BCT8 Trunking Help

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CCEMS253

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Hello all,
So I have a bct8 scanner I decided I'd take out and play with. I think I'm doing something wrong though. I programmed the EDACS Trunking system, but when the system is scanning I don't hear anything, but when I go threw freq. by freq. I can hear voice communications (and data communications) I don't understand how I don't hear anything during the scanning but when I go threw each freq. I can hear it. The particular EDACS Standard system is Provoice & Analog. but I guess that wouldnt matter for the department im hearing anyway. Here's how I programmed it:
Pressed trunk, pressed 2 (as bank 2 is where im storing the freq.), Chose "ED" then press E, Chose "ProgF", Entered the frequencies, Scrolled up to "Progid", Entered AFS's, then pressed "srch" to scan. Am I doing something wrong?
 

CCEMS253

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When you say correct LCN, does that mean the way the RR database has the frequencies in order?
 

ka3jjz

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It would help to know which system you're talking about - you have no location info in your profile - but when working with EDACS systems, there's a small 2 digit number at the left of the frequency. That's the Logical Channel Number or LCN. You must program the frequencies in precisely that order in order to trunk the system correctly.

Mike
 

RonnieUSA

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Here's the system:
San Angelo Public Safety Trunking System, San Angelo, Texas - Scanner Frequencies

I programmed the freq in order that's listed on the page linked above.
That don't list the LCN Order, You might look at this link, and what site your closes to, and try only those frequencies.
Site Map: San Angelo Public Safety Trunking System, San Angelo, Texas

Here is the FCC License list for that listing.

ULS License - PubSafty/SpecEmer/PubSaftyNtlPlan,806-817/851-862MHz,Trunked License - WPJG225 - SAN ANGELO, CITY OF - Frequencies Summary
 

CCEMS253

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Hmm. After looking at that, I'm closer to tower #6 (TowerID: 1260190) Would I program the freq in the order listed there:
855.4625, 856.2125, 856.4625, 856.9375, 857.4625, 858.4625, 859.4625, 859.9375??
I'm very new to EDACS if yall couldnt tell. I appreciate the help to everyone by the way
 

RonnieUSA

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Hmm. After looking at that, I'm closer to tower #6 (TowerID: 1260190) Would I program the freq in the order listed there:
855.4625, 856.2125, 856.4625, 856.9375, 857.4625, 858.4625, 859.4625, 859.9375??
I'm very new to EDACS if yall couldnt tell. I appreciate the help to everyone by the way
I'm not sure if You can use FreeScan with the BCT8, but I think You can.
Here is a FreeScan file for You for that system.
The LCN's should be in the proper order.
Just unzip it.
I just Looked, and FreeScan doesn't support your scanner, but You can still look at it to see what You need to do to get it going.
This software supports the BCT8 > ARC8 software for Uniden BCT8, from Butel Software. http://www.butelsoftware.com/
 
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RonnieUSA

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Hmm. After looking at that, I'm closer to tower #6 (TowerID: 1260190) Would I program the freq in the order listed there:
855.4625, 856.2125, 856.4625, 856.9375, 857.4625, 858.4625, 859.4625, 859.9375??
I'm very new to EDACS if yall couldnt tell. I appreciate the help to everyone by the way

Yes, that would be correct.
 

DickH

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Hmm. After looking at that, I'm closer to tower #6 (TowerID: 1260190) Would I program the freq in the order listed there:
855.4625, 856.2125, 856.4625, 856.9375, 857.4625, 858.4625, 859.4625, 859.9375??
I'm very new to EDACS if yall couldnt tell. I appreciate the help to everyone by the way

They must be in the correct channels in your scanner. The small number in front of each freq. is the channel number. Notice they start in channel 1 (01).
 

CCEMS253

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I don't follow what your saying as far as the small numbers. the only small numbers i see are on this page:
San Angelo Public Safety Trunking System, San Angelo, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
if that's the case I've already done that, I programmed all 16 frequencies in with no result. Then i looked at the site closest to my location at this page:
WPJG225 (SAN ANGELO, CITY OF) FCC Callsign Details
and programmed those frequencies (8 total). I'm getting confused as to what this "order" everyone is talking about.
 

RonnieUSA

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I don't follow what your saying as far as the small numbers. the only small numbers i see are on this page:
San Angelo Public Safety Trunking System, San Angelo, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
if that's the case I've already done that, I programmed all 16 frequencies in with no result. Then i looked at the site closest to my location at this page:
WPJG225 (SAN ANGELO, CITY OF) FCC Callsign Details
and programmed those frequencies (8 total). I'm getting confused as to what this "order" everyone is talking about.
01 - 855.4625
02 - 856.2125
03 - 856.4625
04 - 856.9375
05 - 857.4625
06 - 858.4625
07 - 859.4625
08 - 859.9375
That should be the order for that site.
 

CCEMS253

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Hmm. That's how I reprogrammed them and The same thing. I don't get anything when the scanner is in trunk scanning mode,scanning bank 2 (where i have the freq stored). but when I search one by one I can hear radio traffic just fine.
 

RonnieUSA

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CCEMS253

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it looks like I've done everything as it says:
I press/hold "Trunk"
select bank 2
select "Ed"
select "ProgF"
Enter the 8 frequencies (channel slots 51-58)
press "Hold/Resume"
scroll up and select "Progid"
in 1-1 I enter (02-021) for police dispatch and for 1-2 i enter (04-021) for fire dispatch
then I press Hold/Resume to go back to the trunking program menu
then I press "srch" to scan
 

RonnieUSA

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it looks like I've done everything as it says:
I press/hold "Trunk"
select bank 2
select "Ed"
select "ProgF"
Enter the 8 frequencies (channel slots 51-58)
press "Hold/Resume"
scroll up and select "Progid"
in 1-1 I enter (02-021) for police dispatch and for 1-2 i enter (04-021) for fire dispatch
then I press Hold/Resume to go back to the trunking program menu
then I press "srch" to scan
That looks correct.
 

CCEMS253

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Hmm, well I think it might be a lost cause. Its doing the same thing. Oh well, just thought I'd play with the scanner a bit. Thanks everyone for the help though.
 

DJ88

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Brick Twp., New Jersey
I had a BC898T and on that unit, as I went through the menu while programming an EDACS or LTR system and got to the point of entering the frequencies, I pressed on an option (forget exactly what it was), and LCN 1 would appear on the screen and I would enter the corresponding frequency and press Enter, then LCN 2 would appear and I entered the frequency, and so on until I entered all of them. By doing this I was actually telling the scanner what the LCNs are.

Have you checked to see if there's any kind of similar option in the menu on your BCT8?
 

RonnieUSA

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Rowan County,KY (Morehead)
Here are the directions for programing a Trunked System in the BCT8.
Programming Trunking Frequencies

There are three steps for programming a trunked system:
1. Program the Trunk Type

What type of system will the scanner be tracking, Motorola
Type II, Type I, EDACS, LTR, etc.
2. Program the Trunked Frequencies – Within a trunked system, the frequencies are
shared among all the users, called “Talk Groups”.
3. Program the Talk Groups–
Within the trunked system, each agency or department is
assigned a Talk Group ID. This ID must be programmed into the scanner in order for it to
monitor that specific agency or department.
Before you start programming your scanner to track a trunked system, consider the
following:

You can only program one trunking system in each bank of your scanner.

Trunked frequencies must be entered while in the Trunk Programming mode.

If you’re in the Trunk Programming mode, you cannot select channels in other banks.
For example, if you are programming Bank 4, you can only select channels 151-200 with the up or down
key.

IMPORTANT: If you are programming an EDACS® trunked system, you must enter the
frequencies in a specific order. Check the frequency guide included with the radio and the
listed web sites for details.
STEP 1: Selecting Trunking System Type
The first step in a Trunk Tracking system is storing the frequencies in one of the five
available banks in your scanner.
1. Press TRUNK for 1.5 seconds.
You will hear two beeps, and “BANK” and “TRUNK” will begin to flash on the display.
2. Select the bank you want to store the frequency by using the
keypad.
3. Select the system you want to track by using the up or down key, then press E.

List of trunking systems as follows:
E2-800 (Motorola Type II 800 MHz)
E2-Hi (Motorola Type II VHF 136-174 MHz) *
E2-UHF (Motorola Type II UHF 406-512 MHz) *
E1 (Motorola Type I and Hybrid) **
Ed (EDACS®Wide Band: 9600 band)***
Ed SCt (EDACS Scat)
Lt (LTR)
* Requires programming of a Base and Spacing frequency Offset channel (See page 45).
** Requires programming of a Fleet map (See page 44).
*** Requires programming of frequencies in exact order and location.

STEP 2: Programming Trunking Frequencies
1. Select and press Pro9 F and press E. Use the keypad and (decimal key) to enter a frequency
for the trunked system.
For example, enter 851.0125

Note: To clear a mistake while entering a frequency, press
(decimal key) twice, and start over.
2. Then press E.
The “E” (EDACS), “M” (Motorola) or “L” (LTR) appears depending on the trunked
system selected.

If the frequency is out of the range of the system chosen in this step, you will hear an
error tone, the channel number flashes and an error message appears on the display.
3. Use the up or down key to select the next channel in the bank and press
E.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all frequencies have been entered.
5. Press
SRCH to begin searching the bank you‘ve programmed.
Then select the programmed bank by using the keypad.

Remember!
To lockout the keypad to prevent re-programming of talkgroups, you can
use Memory Lock (Refer to“Memory Lock”on page 22).

Hint: If you want to return to the previous menu screen, press HOLD/RESUME in the
Trunk Programming mode.
Programming Talk Group ID/Scan Lists
Scan Lists
Each bank of your BCT8 can be a trunk tracking bank and it can be a conventional scanning
bank. When you designate a bank as a trunking bank, your scanner sets up 5 Scan Lists,
which are simply lists used to store your favorite Talk Group IDs. Each list can contain up to
10 IDs, so you can store a total of 50 IDs for each trunk tracking bank. (250 IDs if you use
all the banks as trunking banks!)
Scan Lists help you organize the trunking system users into categories. For example, you
might use List#1 for police IDs, List#2 for fire department IDs, List#3 for emergency medical
service IDs, etc. Once IDs are stored in lists, you can scan them as you scan conventional
frequencies and you can lockout any one (up to 4) of the 5 Scan Lists by pressing the
corresponding numeric key. When an ID is active, the Scan List number will appear on the
display. You can program your Scan Lists either manually or during Trunking Search mode.
Check the web site RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for a complete list of talkgroups for your area
that you can program into your Scan Lists.

In order to program Talk Group ID’s, you must first complete Step1–“ Selecting Trunking System Type”, page 30 and Step 2–“Programming Trunking Frequencies” , page 31.

1. After programming a frequency, press HOLD/RESUME to return to the main screen of system
type selected and select . Then press E.
2. Select the Scan List location by using the up or down key.
3. Enter the Talk Group IDs for each trunk system as follows.
To enter a Type 2 Talk Group ID:
1. Enter the ID you want to store by using the keypad.
2. Press E.

To enter a Type 1 ID:
For a Type I ID, the Block number, Fleet number and Subfleet number make up the Talk
Group ID number. For detail please see page 59.
1. Enter the ID you want to store by using the keypad (ID = Block number + Fleet number +
(decimal key) + Subfleet number).
2. Press E.

To enter a Full EDACS ID®:
1. Enter the Agency number.
2. Press (decimal key) for the “dash”.
3. Enter the Fleet number and Subfleet number.
4. PressE.

To enter a Partial EDACS®ID:
1. Enter the Agency number you want to store.
Use the (decimal key) for the "dash".
2. Press E.

Or you can program all the Talk Group numbers within one fleet of an Agency.
1. Enter the Agency number.
2. Press (decimal key) for the“dash”.
3. Enter the Fleet number.
4. Press E.

Hint:
Remember that Uniden's AFS format allows you to enter full or partial EDACS IDs for
powerful flexibility in all modes. Be sure to read the section "EDACS Reception" on
page 39 to learn how this works.

Note: The BCT8 default to "AFS" talkgroup displays for EDACS® only

Good Luck on this.
 
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