Returning after a few years and trying to listen to Norman

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questor

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Hi everyone, I have a Uniden BCD996XT that I bought back in 2012, and probably last programmed it using Proscan and files from this site back around that same time. I programmed it to listen to Norman PD, Fire, weather, OU PD, etc. I haven't listened in a couple years but dug the scanner back out recently.

Norman seems really quiet now and I'm trying to decide what's going on. Have NPD re-banded or maybe moved to a new system since I last listened?

Basically I'm trying to decide if things are fine and the city is just quieter now, if I need to download and push across a new update via Proscan, or if I'm screwed and need to buy a new radio. Thought you guys would know. Thanks.
 

toad99

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Oklahoma City
Not sure about the situation in 2012, but Norman is on the OKWIN system, which has been rebanded.

For the 996XT rebanding changes, you would select Custom Band Plan for your site:

set up Band Plan 1 with:
lower frequency 851.025
upper freq of 854.0
offset 440
spacing 25

set up Band Plan 2 with:
lower frequency 851.0125
upper freq of 868.9875
offset 0
spacing 25.

If you have the talkgroups and site frequencies correct, the rebanding could explain the lack of activity.
You only need the control channel frequencies entered for your site.

I think Norman may eventually move to their own P25 Phase 2 system. OKWIN is also migrating to P25 Phase 1, which your scanner will decode.
 

plaws

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E Hawkesbury Twp, ON
I think Norman may eventually move to their own P25 Phase 2 system. OKWIN is also migrating to P25 Phase 1, which your scanner will decode.

Yes, OKWIN Site 40 (along with many others) was rebanded a few years ago. The interesting thing is that you can hear most Norman traffic on a scanner that doesn't understand rebanding (i.e., one that tunes the receiver to the wrong frequency based on control channel data) because not much traffic ever gets assigned to the "rebanded" frequencies. Odd, but true. My BC780XLT hears almost all traffic on Norman's systems. 100%? Nope - can't. But unless the site is heavily loaded, like on a football day, you should hear better than 99% of traffic.

The city is using the endless spigot of money from the Public Safety Sales Tax to replace the Site 40 equipment (which, AFAIK, is still city-owned) with a Harris P25 system. In the bit of testing that I've heard, it is a modern P25 system meaning it supports "Phase 2" TDMA. XTs won't work with that. There are 6 or 8 (I forget - scroll through this group for a list) sites so problems with linear simulcast modulation will likely make life miserable for scanner users. :(

As for "OKWIN migrating to P25 Phase 1" ... isn't all the current P25 site gear TDMA? I would think that anything bought recently would have the latest technology ... Even if you have a TDMA site using older, non-TDMA capable subscriber units (what we used to call "radios") would drag the talkgroup back to a non-TDMA state so why would they continue to make non-TDMA gear?
 

toad99

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Well, what I meant was that here in the OKC area, we are still analog. All the P25 sites are south and east of here. Someday we will get P25, but the migration is slow (maybe lack of money?).
 

n5bew1

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norman, ok
Yes, OKWIN Site 40 (along with many others) was rebanded a few years ago. The interesting thing is that you can hear most Norman traffic on a scanner that doesn't understand rebanding (i.e., one that tunes the receiver to the wrong frequency based on control channel data) because not much traffic ever gets assigned to the "rebanded" frequencies. Odd, but true. My BC780XLT hears almost all traffic on Norman's systems. 100%? Nope - can't. But unless the site is heavily loaded, like on a football day, you should hear better than 99% of traffic.

The city is using the endless spigot of money from the Public Safety Sales Tax to replace the Site 40 equipment (which, AFAIK, is still city-owned) with a Harris P25 system. In the bit of testing that I've heard, it is a modern P25 system meaning it supports "Phase 2" TDMA. XTs won't work with that. There are 6 or 8 (I forget - scroll through this group for a list) sites so problems with linear simulcast modulation will likely make life miserable for scanner users. :(

As for "OKWIN migrating to P25 Phase 1" ... isn't all the current P25 site gear TDMA? I would think that anything bought recently would have the latest technology ... Even if you have a TDMA site using older, non-TDMA capable subscriber units (what we used to call "radios") would drag the talkgroup back to a non-TDMA state so why would they continue to make non-TDMA gear?

It seems to me those 3 or 4 rebanded frequencies only carry p25 traffic.
 

plaws

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It seems to me those 3 or 4 rebanded frequencies only carry p25 traffic.

That's how it appears when watching Unitrunker which I often do during football games. Seems like the system is set to shuffle only certain talkgroups to certain transmitters.

They've also got one transmitter that sounds AWFUL ... and it's sounded that was for years at this point.
 

n5bew1

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norman, ok
That's how it appears when watching Unitrunker which I often do during football games. Seems like the system is set to shuffle only certain talkgroups to certain transmitters.

They've also got one transmitter that sounds AWFUL ... and it's sounded that was for years at this point.

What freq is this one?
 
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