Can't figure out trunking on my local PD

Status
Not open for further replies.

J-WeB

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bay County, FL
I have the radioshack pro-163. I want to be able to receive Lynn Haven, Florida PD. I programmed the frequencies their website said, but it mentioned nothing about if they used trunking or whatnot. When I manually look at the channel it is showing me talk group id's, but I cannot hear anything. I can't figure out what is going on... I've programmed Panama City, Panama City Beach, and Bay County with no problems whatsoever. Please help!
 

J-WeB

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bay County, FL
Shouldn't I be able to receive it if it is the city I am in? These are the cops that patrol my area... Not sure where their base is, but it can't be more than 5 miles. I think Lynn Haven is only about 5 square miles. I can get the beach police department and it is about 10-15 miles away.

I have it programmed for MO (motorola system), and it is showing talk group ID's pop up every now and then. So doesn't that mean it is supposed to be set to motorola trunking?
 

kma371

QRT
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,204
Shouldn't I be able to receive it if it is the city I am in? These are the cops that patrol my area... Not sure where their base is, but it can't be more than 5 miles. I think Lynn Haven is only about 5 square miles. I can get the beach police department and it is about 10-15 miles away.

I have it programmed for MO (motorola system), and it is showing talk group ID's pop up every now and then. So doesn't that mean it is supposed to be set to motorola trunking?

Nope, as I said before, program it in conventional mode. It's not a trunked sytsem.

What freq are you using to listen?
 

J-WeB

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bay County, FL
When I programmed it in it automatically changed the frequency from 460.1125 to 460.1025. I just set it to monitor only that frequency and it just picked something up. It was only brief and couldn't tell who it was. It's been about 5 minutes and no more transmission received.

I found this page....
The City of Lynn Haven, Florida

Should I program all of those into conventional? By conventional do you mean FM, AM, or what?

EDIT: Just read that it is operated via a computer dispatch system. Doesn't that mean it is trunking?
 
Last edited:

kma371

QRT
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,204
Make sure you scanner step for that band is 12.5. The frequency should work after u do that.

Conventional means not trunked. I REPEAT, not trunked.

Mode is FM

"Computer Aided Dispatch" means they use a computer program to send/track calls to the officers computers in the cars. They still use radios to communicate. Again. Not trunked.

Refer to your manual if you need help on programming.

Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

J-WeB

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bay County, FL
How do I program the step size through the unit itself? I don't have a cable to hook it to the computer, and can't find any info on programming the step size manually.

EDIT: I got it programmed. It still isn't picking much up at all. I know there are always Lynn Haven cops around, I see them drive by all the time in my apartment complex. Could it be the standard scanner antenna isn't good for picking up the signal?
 
Last edited:

sjcscanner

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
511
EDIT: I got it programmed. It still isn't picking much up at all. I know there are always Lynn Haven cops around, I see them drive by all the time in my apartment complex. Could it be the standard scanner antenna isn't good for picking up the signal?

That could be it, or it could be that there just isn't much to pick up. I'm not at all familiar with Lynn Haven, how big it is or how much crime is there. But if it is small and has not so much crime you won't hear much traffic, obviously. If this is the case then you could eventually program in Bay County, and you would likely hear much more. (Note: Bay county has a completely seperate radio system from Lynn Haven, and the county is on a trunking system.)

Are the transmission that you do pick up easy to hear or are they choppy/filled with static?
 

J-WeB

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bay County, FL
I am picking up a lot of traffic with Bay County, Panama City, and Panama City Beach police. They are all for the most part crystal clear like I had one of their radios. If I hear static, the dispatch usually tells the person to repeat because they hear the static too. That happened 2-3 times yesterday. Transmissions from Lynn Haven, when I do get them, have more static than the others.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top