whistler was a severe disappointment. Hit and miss .. mostly miss even with the RS 800mhz antenna. Even my 2004 RS Pro96 did better *but no Phase II* Some people are lucky enough to be in sweet spots and have no idea how bad things are. Someone from Michigan could make up an EZSCAN form and post it here to download to desktop to get you started if they were inclined. I gave up on Whistler here in IL and got the Unication G5 too like the guy in the MI video. Perfect bliss .. but then again, I only need the P25 Simulcast and some VHF. Only use the Whistler when I want to hear Chi-RAQ IL fun on weekends. Good luck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZP8bjTySmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsxxUoLDLEk

Go up on the roof and take your scanner with you and listen. If it doesn't work there then a new roof mount antenna wont help and you don't need to consider it.

/Ubbe

Ubbe said:

Go up on the roof and take your scanner with you and listen. If it doesn't work there then a new roof mount antenna wont help and you don't need to consider it.

/Ubbe

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Easier said than done in most cases. And really not good advice IMHO.

I live in the AA area and with the exception of NASA, listen to all of those groups at one time or another. I use a GRE PSR 500 and RS Pro 18, both with the Whistler upgrade and also an older Pro 106. I wasn't able to PM you, but if we can get together, I can give you a copy of my code plug to get started. The Big house is often interesting listening. My scanners all use the stock antennas and I can pick up Wayne county as well.

Depending on if you are in a metro area, an antenna on the radio itself should be all you need. I rotate antennas from my SDS100 to my TRX-1 all the time, between a Remtronix 800mhz and a Watson W-889 telescopic angled antenna and with either antenna I pull in everything I want to hear in a 2-county area. I have both a Diamond discone and a directional yagi on my roof which I go to quite often, and when I do I can hear everything in a quad county area and beyond. The TRX-1 is a top-of-the-line scanner and will allow you to listen to whatever you want to in your area. I do well with LSM on the TRX-1 when hooked up to the directional yagi, and even with the W-889 it does okay, but I depend on my SDS100 for LSM systems primarily.

You have a great scanner there, and with the right accessories and programming info it should serve you well.

JD
kf4anc

Its easy, you put your zip code in and set the service types you want to hear the stock antenna is fine,I had this scanner and it works awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO8DjFLO68Y

If you cant work the scanner or EZscan software you can always send it to a pro and let them do it.
Using Ezscan and adding the areas of interest are the best way.

Electronicsdude said:

Its easy, you put your zip code in and set the service types you want to hear the stock antenna is fine,I had this scanner and it works awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO8DjFLO68Y

If you cant work the scanner or EZscan software you can always send it to a pro and let them do it.
Using Ezscan and adding the areas of interest are the best way.

Click to expand...

I strongly recommend that no one ever uses the zip code method as it gives you a lot crap you probably don't want to hear. I suggest you select the "preferred" method where you can pick only what you want to monitor.

Wackyracer said:

I strongly recommend that no one ever uses the zip code method as it gives you a lot crap you probably don't want to hear.

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Let the user decide what's crap to him. There's a skip button on the scanner that lock outs the things you do not want to hear. Always start to scan everything possible and begin to lock out conversations you absolutly do not want to hear again. Doing it other ways could mean that you never get to hear things that might interest you.

If you had unlimited options to select exactly what you would like to hear, then it's highly unlikely that two persons would scan the exact same thing.

/Ubbe

Ubbe said:

Let the user decide what's crap to him. There's a skip button on the scanner that lock outs the things you do not want to hear. Always start to scan everything possible and begin to lock out conversations you absolutly do not want to hear again. Doing it other ways could mean that you never get to hear things that might interest you.

If you had unlimited options to select exactly what you would like to hear, then it's highly unlikely that two persons would scan the exact same thing.

/Ubbe

Click to expand...

That's true, but what is worst is missing something you are interested in because you programmed the scanner with to much crap, which causes the scanner to take too long to cycle back around.

InOverMyHead - check the obvious , carefully disconnect then carefully reconnect the Antenna, attaching it straight, don't tilt the Antenna from the BASE.

then Check the Squelch is not set too high. best way to set squelch, turn it off completely (counter clockwise) then when you are on a active channel , wait for the conversation to END, when you hear Static, slowly turn the Squelch until the static stops ( should be about 9 O' Clock position.)

InOverMyHead said:

Good God! Somebody help! I thought a scanner would be cool and fun. I wanted to listen to NASA, the weather, airport, and the medical helicopters (Survival Flight and AroMed). My husband though it would be cool to check out what was happening around the Big House during home games, in Ann Arbor.
It was suggested to me, that a phase 2 digital scanner/P25 would be best. I purchased a Whistler TRX-1. Neither one of us have any idea what we are doing and all of this terminology is new to us.
Putting that aside, we are not able to pick up anything we were hoping to. We may be out of range???
Can anybody recommend an antenna that we could install on the roof of our house? We are hoping this would increase the strength of the signal. We would like an antenna that can pick up everything - just like the TRX-1. Yeah, I know. We are nosy people :-/

Click to expand...

There is not much NASA to listen to, around A2. (Unless you want to listen to satellites, which if that is the case, a different radio setup would be better.) Which aspects of NASA are you wanting to monitor?

UM Survival Flight does most of their comms on their own talkgroup (TG) on MPSCS. To hear that traffic, you must be monitoring a tower that has an official radio affiliated, with that TG selected. The only towers that will always have that traffic are the Washtenaw towers. They do some scene comms on one of the two statewide landing zone TGs, which are Air LZ1 and Air LZ2. (The other medical helicopters use them, too.) Once again, that TG must be selected by an actual user's radio, on the tower you are monitoring, to hear any of that radio traffic.

The Big House uses a lot of county InterOp and statewide radio assignments, as well as some UM internal systems, for game days. There is more going on than can be reasonably monitored, so I would suggest focusing on some aspects. (Police, inside and outside the stadium complex; fire department, inside and outside the complex, EMS inside the complex; UMDPSS security personnel & parking attendants; food/catering services; ticket takers; ushers; maintenance; and others.)

What agencies are you wanting to monitor? What city/township do you live in? Anywhere else that you want to use the scanner?

Edit: to add stadium info

Sent using Tapatalk

We are in Ingham County

Thanks for all your replies. It’s helpful.

jaspence said:

I live in the AA area and with the exception of NASA, listen to all of those groups at one time or another. I use a GRE PSR 500 and RS Pro 18, both with the Whistler upgrade and also an older Pro 106. I wasn't able to PM you, but if we can get together, I can give you a copy of my code plug to get started. The Big house is often interesting listening. My scanners all use the stock antennas and I can pick up Wayne county as well.

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I can’t find the private message settings. I’ll keep looking.

PM is at the top right of every page here but you have to have I think 10 posts before the site will enable PM for you. So make some comments!

Have you used a scanner radio before?

To: rayvelcoro

Nope. I've never used a scanner before. Can you tell? LOL