control channels/frequencies how many?

[ghostdog]

i was wonder how many frequencies you can but in one system . can you put more then one site like say sit04 sit12 sit 14 in one system our are you limeted to just one sit to a system

[theaton]

Originally Posted by ghostdog

i was wonder how many frequencies you can but in one system . can you put more then one site like say sit04 sit12 sit 14 in one system our are you limeted to just one sit to a system

As you can see the UCAN system has many sites, and some sites have quite a few frequencies. The DB is designed to hold as many sites and frequencies as are possible in the standard trunked systems. Is this what you are asking?

[qlajlu]

Originally Posted by ghostdog

i was wonder how many frequencies you can but in one system . can you put more then one site like say sit04 sit12 sit 14 in one system our are you limeted to just one sit to a system

The answer to this actually depends on the scanner you are using. Those scanners that use banks can have as many frequencies as you want to put in as long as they all belong to the same trunking system. You can have several conventional frequencies in each bank as well, BUT you are limited to ONE trunking system per bank.

In the newer scanners that have come out that use Object Oriented scanning (such as the Pro-106/197 and GRE PSR-500/600) you are limited to 32 frequencies per system. In other words, you could not put all of UCAN in one system.

So there is no solid answer to your question.

[N7YUO]

I have a possible answer. For travel, I program my PSR500 with these two TSYS:
Interstate 80 and Interstate 15. Both of these TSYS use CC freqs from UCAN Sites.Here is how they work: Interstate 80 has CC freqs for sites: Wendover, Delle, South Mtn, Nelson, Parleys, Lewis, Echo, Humpy, and that one north of Evanston. Interstate 15 has CC freqs for IR Sites from St George to Cal Mtn. No Simul sites in these TSYS. As I travel to or from Wendover or Evanston, the scanner locks onto a strong control channel. When that CC loses strength, the scanner seeks another CC.
The reason I don't put Simul Sites in is because I already have them in TSYS for each County.
When I am in SL or Davis counties, I scan those counties. When I travel outside of the populated areas, the scanner always finds the closest (Strongest) IR site. Point of The Mtn & Gunnison do not apply as they handle 99% prison traffic.

[ghostdog]

thanks glajlu you got was asking .so if got say site 14 in system2 i can't put say sit 09 in the same system i would have to use system 3 and so on right thanks

[fmon]

Originally Posted by ghostdog

thanks glajlu you got was asking .so if got say site 14 in system2 i can't put say sit 09 in the same system i would have to use system 3 and so on right thanks

Apparently you are using a 246 scanner. If so, each site needs to be in separate bank.

[N7YUO]

Quote: "Apparently you are using a 246 scanner. If so, each site needs to be in separate bank." Fmon. OK, I gather a 246 has 'Banks' whereas a PSR500 has TSYS.

Let me explain what will happen if you program adjacent Simulcast sites into a PSR500.
We will use 002 Davis Simul, 003 Salt Lake Simul, & 004 Utah Co Simul. in that order.
1. You are located near the U of U in eastern SL Valley. Terrain blocks the CC signal from sites 002 and 004. Your scanner locks onto site 003. your reception is good.
2. You travel into the west side of SL Valley and drive under a bridge. You lose signal from site 003 and your scanner acquires a good signal from site 002 and locks on. Other than UHP, you are no longer receiving calls from SL Valley, but you are receiving calls from Davis Co, even though you are located in SL County.

3. Lets say you are in western SL County on the hill in Kearns. You have a good line of sight to Davis and Utah Counties. You turn it on, and it locks onto the first CC it finds which is site 002. It stays on that site until it loses the CC signal, then it finds site 003.
If you travel far enough south, it will lose the CC signal from site 003 and acquire site 004.

Here is a trick: You can program multiple simul sites of the same trunked system, (IF they are separated by enough distance or terrain.) Examples: Utah Co Simul & Weber Simul, Summit/Wasatch Simul & SL Simul, Cache Simul & Summit/Wasatch Simul.
Think of the way VHF freqs are assigned. Brigham City uses 155.43 for EMS. The same freq is used by Washington Co Sheriff (St George)

[bchris]

Originally Posted by fmon

Apparently you are using a 246 scanner. If so, each site needs to be in separate bank.

fmon - I am impressed!! He does have a 246 scanner, but how could you know that from this thread and being in West Virginia?

Originally Posted by theaton

As you can see the UCAN system has many sites, and some sites have quite a few frequencies. The DB is designed to hold as many sites and frequencies as are possible in the standard trunked systems. Is this what you are asking?

theaton - I think he uses CC ONLY mode and only UCAN, and is wondering if he can put multiple UCAN CC's in one of his scanner's 'systems'.

ghostdog - Am I correct?

Originally Posted by qlajlu

You can have several conventional frequencies in each bank as well, BUT you are limited to ONE trunking system per bank.

qlajlu - by 'system' in this case you mean UCAN or SL airport etc., right?

Originally Posted by qlajlu

... you are limited to 32 frequencies per system. In other words, you could not put all of UCAN in one system.

qlajlu - by 'system' in this case you mean from his scanner's perspective and NOT the UCAN system, right? How can I ask this in a less confusing way?

Originally Posted by N7YUO

I have a possible answer. For travel, I program my PSR500 with these two TSYS: Interstate 80 and Interstate 15. Both of these TSYS use CC freqs from UCAN Sites.Here is how they work: Interstate 80 has CC freqs for sites: Wendover, Delle, South Mtn, Nelson, Parleys, Lewis, Echo, Humpy, and that one north of Evanston. Interstate 15 has CC freqs for IR Sites from St George to Cal Mtn. No Simul sites in these TSYS. As I travel to or from Wendover or Evanston, the scanner locks onto a strong control channel. When that CC loses strength, the scanner seeks another CC.
The reason I don't put Simul Sites in is because I already have them in TSYS for each County.
When I am in SL or Davis counties, I scan those counties. When I travel outside of the populated areas, the scanner always finds the closest (Strongest) IR site. Point of The Mtn & Gunnison do not apply as they handle 99% prison traffic.

N7YUO - I love what you did here. I had created a different approach using a very similar concept. I had not figured out how to explain it well enough to post it, but I'll try it now.

Do we all agree - In a BC246 using CC only mode, you can program multiple UCAN CC's into the same system in the scanner and it will work fine, BUT it will lock on the first CC in the list that it finds and IGNORE all the others until it no longer can receive the CC that it was locked on. It will then try to lock on the next CC in the list until it finds one within range, at which time it will lock on it and ignore all the others. Correct?

Let's say I program 4 separate 'IR' systems in my BC246 and name them IRA, IRB, IRC, and IRD. I will run them in search mode to hear ALL traffic (that is not locked out) since I will be traveling to a wide variety of locations. Even so, I will program what I feel are the 250 most active talkgroups on a statewide basis so that in most cases the actual name will show on my display instead of just the ID#. Then using a map showing the locations of all the UCAN IR sites, I program IRA with multiple CC's such that no 2 CC's from IRA could possibly be received at the same time. I could then choose one of IRA's neighbor sites to put in IRB, a different neighbor for IRC, and still another neighbor for IRD. Would it be possible to travel to ANY remote location or rural area in Utah and listen to ALL traffic that is within range from multiple IR sites, without needing to constantly lock sites in&out as I drive? Well, I actually did it and it almost worked.

What I originally overlooked was that some of the IR sites re-use the same CC frequency in a different area. I had to rearrange all the groups (A,B,C,D) such that all sites that use the same frequency MUST be in the same group. After a bit of field testing and tweaking, IT NOW WORKS GREAT! I don't have a BC246, but I do have a BR330 that is set up like this. When I am on the wasatch front I lock out these IR systems and only listen to the simulcast sites. Whenever I travel I unlock these sites and whatever sinulcast sites I am interested in for that trip. I will lock the simulcast systems in&out as I drive, but all the others I never need to touch - it's all automatic. Note that if there is no CC within range for a given IR system, the scanner only spends a fraction of a second scanning that system since it is only looking for a new CC signal instead of reading the data stream for a full second or two. In other words, there is no harm in leaving it unlocked even if no CC is in range for that group.

I had originally helped ghostdog by dumping most of my '330 programming into his '246 when he first bought it. I believe I did include these IR systems for him. I am glad to know that he is experimenting with it on his own.

I would like to know what everyone thinks about this approach for traveling outside the simulcast areas in Utah. I have put so much effort into it and it has worked so well for me that I would love to share it. If anyone wants my files, maps, or documentation, send me a PM.

--B.Christensen

[qlajlu]

Originally Posted by ghostdog

thanks glajlu you got was asking .so if got say site 14 in system2 i can't put say sit 09 in the same system i would have to use system 3 and so on right thanks

What kind of a scanner are you running, ghostdog?

[ghostdog]

the scanner i got is the 246 and bchris did help me set it up and it still work great i am just exmp with it trying new stuff out

[qlajlu]

bchris, you really are a good workhorse. You really get into the situation and you find the solution.

When I said "system" in my previous post, I was thinking of my BC780. I am not mobile like you are so my banks needed to be programmed differently because the Sites I can hear would compete. I could not have more than one ACTIVE Site (which I unfortunately called a system) in any one bank and for me each Site would be a system.

Actually, the User's Manual for the 780 states that only one trunking system per bank and be entered, and that is what I mostly based my comment on. With each UCAN Site having different CCs I just jumped to the conclusion that they must be treated as a system unto themselves.

Your idea about separation because of terrain is an interesting concept and I can see how that would work. I'm not sure I would have thought of that on my own.

N7YUO, I have my PSR-600 programmed differently than you have your 500. Here, again, I'm not mobile like you, but I have Sites 001 (Weber County Simo), Site 002 (Davis County Simo), Site 003 (Salt Lake County Simo), Site 004 (Utah County Simo), Site 007 (Mt. Ogden), and Site 011 ( Nelson Peak) into one TSYS I have named UCAN (Will wonders never cease?). I also have AC33 in a TSYS system, the Airport TRS in a TSYS system and Murray PD in the CONV Objects list. I have broken the TGs into scan lists by geographical areas and it is real handy that way. I can toggle on or off any area with just a few keystrokes on the scanner's key pad. It has worked out nicely for me.

So, my point? Everyone has something that works for them, but it certainly does not hurt to consider other's approach because you might pick up a new idea.

[fmon]

Originally Posted by bchris

fmon - I am impressed!! He does have a 246 scanner, but how could you know that from this thread and being in West Virginia?

That would be Virginia.
To answer your question. Worked these forums a day or two. I clicked on ghostdog and checked previous postings. 246 was reviled about 9 or so threads down the list.