Complete Noob Needs Help

[chevyrulzs2010]

Hello,

So I am learning that i know nothing about the scanning hobby. Now with all the different systems i am getting more and more confused. I can scan your typical VHF system. I have a BC246T and I just learned that I am capable of scanning EDACS and RACOM systems. So I live in Council Bluffs right now, and they have switched to some 800 mhz system. But i will be moving to Des Moines in about three weeks. Can anyone tell me if my scanner will work in either area. From the data base it looks like most of Polk County is just a VHF system. But i have been reading they are also on the racom system. How exactly do i program the racom system? Im extreamly confused now and would appreciate any help.

 

[Radioman96p71]

The Polk County Sheriff and most of the suburbs are on RACOM, Des Moines PD is 460 Mhz conventional. There are some good tutorials both here and in the Scanning forum for getting started with EDACS. A read thru the manual first always helped me, then if you had any more questions we can go from there

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

So am i correct that i am able to scan racom with the bc246t? I think i finally figured out how to program the EDACS system.

 

[Radioman96p71]

Yep, everything but the digital voice stuff. But you can program in everything in the RRDb for Polk County.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

Yep, everything but the digital voice stuff. But you can program in everything in the RRDb for Polk County.

Sweet, thanks for your help. Now when im programing EDACS it asks me if its wide band narrow band or Scat. But if i program wide and narrow it asks me for a LCN. Now looking at the DB for the midwest EDACS system it doesnt give LCN numbers. So is it the scat option or how to i find the LCN? Currently I have no way to enter TGIDs it just searches for them.

 

[Radioman96p71]

EDACS Wide is RACOM, the LCNs are listed for each site in the DB. There can be up to 24 and they much be put in in the correct order. i.e. LCN 1 goes in channel 1, LCN 2 in channel 2 (or the first channel in that bank, like 51 or 101) Even if the LCN is blank you have to skip that channel.

 

[Highpockets]

Sweet, thanks for your help. Now when im programing EDACS it asks me if its wide band narrow band or Scat. But if i program wide and narrow it asks me for a LCN. Now looking at the DB for the midwest EDACS system it doesnt give LCN numbers. So is it the scat option or how to i find the LCN? Currently I have no way to enter TGIDs it just searches for them.

If the info in the RR database is correct, on a Edacs system, the little number in front of each freq's listed is the LCN. You could have freq's enter in LCN 1-2-3-4-5 also others 2-5-8-11 (little number) that would be the channel you put that freq in for each site your programming in.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

So, if im following you, for me to program the Racom system in my scanner im going to create a new system, choose EDACS Wide, and under bank 1 i will program channel 1 as 861.2625, bank 2 channel 1 as 862.2625, bank 3 channel 1 as 863.2625, bank 4 channel 1 as 864.2625 ect... or do i program it as bank 1 channel 1 as 861.2625, channel 2 as 862.2625, channel 3 as 863.2625, channel 4 as 864.2625 ect....

this is the information i am using

Site Hex Name
1101 44D Des Moines [Polk IA] 01 861.26250c 02 862.26250c 03 863.26250 04 864.26250 05 865.26250 06 861.58750 07 862.58750
08 863.58750 09 864.58750 10 865.58750

 

[Radioman96p71]

exactly, and then scan the system in search mode as you dont have any talkgroups programmed. If you need further help, dont hesitate to PM me.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

exactly, and then scan the system in search mode as you dont have any talkgroups programmed. If you need further help, dont hesitate to PM me.

wait, exactly to the first way or the second way? I should have been more clear, so they all go in the same bank or seperate banks?

EDIT

Ok i just went in and programed a new system. I am going to tell you exactly what i did. Please let me know if i did anything wrong.

1. I added a new system
2. Selected EDAC
3. Selected Wide
4. Selected Set Frequencies
5. Selected New Frequency
6. Added 861.2625
7. Set the LCN to 1
8. (repeated steps 6 and 7 for the 9 remaining freqencies)
9. Set to ID Search
10. Set to System 1

I believe this should be how you program it, i hope i did it right. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Radioman96p71]

LOL, should have clarified, the second way. All the LCNs go in the same bank. Channel 1 = LCN 1, Channel 2 = LCN 2 etc. All in the same bank, whether it be bank 1, 2, 3 whatever you pick.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

LOL, should have clarified, the second way. All the LCNs go in the same bank. Channel 1 = LCN 1, Channel 2 = LCN 2 etc. All in the same bank, whether it be bank 1, 2, 3 whatever you pick.

Ok so then i did everything right. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all of your help. But i do have another question. The Medivac listed TGIDs, can they be heard system wide or do the TGIDs have to be put in a particular system? I assume they can be heard on any system in any county when they are with in radio range. But i figure i should ask to be sure.

 

[Radioman96p71]

for the medivac gids, you are pretty safe to assume they will be on most towers. Especially the Des Moines site. Only because that GID seems to be forced to every site because of the wide-area roaming nature of the helicopters.

As for other GIDs, like local PD and county stuff, you will usually only find them on the sites in the immediate area, the exception being if a user roams to another location, it will take that GID with it on each tower it signs into.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

for the medivac gids, you are pretty safe to assume they will be on most towers. Especially the Des Moines site. Only because that GID seems to be forced to every site because of the wide-area roaming nature of the helicopters.

As for other GIDs, like local PD and county stuff, you will usually only find them on the sites in the immediate area, the exception being if a user roams to another location, it will take that GID with it on each tower it signs into.

Thats what i figured but i wasnt 100% sure. I just got my scanner about 50% programmed. I have it set up as follows

System 1 - Polk County Racom
System 2 - West Des Moines Racom
System 3 - Warren County Conventional
System 4 - EMPTY
System 5 - EMPTY
System 6 - EMPTY
System 7 - Sioux City 1
System 8 - Sioux City 2
System 9 - Omaha West
System 0 - Omaha East

now i know that i wont be able to hear sioux city or omaha from polk county, but i do commonly travel to these areas so i wanted to program them in. Do you have any ideas what i can fill system 4 5 and 6 with? I believe state patrol is digital so i wont be able to hear them. Im open to any ideas. I cant wait until i move to the des moines area so i can try this out. I currently am scanning the omaha west and east system and have been able to retrieve TGID 14-136 which is Aircare 1 dispatch. Is it possible i am hearing desmoines broadcasts from Omaha? Also i have picked up some interesting stuff with the TGID 07-153 on omaha east (which is also the same frequencies as polk county) in which i hear someone dialing a number, and a phone ringing. Am i picking up cell phone signals or what would this be?

 

[Radioman96p71]

you need to program in Pleasant Hill also, thats going to be much more active than West Des Moines site.

Yes its possible to hear talkgroups from all over the system, if there is a radio affiliated on that talkgroup it will go to that site.

The dialing you heard was RACOM techs using the autopatch, very rare that they use it.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

you need to program in Pleasant Hill also, thats going to be much more active than West Des Moines site.

Yes its possible to hear talkgroups from all over the system, if there is a radio affiliated on that talkgroup it will go to that site.

The dialing you heard was RACOM techs using the autopatch, very rare that they use it.

So replace West Des Moines with Pleasant Hill? or should i just make that system 4? Also i did some more research on ISP and it sounds as if they are on the VHF system, so i may make an entire state system. This is what im looking at programing -> Department of Public Safety Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

So adding state and pleasant hill fills 2 of my 3 empty systems. Anything else?

 

[Radioman96p71]

depends on where you plan on traveling.

That looks good for the Iowa State Patrol, look in another post here to see a long-winded thread about the best way to program it in. I think it was called "I-80 thru Iowa Strategy".

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

depends on where you plan on traveling.

That looks good for the Iowa State Patrol, look in another post here to see a long-winded thread about the best way to program it in. I think it was called "I-80 thru Iowa Strategy".

Thats where i found that link actually, but i think im just programing into the same bank? OR atleast the same system with each district (zone whatever you call it) as its own bank.

Now to actually program system 3, 4, and 5. God i wish my laptop had a serial port so i could use my computer to program it, this kinda sucks.

 

[Radioman96p71]

Yea the manual programming definitely sucks.

Keep in mind that trunked banks cannot have conventional freqs also, or it will cause the scanner to dump the trunked system to keep checking the conventional channels, causing you to miss traffic.

 

[chevyrulzs2010]

correct, but is isp trunked? I thought they were completely conventional

EDIT

Ok, now i get to put on the dunce cap. I have a desktop that has a serial port on it, so i can program my scanner from there. The question is there a good, and EASY TO USE free software for me to download.

Also i just remembered i want the des moines UHF. And now i found westcom in there too. I can not program a uhf system and a mot 2 system together in the same bank can i?
Current Plan

1. Polk Racom
2. West Des Moines Racom
3. Warren Co Conventional
4. Pleasant Hill Racom
5. State Patrol
6. Polk County UHF
7. Sioux City 1
8. Sioux City 2
9. Omaha West
0. Omaha East

Fixed Plan

1. Polk Racom
2. West Des Moines Racom
3. Pleasant Hill Racom
4. Warren Co Conventional
5. State Patrol
6. Des Moines UHF
7. Des Moines Westcom
8. Empty
9. Empty
0. Empty
(systems with out hotkeys)
Omaha East
Omaha West
Sioux City 1
Sioux City 2