How to Program Whistler WS1040 for Vanderburgh County

[zany]

I just finished programming a WS1040 to a p25 system manually, and for all practical purposes, it's silent. It shows it's scanning, but not picking up anything. I programmed it per the manual and also watched a couple vids and still silent. System I'm trying to pick up is vanderburg co. in In......
thanks
zany

 

[hiegtx]

I just finished programming a WS1040 to a p25 system manually, and for all practical purposes, it's silent. It shows it's scanning, but not picking up anything. I programmed it per the manual and also watched a couple vids and still silent. System I'm trying to pick up is vanderburg co. in In......
thanks
zany

You're more likely to get a useful response if you have this moved into a separate thread, whether here in the Whistler forum, or (better) in your state forum. To have it moved, select the Report link in the lower left hand corner of your post, and ask a moderator to moove it.

But first, since, apparently, you programmed by hand instead of using software, no one would be able to review your programming for errors or omissions. Any helpful suggestions would be a lucky guess, which is not very likely.

For your WS1040, and related scanners, there are three software packages that can be used to program that model, as well as other related units. Those three are Win500, PSREdit500, and ARC500. Links for each of those can be found on this software page. There are links there for more information on each of these software programs. All three have a thirty day free trial period, before you have to purchase the software, or quit using it. Do you have the programming cable that came with that scanner? If so, download one of those three software packages, install it, then read your programming into the software. That will create a file which you can save on your PC. After you've done that, find the saved file on your PC. In order to upload it as an attachment to a post, you will have to compress it into a zip (compressed_ file. Find the file, & <right><click> on it. One of the choices will be to create a zip file, which can be attached to a post. That way, someone can review your programming and look for errors or omissions of required entries. This will also require that your PC is using Windows. None of these software packages will work , as is, on an Apple model, such as a Mac.

 

[VASCAR2]

If you have your WS1040 programmed correctly you might be affected by this being a trunked simulcast system. The Whistler scanners will struggle to receive properly on a simulcast system where the transmitters transmit on the same frequency at the same time. There are three sites in the Vanderburgh County Evansville trunked system. If you‘re very close to one site the scanner might work. The Uniden SDS100/200 scanners are designed to work with simulcast systems but are expensive.

I’ve manually programmed the various Radio Shack, GRE and Whistler scanners over the years. You can manually program your WS 1040 to receive the P25 frequencies like conventional channels but even these will be affected by simulcast distortion. You can program the actual mobile transmit frequencies but generally you have to be very close to receive the transmissions.

You can send me a private message and I might be able to help you program your scanner via email or over the phone. I’ve tried using my Uniden BCD325P2 and BCD996XT on the Vanderburgh County system and any reception is really dependent on your location.

There is a tower at Central Dispatch at 1331 Harmony Way Evansville, Evansville FD station 9 at 2020 Keystone Street and Scott Township FD at 1540 East Baseline Rd. When I’m near the mall on GreenRiver Rd my BCD325P2 still has reception issues. Same for when I‘m near the Scott Township FD tower whether on US 41 or outer Old State Road.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I just finished programming a WS1040 to a p25 system manually, and for all practical purposes, it's silent. It shows it's scanning, but not picking up anything.

Sounds like a textbook example of simulcast distortion, you may be in range of two or more towers on the simulcast. Feel free to try the multipath mitigation methods outlined here, can't guarantee you they'll work as every RF environment is different. But you'd be much better off with a Uniden SDS100 or SDS200 to pick up systems with simulcast cells

 

[trido]

I just finished programming a WS1040 to a p25 system manually, and for all practical purposes, it's silent. It shows it's scanning, but not picking up anything. I programmed it per the manual and also watched a couple vids and still silent. System I'm trying to pick up is vanderburg co. in In......
thanks
zany

I send you a PM

 

[zany]

The scanner does work, I just guessed at a few of the settings that I was unsure of and picked the wrong ones. Once I got all that straightened out, it seems to pick ok sometimes, but other times not, that due to the simulcast system we have. Jeff actually told me several years ago that the G5 and sds 100/200 were the only ones that were going to work properly on this system. I have a G5 that Jeff programmed for me and it works great, probably needs a refresh though, but couldn't pass up the deal on this scanner, and since I have never owned one, thought I would give it a try.....thanks for all the replies and offers to help...

bill

 

[VASCAR2]

Glad you got things figured out zany and for letting us know. The WS1040 work pretty good on the other analog systems still in use in the area. Until the railroads complete their transition to NXDN you still can listen to railroads, marine traffic on the Ohio river and the aircraft frequencies. Some of the rural fire departments are still using analog VHF High Band.

 

[tvengr]

I have an ARC500 file for the Vanderburgh County trunked system. Do you have the programming cable for your WS1040?