Cannot Receiver LTR IDs on Uniden/Bearcat Scanners

[ScannerHam]

In monitoring some 800 MHz LTR systems, I have noticed that my Uniden/Bearcat BC996T and BC898 do not pickup any LTR IDs on these frequencies. My Radio Shack PRO-92 does pickup IDs. I believe I have both scanners programmed correctly, it just seems that I cannot see the IDs. The frequencies are 854.7875, 855.3125, and 859.3875. They are all standard 800 MHz repeaters, not trunked. I have heard school buses/vans on the 854 MHz frequency, the same on the 855 MHz frequency plus a few other businesses, but nothing on the 859 MHz frequency. The repeaters are located on Nobscott Hill in the Framingham/Sudbury MA area.

Interestingly enough on another LTR repeater on VHF hi band 152.100R/158.560 in, I receive the LTR IDs on the repeater output, but no IDs on the LTR input with the Bearcat scanners. Yet the Radio Shack PRO-92 receives IDs on both the input and output.

Has anyone else encountered any issues with receiving LTR IDs such as this ?

.......
Thanks

Ed in Massachusetts

 

[MNRotrMedic]

The 2 bearcat units need the channels programmed in the correct prder or they won't know what to do with themselves. The PRO-92 doesn't have this hang up. What system(s) are you trying to monitor. Having that bit of information makes it easier for some of us to talk you through it.

 

[ScannerHam]

They are 800 MHz business repeaters that are not trunked, but use LTR IDs instead of PLs for each business/user. I had never heard of this type of operation, until the local school bus company (First Student) started using a VHF Hi band repeater last fall. The repeater has multiple school districts using it, each school district uses an LTR ID for their buses rather than a PL tone.

Even though these 800 MHz repeaters are not trunked, is there any order I need to program them into the Uniden/Bearcat scanners ? I have them programmed as trunked LTR and no IDs are displayed. Maybe they have to be programmed differently as they are not trunked repeaters ?

.......
Thanks

Ed in Massachusetts

 

[cg]

I would guess if they are using LTR IDs, then it is essentially a single channel LTR system and needs to be programmed as trunked. I believe the GRE scanners show LTR IDs whenever they encounter them even when not programmed as such.

chris

 

[triryche]

The second two digits of the LTR ID are the LCN # or "Channel number" that the corresponding ID is using. For instance.. 004125 Would be 0-04-125. The LCN you would use would be 04 or 4 and the TG ID is 125. So an older scanner such as a BC-780 would need that frequency progammed in channel #4 of the scanner bank or a newer scanner such as the BC-396 would simply be LCN#4 in the LTR programming set-up for the system. On certain Radio Shack model scanners capable of LTR ID's, this is not neccesary in "open" mode.

If there are LTR ID's showing for these frequencies then YES, it IS trunked and the other frequencies also have an LCN that needs to be determined. This is done a in a couple of ways. One is by using two scanners and programming the same frequency into every LCN possible while monitoring that same frequency on another scanner in conventional mode for activty. The proper LCN or channel # will be the only one that will recieve the transmission in trunked mode.

The first frequency in LCN order is the primary used on the system and if available will always be the first occupied when a user keys up. The second frequency will become active if the first is busy and so on and so on...

 

[frankh]

an easy way to determine the lcn numbering is to program the frequency into the 1st 20 channels of a bank with lt trunking enabled, when a transmission pops up you'll have the right lcn number. Just repeat with each frequency. Happy monitoring