BCD325P2/BCD996P2: Scanning issues

[belcher1237]

I just received my brand new BD996P2 I’ve updated the firmware downloaded ARC-XT Pro and imported the frequencies and settings in from radio reference for my county Jefferson County Alabama. I live in the county and the only thing I am picking up is fultondale pd, Birmingham Fire main, Birmingham pd east, and the county sheriffs department centerpoint channel. I am trying to pick up Gardendale pd and I know they aren’t encrypted because I picked them up on the channel one time while I was driving down the road and I haven’t been able to get them since and I met someone in a group on Facebook who lives in the county but is about 30 minuets away and he is using the homepatrol 2 and has no issues picking up everyone who isn’t encrypted. Now I don’t know much about radios or trunking or really much of anything. But there are like 8 different sites here in the county and what I did to keep me from having to scroll through every site every time I want to hear one channel that could hit on any different site in the county I copied all the control channels to one site and didn’t mess with the band plan or status but or the end code which I believe is all off. So any advice or someone please tell me what I’m doing wrong. Reply on here or email me or call or text me if you’d like. Belcher1237@gmail.com 2053355410

 

[belcher1237]

Here is the county listing https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=281

 

[UPMan]

If you are 30 minutes away from Gardendale, then it is quite likely that you are out of their coverage area. Their radio traffic might only be carried on a site you are not able to receive (Graysville? Huffman?). Not all traffic on the system is carried on every site.

 

[belcher1237]

I actually live across the street from Gardendale police station like I could throw a rock and hit the police station. Hoover pd is roughly 30 mind from my house and I pick them up no issues clear as day. And after watching videos and checking the forms other people have had minor similar problems but not exactly the same thing. Just scanning control channel issues. Like the Birmingham pd north precinct feed I can listen to on my phone and if I turn my scanner to that talk group with all the control channels programmed in maybe every 5th transmission I’ll pick up on the scanner and I’ll notice on the stream it shows what channel it is broadcasting on isn’t even acontrol or alternate control channel so I programmed that channel in and still have the same issue....

 

[UPMan]

Are all control channels programmed in as one site? If that is the case, the scanner is only going to use the first control channel it detects. Each site should be set up as a separate site with only its frequencies, no frequencies from other sites.

Do you know which site carries traffic for Gardendale? You might have to monitor each site individually for a while to determine that.

 

[belcher1237]

Yes I did it that way so if I only want to listen to one talkgroup I don’t have to go into 8 different talk groups to lockout all the other channels I have programmed that I don’t want to hear. But I think I’ll give it a shot. And I don’t have a clue. I’ve gotten a very fast crash course on radios and systems these past couple of days because I know absolutely nothing other than how to use my FD radio (changing the channel and talking on it)

 

[UPMan]

Talk groups are programmed into channel groups and are completely independent (in the scanner) from site frequenciess, which are programmed into sites. When a talk group is set to be scanned (i.e. programmed into an enabled/unlocked channel group), that talk group is checked for every enabled site. Turning on/off a site does not (in the scanner) change what talk groups are monitored.

I put (in the scanner) above a couple of times, because sometimes talk groups on the system are restricted to particular sites.

Scanning a trunked system consists of going to the site, finding the control channel frequency, then monitoring that control channel for about 1-2 seconds. During that time, the control channel will transmit the TGID of every active call on that site. The scanner compares the active TGIDs with what you have programmed to see if there is a match. If there is a match, then the scanner will switch to the voice frequency carrying that TGID and you'll hear the audio.

 

[jonwienke]

Talkgroups are programmed at the system level, not per site. If you are creating a separate system for every site, you're doing it wrong.

Program all system sites and talkgroups under one system, and locking out a talkgroup will lock it out regardless of what site(s) you are monitoring.

 

[belcher1237]

Thank you both!! I do believe I was thinking when I used the arc xt software that it was creating a separate system for each site. So this does help ALOT!! I’m gonna try this now and see what happens

 

[belcher1237]

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=281

I meant to include this in my original post but should include all the sites along with the simulcast? And should I still only put in the control and alternate control or put in every channel that’s listed with each site?

 

[UPMan]

Put in all sites. It is easy enough to lock out sites that you are out of range of (but if you take a drive, handy to turn them back on).

Technically, you only need the control channels and alternate control channels. This assumes that RRDB is 100% accurate for this system. If you aren't running into any memory limits, I'd go ahead and program in all frequencies, though. It does not increase scan time and avoids issues if an undocumented frequency is used as a control channel.

 

[belcher1237]

And any idea on what setting the status bit should be? Options are Yes or Ignore. Also should I set the end code?

 

[UPMan]

Use defaults (Ignore / End Code Detect).

 

[belcher1237]

Can I put the sites under the same quick key?

 

[belcher1237]

And should I create the band plan that’s suggested from RR or leave it on the setting of 800/900?

 

[UPMan]

You can assign all the sites to the same quick key. However, that will make it more difficult to individually turn sites on/off (which you would want to do to prevent the scanner from attempting to scan sites that have poor reception or are outright out of reception range).

Use the standard 800/900 band plan.

 

[ofd8001]

Can I put the sites under the same quick key?

What I'll do is assign the sites that I can receive while in my "home" area to one System Quick Key and the rest of the sites to a different System Quick Key. While at "home" the "other" SQK is disabled and when I go out of my "home" area, I'll enable that "other" SQK.

There are two thoughts on the SQK to use. Anything 0-9 requires pressing only that digit. For 10 and higher, you have to press the period (.) button before the digits. The single button press is quicker, but also opens the door to inadvertent pressing (you might be reaching for the volume knob and bump a button thus disabling the quick key).