SDS100/SDS200: Programming Uniden SDS100 800mhz trunk tracking to display Fire Department name

[JGard911]

Retired firefighter here that doesn't understand 800 mhz trunk tracking apparently.
My radio at work would display what Fire Department was transmitting while on scan mode.
I think it had something to do with the "talk group" each Department was assigned to.

I am trying to program Cape Cod, MA Fire Departments into my new SDS100.
The Sentinel software only seems to have one of the 800 mhz frequencies. I do hear multiple Fire Departments broadcasting, but it doesn't display specific Fire Department names. Is that the best the SDS100 can do? Seems like a step back for a $650 radio, if that is the case.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
Have a read here about the different display modes. The detailed display modes do just that, display more details and are customizable via the scanner itself & Sentinel software

The Sentinel software only seems to have one of the 800 mhz frequencies.

Regarding Sentinel, your trunked radio system of interest is contained within USA > Massachusetts > Statewide. I vacationed in Cape Cod / Hyannis last summer and listened to this very system on my SDS100. Came in great!

 

[enosjones]

Its possible your fire department radio was programmed with the alpha tags programmed in when they programmed the radio, it may not transmit that I fo over the air for the scanner to recieve

 

[JGard911]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
Have a read here about the different display modes. The detailed display modes do just that, display more details and are customizable by the scanner itself & Sentinel software

Thanks for the welcome. That suggestion looks a little more like I am used to, but still not what I was expecting.

I still can't seem to get the Departments I am really interested in programmed in as 800 mhz frequencies. The Department I retired from, the Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills FD, is listed under Massachusetts-Barnstable-County Systems-Barnstable-Municipalities-Barnstable-Fire Operations which is an 800 mhz frequency.

Under that same menu is the Cotuit FD. The only reference to that FD is a 400 mhz frequency, which simulcasts the 800 mhz frequency, but the range is poor, compared to 800 mhz.
I think they can be heard on the 853.2125 frequency, but I don't think the Department name will display.

On my former co-workers website, CapeCodFD.com, he talks about "talk groups" assigned to each FD using the 800 mhz frequencies. I don't see any reference to those on the Sentinel software. Am I still missing something?

 

[JGard911]

From CapeCodFD.com

"The "Trunked Radio System" is someone complex to understand and explain, but basically it is a Motorola Type II system. It presently utilizes a bank of (15) 800 mhz frequencies. Within these frequencies is a "data" channel which allows user radios to track communications by user groups known as "Talk Groups." The system utilizes several repeater sites on the Cape. All radios must reach the repeater site to transmit. A very sophisticated computer controls the whole system. These frequencies are shared by all Cape Cod Fire Departments, most Police Departments, the State Police, Environmental Police, and perhaps more."

CAPE COD FIRE DEPARTMENTS 800 Mhz RADIO - By Frequency
1	852.3625	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro site
2	853.0375	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro site
3	854.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Primary
4	856.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro site
5	857.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro data channel
6	857.2625	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Secondary
7	858.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Third
8	859.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety
9	859.2375	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety
10	860.2125	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Barnstable Data
11	860.2375	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Barnstable Data
12	860.4625	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Fourth
13	866.6000	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro site
14	868.5000	Trunked Radio	All Cape Public Safety - Truro site

This was updated last in 2012. I only see 1 or 2 800 mhz frequencies mentioned for Cape Cod Departments on Sentinel.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Are you looking for talkgroup names or individual unit names (which would be a tagged UID)?

 

[JGard911]

Are you looking for talkgroup names or individual unit names (which would be a tagged UID)?

I have the "Talk Group" names but I dont see where that is programmed in using the Sentinel software.

CAPE COD FIRE DEPARTMENTS 800 Mhz RADIO - By Talkgroup
38032	Barnstable County Mutual Aid Dispatch	Mutual Aid Dispatch	Simulcast 33.70 (114.8)
38064	Operations Channel 1	Mutual Aid Fireground 1
37968	Operations Channel 2	Mutual Aid Fireground 2
38000	Operations Channel 3	Mutual Aid Fireground 3
37936	Cape Cod Fire Admin	Non Emergency
37392	CIEMSS	EMS Admin
37264	Barnstable Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.48 (114.8)
37296	Bourne Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.64 (114.8)
37328	Brewster Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.52 (114.8)
37360	Chatham Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.62 (114.8)
37424	COMM Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.84 (114.8)
37456	Cotuit Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.56 (114.8)
37484	Dennis Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.86 (114.8)
37520	Eastham Fire Alarm	Fire alarm Dispatch	33.82 (114.8)
37552	Falmouth Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.78 (114.8)
37584	Harwich Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.96 (114.8)
37616	Hyannis Fire alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.94 (114.8)
37648	Mashpee Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.68 (114.8)
37680	Orleans Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.74 (114.8)
37904	Otis Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	173.585
37712	Provincetown Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.46 (114.8)
37774	Sandwich Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.60 (114.8)
37776	Truro Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.66 (114.8)
37808	Wellfleet Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.54 (114.8)
37840	West Barnstable Fire	Fire alarm Dispatch	33.48 (114.8)
37872	Yarmouth Fire Alarm	Fire Alarm Dispatch	33.58 (114.8)
36976	State DEM Forestry	Unit Communications

 

[JGard911]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
Have a read here about the different display modes. The detailed display modes do just that, display more details and are customizable via the scanner itself & Sentinel software


Regarding Sentinel, your trunked radio system of interest is contained within USA > Massachusetts > Statewide. I vacationed in Cape Cod / Hyannis last summer and listened to this very system on my SDS100. Came in great!
View attachment 116472

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I think that is it.

 

[mheller310]

Make sure you click on

Massachusetts State Police Motorola Type II SmartZone from the Barnstable County page. This is where you will see all the cape FDs operating on the 800 mhz.

 

[JGard911]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
Have a read here about the different display modes. The detailed display modes do just that, display more details and are customizable via the scanner itself & Sentinel software


Regarding Sentinel, your trunked radio system of interest is contained within USA > Massachusetts > Statewide. I vacationed in Cape Cod / Hyannis last summer and listened to this very system on my SDS100. Came in great!
View attachment 116472

If I load only those "talk groups" in, I get an error message, nothing to scan. Do you know where I find the 800 mhz frequencies? I see frequencies under "Outer Cape/Truro", "Outer Cape/Wellfleet", and "Upper and Mid Cape", but the option to "Append to Favorites List..." is greyed out and not selectable.

 

[dave3825]

My radio at work would display what Fire Department was transmitting while on scan mode.
I think it had something to do with the "talk group" each Department was assigned to.

Was the work radio an actual fire radio or a dept owned scanner?

am trying to program Cape Cod, MA Fire Departments into my new SDS100.
The Sentinel software only seems to have one of the 800 mhz frequencies. I do hear multiple Fire Departments broadcasting, but it doesn't display specific Fire Department names.

If you found that one 800 mhz freq and it was listed under "Municipalities" then you are listening to a conventional freq and if you hear many different departments, then its most likely a county wide paging/dispatch channel.

Is that the best the SDS100 can do?

Seems like a step back for a $650 radio, if that is the case.

I have a Bcd436hp that uses Sentinel as well as an Sds200. They are tricky at first and take a while to master. After its mastered, it just rocks.

Its possible your fire department radio was programmed with the alpha tags programmed in when they programmed the radio, it may not transmit that I fo over the air for the scanner to recieve

Only thing I know of that transmits display info (talk group alias) ota (over the air) are some NXDN systems



As far as display, what is displayed on an actual fire dept radio will only match what's displayed on a scanner if the exact same info was submitted to radioreference and was downloaded into your scanner. If someone who submitted data for Cotuit FD and submitted it as 'Cotuit Fire Department", and the actual fire radio displays "Cotuit Dispatch", and you downloaded from radioreference, your scanner will display "Cotuit Fire Department", and not "Cotuit Dispatch". You can change any of the text your scanner displays from within Sentinel.

If I load only those "talk groups" in, I get an error message, nothing to scan. Do you know where I find the 800 mhz frequencies? I see frequencies under "Outer Cape/Truro", "Outer Cape/Wellfleet", and "Upper and Mid Cape", but the option to "Append to Favorites List..." is greyed out and not selectable.

You cant load just talk groups as they are only one part of a trunked system. You need the system a whole with sites, freqs, departments and talk groups.

The 800 mhz freqs for the trunked system have many sites but only 2 in Barnstabe County. These are them but I do no know why they are greyed out in your Sentinel. Also, while there are a few reasons why "nothing to scan" pops up, if you do not have the correct service types enabled in the scanner, you will get it.

006 (6)	Outer Cape/Truro	Barnstable	853.500	852.625	851.600	859.0625	857.2125c	856.2125a
011 (B)	Outer Cape/Wellfleet	Barnstable	851.200	851.375	852.3125	853.475	853.6375c

Not that its going to fix greyed out sites, but did you update the master database in Sentinel you the data you see is the most recent?


If you are brand new to this, it might be easier for you to download the Massachusetts State Police system into Sentinel and then either lock out or remove anything you do not want. Or you could turn off all service types except for the 3 fire related ones.

 

[JGard911]

I think I am learning that Sentinel is just a starting point for programming the SDS100. Do they take input from end users?

It would be nice if you wanted to listen to Barnstable County Fire Departments, when you navigated to USA-Massachusetts-Barnstable-County Systems-Barnstable and clicked "Append to Favorites List..." that it would download the frequencies AND the talk groups. Instead, you have to navigate to USA-Massachusetts-Barnstable-Statewide-Massachusetts State Police to get the talk groups also.

Why would you want to just program 800 mhz trunked frequencies, and not the talk groups, so you know what department you are hearing on the scanner?

 

[dave3825]

Nothing to do with Uniden or Sentinel taking input. It is how the data is entered and structured into the database at radio reference. Sentinel only pulls, and offers to download what is stored on radio reference into the end users scanner.

Some areas have fire on only conventional freqs, some have fire on trunked systems and many areas are a mix of both. Where I am, we have fire on conventional and on a P25 system and to get all fire on that you have to have 2 sites plugged. So for me to listen to all surrounding fire, I need a convention and a trunked system on.

This is an add channels on range with a 10 mile radius around zip code 02630 Just unzip and import it into your sentinel and write it to your scanner, you should hear what you are looking for as long as its listed in the radio reference database and within 10 mile of you. The first 5 systems in the file are conventional systems . The last system is the MA State trunked system with only fire related talk groups within the 10 mile range of zip code 02630. I left what ever sites came up as anything unwanted or not needed can be deleted later on. I assigned quick keys to all so you can turn on or off any system you wish. Quick keys are 1 thru 6. Make sure the fire related service types are enabled in your scanner and set monitor and download both to on within Sentinel.

 

[GROL]

You can also note what the dispatcher Unit ID is when a dispatch call goes out and assign a name to it. You will need to change one of the fields to display Unit Name. You can do this in Sentinel under Edit Display for Detail Trunk, or go into the radio Menu to Display Options, Customize, Detail Trunk. You can replace the UID field with Unit Name and it will still display a UID if there is no name assigned to it. You may also assign an alert light or tone for a UID. The easiest way to assign Unit Names is when you are sitting on a call and the UID is displayed, you can press E.Yes key and it will go to where you can save and name the Unit ID. I do this with the NC Viper system. I can see the User Name such as Salisbury Dispatch for the NC Highway Patrol dispatcher in Salisbury. There are 4 UIDs I have found that are associated with Salisbury Dispatch. I have also programmed UIDs with Names for Trooper radios to display their call number, but that is sometimes incorrect probably due to them being assigned a replacement radio. If you catch UIDs and name them on the radio, you need to remember to save them back to Sentinel before you upload any new programming from Sentinel to the radio so you do not lose them. I have not programmed it yet, but I imagine there is one UID for my local VFD for the radio at that fire station. I could then set an alert light or tone for it.

 

[Nascar18]

JGard,
The frequencies you are referring to fall under the MA St. Police 800mhz trunking system. You will need to program
Zone 03 Bristol/Plymouth
control channels 859.2875 , 859.8375 ,
Zone 04 Cape Cod
control channels, 854.3625 , 855.5375 , 859.2125 and 859.2375 to receive the Cape Cod fire departments. Some department still have conventional channels.
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