Unable to receive anything on Pearland, TX Frequencies

[acedzero]

Within the last few days I have stopped receiving anything for Pearland frequencies. I have a Uniden BC396T. I'm not sure what happened?

Using ARC396 Pro, I redownloaded the data I have and sent it to the scanner again... no dice.

Did something change? I'm kind of at a loss here...

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by acedzero

Within the last few days I have stopped receiving anything for Pearland frequencies. I have a Uniden BC396T. I'm not sure what happened?

Using ARC396 Pro, I redownloaded the data I have and sent it to the scanner again... no dice.

Did something change? I'm kind of at a loss here...

I believe that the TxWarn (analog) sites in that county (Brazoria) recently rebanded.

Make sure that you have the latest firmware in your 396T, to support rebanded systems. To check which version you have:
Press Menu (the bottom button on the left side)
Scroll to Settings (it's the last item, so you can get to it quicker by scrolling 'up' instead of down)
Press "E" after selecting 'Settings'.
Now, at this menu, scroll to "See Scanner Info" (again, it's the last item, so either scroll down to it, or just scroll up to get there more quickly)
Press "E" after selecting "See Scanner Settings"
Now, at the next menu, select "Firmware Version" and press "E"

Your firmware version must be at 3.00.00 to support rebanded systems. The most recent firmware is 3.02.02. If you need to upgrade, see this page.

If you have the latest firmware, make sure your software shows the site as rebanded. I just tried an import with ARC396Pro and it is not tagging the sites as reband, so the custom tables are not being used. You can manually change the site to rebanded, in the software, once you verify that you have the new frequencies. (FreeScan is importing them correctly as "rebanded", with the custom tables.)

[wwiii]

I have the same problem. I have Radio Shack PRO 2055 plus 2 other Radio Shack scanners. I could use some help as well.

[wwiii]

Looks like rebanding is my new favorite 4 letter word. I am planning on going and getting a PRO 163 next week. Do I just program in the same freqs and id's that I have in my old scanner or is there some new magic that I need to learn?

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by wwiii

Looks like rebanding is my new favorite 4 letter word. I am planning on going and getting a PRO 163 next week. Do I just program in the same freqs and id's that I have in my old scanner or is there some new magic that I need to learn?

wwiii,

For you, the process is not going to work, unfortunately. The Pro-2055, as you apparently know (since you are getting a Pro-163), will not work on rebanded Motorola Type 2 systems, unless the frequencies fall in a very specific pattern. That's not the case with the Brazoria County sites (not in the pattern required), so the scanner will no longer trunk track the system correctly, even with the new frequencies entered.

However, the Pro-163 will indeed work on a rebanded system. You will need the firmware to be current, and from what I've seen posted you also will have to use software to enter the custom tables for a rebanded system. (I don't own a Pro-163 or the handheld Pro-164, so I'm going by what others have said, that the tables cannot be simply entered from the keypad.)You can see how to check the current firmware by checking the 163's Wiki page.It should be 1.06 or higher. The most recent appears to be 1.08. You can find more information on entering the custom tables via software here.

[wwiii]

Originally Posted by hiegtx

wwiii,

For you, the process is not going to work, unfortunately. The Pro-2055, as you apparently know (since you are getting a Pro-163), will not work on rebanded Motorola Type 2 systems, unless the frequencies fall in a very specific pattern. That's not the case with the Brazoria County sites (not in the pattern required), so the scanner will no longer trunk track the system correctly, even with the new frequencies entered.

However, the Pro-163 will indeed work on a rebanded system. You will need the firmware to be current, and from what I've seen posted you also will have to use software to enter the custom tables for a rebanded system. (I don't own a Pro-163 or the handheld Pro-164, so I'm going by what others have said, that the tables cannot be simply entered from the keypad.)You can see how to check the current firmware by checking the 163's Wiki page.It should be 1.06 or higher. The most recent appears to be 1.08. You can find more information on entering the custom tables via software here.

Just to make sure I got this straight. I will need to buy:

1) a new scanner (pro-163) selling for $150.00 thru 12-10-2011 (the cheapest that I have found for any rebanding scanner)

2) a programming cable $30.00

3) a scanner program $30.00 ( i do see the free 30 day demo)

4) become a premium member $15.00 (the only part that I do not mind about this ordeal)

and then pray that I can figure out how to program this thing just so that I can hear Pearland and Brazoria county Police.

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by wwiii

Just to make sure I got this straight. I will need to buy:

1) a new scanner (pro-163) selling for $150.00 thru 12-10-2011 (the cheapest that I have found for any rebanding scanner)

2) a programming cable $30.00

3) a scanner program $30.00 ( i do see the free 30 day demo)

4) become a premium member $15.00 (the only part that I do not mind about this ordeal)

and then pray that I can figure out how to program this thing just so that I can hear Pearland and Brazoria county Police.

You do need a rebandable scanner. While not a 'base/mobile', the Pro-107 would also take care of everything (no extra cable or software needed), and is also on sale till 12/10, for $130.00. (You would need to buy rechargeable batteries, and might also want a USB charger.) As the entire database is loaded in the scanner (you do update that weekly via the computer), you simply choose the systems you want to monitor. No other programming software required, and no premium membership for the software updates for that scanner. The GRE PSR-700 is basically the same scanner as the Pro-107 (GRE makes the 107 for The Shack), although it does have some additional features. It's currently $179.95 @ ScannerMaster.

For the 163, Win97 software is $25.00, with lifetime updates. PSREdit300 is $20.00, also lifetime updates. Both have the 30 day demo period.

The cable is required. I know on the digital scanners, Radio Shack has been selling the cable at 50% off, if purchased at the same time as the scanner. Not sure if that applies with the Pro-163, but would not hurt to ask.

Premium subscriber membership is not required, but would make it quicker & easier to simply download the system into software and then, after any desired tweaking to text tags, send it to the scanner. You can enter the details into the software via the pc keyboard, then upload to the scanner (that's why you need the cable, to load the system frequencies and talkgroups, and especially the rebanding tables). Besides programming, you'll need the cable for any firmware updates.

The 'Easier to Read' manual may help you with the 163. It's basically a rebandable followup model to your Pro-2055, so there's a lot of similarity.

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by wwiii

Just to make sure I got this straight. I will need to buy:

1) a new scanner (pro-163) selling for $150.00 thru 12-10-2011 (the cheapest that I have found for any rebanding scanner)

2) a programming cable $30.00

3) a scanner program $30.00 ( i do see the free 30 day demo)

and then pray that I can figure out how to program this thing just so that I can hear Pearland and Brazoria county Police.

I should have added this:
If you have the Pro-163, the cable, and the software (Win97, PSREdit300 or ARC300), then what you can do is:
Use the cable and software "read" your current configuration in the Pro-2055 into the software.
Use the software to edit the control channel frequencies as needed to the new settings.
Then, using the rebanding instructions found on this page in the Wiki, use the software to modify the system to enter and use the custom tables required for a rebanded system. (It's slightly different for each software program, but any of the three can do it without requiring that you become a premium subscriber, and re-import from scratch.) Long term, if & when Brazoria switches to the TxWARN P25 system, you probably would want a premium subscription, to import the system into a digital scanner.

Once you have the programming, imported from your Pro-2055, updated correctly in the software, then disconnect the cable from the 2055, and connect it to the Pro-163 & upload to that scanner. You should be ready to go.

[wwiii]

Originally Posted by hiegtx

I should have added this:
If you have the Pro-163, the cable, and the software (Win97, PSREdit300 or ARC300), then what you can do is:
Use the cable and software "read" your current configuration in the Pro-2055 into the software.
Use the software to edit the control channel frequencies as needed to the new settings.
Then, using the rebanding instructions found on this page in the Wiki, use the software to modify the system to enter and use the custom tables required for a rebanded system. (It's slightly different for each software program, but any of the three can do it without requiring that you become a premium subscriber, and re-import from scratch.) Long term, if & when Brazoria switches to the TxWARN P25 system, you probably would want a premium subscription, to import the system into a digital scanner.

Once you have the programming, imported from your Pro-2055, updated correctly in the software, then disconnect the cable from the 2055, and connect it to the Pro-163 & upload to that scanner. You should be ready to go.

Thanks for your great replies. As for now I have ordered the 107, could not find one is stock nearby. This will give me a few days to read the forums and get ready before I start finger di**ing with the scanner. Since I am the 'go to guy' with my friendly competitors in the area, this seem like a great solution to our needs, and I am guessing once I get the scanner set up the way I want I can copy the sd card and use it in any pro-107. There are about 5 of us that use scanners in this area for work.

[cchristopher143vfd]

I have a bct8 i spent 4 hours doing all the firmware updates and all the program downloads and still can not trunk track on their site the talk groups lock in and show up but no audio i am having to use the alvin/dickenson site to scan or hear anything in brazoria county is there somthing wron with thier site??????????? i followed step by step doing the reseting of the smart system2 custom and set plan 1 and 2

[shadexlee]

I am having a similar problem that I no longer can get the audio for the Pearland, TX frequencies on my Radio Shack Pro-106. I also tried updating the firmware to 1.9 and have tried reloading the frequencies numerous times. The scanner indicates that it is getting the truncking control signal, and it does scan an stop on the channels when in use, however "no audio". I checked the RadioReference website and I can hear the audio there. Not sure what is causing this problem and it seems to have started around mid-Decemember. Any suggestions will be greately appreciated.

Regards,
Russell

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by shadexlee

I am having a similar problem that I no longer can get the audio for the Pearland, TX frequencies on my Radio Shack Pro-106. I also tried updating the firmware to 1.9 and have tried reloading the frequencies numerous times. The scanner indicates that it is getting the truncking control signal, and it does scan an stop on the channels when in use, however "no audio". I checked the RadioReference website and I can hear the audio there. Not sure what is causing this problem and it seems to have started around mid-Decemember. Any suggestions will be greately appreciated.

Regards,
Russell

Welcome to the Texas Forum, Russell

You have the latest firmware in the scanner.
And, you have also entered the new frequencies for the rebanded site, correct?

However, you must also set the system (in the scanner) to use the custom tables required for rebanding. More on rebanding, in general, is here. If you are using software to program the scanner, such as ARC500, PSREdit500, or Win500, see this article in the Wiki. Instructions on how to reset the system to use the required custom tables is near the bottom of the page.

If not using software, see this page.

Note: Remember that if you did use software to enter the custom tables, you must also tell the scanner to use them. This last step has been overlooked in many cases. The tables were entered, but the table setting (for the system) was left at "Default" instead of "Custom".

[shadexlee]

Thank you so much for the addtional information, I was able to solve my problem

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by shadexlee

Thank you so much for the addtional information, I was able to solve my problem

You're welcome. Enjoy the scanner.

[thinshavings]

Originally Posted by cchristopher143vfd

I have a bct8 i spent 4 hours doing all the firmware updates and all the program downloads and still can not trunk track on their site the talk groups lock in and show up but no audio i am having to use the alvin/dickenson site to scan or hear anything in brazoria county is there somthing wron with thier site??????????? i followed step by step doing the reseting of the smart system2 custom and set plan 1 and 2

You need to set the rebanded tables, I also have the bct8 and listen to the Pearland Starnet or TxWarn site.
There were instructions with the new firmware to set the tables manually.