Fairfax County

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cpohlad

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Was about to program a friends Pro-96 but noticed there is a Project 25 listing and a Project 16 listing. Any idea which one is currently in use?
 

rnehls

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They are both in use. Depending on what you want to hear will dictate the system. If you are interested in public safety, stick with the Project 25 system. For everything else, it is the Project 16 system.
 

fredva

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And because there is a good chance it will be a follow-on question, your friend shouldn't be surprised if the reception on the P-25 system is often garbled. I recommend searching this forum for additional information on Fairfax's P25 simulcast system.
 
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Just wondering..new here..When you run into a Project 25 and/or 16...how exactly is the frequency to be inputted into the scanner? I actually have a crappy scanner from Radio Shack...I am from Winchester and seem to be only getting one of the frequencies to work...
 

brownlab

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Just wondering..new here..When you run into a Project 25 and/or 16...how exactly is the frequency to be inputted into the scanner? I actually have a crappy scanner from Radio Shack...I am from Winchester and seem to be only getting one of the frequencies to work...

Don’t know what kind of RS scanner you have however I am guessing that it is not a digital one and that is what you will need in order to monitor Fairfax County or just about any other jurisdiction in Northern VA. Digital Scanners are expensive but if you are interested, I would look for a used one on eBay. If you have any questions about any one particular model, post it before you buy.
 
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Appreciate the feedback...this is actually a portable from Radio Shack; though a few years old..It is actually Cat.No.20-135. I have tried quite a few frequencies that seem to work for others; yet I cannot seem to get this scanner to work.. I can get Winchester Police Department...that seems to work great; yet I cannot get Frederick Sheriff or VSP....Guess I need to invest in a better scanner...Merry Christmas..should have added one to my list this year!!
 

BushDoctor

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I get frederick county better then winchester

On my PRO96 in strasburg I get Frederick county155.01 155.55, better then winchester 159.21 the only state site i dont get local is madison- fork mtn. i get fred county pinacle,hog back ,independant hill,Mt weather,harrisonburg when i get down toward new market mm 269,thornburg but on 460 i get augusta on 460.4 and F460.55 and rockingham simulcast on 460.625
 

mikev

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Appreciate the feedback...this is actually a portable from Radio Shack; though a few years old..It is actually Cat.No.20-135. I have tried quite a few frequencies that seem to work for others; yet I cannot seem to get this scanner to work.. I can get Winchester Police Department...that seems to work great; yet I cannot get Frederick Sheriff or VSP....Guess I need to invest in a better scanner...Merry Christmas..should have added one to my list this year!!

The PRO-135 is analog-only, and cannot handle trunked radio systems. This will work for Frederick County and City of Winchester, as both are listed as conventional frequencies, and are likely analog. Clarke and Shenandoah counties are similar to Frederick too.

VSP has (I believe) moved entirely to STARS up here in the Northern parts of the state (Culpeper and Fairfax divisions), so you won't be able to listen to them without a digital scanner. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong about this.

Counties a little further east - Fauquier, Fairfax, and Prince William for example - will also require digital scanners. Loudoun requires either a GRE PSR-800 or one of the new Uniden 436/536 scanners coming soon, as their system is a newer P25 Phase 2 system. Prince William will eventually be moving to a Phase 2 system as well.

If you only want to listen to local stuff around Frederick Co/Winchester, stick with what you have. If you move around the area and want to listen to others, a new scanner should definitely be on your list. And expect to spend $400+ for a good one.
 
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EarlSuitor

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I agree 100% with mikev. I live in Clarke. If it were me I'd invest in a trunking digital scanner, but you can still pick up Frederick with what you have. If you do get a digital trunking scanner you will be shocked at how much more stuff you can pick up. You will not be able to pick up Prince William or Fairfax from Winchester (without a rooftop antenna), bit you will be able to get STARS & WVIRP, which is well worth the investment.
 

NovaFireBuff

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Fairfax County Fire Dispatch 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D

Is their some kind of Maintenance or problems going on with Fairfax County Fire & Rescue channels this weekend ? I've tried to monitor since yesterday morning and I haven't heard one single thing ? What is going on or is their some kind of problem ?
 

cpetraglia

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Fairfax, VA
All has been up and running as far as I can tell. However, the Control Channel signal strength seems to be jumping all over the place and that also corresponds to voice channel reception. I use a yagi antenna and have been moving it all around to get clear reception. For a while in the summer and fall I had great reception, no adjustments. I cant put my finger on it.
 

NovaFireBuff

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Fairfax County Fire Dispatch 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D

Why does it seem like Dispatch is always jumbled and mumbled dispatches and its hardly ever clear anymore ?
 

beastieboy101

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