So here is my question. I just ordered a GRE PSR-500. I also just finished reading the manual. What is the best was to monitor the ARMER system? For instance is it best to just enter all of the control channels into the TSYS (trunking system as defined by GRE) So it scans every control channel for the talk groups I specify? Or is there a better way? Also what is the best way to monitor Minneapolis PD, just program in the talk groups for the 4 dispatch's and associate them with the TSYS I have specified. I live in washington county and will be primarily monitoring Wash co Sheriff and the State Patrol. One thing I don't understand is the ARMER system but have been told its quite complicated, is there isn't a specific broadcast site for each agency. Rather it varies largely some are broadcast on more then one or just one? Which is why I figure it best to just program in every control channel. If someone could shed some light on how the broadcast towers and agencies are related that would be great...also whats the difference between multi and simulcast?
Monitoring the MN ARMER SYS
- Thread starter simonetm
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The way I program it is... one system for each county. each armer site in the specific county gets programed into the scanner as seperate sites, then the groups are seperate to specific agencies and so on. The best way to monitor MPD is to enter the Minneapolis city center frequencies and the MPD talk group id's. There is specific broadcast sites for each agency, although sometimes talk groups are allowed to roam onto other sites that are not primarily used for that agency. for example, usually Rochester Police/Fire only get broadcasted onto the Olmsted CO Simulcast, although, i have hear them on the Geneva as well as the Owatonna site. I'm not sure where you got multi. But a simulcast is where more than one site is "locked together" so all the sites that are together broadcast the same tgid's. Check out ScanFan for more information about what agencies goes with what sites.
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dwgelle
Member
Get the software for programming this will make it easier. Win 500
Win500: PSR-500, PSR-600, PRO-106, PRO-197, PSR-310, PSR-410 Scanner Software for Data Management, Monitoring, and Control
But you can start by entering the control channels and alternates in for the system that you are nearest.
Local Agencies tend to stay on one system or the next nearest system. It all depends on where they are getting the best signal from a site. State patrol will roam site to site.
Minneapolis you can hear on their system and the CityCenter system.
There are couple couple of different ways you can set up your scanner to scan I use the Radio shack Pro197 & Pro 106 scanners which use the Win 500 program.
1. You can program all control and alternate control channels in to the system and then create all you talkgroups to use the one system. But then you will not have the best way to select what you may want to specifically scan. Like if you are at home in Wahsington co, you will have stronger signal from your local system and will only hear talkgroups that affiliate to that system.
2. If you create multiple systems and like one for Washington CO and one for CityCenter. You can then assign Washington Co talkgroups to the Washington system and assign Minneapolis and Hennepin county talkgroups to the CityCenter system.
Yes this can get complicated.
If you want some created files to import in to the software to look at and modify let me know. The software is free for 30 days.
Dan
Win500: PSR-500, PSR-600, PRO-106, PRO-197, PSR-310, PSR-410 Scanner Software for Data Management, Monitoring, and Control
But you can start by entering the control channels and alternates in for the system that you are nearest.
Local Agencies tend to stay on one system or the next nearest system. It all depends on where they are getting the best signal from a site. State patrol will roam site to site.
Minneapolis you can hear on their system and the CityCenter system.
There are couple couple of different ways you can set up your scanner to scan I use the Radio shack Pro197 & Pro 106 scanners which use the Win 500 program.
1. You can program all control and alternate control channels in to the system and then create all you talkgroups to use the one system. But then you will not have the best way to select what you may want to specifically scan. Like if you are at home in Wahsington co, you will have stronger signal from your local system and will only hear talkgroups that affiliate to that system.
2. If you create multiple systems and like one for Washington CO and one for CityCenter. You can then assign Washington Co talkgroups to the Washington system and assign Minneapolis and Hennepin county talkgroups to the CityCenter system.
Yes this can get complicated.
If you want some created files to import in to the software to look at and modify let me know. The software is free for 30 days.
Dan
Thank you for the quick reply. I will check out scanfan.
Those files would be awesome thanks for the quick reply. So this is confusing. Maybe your scanner doesn't operate how mine does. My first question is what do you mean by system? Because my impression was that the state was all on 1 system. Secondly I'm a little confused about the specific monitoring thing you talking about. (also how necessary are the alternate control channels?) If I program in all the control channels, I wouldn't necessarily have to listen to all the talk groups I have programmed in to that system. I could put the different talk groups in the different scan lists, even though they are all associated with the same system my scanner would only scan the talk groups of the active scan lists. Is that correct or am I missing something. Also, residing in washington county, whats the best way to monitor state patrol. You were saying they roam from site to site. So say I have every control channel for every broadcast site programmed in. Will I hear state patrol metro east dispatch from my house if I just program in the talk group and associate it with the ARMER system. Or are there other variables at work? Again thanks for answering my questions this is kinda hard to get my head around. This is my first scanner but I've been tinkering with radios for 2 years...Thanks much KD0LZV
dwgelle
Member
You are right there is really only one statewide ARMER system. But I may refer to each site as its own system as well. When you scan you are listening to the tower sites. And certain Talkgroups are allowed to affiliate to certain sites. So as we were saying is if you want to listen to anything in the Minneapolis area you will have to program in the Control channels for the sites that the Minneapolis talkgroups are allowed to affiliate to such as City Center and Minneapolis. And same goes for other Agencies that you may want to listen to. You need to find the local site that the talkgroups you want to listen to. And you need to be close enough to the site or have a good antenna to do so. Generally if you are just using the antennas that come with the scanner you "may" only get sites up to about 10 miles away, it all depends on land, buildings and such. So external antennas up high are very helpful to pull in sites further away.
There are a lot of variables as to if you will hear a talkgroup on any one site. One instance is a St. Patrol District. The System administrator gods have set it up so that the local district St Patrol talkgroups always transmit on all MNDOT owned sites in the that district no matter if a patrol radio is affiliating to a site or not.
But in other agencies that may use the same sites, they have to have radios affiliated to the sites and be transmitting on the talkgroup you are scanning in order to hear it. Some sites simulcast ( use more than one tower to transmit at the same time) talkgroups others may just use the towers that the radios are actually using on the talkgroup. There are alot of veriable more general info is here Main Page - The RadioReference Wiki
Do program in the alternate control channels as if the Main control channel fails these are the backups.And sometimes the system administrators roll the control channels to either test or just to change transmitters.
Watch for meetings that get posted here that are put together for scanner enthusiast. You can learn a lot there to.
There are a lot of variables as to if you will hear a talkgroup on any one site. One instance is a St. Patrol District. The System administrator gods have set it up so that the local district St Patrol talkgroups always transmit on all MNDOT owned sites in the that district no matter if a patrol radio is affiliating to a site or not.
But in other agencies that may use the same sites, they have to have radios affiliated to the sites and be transmitting on the talkgroup you are scanning in order to hear it. Some sites simulcast ( use more than one tower to transmit at the same time) talkgroups others may just use the towers that the radios are actually using on the talkgroup. There are alot of veriable more general info is here Main Page - The RadioReference Wiki
Do program in the alternate control channels as if the Main control channel fails these are the backups.And sometimes the system administrators roll the control channels to either test or just to change transmitters.
Watch for meetings that get posted here that are put together for scanner enthusiast. You can learn a lot there to.
Last edited:
REDave
Member
The reason for that is so other agencies in the district that want to monitor State Patrol can do so. If they are not affiliated to the same tower site as the State Patrol they would not hear the State Patrol.
Trouble
So here is where I'm at...My GRE PSR500 is all programmed but for some reason the audio is choppy... at first I just assumed it was bad reception even though I live in the county I am monitoring (washington). But then Ramsey county comes in crystal clear and sometimes Washington county does it seems really hit and miss. Here is my Win500 file that contains my settings for my scanner thanks for your help.
Also just delete the .zip on my file I didn't actually compress it use .p500
So here is where I'm at...My GRE PSR500 is all programmed but for some reason the audio is choppy... at first I just assumed it was bad reception even though I live in the county I am monitoring (washington). But then Ramsey county comes in crystal clear and sometimes Washington county does it seems really hit and miss. Here is my Win500 file that contains my settings for my scanner thanks for your help.
Also just delete the .zip on my file I didn't actually compress it use .p500
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