What is the BIG DEAL, about "TRUNKED"???

[Ear-Spy]

I'm sure this has been asked in a few different ways. I do understand the concept as well as the advantages in radio use. However, as far as a scanners perspective; what are the main advantages to scanning TRUNKED freqs?

Also, on a Pro-97, I don't understand the relationships of the "trunk" set-up and the open freqs in my Search Banks. Is there a relationship or a cause and effect when I chose to set my "trunked modes" to Motorola? I ask this as I noticed that I have 6 Search Banks in my normal search ranges and 9 trunking banks - why the different amount and are the banks the same? Also, I think I bought a RS displayed scanner my local county was on pre-programed on my scanner (not in any bank by the way). I think I need a flow chart or a diagram of where I can listen and program the different modes and freqs.

Any info on these questions. Thx.

 

[Sac916]

I'm sure this has been asked in a few different ways. I do understand the concept as well as the advantages in radio use. However, as far as a scanners perspective; what are the main advantages to scanning TRUNKED freqs?

I think it's more of an issue of not having a choice. More and more counties and states are moving toward some large scale Trunked systems. Trunked systems that cover everything from garbage trucks to state and local police.

Me for example, I don't have a choice. I " have " to listen to a trunked radio system if I want to any major public safety agencies in my county.

I do think that monitoring a trunked system can be a bit more challenging which could equate to being more interesting.

The one advantage of a trunked system is the data channel. The data channel can be monitored using specialized software, giving an individual a great deal of information regarding the system and its activity.

http://radioreference.com/wiki/index.php/Trunked_Radio_Decoders

 

[W4KRR]

I'm sure this has been asked in a few different ways. I do understand the concept as well as the advantages in radio use. However, as far as a scanners perspective; what are the main advantages to scanning TRUNKED freqs?

Also, on a Pro-97, I don't understand the relationships of the "trunk" set-up and the open freqs in my Search Banks. Is there a relationship or a cause and effect when I chose to set my "trunked modes" to Motorola? I ask this as I noticed that I have 6 Search Banks in my normal search ranges and 9 trunking banks - why the different amount and are the banks the same? Also, I think I bought a RS displayed scanner my local county was on pre-programed on my scanner (not in any bank by the way). I think I need a flow chart or a diagram of where I can listen and program the different modes and freqs.

Any info on these questions. Thx.

A radio system can be trunked, or conventional. If the radio system you want to monitor is trunked, then you must set it up in your scanner as a trunked system if you want to be able to monitor and follow specific conversations.

A conventional system (or frequency) is just one or more frequencies that you enter into the memories of your scanner.

You have a PRO-97. The PRO-97 has ten banks, each bank can hold up to 100 conventional frequencies, or one trunked system per bank. One trunked system might have anywhere from three to twenty eight frequencies. In addition, you need to program talkgroups for a trunked system, if you want to monitor specific channels and not monitor others. In addition, for trunked systems, you must program talkgroups, which are the specific channels on trunked systems. Each talkgroup is one channel on a trunked system. The PRO-97 can hold five groups of 30 talkgroups per bank. If the bank is used for conventional channels only, then you don't need any talkgroup lists for that bank.

From a scanner perspective, there is no "advantage" to a trunked system. The advantage is for the users of the system, in that they can get many more talkgroups (channels) out of a limited number of frequencies. A scanner user must program a trunked system as trunked only because that's what the system is in the first place, if you want to monitor and follow conversations.

A conventional frequency is just that, a conventional channel where all the conversations occur on that one frequency. For example, if your police operates on the conventional frequency of 154.710, you would enter 154.710 into one of the channels on your scanner and you would hear everything on that channel, without setting up anything else.

"Open" frequencies and trunking on the PRO-97 have nothing to do with each other. And the search banks on the PRO-97 have nothing to do with trunking either.

 

[Concrete1]

I'm sure this has been asked in a few different ways. I do understand the concept as well as the advantages in radio use. However, as far as a scanners perspective; what are the main advantages to scanning TRUNKED freqs?...."
Thx.

Yes, many "beginners" to the scanning hobby think "trunked, & trunking" is some sort of enhancement to radio scanners that can affect all sorts of frequencies & conventional channels, & may think a trunktracking scanner is "doing something extra" when they monitor their regular conventional channels.
As the other poster mmentioned, if the local agency(s) are "on a trunked system", the only way to hear them correctly is in a correctly proigrammed trunking scanner in the correct trunktracking mode , however if they are not using a trunked radio system, you can NOT use the trunked features of the scanner, & must program the channels as "regular" frequencies, & it would be the same as not having trunktracking in the radio. A regular conventional Two-way radio can't be used in a moto/edacs trunking system either, so don't thing of trunking as something like ctcss/PL , it's not a feature your local police can easily "add" to their existing radios/ conventiional channel.
Think of someone who's local police are on 450.55 Mhz, asking what advantages he would get by monitoring that department on an "800Mhz capable scanner" .......

 

[Navycop]

I Am Glad I Learned How To Set The Talk Groups In My Trunking Scanner. I Can "lock Out" The Trash Collecters And The School Bus Drivers. I Only Hear The Pd/fd And Ems.

 

[vinne82]

how do i program a radio shack pro 97 to recive trunking frquinces for the illinois state police any ideas

 

[DickH]

From a scanner perspective, there is no "advantage" to a trunked system.
A conventional frequency is just that, a conventional channel where all the conversations occur on that one frequency. For example, if your police operates on the conventional frequency of 154.710, you would enter 154.710 into one of the channels on your scanner and you would hear everything on that channel, without setting up anything else.

... From a scanner perspective, there is no "advantage" to a trunked system. ...
I disagree with that statement. With a trunked system, you can hear every transmission clearly. (unless it's encrypted).
In the example you gave, 154.710, you may or may not hear the mobile and portable units clearly, depending on their location. If they use a repeater you should hear everything as in a trunked system.
In both type systems there may be dead spots where you (and the dispatch center) can not hear everyone all the time.

 

[W4KRR]

... From a scanner perspective, there is no "advantage" to a trunked system. ...
I disagree with that statement. With a trunked system, you can hear every transmission clearly. (unless it's encrypted).
In the example you gave, 154.710, you may or may not hear the mobile and portable units clearly, depending on their location. If they use a repeater you should hear everything as in a trunked system.
In both type systems there may be dead spots where you (and the dispatch center) can not hear everyone all the time.

I said there was no advantage to a scanner listener for a trunked system. You're talking about a repeater system, which in and of itself has nothing to do with trunking.

Yes, a repeater system is better for listeners, because if you can hear the repeater, you can hear both sides of the conversation. But that has nothing to do with trunking.

 

[N4DES]

The trunking advantage to the end user is the ability to have a "pool of frequencies" for different diciplines to share as not everyone will be talking at the same time and the end user not being affected by a repeater failure as their transmissions would be routed to a different transmitter.

Of course a failure may or may not cause a system busy, it all depends on the number of channels in the network.

There is no improvement in coverage when you go trunking, that is only seen when you install a simulcast/voting system.

 

[ssb_dxer]

how do i program a radio shack pro 97 to recive trunking frquinces for the illinois state police any ideas

Read your manual, it's all in there.

 

[Sac916]

I disagree with that statement. With a trunked system, you can hear every transmission clearly. (unless it's encrypted)

Heh, well I disagree with that statement.

 

[sony]

Generally which scanners are better? Uniden, Radio Shack, or GRE?
Thus far I have a Pro-95, Pro-97 and Pro-2052 and this trunking stuff is all new to me. Don't even think about digital.
I thought I caught on to it but apparently I didn't I just ended up putting the 20 or so channels in conventional style and thought I had it trunked ..-confusing...