BCT15X: Can the BCT15X Track Digital Talk Groups?

[CanesFan95]

I have a BCT15X with a discriminator tap. If it finds a digital talk group on a trunking system, will it let you hold on it so you can decode the audio with DSD+? I have a local EDACS system that is mostly analog, but there's a few ProVoice talk groups I'd like to listen to. Thanks.

 

[ChrisABQ]

I have a BCT15X and monitor the Albuquerque Mixed EDACS/Provoice system. It does hit on transmissions that are analog but not digital. As far as I know, the only 2 radios that receive Provoice are the BCD436HP (which I also have) and the BCD536HP with the update.

 

[CanesFan95]

So if the BCT15X finds a digital talk group, it won't just stay on it and let you hear the digital noise so you can decode it?

 

[ChrisABQ]

It does not stop at all. I have all channels (digital and analog) uploaded and it will only stop on analog.

 

[AA6IO]

Yes you can . I use a tapped 996XT to decode NXDN and DMR. Just enter all the digital channels or TGs into the 15X, feed the tapped discriminator output to DSD plus, and you should get good results.
This is the advantage of using a tapped scanner vs an SDR dongle. You can let the scanner scan and give alpha tags to all your digital channels/TGs. Just let DSD Plus do the decoding.

 

[marksmith]

The 996xt is a digital receiver, the 15x is NOT.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

 

[CanesFan95]

Well, I know the BCT15X is not digital capable, but does it at least stop on digital talk groups and pass through the digital hash noise so you can decode it? Yes / no?

 

[wbswetnam]

If you set the PL tone to "none", then your answer is yes. I have had my BCT15X stop on the FBI digital nationwide frequency, and I hear the hash noise through the speaker. So what you're wanting to do should work, just keep in mind that the BCT15X does not trunk track.

 

[marksmith]

If you set the PL tone to "none", then your answer is yes. I have had my BCT15X stop on the FBI digital nationwide frequency, and I hear the hash noise through the speaker. So what you're wanting to do should work, just keep in mind that the BCT15X does not trunk track.

Just as clarification. It will trunk track, it just want stop on digital talkgroups. For the purpose of this discussion, I guess that is the same as saying that it won't trunk track.

Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk

 

[wbswetnam]

Just as clarification. It will trunk track, it just want stop on digital talkgroups. For the purpose of this discussion, I guess that is the same as saying that it won't trunk track.

Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk

I thought that the BCT15X was a non-trunking scanner, analog or digital.

 

[mule1075]

The 15x is a analog trunking scanner.

Sent from my Z750C using Tapatalk

 

[CanesFan95]

If you set the PL tone to "none", then your answer is yes. I have had my BCT15X stop on the FBI digital nationwide frequency, and I hear the hash noise through the speaker. So what you're wanting to do should work, just keep in mind that the BCT15X does not trunk track.

But I actually mean talk groups on a trunking system. I want the scanner to not ignore digital talk groups even though it can't decode the digital audio. Then I can pipe that digital audio out the discriminator tap to decode it and listen, while the scanner handles tracking the talk group. This is how the GRE PSR-800 scanner works with its built-in discriminator tap.

 

[marksmith]

The 15x trunks analog systems. Mine has been following a Motorola Type 2 for years. It decodes the analog talkgroups. The digital p25 voice digital ones it ignores.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

 

[mule1075]

But I actually mean talk groups on a trunking system. I want the scanner to not ignore digital talk groups even though it can't decode the digital audio. Then I can pipe that digital audio out the discriminator tap to decode it and listen, while the scanner handles tracking the talk group. This is how the GRE PSR-800 scanner works with its built-in discriminator tap.

If that is what you want to do you are going to have tap it yourself. Their are many articles online.

Sent from my Z750C using Tapatalk

 

[wbswetnam]

If that is what you want to do you are going to have tap it yourself. Their are many articles online.

Sent from my Z750C using Tapatalk

I think the OP made it clear that his BCT15X is already tapped.

I was unaware that the BCT15X could trunk track analog. Since there are no such analog systems in my area I had no idea. So will it track digital talkgroups? THAT I don't know, now. You can certainly receive conventional for decoding purposes.

 

[CanesFan95]

Yes, I've already done the discriminator tap mod on the scanner. Well, that's a major bummer if Uniden intentionally designed it to not stop and track digital talk groups. Why on earth would they do that instead of at least giving us the option to turn that feature on or off? And how does the scanner "know" a talk group is digital?

 

[mciupa]

I thought I would give it a try as I have a tapped BCT15X.

The scanner was programmed with a MOT system as I wanted to try and trunktrack a 3600 baud P25 system.
It sat on the control channel and scrolled ID SEARCH forever.

If you go to the frequencies other than the control channel, you get beautiful P25 Phase I audio. The talkgroups show up on DSD+ in HEX on what ever frequency it stops on, so keep your computer calculator handy.

Program the system without the control channel and it may work.

I use this scanner for conventional DMR and NXDN monitoring.

 

[CanesFan95]

Well, that would work conventionally, but no talk group following. Just out of curosity, what does your waveform look like on DSD+ DMR during a voice call? Mine is almost flat.

 

[mciupa]

Well, that would work conventionally, but no talk group following. Just out of curosity, what does your waveform look like on DSD+ DMR during a voice call? Mine is almost flat.

Same as yours, almost like a snake slithering along the ground.
Static makes it look like a lie detector gone wild.

 

[wbswetnam]

What I'd like to know is, why does Uniden make a solder post or a solder pad and mark it "disc out", but not go ahead and run a jumper wire to an 1/8" mini jack and make it convenient? How much trouble could that be for their engineering dept? Also in the programming software if they could make a volume offset for 100% muted so that if the scanner lands on a conventional channel or talkgroup, it would rest and monitor that channel but produce no audio output. This way folks running DSD+ on the computer could decode and listen to it without hearing "BRRAAAAAAAKKK!" simultaneously from the scanner's speaker.