Pro-106: Pro 106/197 File for Brazoria County Texas

[sgbynum]

I have a Pro 106 and 197 that I used to use all the time, but they have stopped receiving BCSO and most other entities I want to listen to. I get the conventional frequencies OK. I am pretty sure it is something I don't have correctly configured, but I can't figure it out. I have a good cable, ARC 500 software and a lot of frustration! Does anyone have a Brazoria County file? I am going to attach my current file. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Not a new scanner user, and I thought I had a pretty good understanding of how to program these guy, but I am being proven wrong! I have three towers equidistant from me, Angleton, Reed Road, and Friendswood. I am located in Manvel, TX which is in the North end of Brazoria County.

 

[tvengr]

I see that you are using the Brazoria Co Simulcast site on all of the talkgroups. I don't see any problems with the programming of the system. I suggest that you eliminate the frequencies other than the control channel and alternates. With a limited number of frequencies available, it is possible that one of the other frequencies may be used as a control channel on another site within range. Without being able to use a NAC, there is no way to ignore another control channel. I would also set Multi-Site to Off. You can also set Check All CC to Off. If you have good signal strength from the Brazoria Co Simulcast site, you may simulcast issues. Try the other 3 sites in Brazoria Co. If you use a site in Harris or Galveston Counties, that may not carry the traffic for Brazoria Co.

 

[hiegtx]

I have a Pro 106 and 197 that I used to use all the time, but they have stopped receiving BCSO and most other entities I want to listen to. I get the conventional frequencies OK. I am pretty sure it is something I don't have correctly configured, but I can't figure it out. I have a good cable, ARC 500 software and a lot of frustration! Does anyone have a Brazoria County file? I am going to attach my current file. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Not a new scanner user, and I thought I had a pretty good understanding of how to program these guy, but I am being proven wrong! I have three towers equidistant from me, Angleton, Reed Road, and Friendswood. I am located in Manvel, TX which is in the North end of Brazoria County.

The Reed Road site is a "fill in" site. It carries radio traffic from agencies that may be away from their primary site.

The Friendswood site is in Galveston County, and might not carry all of your county's talkgroups. (There were comments in a thread, about a year ago, that Brazoria County SO was being carried on Friendswood, at that time. But see the note below on Phase II.)

The site you have entered as "HOS IC" is Houston Public Safety-Alvin. That site would only carry P25 Phase II traffic, which your scanner cannot decode. That is the case for all the "Houston Public Safety sites"; they will carry Phase II traffic, not Phase I. Those sites have a 3 in the RF S S column in the sites listing. The Alvin site is labeled as 3 (3), with 014 in the site column.

The site map for the Brazoria County Simulcast is here:

RR Database Home

The most complete database of radio communications data

www.radioreference.com

In Manvel, you are relatively close to the northernmost tower, but the other two are farther away, and "behind" the closest one to you. That could be an issue.

There are notes over on HoustonScan, on groups.io, that Brazoria County moved to TDMA several months ago. TDMA, P25 Phase II, cannot be decoded on your scanner. In the database, for TxWARN, I see that Brazoria County S.O. Dispatch 1 is tagged as Phase II (the T in the mode column). You might have your thread moved to the Texas forum, and ask there if the rest of Brazoria's TGID have also moved to TDMA, but not yet updated in the database. To do that, do not create a new thread. Instead, click on the Report in the lower left corner of one of your posts, and request that a moderator move your thread to the state forum. Someone in the area would be more likely to see it there.

I should add that most of the Manvel talkgroups are tagged as Phase II (the T in the mode column again), and is already noted, your Pro-106 & Pro-197 cannot handle Phase II.

 

[hiegtx]

Looking back over some related posts on TxWARN in the Houston Metro area, I need to modify what was said earlier about the Reed Rd site. It does also handle 'regular' traffic for a few specific agencies, so not a 'roamer only' site.

But the OP's main hurdle is still going to be the talkgroups that originally P25 Phase I, but now are using Phase II, which neither the Pro-106 or -197 cannot monitor.

 

[sgbynum]

I appreciate the "schooling". It is correct that they moved to Phase II not too long ago. Looks like a new scanner is in my immediate future. Thanks for the assistance. I was beginning to doubt my programming abilities!

 

[lbashaw]

I travel that area occsionnaly with my BCD996-P2 and have had no issues with inter-modulation or fade out...Unless needed, I might suggest filtering out the Houston/Harris County groups, as well as the adjacent Fort Bend County groups (They are all now using TXWARN).

 

[sgbynum]

I travel that area occsionnaly with my BCD996-P2 and have had no issues with inter-modulation or fade out...Unless needed, I might suggest filtering out the Houston/Harris County groups, as well as the adjacent Fort Bend County groups (They are all now using TXWARN).

I purchased a BCD996P2 and after a pretty frustrating couple of weeks, I managed to get it somewhat operational. I have cool deck plywood on the house ( Aluminum foil backer) and get a poor signal on my Motorola 7000 FD radio so I have an external antenna in the window for the scanner. I pick up a lot of Brazoria County traffic during the day, but after dark the scanner picks up very little traffic. ( I know it is NOT quite as I can get BCSO on my Motorola handheld.) Would you mind sending me your radio file so I can see how you have it set up? I have traffic I want to listen to on the Houston trunk as well as the BC trunk. Conventional frequencies are as expected. I can see three bars of signal strength but I am still trying to figure out System/Groups layout. Very happy with the purchase, just going to take time to climb the learning curve. Thanks!