Austin TX - Not sure what I did wrong

[Tim-in-TX]

Went to Austin last weekend. Before I left for the trip I used Sentinel and created a couple Favorites Lists for Austin PD & Travis County SO and loaded up the ol' BCD436.

The problem is that I didn't hear a peep out of either department. However, my Pro96 had no problem receiving both departments. Both scanners use the same model antenna, so I ruled that out a possible cause.

So I am pretty sure that it was something I did/didn't do when programming. Could it have been that I only set the Central Austin site with just the control channel?

Any ideas?

 

[hiegtx]

Went to Austin last weekend. Before I left for the trip I used Sentinel and created a couple Favorites Lists for Austin PD & Travis County SO and loaded up the ol' BCD436.

The problem is that I didn't hear a peep out of either department. However, my Pro96 had no problem receiving both departments. Both scanners use the same model antenna, so I ruled that out a possible cause.

So I am pretty sure that it was something I did/didn't do when programming. Could it have been that I only set the Central Austin site with just the control channel?

Any ideas?

Tim,

When you set up your "Austin" list, did you have it set to use Location Control? (You can see that in the Profile Editor in Sentinel, or on the scanner under: Menu->Manage Favorites->(Select List)->Use Location Control.)

If that was set to "On", but you did not change the scanner's location, then it did not turn those sites/departments/TGID's 'On', because it was still set as your home area.

Programming using only control channels should not have made any difference at all, assuming you had the correct ones entered. I suspect you did, since you also set up your Pro-96, presumably only entering the control channel frequencies.

Did you create the Austin/Travis area Favorites lists manually? Or by appending from the main database?

If it still has you puzzled, export them to *.hpe files * post them, so that someone can take a look. Usually, it's something simple that got overlooked. I've done that to myself a number of times, then go back over it & spot what I omitted or entered wrong.

 

[Tim-in-TX]

Did you create the Austin/Travis area Favorites lists manually? Or by appending from the main database?

I updated the database in Sentinel and created the Favorite the day before I left.

When you set up your "Austin" list, did you have it set to use Location Control? (You can see that in the Profile Editor in Sentinel, or on the scanner under: Menu->Manage Favorites->(Select List)->Use Location Control.)

If that was set to "On", but you did not change the scanner's location, then it did not turn those sites/departments/TGID's 'On', because it was still set as your home area.

I suspect that this may have been the problem. I don't remember creating it, but there was one "profile" listed under the Location Settings tab. This would explain why both the Austin PD Favorite and the Travis County SO Favorite had no activity whatsoever.

If it still has you puzzled, export them to *.hpe files * post them, so that someone can take a look. Usually, it's something simple that got overlooked. I've done that to myself a number of times, then go back over it & spot what I omitted or entered wrong.

How does one post a file? When I click the Attachment button, it does not list a .hpe file as an attachment compatible extension.

 

[hiegtx]

I updated the database in Sentinel and created the Favorite the day before I left.

That pretty much eliminates a programming error, as far as the site frequencies & talkgroup ID's

I suspect that this may have been the problem. I don't remember creating it, but there was one "profile" listed under the Location Settings tab. This would explain why both the Austin PD Favorite and the Travis County SO Favorite had no activity whatsoever.

Yep, the location setting is easy to overlook. Except for a list that I intend to use along with my GPS puck, I turn location control off for all my Favorites lists.

How does one post a file? When I click the Attachment button, it does not list a .hpe file as an attachment compatible extension.

The *.hpe file extension is not an approved file type for attachment on the problem. But there's a couple of easy work-a-rounds.

Let's say you exported the list as 'Austin.hpe' (obviously, without the quotes). To attach it here on the forum, you can simply rename it temporarily, to either Austin.hpe.txt, or just Austin.txt, with a comment to change the file extention in order to access in Sentinel. Whoever is going to take a look can just save it, then rename to restore the *.hpe file extension so that it can be imported in Sentinel.

The other way is to 'zip' (compress) the Austin.hpe file to Austin.zip. You can do that with WinZip or 7-Zip, among other programs. Whoever is going to look at it downloads the file to save on their pc, then uses a compatible program to un-zip it back to Austin.hpe. Then it can be imported into Sentinel and viewed.

 

[W8RMH]

Did you try scanning the from the database?

 

[Tim-in-TX]

The *.hpe file extension is not an approved file type for attachment on the problem. But there's a couple of easy work-a-rounds.

Let's say you exported the list as 'Austin.hpe' (obviously, without the quotes). To attach it here on the forum, you can simply rename it temporarily, to either Austin.hpe.txt, or just Austin.txt, with a comment to change the file extention in order to access in Sentinel. Whoever is going to take a look can just save it, then rename to restore the *.hpe file extension so that it can be imported in Sentinel.

Geeze! Why is it the easiest, and quite often the most obvious, solution is often the hardest to recognize. File is attached.

Did you try scanning the from the database?

I did not have much time for trouble shooting on-the-fly. And since the Pro 96 was doing it's job fairly well, I saw little reason to worry about it too much at the time. Besides, I was in Austin for my birthday, so I was kept pretty busy (got to see the 90 year old Tony Bennett in consert!). That is why I had to wait until I got back home to post my dilemma. The big problem with that is, after I make my tweaks and changes to the programming, I will not know if I did it correctly until the next time I go to Austin...probably another four or five months away...ugh.

 

[hiegtx]

Geeze! Why is it the easiest, and quite often the most obvious, solution is often the hardest to recognize. File is attached.

I did not have much time for trouble shooting on-the-fly. And since the Pro 96 was doing it's job fairly well, I saw little reason to worry about it too much at the time. Besides, I was in Austin for my birthday, so I was kept pretty busy (got to see the 90 year old Tony Bennett in consert!). That is why I had to wait until I got back home to post my dilemma. The big problem with that is, after I make my tweaks and changes to the programming, I will not know if I did it correctly until the next time I go to Austin...probably another four or five months away...ugh.

Looking at your Austin file, I see a couple of things.

First, you have two sites in there- Central Austin, and Simulcast 1. However, for each of those, you only have the one listed primary control channel frequency. I always include both the primary control channel, as well as any identified alternates. If no alternates are identified, I include all of them. While some systems almost never change control channels, others do on a scheduled basis, and, of course, if the equipment for the primary is down for maintenance, then an alternate is used. For the HarrisP25 systems, I've seen comments that those may use any system frequency as the control. In those cases, I include all known frequencies for the site(s).

The second thing, which may be why you had no reception, is that the Simulcast 1 site in your file is set to "Avoid" (locked out). That could have been because of the location issue that was discussed earlier in this thread. If location was "on", but the scanner's location was still Houston Metro, the site would not have scanned. However, since the Central Austin site, with basically similar location information, is not Avoided, so Simulcast may have accidentally got flipped somewhere along the line. Simulcast 1 has all the Austin Public Safety on it, so with that site out of the scan sequence, you would not hear them.

The file I've attached is your file, with a couple of changes. First, I added all the system frequencies for both sites. Second, I removed the 'Avoid' from Simulcast 1. Just save the file, then remove the 'txt' from the end and you'll be able to import it into Sentinel to view.

 

[Tim-in-TX]

Thanks for the help!

First, you have two sites in there- Central Austin, and Simulcast 1. However, for each of those, you only have the one listed primary control channel frequency. I always include both the primary control channel, as well as any identified alternates. If no alternates are identified, I include all of them.

The second thing, which may be why you had no reception, is that the Simulcast 1 site in your file is set to "Avoid" (locked out).

It was my understanding that, on some systems, if you have more than one site programed, then they can interfere with each other. That is why I had only the two programmed, with one "Avoided". That way if I did not have much luck with one site, then I could switch sites and try the other.

While some systems almost never change control channels, others do on a scheduled basis, and, of course, if the equipment for the primary is down for maintenance, then an alternate is used.

That never occurred to me before as a possibility. Good to know.

For the HarrisP25 systems, I've seen comments that those may use any system frequency as the control. In those cases, I include all known frequencies for the site(s).

Had not heard that before. Also good to know.