What features does a scanner need for CPD/CFD?

[wannabescannist]

(Chicago, Cook)

Hi, this is my second post, my first is here. I know almost nothing but am willing to learn.

In order to listen to CPD/CFD, is it true I need a scanner that supports:
- FM/digital
- Trunk Tracking
- Encryption/Decryption
- 800Mhz and 700Mhz

 

[Grog]

- Encryption/Decryption

I think we hit a snag That's not gonna happen...

 

[EFjohnsonVHF]

What features does a scanner need

I'm assuming by CFD/CPD you mean CHICAGO police and fire, In which case you just need a scanner that will do trunk tracking, They have a few encrypted talk groups, But that doesn't matter because there is no scanner available to the consumer that will monitor encrypted transmissions.

Here is the link to the Chicago trunked system

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=581

It only includes 2 talk groups for the fire department, Neither of which are for dispatch or operations, Cook county which Chicago is a part of, Uses what seems to be shared frequencies for all their departments which are listed as either areas or district number, I can't find find anything specifically listed as Chicago POLICE or Chicago FIRE DEPARTMENT except for 470.43750 which is listed as Chicago Municipal Police.

I hope this helps.

 

[N9JIG]

(Chicago, Cook)

Hi, this is my second post, my first is here. I know almost nothing but am willing to learn.

In order to listen to CPD/CFD, is it true I need a scanner that supports:
- FM/digital
- Trunk Tracking
- Encryption/Decryption
- 800Mhz and 700Mhz

ALL the day to day operations and dispatch on CPD and CFD are on conventional (non-trunked) analog and unencrypted "as God intended it" repeaters and simplex frequencies.

That said, the little trunked activity there is is mostly restricted to detectives, Tac teams and specialty units. That stuff is mostly in the clear, but there is some encryption in use.

There is work on a digital migration, probably starting with the FD and there has been some work with testing and auxilary use with P-25 digital modulation.

As for the scanner to use I would suggest a BC396 or Pro96 if looking at a handheld or a Pro2096, BC796 or BC996 if looking for a base/mobile scanner. If you are in or close to the city you should be able to hear each of the 12 Zones and 7 Citywide repeaters as well as both the CFD fire repeaters and 2 EMS repeaters. The CPD trunked system also works well out to the burbs as well as within the city. Simplex channels (CW8, Fireground etc.) only work when you are pretty close, You might say that if you can hear them they are probably talking about you...

CPD and CFD are probably the most interesting or the most boring thing to listen to, depending on your mood. When you want excitement they can't be beat. They handle stuff daily that most cops don't see once in a career, handle large fires like they were a trash can and handle it well. Listening to all the channels is basically impossible, many channels are almost constantly talking. I usually find it better to pick a target channel and park the scanner on it just trying to keep up.

 

[werinshades]

Besides what Rich mentioned, you need patience. The day to day " my baby's daddy" calls, tucked in their is you aggravated batteries, accidents etc. Not sure where you are at that you want to listen, but if you let us know what part of Chicago you are in, your general interest etc., maybe we can all help. Anyone that asks me now, I highly reccomend looking towards a Digital capable scanner now, so you won't be left in the silence when we do switch. Currently the Pro 2096 and Pro 96 from Radio Shack is a little cheaper than Unidens 996T and 396, but they have their limitations.

 

[wannabescannist]

A little more reading and it seems I was getting Chicago Police mixed up with Illinois State Police (ISP). For ISP I would need a digital trunk tracking that supports the 700Mhz band. CPD would be (for now) an analog trunk tracking or regular ol' CTCSS scanner? Also, LOL at my encryption/decryption 'requirement'...what I really meant to say was a scanner that was able to tell that a channel was encrypted...is that possible?

I guess my main interests are:
- Chicago Police
- CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Blue Line Trains (what I ride to school everyday...UIC)
- Military sounds interesting but also intimidating

- Question: if there's an ambulance passing through an intersection (pausing traffic), would a scanner be of any help, or would I have already had to hear the dispatch in order to hear where its going or what the problem is?

I really don't know what to expect or where to target my (future) scanner at as of now, I really just would like to see the capabilities and what (random) stuff actually passes through your body all the time without you noticing.

If I wanted digital trunking...I won't find a (decent) scanner under $200? Starving college kid here!

 

[N9JIG]

The BC396 and 996 scanners will tell you that a channel is encrypted and save you from hearing the noise.

The ISP are currently using an analog EDACS system on 800 in the Chicago area, and 42.xx and 154.xx VHF in the collar counties. They are switching to a digital Motorola system sometime this year that will use both 700 and 800 MHz. The only scanners that will track that system completly are the BC396 and 996.

CTA uses a UHF system, I don't think they are planning on any major upgrades atthis time. Busses use a batch of 453 MHz. repeaters and trains use mostly 470, all analog.

Mil Air uses 225 to 380 MHZ. AM.

If the ambulance is already en-route, then there is little use for the scanner, most of the traffic on the scanner occurs when the call is dispatched.

If you want digital trunking you have a few choices, but the cheapest you will likely see is the Pro96/2096 which are on sale thru Radio Shack and others for $400 sometimes. I would save your pennies and get the 396 or 996 from Uniden however, new hey range from $520 to $550 depending on shipping and tax situations with the various venders. Used prices are not a whole bunch lower as these are the current models.

 

[goatse]

If I wanted digital trunking...I won't find a (decent) scanner under $200? Starving college kid here!

You won't find any digital scanner for under $200. I think you'd like the RS Pro-97, you can monitor CPD/CFD, ISP EDACS system, and the CPD trunked system. The Pro-97 is on sale for $149.99, and seems to go on sale every other week or so. I own one, it's a great little portable scanner for the Chicago area.

 

[bravo14]

I was up there in Chicago in July 06. I had my 396 with me. I didn't carry with me all over town it stayed my sister house. I was hearing CPD/CFD plain as day. I heard all kinds of stuff on it I have a recording somewhere on computer I had up with too. It was all disordered and stuff since I was like near O'Hare Airport. I didn't even try ISP I was up there for some reason I didn't have it program at all either.

 

[wannabescannist]

I ended up going with a used Pro-97 for about $100...my first and probably won't be the last.

 

[ryangassxx]

NO,....... you dont need any of that to listen to CPD and CFD!!! A standard police scanner will do... I also live in chicago... A trunking scanner is not even needed.. There is one major trunk system and that's the public saftey system. But all standard police radios are standard UHF... You really need to get with me via PM or something and i'll tell you whats up.. You're going to get bad info from people on these forums who are not from the area.. As you seem to have already seeing as someone has already told you you needed a trunking scanner with digital decryption..

 

[ryangassxx]

I ended up going with a used Pro-97 for about $100...my first and probably won't be the last.

You actually did really well... Awesome price for a spectacular scanner... Please PM me and I will hook you up with an awesome system.. Drug stings, mayor personal protection, and gang task forces.. Very interesting stuff..

 

[werinshades]

I ended up going with a used Pro-97 for about $100...my first and probably won't be the last.

Enjoy Chicago listening. Like I mentioned before, be patient. This forum has alot of good information for frequencies. I strictly monitor Chicago with some variation and will admit can be quite cumbersome for the inexpierienced ears. May want to stay away from listening to drug stings and all until you get the hang of normal day to day activity. Yes, Digital is coming to Chicago so you may want to start saving for the digital scanners...


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scanninginchicago/

 

[wannabescannist]

Can't seem to get the trunking right with this Pro97...I don't hear anything except on 859.93750 in which I see:

M202MO 859.93750
pri att DLY lo+z
MOT:Sys-1A0F 99%

but hear what sounds like data...it's not noise.

I put in all the frequencies (855.58750 856.93750 857.93750* 858.93750* 859.93750* 860.78750 860.93750*), set each channel to MOT but yet nothing. Am I doing something wrong or does this mean it's encrypted?

 

[N9JIG]

Did you set the Bank for Motorola trunking?

After that press the Scan key. If you Hold on the control channel you will hear the control data. From the info described on the previous method you are seeing the control data channel for the CPD trunked system. Personally I would start with the Zones and Citywides before getting into the trunked system, but to each their own...

 

[goatse]

Can't seem to get the trunking right with this Pro97...I don't hear anything except on 859.93750 in which I see:

M202MO 859.93750
pri att DLY lo+z
MOT:Sys-1A0F 99%

but hear what sounds like data...it's not noise.

I put in all the frequencies (855.58750 856.93750 857.93750* 858.93750* 859.93750* 860.78750 860.93750*), set each channel to MOT but yet nothing. Am I doing something wrong or does this mean it's encrypted?

Trying to program the Pro 97 using the keypad drove me nuts, I blew the $25 on Win97 (http://www.starrsoft.com/software/win97/default.asp) and got a programing cable from Radio Shack on sale for $3.99. If you become a donating member to radioreference.com, you can download frequencies from the radioreference frequency database and easily upload them to your scanner. Sure, it will cost you a few more dollars, but well worth the money, in my opinion....

 

[wannabescannist]

I've got the non-trunked related stuff down...first thing I did was reset all those preprogrammed channels as most of them (stuff saying like GPRS Repeater) would cause the scanner to stop on them but those channels didn't hold anything worth hearing. So I deleted everything from bank 1, and manually just programmed the channels I wanted (and making sure that scan only scans bank 1)...and it works perfectly.

Now with the trunked stuff, these are the directions from the pro-97 manual:

1. Press PGM and select the bank.
2. Press TRUNK to enter the ID program mode.
3. Repeatedly press MODE to select Motorola, EDACS (GE/
Ericsson), or LTR (EF Johnson) system to scan. This sets
the talk group ID decoding method to be used for the
bank.
4. Press PGM to enter the program mode.
5. Enter the desired trunking frequency then press ENT to
store.
6. To enter additional trunking frequencies as subsequent
channels in the same bank, press PGM or e to access
the next open channel then enter the frequencies. (See
“Storing Known Frequencies into Channels”).
7. Press SCAN to start scanning.

#3....screens says:
ID Bank 2-0 ON
Motorola TGID#00
MOT: none

I then put all the frequencies in following #s4-#6 and those screens look like:

P200MO 857.93750
pri att dly lo+
Bank 2 Chan 00
Bank 2

P201MO 858.93750
[same three lines except Chan 01]

(where I heard ctl data) P202MO 859.93750
[same three lines except Chan 02]

P203MO 860.93750
[same three lines except Chan 03]


I then hit scan and all I'm left with is a constant 'Scanning up'... (I've only got Bank 2 scan-enabled)

Sometimes it stops on a channel...but I don't hear anything (it's not static noise as in _nothing_ there, but choppy as if someone was breaking up on the other line)...and I've seen TGIDS 16960 and 17056 (which equate to NARC G and NARC M, respectively). I messed around with squelch by setting it more sensitive, but nothing. Could it just be the scanner can't pick up the 800MHz band with the stock antenna?

 

[JnglMassiv]

Sometimes it stops on a channel...but I don't hear anything (it's not static noise as in _nothing_ there, but choppy as if someone was breaking up on the other line)...and I've seen TGIDS 16960 and 17056 (which equate to NARC G and NARC M, respectively). I messed around with squelch by setting it more sensitive, but nothing. Could it just be the scanner can't pick up the 800MHz band with the stock antenna?

I think you have it. Double check that you have all of the frequencies programmed. If you don't, you'd miss some of the traffic. Since you have TGIDs showing up, you probably have the trunked programming parameters down.

The CPD TRS isn't typically as active as the zones or citywide channels. Sometimes (esp holidays), there might not be a single keyup for hours at a time. This afternoon, there's a good deal of trafic so it's a good time to experiment. Othertimes, there may be a dozen or more active talkgroups. It's a hot or cold situation.

Im my experience, anywhere in the city and for at least a few suburbs around, you should be able to hear this ystem. I work west of O'Hare and have no problem hearing the action with the radio Shack 800MHz ducky.

 

[wannabescannist]

I think you have it. Double check that you have all of the frequencies programmed. If you don't, you'd miss some of the traffic. Since you have TGIDs showing up, you probably have the trunked programming parameters down.

The CPD TRS isn't typically as active as the zones or citywide channels. Sometimes (esp holidays), there might not be a single keyup for hours at a time. This afternoon, there's a good deal of trafic so it's a good time to experiment. Othertimes, there may be a dozen or more active talkgroups. It's a hot or cold situation.

Im my experience, anywhere in the city and for at least a few suburbs around, you should be able to hear this ystem. I work west of O'Hare and have no problem hearing the action with the radio Shack 800MHz ducky.

Hmm...I guess it's working...just not a lot of traffic...how much traffic are you getting on your side? Could it be possible that the scanner is locking up?

I've only gotten these TG hits:

352 (mayor & dignitary protection)

16960 (narc g)
17056 (narc m)

18480 (gangs 2)
19024 (gangs 8)
19104 (gangs 13)

29696 (area detectives common)

Have you seen more than these TGIDs in the past hour?

 

[JnglMassiv]

352
16960
17056
18480
19024
19104
29696

No, that's about it. It's been a pretty busy afternoon.