Red Deer

[jaythescanman]

I have downloaded the RR version of the Red Deer Alberta trunking system and installed it in my scanner. The scanner shows active ID's however does not unsquelch and keeps scanning as if nothing is heard. If I turn squelch way down as to hear static while an ID is on the display, I can hear a very muffled and distant voice. My conventional scanner picks it up fine. I have had the scanner replaced thinking it was the unit and tried again with the same result. Is it possible that it is a type I system and if so would I not still hear the active ID's that are on my display? Also if there are two active groups speaking at the same time the Tag's just flip between the two. Do you have any suggestions...Not even uniden could help and I cant find a fleet map if one exists for Red Deer

 

[Jay911]

What scanner are you using? What program are you using to download the system and install it into this scanner?

I had it programmed as Type II when I visited the city earlier this year, in both a 396 and a 245. I logged the majority of the four-digit talkgroups at that time.. and the other talkgroups years ago, circa 2000 or 2001.

If you have a modern Uniden scanner, ie. 396/246 or newer, if you do Control Channel Only it should track the system fine. Perhaps the frequencies are off by a small factor - I think that would cause it to sound quiet.

I only ever heard Type II talkgroups. Then again, you should have much more time than I to log the system.

Do you have the ability to run Trunker or Unitrunker?

 

[jaythescanman]

I am using a brand new BC246T...I had one previous but thought it was defunct and had it replaced. The new one arrived today and I downloaded and installed the system using ARC246 registered. Same result as the other new scanner i sent back. Using control channel only, Ignore S-Bit, No I-Call, I can see any ID that is active, but it just skips them...if i use hold and tune in the id that is active, and turn down the squelch, i hear a muffled voice through the static. If I just tune the frequencies, I can hear it just fine. Where do I get UNITRACKER from? what is it?

 

[Jay911]

Unitrunker is a program that can use a scanner that has been modified to add a discriminator tap, to decode the data stream coming off a trunk control channel. It doesn't do voice; you use another radio to do that - it only shows you what is going on on the system.

I am presently using Unitrunker to listen to two systems - Calgary 753f and TAC Mobility 6904. It provides a screen with all the channels in the system, and shows all the activity on the system. Here's a screenshot of it at work.

The catch is, you have to have a scanner with a discriminator tap added. You can do it yourself with a soldering iron and a little patience; I've tapped two BC245s, a BC796D, and a BC250D. I prefer to do it with the older scanners because of the chance of messing something up - you are wiring stuff onto your scanner's circuit board, after all.

Unitrunker is, I find, tremendously beneficial when you're trying to figure out a trunk system. All you need to do is make sure you have the control channel in good receive quality, and park your radio on that channel, plug the discriminator tap into your computer's sound card, and let Unitrunker rip. The above screen shot is taken from a hobby machine I have tucked in the corner, with a BC245 with a stainless steel telescoping Radio Shack whip antenna, almost forty kilometers from the tower transmitting the trunk data channel. I get between 99% and 100% decode almost all the time. In other words, with a strong signal, it's hard to mess up.

There's a thread in the "Trunker/Etrunker/T4Win Decoders" forum regarding the latest beta release of Unitrunker. If you have a tapped scanner, check out this thread. If you can get Unitrunker running and listening to the Red Deer trunk system control channel, you'll be able to figure out: If the frequencies listed are correct, what talkgroups are REALLY in use, if any frequencies are missing from our list, what radios are in use for which talkgroups, etc. It provides a tremendous amount of information.

If you don't have the ability to run Unitrunker, I'd recommend simply programming the 246 by hand for the Red Deer 371d system. I have a USD file for my BCD396T that should translate easily for the free UASD programming software Uniden makes available for their new scanners - the 246, 396, 996, etc. If you have the UASD program, I can send you the USD file I have for my 396. You should be able to just save it to the same directory as your 246's USD files - and it should convert the file all by itself.

One last thought I just had - is the scanner in ID SCAN or ID SEARCH mode when you find it's not stopping on the talkgroups?

 

[jaythescanman]

The scanner does not stop in either scan or search...im kind of baffled myself, will a tap work on a bc92xlt....i can get the control channel on that one and have the instructions on how to do it and don want to screw up a new toy

 

[Jay911]

It looks like a discriminator tap on the 92xlt is possible.. the PRO83 Radio Shack model is apparently the twin to this radio, so if you can find mods for it (if you don't have them already), you're golden. Just make sure when you're doing the solder job, touch NOTHING but the place you intend to solder to and the wire you're soldering to it. Don't put the hot iron on the board for too long at once, and you should be up and running in no time.

I too am perplexed with what the deal is with the 246. If the scanner can stop on the control channel and recognize it, it should be able to track. The fact you've replaced it with another kind of all but eliminates the possibility of a bad radio. Do you know if it has the latest firmware installed? Check in the Uniden Scanners forum for any topics relating to the 246 and firmware - they can be field-upgraded these days with a program and a firmware file downloadable from the Uniden website.

 

[jaythescanman]

I do have the 2.05 Version of the firmware, and the installer simply tells me my scanner is up to date and no upgrade is needed. Like I say its brand new so all of the new stuff should be there as it is. I am buying all the needed parts for a discriminator mod to my 92XLT and I will let you know what I come up with. I do have the free version of the UASD software, but most certainly prefer the ARC246 from Butel, do you have a file from your scanner for ARC? if not i would greatly appreciate the zip file you do have for red deer, at this point I am willing to try almost anything, including throwing this out the window

 

[Jay911]

Ok, I downloaded the demo version of ARC 246 and translated my 396's USD file to that format. I'm including both the USD and the MEM in the .zip in case I missed transferring something over. Give it a shot and see how things go.

 

[jaythescanman]

Got the mod done, grabbed all the needed adapters and hooked it up to BOTH (tried both) the Line In and the Microphone ports on my system, and unitracker does nothing. It does have control channel audio coming out of it. I have it setup so that it uses my sound card, what have I done wrong?

 

[Jay911]

You computer might not be set up to 'record' (or use) audio from the line in jack. Dobule click the speaker icon in your system tray (lower right), and on the ensuing panel, click Options, then Properties. In the Properties dialog, change "Adjust volume for" to "Recording" instead of "Playback". Hit OK, and you will see the speaker mix panel has changed. Make sure that the select checkbox beneath "Line In" (or whereever you have plugged the scanner into) is checked, and the volume is turned up. Then just close that window with the X control in the upper right.

In Unitrunker, in the options menu, make sure that it is set up for the sound card - sounds like you have already done so, from your last post. Also make sure the decoder is online, in the same menu. Last thing to check is to try flipping Unitrunker from signal "normal" to "inverted", again, in the same options menu. Every time you make one of these changes and leave the options menu by using Save, hit F1 afterwards and the screen should refresh, hopefully showing you some kind of results.

 

[jaythescanman]

I have tried almost everything and get "no signal" at the top of my screen when i hit F1

I set the recorder so it will work with line in or mic....The scanner was broadcasting a live feed previous to all of this so I know it works. I hear the control channel audio on my speakers, yet no response from Uni-Tracker

 

[jaythescanman]

Got it to work, now i just need to figure it out
one question I have is the list of frequencies differs from that on both RR and in the Alberta Frequency Book....Do I use these new ones? I tried to use the control frequency that was listed in uni-tracker, but it has non-existant audio and any of the other frequencies that it says that there is a signal on has nothing but statc

 

[Jay911]

It might be that Unitrunker's bandplan needs to be changed. See, the way a trunking system works, it doesn't tell a radio to "go to 866.5500", it says "go to channel 604". And maybe Red Deer uses a different bandplan, so that what normal systems use at 866.5125 is 866.5500 on Red Deer.

If you'd like, after running Unitrunker for a bit, zip up the Moto371D.* files in your Unitrunker system directory ( generally c:\program files\rfmobile\unitrunker\ ) and fire 'em off to me. I'll try to figure out the right bandplan and get it back to you.

 

[jaythescanman]

Problem is that the 246 doesnt let you change band plans for 800MHz, it only lets you change them for VHF/UHF, I will send the files to you, do you use MSN? if so please add me jaycarson001@hotmail.com and i will send you what you need

 

[SCPD]

You can also use the Windows version of Trunker and see if it is working for you. Just from past experience I would suggest that you look at your recording source that is selected as indicated above.

I just found that it tends to work better than Unitrunker ... just my little opinion though and it will give you what you want.

 

[Jay911]

Kevin, does Trunker run with soundcard audio? I've never looked at it because I thought it required a slicer circuit.

I find on XP interestingly enough you can run multiple programs off one sound source, unlike win98 etc. So it's theoretically possible to run Unitrunker and Trunker at the same time, if they both do soundcard support.

 

[bcradio]

One I thing I found with the newer version of Unitrunker, is that I have to select Mic In as the reocrding source. Line in doesn't seem to work for it.

 

[jaythescanman]

I have both intalled and in answer to your question Jay it does work with just the sound card. They work equally as well, but I find from looking at both I prefer to use the UniTracker, it seems to tell me just as much if not more information than Trunker does and yes they run simuntaniously....Still I am having no luck with the 246T and the red deer system

 

[SCPD]

Kevin, does Trunker run with soundcard audio? I've never looked at it because I thought it required a slicer circuit.

Yes the windows version will. I ran the edacs version here in Edmonton and it worked great. Just make sure you get the lastest version.You can find it in the Yahoo trunker group.

 

[DaveIN]

Ok, I downloaded the demo version of ARC 246 and translated my 396's USD file to that format. I'm including both the USD and the MEM in the .zip in case I missed transferring something over. Give it a shot and see how things go.

Jay, I see your the admin for this area. Did you know the database entry mentions using control channel only plan #3?

Do you know who gave you this information? Maybe this is why Jaythescanman can not get his BC246T to work with the Red Deer system?