536hp trunking site question

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mitbr

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With the 536hp how do I know on a trunking system that I am listening to that the scanner has locked onto to site data channel other than waiting for someone to talk. Is there an indictor on the screen that shows when a site is locked and conversely when a signal is lost.
Tim
 

ofd8001

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If you have the 3-Line Display set to Off, the top line starts off with "F". The second line down starts with "S". The third line is the System name.

The fourth line, which is the important one for your question, is the site name. When you are scanning a trunked radio system, the fourth line should display the name of the site your scanner is currently "locked on to". You'll also see a signal level indication in the upper right hand corner.

When your scanner receives a voice transmission, the fourth line changes from the site name to the department name.
 

troymail

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With the 536hp how do I know on a trunking system that I am listening to that the scanner has locked onto to site data channel other than waiting for someone to talk. Is there an indictor on the screen that shows when a site is locked and conversely when a signal is lost.
Tim

If you have locked on a control channel but there is nothing active you are wanting to hear (or just nothing active) you should see "DAT" on the bottom of the display (solid - not blinking). I can't recall - this may only be on the 5 line display mode.

I know you're asking about the 536 ....

However, I just looked at my 436 display and it is scanning 5 sites for a given system (I can see all 5 site names flashing on the screen as it scans). "DAT" seems to remain solid as it scans all 5 sites -- but I know that the radio is only receiving 2 of them (confirmed by disabling the 2 sites closest to me -- then no "DAT" displayed at all).

Edit: to be more clear -- best I can tell you have no way to know unless (a) the system only has one site or (b) you do a site hold and look for the DAT indicator.
 
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mitbr

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Thanks for the responses!

If I go to a trunking site that I know I am not receiving the site name still shows up on the screen.
DAT will not show up on edacs or non digital systems although it does work for the digital systems.
I cannot open the squelch on the trunking system to hear if the data signal is in range.
I guess the only way is to wait and see if someone talks or look at the signal bar graph.

Any other ideas?
Thanks for the help.
Tim
 

troymail

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In my area, some sites show no bars. Generally, DAT is intermittent. What I find on these sites is that sometimes you will hear something and nothing for long periods. So, for the most part, although you might hear something once in a while, chances are the radio isn't receiving that site more often than not. Moving the radio around a bit makes a difference also.
 

ofd8001

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If I go to a trunking site that I know I am not receiving the site name still shows up on the screen.

Here in Louisville KY I can receive about 3 of the 140 sites on the Indiana P25 system. While the scanner "scans" all 140 of these sites the name of each site is displayed during the scanning process. The scanner "lingers" on those sites my scanner receives the control channel. In that case I see signal indicator bars. That tells me I'm "hearing" the site, but if no audio is coming over the speaker, I'm presuming that no one is transmitting.

This is just like when the scanner is going through systems. It shows the name of the system being scanned, just so you know what it is attempting to listen to.

I cannot open the squelch on the trunking system to hear if the data signal is in range.

I'm pretty sure that's typical for a trunked radio system - you won't hear squelch when you are receiving the control channel of a trunked radio system.

You could, if you wanted to go to the time and effort, program the given system as a conventional system and input each site and the control channels. Then when the radio is scanning, it would stop on those sites that are in range and you would hear the sound of the control channel.

But for the purposes of knowing which sites are within range of your scanner, it's a case of watching the scanner for signal indicator bars and noting the site name.
 

WA0CBW

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While it is scanning you could remove the antenna and see what the display shows when it is not receiving a control channel. That is assuming that you can't receive the site with the antenna removed.
BB
 

kruser

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Here in Louisville KY I can receive about 3 of the 140 sites on the Indiana P25 system. While the scanner "scans" all 140 of these sites the name of each site is displayed during the scanning process. The scanner "lingers" on those sites my scanner receives the control channel. In that case I see signal indicator bars. That tells me I'm "hearing" the site, but if no audio is coming over the speaker, I'm presuming that no one is transmitting.

This is just like when the scanner is going through systems. It shows the name of the system being scanned, just so you know what it is attempting to listen to.



I'm pretty sure that's typical for a trunked radio system - you won't hear squelch when you are receiving the control channel of a trunked radio system.

You could, if you wanted to go to the time and effort, program the given system as a conventional system and input each site and the control channels. Then when the radio is scanning, it would stop on those sites that are in range and you would hear the sound of the control channel.

But for the purposes of knowing which sites are within range of your scanner, it's a case of watching the scanner for signal indicator bars and noting the site name.

I get some sites with zero signal bars yet they decode just fine so watching for a signal and the site name does not always work.

Watching the display for DAT or LNK to the right of the Date is a better indicator that the radio is hearing valid CC data for a site.

This is one of the reasons I'd like to see the CC and Voice Channel frequency displayed on the scanners screen if the users wants it too.
The 3/996 series do show the frequency when they are receiving valid CC data. This same info should be shown on the x36 screens as well.
 

mitbr

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I get some sites with zero signal bars yet they decode just fine so watching for a signal and the site name does not always work.

Watching the display for DAT or LNK to the right of the Date is a better indicator that the radio is hearing valid CC data for a site.

This is one of the reasons I'd like to see the CC and Voice Channel frequency displayed on the scanners screen if the users wants it too.
The 3/996 series do show the frequency when they are receiving valid CC data. This same info should be shown on the x36 screens as well.

Hopefully a firmware upgrade may fix this.
Tim
 

ofd8001

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I get some sites with zero signal bars yet they decode just fine so watching for a signal and the site name does not always work.

Watching the display for DAT or LNK to the right of the Date is a better indicator that the radio is hearing valid CC data for a site.

Unfortunately there are no "hard and fast" rules for this. For example in the case of the Indiana TRS, which is a mixture of analog and digital modes, my scanner can "lock in" on a site and but won't display DAT or LNK.

So it is one of those "in some cases, this happens but in other cases that happens". It becomes more of an art than a science in determing which sites the scanner is receiving a control channel.

At any rate, I concur that showing the name of the active site when a transmission is being received on a 536 scanner would be a good thing to have.
 

kruser

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Unfortunately there are no "hard and fast" rules for this. For example in the case of the Indiana TRS, which is a mixture of analog and digital modes, my scanner can "lock in" on a site and but won't display DAT or LNK.

So it is one of those "in some cases, this happens but in other cases that happens". It becomes more of an art than a science in determing which sites the scanner is receiving a control channel.

At any rate, I concur that showing the name of the active site when a transmission is being received on a 536 scanner would be a good thing to have.

How very true. Sorry, I'd forgotten all about other type sites but you are correct. Most all the sites I monitor here have all went P25 so that is why I'm so used to watching for the DAT indicator.

Thanks for bringing this up!
 

AA6IO

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We have lots of trunking sites here in Los Angeles, but very few are true P25. Most are Motorola mixed, EDACS, and lots of LTR. Rarely get to see the DAT indicator on. Find myself using a dongle and Unitrunker at home with the 536HP to see what's going on with the control and voice channels. Sometimes take my HomePatrol with analyze features along with my 436HP away from home.
I sincerely hope that new firmware will provide this information. And of course, am waiting for the analyze features.

Steve AA6IO
 
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