Downtown Houston site and Metro PD

[cuelc001]

Hi - I have a Pro-97 from radio shack and have a few questions.
1) Why does the "site" Downtown Houston mostly come up with the truncking channels ? Although I do live close to downtown houston, every blue moon, my scanner will pick up Pasadena <Harris> as a site and then I can hear all of the other truncking channels like Deer Park, HC Pct 8, Webster, South Houston, etc...while I don't live that far away from those places, why can't I hear them under the Downtown Houston site? Isn't their home site Downtown Houston ?
2) Anyone know what happened to Metro Police ? Use to be able to hear them. Not anymore.

 

[loumaag]

First, welcome to the site!

Next, there a couple of things involved here:

1. Since you are using a Pro-97, you must be trying to monitor the TxWARN Motorola system.
   • In that regard, the downtown site, was split up a while back into 4 different sites and the power cut back. What used to site #1, no longer exists, but that set of frequencies are divided up on sites 26, 27, 28 & 29.
   • It just so happens that the main CCh frequency that was used on the old site #1 (860.2375) stayed on the new downtown site.
2. Then, as you are probably aware, there is the movement to the TxWARN P25 system taking place, which of course renders your Pro-97 useless.
   • There is a simulcast happening between the two systems; however, I think that only if there is a necessity.
   • For example (let me say this again, I think this is how it happens) if there is an analog radio affiliated with a site on the Moto system, then it will carry the same traffic that the P25 system is carrying on the appropriate "sister" channel. If there is no analog radio affiliated then the analog traffic is not mimicked.
   • That said, I am pretty sure that the MTA is moving quickly to replace all the analog radios in the fleet with digital ones, so you will hear less and less as time goes by.

Also, I am not sure if you completely understand how trucking systems work, if you do need a simple explanation, I would suggest that you take a look at our wiki article Trunking Basics.