SDS100/SDS200: Work just went digital

[llwade]

I first tried to get my question answered in the ILLINOIS forum., but couldn't get the job done. The place I work, just went digital. Transmitting on 457.725, Receiving on 452.725, the color code is 8, and the TG is 1001. With antennas in Chillicothe & Mossville, IL. The installer of the radios was Supreme Radio Communications. I do not have a clue on how to use this information to listen to my work from home. I think I was told this was a DMR station, but I am not sure. If anyone can help me set this up, I would be very appreciative. Thank You so much for taking the time to read this. Have a great day.

 

[llwade]

to answer the obvious question, I DO have a DMR capable scanner radio (SDS100) (SDS200).

 

[RaleighGuy]

While the scanner is capable of DMR, the question is do you have the DMR upgrade? If the channel has a color code it is DMR.

 

[llwade]

sorry I thought I made it clear. scanner capable of DMR and DMR IS installed

 

[RaleighGuy]

sorry I thought I made it clear. scanner capable of DMR and DMR IS installed

Capable and having the upgrade is two different things. Here is a YOUTUBE video on SDS100/DMR Programming that might help. Otherwise I'm sure an SDS100/200 owner will be by soon.

 

[hiegtx]

I first tried to get my question answered in the ILLINOIS forum., but couldn't get the job done. The place I work, just went digital. Transmitting on 457.725, Receiving on 452.725, the color code is 8, and the TG is 1001. With antennas in Chillicothe & Mossville, IL. The installer of the radios was Supreme Radio Communications. I do not have a clue on how to use this information to listen to my work from home. I think I was told this was a DMR station, but I am not sure. If anyone can help me set this up, I would be very appreciative. Thank You so much for taking the time to read this. Have a great day.

sorry I thought I made it clear. scanner capable of DMR and DMR IS installed

Look at this thread:

HowTo - How do you program DMR / MOTOTRBO / NXDN?

To the best of my knowledge, this question - which does show up from time to time - has been asked but never really documented. Certainly not fully. The only doc I saw (with thanks to an unknown individual - I plumb forgot his/her name!) is in the mess that is the Uniden TWiki, viz...

forums.radioreference.com

Also, this thread on programming a single channel DMR system:

Fun with DMR: programming a single channel DMR system

Here is my fist pass at a setup up a setup guide for a single channel DMR system using a Uniden 436 and the latest release candidate (2). I am monitoring my local amateur DMR repeaters who are all part of the PRN DMR repeater network. This gives us some interesting monitoring opportunities now...

forums.radioreference.com

I think someone may have mislead you on the frequency. In the Uhf bad where this specific frequency lies, the base and/or repeater output is almost always the lower frequency. in this case 452.725, with field units 5MHz higher. i.e. 457.725. I see that the license includes two sites (a different frequency on the second site).

FCC Callsign WPNW493 (ILLINOIS VALLEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL)

FCC Callsign WPNW493 (ILLINOIS VALLEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL)

www.radioreference.com

Program it as a DMR One Frequency trunked system (OFT). Follow the steps in the Fun with DMR thread that I linked. I would program both of the frequencies you mentioned as sites (one frequency per site in an OFT system), and also program the other frequency labeled as station class FB2 (FB2 designates a repeater), 451.450.

 

[Ubbe]

The place I work, just went digital. Transmitting on 457.725, Receiving on 452.725, the color code is 8, and the TG is 1001.

First thing to do are to check if you are within coverage range with your current antennas.

Enter the transmit frequency as a Quick Save channel by pushing the Channel button, enter the frequency, push Enter and then scroll to Audio Type and select Analog Only. Then push Menu several times until you are back at the scanning display and that channel will by on Hold for you to monitor. You might have to set squelch to 0 to be able to hear if there are a digital signal transmitting. You can go do Fn+7 to toggle IFX to see if reception improves. You can also go into the Menu and test all the different filter settings.

If you hear a good datasignal, the signal strength are -100dBm or better, then change Audio Type to All and it should decode the signal. Try and get as low D-Error value as possible, lower than 5, by testing IFX and different filters. If successful you can program that frequency as a One Frequency Trunked system and set to ID Search to get all TG's and save them by pushing Enter while they are on the display.

/Ubbe

 

[werinshades]

I first tried to get my question answered in the ILLINOIS forum., but couldn't get the job done. The place I work, just went digital. Transmitting on 457.725, Receiving on 452.725, the color code is 8, and the TG is 1001. With antennas in Chillicothe & Mossville, IL. The installer of the radios was Supreme Radio Communications. I do not have a clue on how to use this information to listen to my work from home. I think I was told this was a DMR station, but I am not sure. If anyone can help me set this up, I would be very appreciative. Thank You so much for taking the time to read this. Have a great day.

As I said in the Illinois forum, and now a link was provided, program as a One Frequency Trunk system to confirm talkgroups and radio ID's. Sorry...I don't have time to walk you through step-by-step but you'll get it if you have some patience.

 

[llwade]

Thank You, ALL, for your information. I really appreciate your taking your time to reach out to me and help me get this station 10-08. When I finally hear those transmissions I will be sure to pass it on, through R.R. Good scanning my friends.

 

[llwade]

UBBE: your direction seemed so simple I had to try it. Did a Quick Save as you directed. Channel>freq=457.725>enter>audio type=analog only>
I got in one of our vehicles a block away from the Chillicothe repeater. I keyed the mic. All I got was static. I did a second quick save with the freq of 452.725. all I got was static with a warbling noise after I un-keyed the mic. any ideas what I am doing wrong

 

[llwade]

when you said "STROING DATA SIGNAL" you meant talking / not noise - correct?

 

[Ubbe]

any ideas what I am doing wrong

You are overloading the scanner when you transmit that close to it. I guess it isn't that many conversation on the frequency so you can just wait a while for a transmission to start?

Set the scanner to record, Fn+Replay, and then step out of your vehicle and leave the scanner and walk away 100ft and transmit a couple of times and then go back and listen to the recording, Fn+Replay to stop the recording and then hold in the Replay key a couple of seconds until it shows the recording folder and push Enter to play.

/Ubbe

 

[llwade]

F.Y.I. we are off until 08/18. wont be any traffic until then

 

[tvengr]

Channel>freq=457.725>enter>audio type=analog only>
I got in one of our vehicles a block away from the Chillicothe repeater. I keyed the mic. All I got was static. I did a second quick save with the freq of 452.725.

457.725 is the repeater input frequency. That is the one the mobiles transmit on. 452.725 is the repeater output frequency which is the one you want to monitor using a DMR one frequency trunk system. You will hear both the base and mobiles on the repeater output frequency.

 

[werinshades]

457.725 is the repeater input frequency. That is the one the mobiles transmit on. 452.725 is the repeater output frequency which is the one you want to monitor using a DMR one frequency trunk system. You will hear both the base and mobiles on the repeater output frequency.

Hey ilwade, now that you have some down time from trying to hurry up and program this system, look at some of previous posts from both the Illinois Forums and here. Do some research on programming DMR One Frequency Trunk Systems, their is alot of different resources over the years, it's nothing new. You might encounter another similar system one day and you can fall back on that information. As it's been said in both forums, do not program the input frequency, or key a radio next to the SDS 100, you'll blow out the front end. You might have 1 frequency, 2 separate talkgroups on 2 different slots. I would also program the other frequency that's on the license, leave the color code in Search and you might find some other talkgroups? That is why it's reccomended to program as One Frequency Trunk. It's possible the same talkgroup could be assigned on two separate slots, with different designations on the radio (Ch.1 & Ch.2 for example).

 

[llwade]

Thank You All - appreciate all your input

 

[hiegtx]

Hey ilwade, now that you have some down time from trying to hurry up and program this system, look at some of previous posts from both the Illinois Forums and here. Do some research on programming DMR One Frequency Trunk Systems, their is alot of different resources over the years, it's nothing new. You might encounter another similar system one day and you can fall back on that information. As it's been said in both forums, do not program the input frequency, or key a radio next to the SDS 100, you'll blow out the front end. You might have 1 frequency, 2 separate talkgroups on 2 different slots. I would also program the other frequency that's on the license, leave the color code in Search and you might find some other talkgroups? That is why it's reccomended to program as One Frequency Trunk. It's possible the same talkgroup could be assigned on two separate slots, with different designations on the radio (Ch.1 & Ch.2 for example).

Just to add slightly to 'shades comments, setting it up, initially, as a One Frequency system allows to to verify that the frequencies are being used, as well as letting you verify the color code(s) used & seeing a sampling of the talkgroups. These items give you a more complete starting point to be used when you try to set it up as a full blown DMR trunked system. Knowing which frequencies are actually used, as well as establishing the color code used for a site makes it much easier to use the LCN Finder one a full system is created.

 

[MagicMan08]

Just to add slightly to 'shades comments, setting it up, initially, as a One Frequency system allows to to verify that the frequencies are being used, as well as letting you verify the color code(s) used & seeing a sampling of the talkgroups. These items give you a more complete starting point to be used when you try to set it up as a full blown DMR trunked system. Knowing which frequencies are actually used, as well as establishing the color code used for a site makes it much easier to use the LCN Finder one a full system is created.

Trying to do exactly this for a business in town, I just want to listen and map their DMR stuff. We'll see

 

[hiegtx]

Trying to do exactly this for a business in town, I just want to listen and map their DMR stuff. We'll see

Do you already have the DMR system created for them? If trying to use an OFT system, Discovery will only let you monitor one site (the single frequency) at a time.

For a prospective "new" DMR system (one not in the database), I may use one of two methods to get a starting point. I can program the channels conventionally, then let ProScan log activity on the frequencies to get an idea of which frequencies are used, color codes, and a sampling of the talkgroups. Or, program the frequencies into an OFT system, individual sites, and let ProScan collect the frequencies, color codes, and talkgroups that are in use.

For the x36HP & SDS series scanners, ProScan can give you a hint whether this is being used as a trunked system, or as DMR in a conventional mode.


Here in my dense metro area, the same Uhf frequency may be licensed to more than one entity, in some cases 6 to 8 licensees in my county at one time. The log helps look for clusters of talkgroups, on a frequency, that use the same color code. That comes into play when setting up a system, so that you can concentrate on one user, and not be distracted by others using the same frequency, but a different color code.

 

[N0ZQR]

Following this thread with great interest!
I have a user that is using DMR on itinerant frequencies, Do I set up each frequency as a single trunk?
I have looked at the FCC information and they are licensed for 16 frequencies!
Ron