Pro-433 Lost Me

[scanaholic]

I didn't know just how tech-dense I was until I started trying to program the trunking on the Radio Shack Pro-433.

I got down to the EDACS Scat, which I assume Abilene is using, got all the frequencies entered, pressed SRCH for the data channel, then that's where the manual ran off and left me. I called Shack to see if they knew of anyone around Abilene who could finish this Einstein-level programming to where I could track the fire calls, but not the ProVoice cops. A lot of the terminology, I'd not even heard of, much less, doing it.

If anyone reading this is in Abilene or near by, give me a shout. I'd appreciate having this stuff completed. If I can't get it done, I may as well return the scanner to the store.

Thanks-

 

[bpckty1]

I could track the fire calls, but not the ProVoice cops.

You cannot track ProVoice.
See the sticky above on the San Antonio system. It should answer many of your questions.
There is another forum on RR about MA/Comm systems that may help, too.

 

[scanaholic]

The Fire Dept. is on analog, and another service, some kind of transportation service. I need to clarify that I CAN hear fire transmissions in analog. I did one thing that helped speed things up, eliminating the "chirps" and it jumps right on, is turn off the delay on each channel. Now, if I can just program the fire dept., I won't worry about the p.d. Filtering the p.d. might be a better choice of words.

Well, I'm slowly learning, I guess. The fire dept., may not be recognized either even though they are analog. Got it.

Well, our old scanner was pretty worn, the backlight has been burnt for several years, and this one will get some frequencies I hadn't had, so I can't regret getting it.

 

[scanaholic]

Well, I've about decided now the fire dept. has gone all ProVoice. I've not copied any traffic from them all day, and it hits on all entered frequencies. Guess they decided too many listeners were still enjoying hearing the calls. Killjoys.

 

[scanaholic]

Just about any radio that will do the EDACS scanning will do the trick. Both Radioshack and Uniden scanners will trunk track them great, but don't get discouraged by the short high pitched beep at the end of every tracked transmission. Every scanner that tracks EDACS makes it, but at least you don't have to hear BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP anymore!

This post by Rattler is what originally gave me some hope.

Ohhwell.

 

[loumaag]

...I got down to the EDACS Scat, which I assume Abilene is using, got all the frequencies entered, ...

I just noticed this line. What you state is impossible, Abilene is not EDACS Scat since it has more than one channel. It is (as stated in the DB) EDACS Standard. Just wanted to get the terms correct. :wink:

 

[scanaholic]

If you know so much, kindly tell me how to do it.

I'm not stupid as you may think, this is just a very new technology, and I am NOT an electronics engineer. The only other option in the scanner's instruction manual is EDACS wide band, so tell me what to do, Mr Expert.

 

[mam1081]

If you know so much, kindly tell me how to do it.

I'm not stupid as you may think, this is just a very new technology, and I am NOT an electronics engineer. The only other option in the scanner's instruction manual is EDACS wide band, so tell me what to do, Mr Expert.

Try setting it up as EDACS Wide then. SCAT isn't used must at all (Like LouMag said, it's for single freq systems).

Maybe some of the public works stuff is analog and you'll be able to hear them.

If you still don't hear anything, try just programming all the freqs in a conventional bank. Listen for a while (lock out the "data" channel, but not the "voice" channels) and see if you hear any analog voice. You should be able to listen to the data noise on the scanner and determine if it's ProVoice or the control channel (the control channel won't stop TX'ing after several seconds, like the ProVoice stuff). If you can't hear any analog activity, then you just might be totally out of luck for listening with a consumer scanner.

If you're wanting to try more and into electronics as you say you are, try taping your scanner and running etrunk or unitrunker on the system. Those programs will give you lots of good info and let you know if there are in fact any analog talkgroups around.

Please submit what you find!

 

[loumaag]

If you know so much, kindly tell me how to do it.

I'm not stupid as you may think, this is just a very new technology, and I am NOT an electronics engineer. The only other option in the scanner's instruction manual is EDACS wide band, so tell me what to do, Mr Expert.

Take a chill pill. All was trying to do was to avoid the confusion your initial post would have generated to novice users.

EDACS comes in three basic flavors:

1. EDACS Standard, also known as EDAS Wide
2. EDACS Narrow
3. EDACS SCAT, single frequency sites that combine CCh with the voice channel usually used for outlying area coverage.

As to how to program your radio, first this is not the forum to be asking that question, just what does that have to do with Texas? Second, I don't have one of those so I would not attempt to give you detailed advice on how to program it had you asked in the appropriate forum.

 

[scanaholic]

"Take a chill pill. All was trying to do was to avoid the confusion your initial post would have generated to novice users."

Hello? Hello? I too am a NOVICE user of this type radio.

Why isn't this a forum to ask such question? Is that YOUR rule or the forum's? I've seen others asking questions about their radios here. Why am I an exception?

The statement about Texas was really a "doh award" nominee. It has EVERYTHING to do with Texas because the system we've been discussing here is in Abilene, Texas, not Kansas. What, to your way of thinking, is the "appropriate forum"? I'm wishing I'd never never found this one, to be honest. Being nice to people who aren't as "intelligent" as you are doesn't hurt a thing. Might read up on that some time.

No welcome mats at your house, betcha.

 

[scanaholic]

Didn't see your post, Mark til just now. I've got the thing in a mess in there, and am going to either get someone in here who can set it right, or haul it back to Radio Shack.

I'm really getting sick of this mess, and may just forget about the 800 garbage and listen to what's left on the high bands. It ain't worth all this.

 

[bpckty1]

scanaholic wrote:
"I'm really getting sick of this mess, and may just forget about the 800 garbage and listen to what's left on the high bands. It ain't worth all this."

Welcome to the club.
I felt the same way when I got my first BC-235. I'm glad I remembered its price while considering whether to use it as a fast ball or a curve ball after it wouldn't trunktrack. It finally did after I re-read the instruction manual and added the overlooked, necessary, step.

;^>

 

[loumaag]

Hello? Hello? I too am a NOVICE user of this type radio.

But you are not a totally novice user, at least according to your prior posts.

Why isn't this a forum to ask such question? Is that YOUR rule or the forum's? I've seen others asking questions about their radios here. Why am I an exception?

You are not an exception, and I am sorry you feel that way. My point is your question deals specifically with how to program any EDACS Standard system in a specific radio, not a question dealing with the Abilene system specifically. Your question would have been better asked in the Radio Shack Scanner forum.

The statement about Texas was really a "doh award" nominee. It has EVERYTHING to do with Texas because the system we've been discussing here is in Abilene, Texas, not Kansas. What, to your way of thinking, is the "appropriate forum"? I'm wishing I'd never never found this one, to be honest. Being nice to people who aren't as "intelligent" as you are doesn't hurt a thing. Might read up on that some time.

Again, I am sorry you are feeling "picked on" but, as I explained just above, your question has nothing to do with Texas and everything to do with programming a scanner. Had you asked what type of system Abilene had, that would be a Texas question (although the system type is plainly stated in the database.) As for the sarcastic comments about my intelligence, well again, sorry you feel like you are being picked out, but when you are in the wrong you are in the wrong, I really don't need to read anything about being "nice" to people; however I will give you this link and suggest that you read up on trunking systems, it might ease your pain some.

No welcome mats at your house, betcha.

:lol:
Actually you hit that nail right on the head; as a matter of fact, if I could find one that said "GO AWAY" I would buy it.
:lol:

 

[scanaholic]

Actually you hit that nail right on the head; as a matter of fact, if I could find one that said "GO AWAY" I would buy it.

Now, THAT, I'd buy. I could feel the "warmth" radiating so much here. :-(

 

[scanaholic]

If putting others down is your bag, make 'em feel small, knock yourself out. No one will stay here long. Of course, you're always right, and everyone else is always wrong.

Getting back to this idiot radio I bought, I'll just re-enter the same 800 channels in a new bank and start over.

End of thread.

 

[loumaag]

If putting others down is your bag, make 'em feel small, knock yourself out. No one will stay here long. Of course, you're always right, and everyone else is always wrong.

Getting back to this idiot radio I bought, I'll just re-enter the same 800 channels in a new bank and start over.

End of thread.

Geez, you never give up do you. But since you want to make this the end of the thread and you are the OP, so be it.
Closed.