A real beginner needs assistance

[yandeltx]

I have a Uniden Bearcat 50 CH 800MHz Radio Scanner, is this a dinosour, it is pretty old? Is this a "trunked scanner?) I don't know a trunked scanner from a regular scanner. My question is, if this is obsolete what do you suggest I purchase to be able to listen to the OKC police, fire, EMSA, OHP, etc?

Thanks in advance for your patience.

Regards,
Terry

 

[georgew0819]

Oklahoma City

According to the RR Database the OKC PD and FD are on an EDACS system and are using Provoice Digital which can not be monitored by any scanner. However the initial tone out and dispatch of the OKC FD is supposedly in the clear and once dispatched the operations use Provoice.

The other agencies you mentioned are on a type II motorola system and depending on the model number of your scanner can be monitored.

 

[n5bew1]

Terry can you tell us the specific Uniden model number of your scanner then we as a group can be of more help.
Ken

 

[n5usr]

EMSA is encrypted, you won't be hearing them at all.

OKC fire is using Provoice, which no scanner can decode, so won't hear them either. (There is an online feed for them, though.)

OKC police are using Provoice, but they are patched to the state system so the OHP can listen / interop with them. You can listen to them there.

OHP and many of the communities down the east side of the metro (Norman, Moore, MWC, Nichols Hills, Village, Edmond...) are on the state system.

Several communities on the west side of the metro are moving to OKC's Provoice system. Bethany and Yukon have already gone there, at least Warr Acres and Mustang have plans. Once on Provoice, you won't be able to hear them. (Again, except maybe with an online feed.)

Most county sheriffs are still on their own analog freqs, but Cleveland County is on the state system. IIRC, OK Co has allocations on the state system but don't use it as primary yet. (Haven't listened to them in a while.)

Not sure about your scanner, but Radio Shack as the PRO-164 that is a nice analog trunking scanner. Works great with the state system, and is pretty cheap right now. If you want to "future proof", you'd want to get a digital scanner in case things go P25 digital. Of course, anyone going P25 could also opt for encrypted which means even the digital scanners wouldn't hear them!

One side advantage of getting the digital scanners, though, is if what you want to listen to is primarily on the trunked systems, it is a lot easier (in my opinion) to program and work with the talkgroups on the newer scanners. I have the Radio Shack PRO-106 (handheld) and PRO-197 (base/mobile). The older scanners (including the PRO-164) are frequency-focused. You enter the frequencies for the trunking system into the banks on the scanner, then you enter talkgroup IDs into a sub-bank. You don't get as much room for TGIDs, and it's harder to manipulate them while listening (lockout, unlock, etc.) - in my opinion. With the 106/197, the focus is on the talkgroups, and you reference the talkgroups to a trunking system (that you only enter once) then the TGIDs are what you enter into scanlists (formerly banks) and directly manipulate while scanning.

But the digital scanners are a fair bit more expensive, too!

 

[yandeltx]

Thanks for your input, sounds like I am out of luck for what I was wanting to listen to. I used to be able to hear Bethany but not as of late, I guess they have made the switch. Thanks again,

 

[plaws]

The older scanners (including the PRO-164) are frequency-focused. You enter the frequencies for the trunking system into the banks on the scanner, then you enter talkgroup IDs into a sub-bank. You don't get as much room for TGIDs, and it's harder to manipulate them while listening (lockout, unlock, etc.) - in my opinion. With the 106/197, the focus is on the talkgroups, and you reference the talkgroups to a trunking system (that you only enter once) then the TGIDs are what you enter into scanlists (formerly banks) and directly manipulate while scanning.

Same in the Uniden world. The "DMA" scanners (246/346/330/396/996) are MUCH more flexible than their predecessors (250/296/780/785/796).

Of course the days of hand-programming scanners are fast coming to an end so make sure that you get a computer cable with whatever you buy.

 

[plaws]

According to the RR Database the OKC PD and FD are on an EDACS system and are using Provoice Digital which can not be monitored by any scanner. However the initial tone out and dispatch of the OKC FD is supposedly in the clear and once dispatched the operations use Provoice.

Sadly, the sticky is in need of an update (and has been for a while).

OCFD no longer dispatches alarms in the clear, though last time I bothered listening, the alert tone (musical, not for opening a squelch) was still analog. <shrug> As noted elsewhere, there is a feed in the Feeds section of RR.

Most or all of the OCPD talkgroups are patched to the state's Motorola system. Since they ProVoice is decoded before going through the patch, you can hear everything just fine, with only occasional digital i*n%ter)f#e!rence.

To be clear, many scanners will follow an EDACS trunked system just fine but NO scanner will demodulate ProVoice digital.

 

[LindaFarrell]

I am getting the traffic from OCPD Springlake, Hefner and Will Rogers divisions but nothing from Santa Fe. (on 800). What do I need to do to pick up Santa Fe Station?

 

[fireant]

Linda,

I believe last I heard that Sante Fe is only on site 40 which is Norman. I may be wrong but I have only heard them a few times. I hear all the others all the time. Maybe someone living where they get better reception then I do out on the far west side of the metro could be of a little more assistance. Hope this helps you out some.

Fireant

 

[woodyrr]

Linda,

I believe last I heard that Sante Fe is only on site 40 which is Norman. I may be wrong but I have only heard them a few times. I hear all the others all the time. Maybe someone living where they get better reception then I do out on the far west side of the metro could be of a little more assistance. Hope this helps you out some.

Fireant

That is correct. I am copying Santa Fe on the Norman site but not on the Oklahoma City site.

 

[LindaFarrell]

Thanks for the reply. You both know that I am not very literate when it comes to scanners. Do I have to program in something in order to get Norman. I used to hear Norman all the time but now only hear Clv County and occasionally campus police.

 

[woodyrr]

Thanks for the reply. You both know that I am not very literate when it comes to scanners. Do I have to program in something in order to get Norman. I used to hear Norman all the time but now only hear Clv County and occasionally campus police.

Well, for the moment you are in luck. The first thing that I heard when I turned on my scanner this morning, was OCPD Santa Fe - on the Oklahoma City site, but not on the Norman site

Every scanner model is programmed differently so your best bet is to create a new thread saying something to the effect: I have a ____________ scanner. Oklahoma City DPS site 8 is currently programmed, but I would like help adding the Norman DPS site 40 to it so that I can listen to the OCPD Santa Fe link when it shows up over there.

Norman PD and Fire is another issue as they seem to move around a lot.

I have Norman Fire Dispatch programmed as: 48880 and 25360. I heard them yesterday dispatching on Fire 1, 48912.

Norman PD Dispatch as 48624 and 25392. I'm not certain that I am hearing Norman PD on either of those, because I have been focused on listening to Purcell.

 

[n5bew1]

Well, for the moment you are in luck. The first thing that I heard when I turned on my scanner this morning, was OCPD Santa Fe - on the Oklahoma City site, but not on the Norman site

Every scanner model is programmed differently so your best bet is to create a new thread saying something to the effect: I have a ____________ scanner. Oklahoma City DPS site 8 is currently programmed, but I would like help adding the Norman DPS site 40 to it so that I can listen to the OCPD Santa Fe link when it shows up over there.

Norman PD and Fire is another issue as they seem to move around a lot.

I have Norman Fire Dispatch programmed as: 48880 and 25360. I heard them yesterday dispatching on Fire 1, 48912.

Norman PD Dispatch as 48624 and 25392. I'm not certain that I am hearing Norman PD on either of those, because I have been focused on listening to Purcell.

Norman PD is using 51984 tonight.

 

[BCFreak]

What you will need to do is dowload a police scanner app to your Iphone

If you dont have an iphone you can go to scanamerica.us

click on Oklahoma, click OK county and choose to listen to OKC fire

They Dispatch out Bethany and Warr Acres tones on Provoice EDACS

Hope this helps