Which systems to scan in Carbon County?

[K7XRL]

So a little background. I have an amateur license (my username should be a clue).

I recently purchased a BCD325P2, and just got the key to unlock NXDN.

What I want to do is set up the scanner to monitor the county dispatch, and also the state UCA system.

But, I obviously also want to avoid redundancies that will slow the scanning. Looking at the database, it looks like the UCA is in there 2 ways, one is P25.

There are a couple of different Carbon County systems too. There is the regular Carbon, then there is a Carbon-Emery system.

What I'd like to do is only scan the most recent and relevant systems and avoid any redundancies. I'm also seeing that some of the systems seem to have a huge list of different tower sites and talk groups. I am assuming that monitoring multiple UCA tower sites will be redundant. I think setting up separate systems for each tower site that I can turn on and off in the scanner might be the best way to get good coverage while traveling. My work occasionally has me on the road to different counties, and I'd like to be able to bring the scanner along for entertainment.

I guess what I am really asking is for a flow chart or map that explains the various systems in the database, and how to set them up in the scanner to avoid redundancies like scanning multiple tower sites or listening to analog systems when the same traffic will be on digital systems, etc.

I'm sure you folks are tired of answering the same questions whenever a newbie comes around. So I apologize in advance for asking the same tired old questions.

I've been using the free trial of Proscan for programming, and it seems to work well, but there are a lot of options when building the file to send to the scanner, some of which I don't understand.

I would like to eventually build a file for several counties that I could load onto the scanner and lock out, and then enable them as I travel.

If any of you already have proscan database files for Carbon, Emery and Grand counties you'd be willing to attach to the replies, that would be a helpful shortcut.

 

[tvengr]

I would like to eventually build a file for several counties that I could load onto the scanner and lock out, and then enable them as I travel.

Rather than locking out, it is much easier to use quick keys. Here is a PDF file explaining how to do it.

 

[K7XRL]

Rather than locking out, it is much easier to use quick keys. Here is a PDF file explaining how to do it.

Thanks, I'll have to give that a try once I get all the systems I want working.

I really thought programming with a computer was going to be easy, but it seems like nothing "just works" without some tweaks and adjustments.

 

[tvengr]

Welcome to the wonderful world of trunked systems. For the Carbon and Emery County system, you will need to click on the Name of each site to get the RAN for the site and the CH ID's for the frequencies to program the system. If you download from the database, that should all be included.

 

[K7XRL]

So the quick keys are helpful. I think startup keys will be helpful too for getting it to start with a different scheme.

I do have the Carbon and Emery NXDN system working now. It's hard to tell if I am getting all of the traffic just yet because it has been a surprisingly slow weekend. I'll know more tomorrow.

I also read that this scanner can be powered over the USB with batteries removed, so that will save me some AA's and save time charging NiMH cells. It eats batteries pretty fast.

 

[K7XRL]

Well I went poking around on the FCC ULS and found that the Carbon County NXDN system in the database has fewer frequencies listed than those that appear in the FCC database for this particular system. I'm pretty sure I am looking g at the right license because the emission type matches (4K00F1E) and some of the frequencies match the RR database.

So I guess the next step is to add these frequencies to the sites referenced in the ULS in my scanner and see if any of them show up while receiving a signal?

 

[enosjones]

The carbon emery digital system has 15 to 17 sites in more areas than carbon and emery. Carbon Sheriff and emery sheriff's offices as well as carbon county road department use the system as well as carbon county ambulance. I can help u with anything u need on the system I am in town

 

[enosjones]

The price cops however on on the 800 UCA system and will be on the new 700mhz UCA p25 system when thats up. The bcd325p2 will trunk those systems, it may not do simulcast too well but the Vhf nxdn system it should do fine on. I use mine and it works ok as long as the LCNs for the frequencies are correct.. I can help in anyway if u need help with programming or listening to the system..

 

[K7XRL]

The carbon emery digital system has 15 to 17 sites in more areas than carbon and emery. Carbon Sheriff and emery sheriff's offices as well as carbon county road department use the system as well as carbon county ambulance. I can help u with anything u need on the system I am in town

So I have everything from the NXDN database programmed in, and I've locked out the sites that aren't associated with Carbon county in the database, like the Emery, Duchesne and San Juan sites. So I have Ford Ridge, Wood Hill, 9 Mile, East Carbon, 4 Mile Hill, and a couple of others active in the system. I also have the conventional channels in a separate system. I checked the LCNs and they appear to match with what the database is showing.

I also have the UCA (the one that isn't p25) programmed and I have the Price Alternate, Ford Ridge and Cedar Mountain sites enabled for that system.

So far I am hearing most of the goings-on in the county. But sometimes I will only hear the dispatch side of the conversation. This could be becaise I have the delay time at 2 seconds and it's dropping a site before the reply comes and then the reply comes while it's cycling through the systems. I do have it set to ID search to pick up any talkgroups that aren't in the DB.

It's been an intense few days of learning how to use this but I think I am getting the hang of it. Thanks for your offer to help, and if I get stuck somewhere I will reach out for assistance.

 

[enosjones]

I'd also add Bruin on 800 and on the nxdn system as a site to scan, dispatch usually broadcasts on multiple channels and talkgroups, so it goes across ems fire uhp and carbon SO and Price PD etc, sometimes at the same time.. currently dispatch is only using TG 10801 on nxdn for ems and emery uses TG 102 on the same system, as well as the carbon road dept on TG 10001...

 

[K7XRL]

I'd also add Bruin on 800 and on the nxdn system as a site to scan, dispatch usually broadcasts on multiple channels and talkgroups, so it goes across ems fire uhp and carbon SO and Price PD etc, sometimes at the same time.. currently dispatch is only using TG 10801 on nxdn for ems and emery uses TG 102 on the same system, as well as the carbon road dept on TG 10001...

Yeah I've heard some of the road department a few nights ago clearing snow up the canyon on hwy 6. Also heard a national guard helicopter on the Ford Ridge UCA site, and a few nights ago a fleeing DV attempted murder suspect from Georgia leaving Moab north on 191. That was on the Cedar Mountain UCA site.

It's been an exciting first week of listening.

 

[enosjones]

So price dispatch covers carbon emery grand and San juan , some of Wayne County on sr 24 by hanksville for UHP, lately they also have been dispatching for San juan county sheriff's office so the 1Z units are down there.. price is 2R County is 1R helper 3R east carbon Sunnyside is 4R and wellington 5R. Sometimes if u hear grand county they will practice speed chases as a drill on the ops Channel off of the main channel

 

[enosjones]

I also sent u a private message regarding the scan speed of the scanner too

 

[enosjones]

You will also hear Salt Lake County utah County both uhp and SO , plus Richfield and sanpete, sometimes even st George, Department of health and human services doing tests once a month ... if u keep the ID search on , u will hear anything that comes across including the UCA radio Tech guys.. and the medical helicopters talking to the hospitals... it gets pretty busy at times

 

[K7XRL]

So price dispatch covers carbon emery grand and San juan , some of Wayne County on sr 24 by hanksville for UHP, lately they also have been dispatching for San juan county sheriff's office so the 1Z units are down there.. price is 2R County is 1R helper 3R east carbon Sunnyside is 4R and wellington 5R. Sometimes if u hear grand county they will practice speed chases as a drill on the ops Channel off of the main channel

This is useful info, thank you! I didn't know Price handled San Juan dispatch but I guess it makes sense given how small Monticello is. But a good portion of the south side of Moab in Spanish Valley is in San Juan county instead of Grand. Sort of how some of the easternmost bits of Green River are in Grand County.

 

[K7XRL]

So with the UCA system, do I only need to monitor one site like Ford Ridge to get all of the Carbon county traffic?

Is it the same with the NXDN system? Can I monitor just one site and hear everything or do I need to monitor them all?

 

[enosjones]

Only some of the units for carbon and emery have digital radios for nxdn the rest are patched in from vhf analog, depending on the sites u are closer to, if a unit affiliates with that site then u will hear it. Same with UCA on 800. U will hear different traffic on one site than u will another depending who is on the site, dispatch is on all sites depending on who is also on the site with them. All or most of Uhp has more 800 radios, price city and price fire are still aquiring radios.. so most of the channels are patched with vhf analog on 800

 

[enosjones]

If u are in downtown Price, The Price alternate or the price dispatch site is located at dispatch (obviously)on carbon avenue, Ford ridge is up top price canyon, Bruin is above east carbon, woodhill is in price on top of the hill with the Blue and White "C". Four Mile Hill is south of price on SR -10 just before u leave town. Boarding House is not far from Ford ridge but covers more of Scofield Reservoir, Blackhawk and Castle Gate sites both cover past where the old Carbon County power plant used to be as u enter sr191 to go to Duchesne from here. Cedar Mountain covers Emery County and parts of I-70.. Horn mountain covers Orangeville to Ferron. Nine Mile, is located in Nine mile canyon (where the petroglyphs are) past wellington it takes u up argyle canyon and another way to go towards Duchesne (the longer way). So it depends on where u live and what u want to listen too. It also depends which units are affiliated where...

 

[K7XRL]

Only some of the units for carbon and emery have digital radios for nxdn the rest are patched in from vhf analog, depending on the sites u are closer to, if a unit affiliates with that site then u will hear it. Same with UCA on 800. U will hear different traffic on one site than u will another depending who is on the site, dispatch is on all sites depending on who is also on the site with them. All or most of Uhp has more 800 radios, price city and price fire are still aquiring radios.. so most of the channels are patched with vhf analog on 800

Okay I think I am getting the picture on how some of this operates. I think it makes sense to have a second radio scanning the analog VHF frequencies. Which is easy enough to do with a regular amateur HT. They don't scan as fast, but many of them can watch 2 specific frequencies at the same time, so like SO dispatch plus one other frequency. Then use the scanner for the trunked systems.

I can also use one of the radios to scan FRS/GMRS/MURS.

 

[enosjones]

Another option is the baofeng 2 way radio that can be programmed with vhf frequencies and can scan police and or amateur radio, some are dual band radios. This is another option it also can scan, using a special cord and a program called chirp