Is it possible to program my Uniden BCD325P2 scanner to receive a different county that's about 150 miles away??? They have the 25 Phase II system along with my local radio system has the 25 Phase II system. My parents live in a small populated county that moved to the digital 25 Phase II system and I would like to be able to listen when I'm home 150 miles away. When I was there I'm pretty sure I heard the local ambulance take a patient to a major hospital 110 miles away. They said that they arrived and would be out of service for awhile. So, can I receive that local police and medical when I'm 150 miles away? Would it be some kind of state talk group??? Would the info be on RadioReference database?? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike
A different county radio traffic
- Thread starter mryan36
- Start date
Even with a tall & very good antenna on a tower, you are very unlikely to be able to receive any system 150 miles away, no matter what scanner and antenna you are using. If the system you are referring to uses 700 or 800MHz frequencies, you would be lucky to hear it, say, 30 miles away. If it is on a Vhf system, and the transmit tower used is on a hilltop or otherwise high ground (and you are on high ground and/or have an antenna on a tower), you might stretch it to maybe 60 to 70 miles. (When I visit a friend about 100 miles west, I do hear some systems in the 60 to 70 mile range, but both her location, as well as the transmitting station, are on high ground.)
Probably the only way to monitor is if someone in your target area has an onlide feed.
Program the system into the scanner and see what you hear! It’s doubtful but maybe the distant system has a tower much closer to you…being Phase II several to many towers could be involved! Revealing the system you want to monitor and your location would allow for more specific info!
Because the radio spectrum was running out of frequencies, the FCC got particular when it came to approving high power transmitters. The lower the power, the "sooner" a frequency could be re-used. So very few 700-800 systems will transmit more than 30-50 miles from a single transmitter tower.
This is how simulcast came to be.
This is how simulcast came to be.
tvengr
Well Known Member
While you will not be able to monitor the system 150 miles away, a scanner programmed for your parents' local area could be a nice gift for them. If you let me know their city and county, I can look up the information in the database and see what the appropriate scanner would be.
It would be helpful if you were to tell us what systems you want to hear… it may be possible if what you want is part of a statewide trunked system, but only if it happens to be simulcast and the TG’s are designated for statewide ops. There are other possibilities but tell us what agency’s you want and the county & state you are interested in.
I bought the Uniden BCD325P2 for them back in the summer. I used the FreeScan software to set it up and it works fine. That county went digital a couple years ago. So the frequency I'm trying to listen to 150 miles away is the Trunked 800. Not sure if they still use the analog channels but I'm not interested in them. They live in Kansas, Edwards county and I want the Sheriff traffic. When I was there it sounded like the Sheriff, Medical and Fire use the same frequency, but I'm not sure about that. They did say they started hear the Sheriff and the Ambulance with the new digital scanner I gave them. If you need something else let me know. Thanks, Mike
I installed the frequency's that I did for them and I never hear anything and my county. They live in Kansas, Edwards county. I'm interested in the digital truncked 800 that the Sheriff uses.
TJX400
Member
If the medic marked out at a hospital 150 miles away, and they're using a new Motorola system, it's possible they implemented SmartConnect when building the system. SmartConnect essentially allows the radio to use cellular networks to connect back to the trunking system.
Welcome to the RR forums. Highly, highly unlikely you'll be able to monitor an 800mhz P25 Phase-II trunked site from 150 miles away. If said system resided on the VHF (or less likely UHF) band, then there'd be a chance with a decent antenna tuned for the intended band mounted high up with quality coax, minimal RFI and ideal atmospheric conditions. General rule of thumb is the lower the frequency band, the further it propagates. I'd stick with a Broadcastify feed if there's one available for the area you intend on monitoring
I don't think anyone in that county would cough up the money for a digital scanner, so it won't happen for awhile.
If you’ve installed the Edwards county system in your scanner at home and hear nothing, then there’s your answer. As long as it’s programmed correctly! If you heard an ambulance check out 100+ miles out of that county, then TJX400 probably has your answer. Or the statewide system allows them to connect back thru another tower.
it would really, really be a hot topic if you heard a 800nhz system 150 miles away!
it would really, really be a hot topic if you heard a 800nhz system 150 miles away!
Just looked at the Edwards county site info and it’s a single tower sub site…your chances are getting slimmer!
Yes, I don't think they use that frequency anymore, maybe city worker or something like that.
It starting to sound like they somehow transmitted back to there tower and it was broadcast over the air so thats how we could hear them locally.
statewide trunking systems have all kinds of possibilities. I don't understand all that can happen, but the units that use a site regularly are "affiliated" with that site fulltime. They can leave their usual area and with approval from the system administrator affiliate with another site and be rebroadcast on their home site. Something like that is probably what you heard.
Somebody has already suggested it above. You should seriously consider an online feed, assuming your parents have broadband internet. You could set up your Uniden BCD325P2 at their home, programming it as you choose, and including the specific service that you want to monitor from 150 miles away. Go to proscan.org to learn all about the Proscan program. A full, permanent license will cost you $50.00. You may need to invest a few bucks in a cable or two to connect the scanner to a computer. Otherwise, no cost. No monthly fees, other than the internet that's probably already there. You'll need to set up a webserver, which is fairly simple with Proscan. You may need to adjust some settings on your router, depending upon the internet provider. Mine was a breeze with AT&T. Support is outstanding, both from the program's author and from others in the scanning community. You'll end up with your own private URL, which you don't have to share with anyone else unless you choose. Passwording is available for added security. Once everything is set up, you can listen on your phone, computer or other internet connected device from 150 miles away, or from any other location where internet is available. And yes, your parents can continue to listen to the Uniden BCD325P2 through the computer's speakers. Everybody wins!
I anybody is still watching this, I almost made it to that county. I can get the count next to Edwards which is Pawnee. I'm getting the sheriff and they are 150 miles away from me according to google maps. Not sure what I did but I must have the correct combination of frequency's. I'm going to keep playing with stuff.
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