Adams County Programming

[bwhite]

I apologize as this is likely a repetitive question.
I will be moving to the southern Adams county area soon.
I see a wealth of information on the database page, but, I'm not clear on how to monitor fire/ems.
I expected to see the frequencies/talkgroups for an Adams-specific trunked system but, if the info is there I don't see it.
(It may be the lateness of the hour that I'm looking).
Any hints would be appreciated.
PS-Using a 996XT

 

[u2brent]

Here's a hint 😀

South Central Interoperability Network Trunking System, Steelton, Pennsylvania

South Central Interoperability Network Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

The Adams part of the system is P25 Phase 2

 

[bwhite]

Thank you. I have questions please, they are in red below. I greatly appreciate your guidance.

 

[kb3isq]

Adams County is part of the South Central Interoperability Network.

 

[jtwalker]

I don't believe BCD996XT is capable of receiving P25 phase II, and Adams County is all phase II unlike some of the other counties using SCIN.

 

[jtwalker]

The system you have in your screen shot (PA-StarNet) is not the Adams County fire/ems system, but rather a statewide system that includes Adams. The system linked by @u2brent is the system that cover Adams fire/ems (and police, although mostly encrypted) as well as Franklin and Dauphin.

 

[tvengr]

I don't believe BCD996XT is capable of receiving P25 phase II, and Adams County is all phase II unlike some of the other counties using SCIN.

That is correct. The BCD996XT is capable of P25 Phase I only. All of the talkgroups on the Adams County system are P25 Phase II (TDMA), which the BCD996XT cannot receive. I would recommend a SDS200.

 

[W3DMV]

Welcome to Adams County. Our P25 P2 system works very well. The coverage is outstanding. There are
21 tower sites jammed into a small county. It's hard to stand anywhere in the county and not see a tower.
The simulcast distortion here is a major problem. I have a boat load of scanners and the only ones I've
had success with are SDS100/SDS200 and Unication pager. If I can be of help, please leave me know..

 

[jonwienke]

Adams and Franklin counties are simulcast, as is Washington County MD and MD-FIRST. If you're anywhere in that area, you want a SDS, especially if you scan mobile.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Correct system is the one I outlined in green & Brent linked in post #2 above, NOT the statewide system you outlined in red

 

[bwhite]

Thanx for the info gents. I wouldn’t have found it without you. Yes, I’ve had my eye on the SDS series, the price really hurts. I asked one vendor why they all posted the same price or more. They replied that uniden requires that. Sounds to me like price fixing and there are laws prohibiting that. Anyway, o know the SDS scanners can program themselves, but do y’all connect them to your pc to get things just the way you want? If so, hopefully it is finally USB and not serial. Thanx all

 

[jonwienke]

The SDS100 has two USB ports.

 

[u2brent]

You can download the free Uniden Sentinel software and get a feel for how things work before even getting your hands on a new scanner.

BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

And here's a link to instructions for using Sentinel as well..

BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual

 

[bwhite]

Welcome to Adams County. Our P25 P2 system works very well. The coverage is outstanding. There are
21 tower sites jammed into a small county. It's hard to stand anywhere in the county and not see a tower.
The simulcast distortion here is a major problem. I have a boat load of scanners and the only ones I've
had success with are SDS100/SDS200 and Unication pager. If I can be of help, please leave me know..

My daughter is an ER nurse that is also a paramedic that is now riding Gettysburg ambo. She tells me that the comms are good in Adams unlike many other places (you outta hear EMRC in Maryland, distorted, garbled. awful. For what that system costs it should be crystal clear.

 

[bwhite]

Adams and Franklin counties are simulcast, as is Washington County MD and MD-FIRST. If you're anywhere in that area, you want a SDS, especially if you scan mobile.

Oh I want one, actually several, ha, the trick is getting it past the wife. Other scanners I upgraded looked enough like the ones I replaced that she never noticed. The SDS scanners are noticeably different, I can't try that trick this time. Ha & smh.

 

[bwhite]

The SDS100 has two USB ports.

FINALLY Uniden entered the 20th century!

 

[bwhite]

Correct system is the one I outlined in green & Brent linked in post #2 above, NOT the statewide system you outlined in red

View attachment 98551

I looked at his reply really early this morning and on my tiny iPhone screen and didn't see the actual answer. Thanx for the highlighting.

 

[bwhite]

You can download the free Uniden Sentinel software and get a feel for how things work before even getting your hands on a new scanner.

BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

And here's a link to instructions for using Sentinel as well..

BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual

Super! Does it seem adequate? or have you found yourselves looking for/using 3rd party software (if any exists) to do a better job?

 

[u2brent]

For me personally, Sentinel does everything you need to create and customize exactly what the scanner does.
The 3rd Party software adds lots of bells & whistles as far as functionality and also allows for logging and control functions direct from the PC with a virtual screen that emulates the scanners display and controls.

Sentinel may not be pretty, even confusing to grasp at first, but it still has the lowest learning curve of all the options available out there and this is the only free one.. It's also the utility used to update the Radio Reference Database on the scanner, update the firmware, and create custom FL's (Favorite Lists) to get the full potential out of your scanner(s).

My personal recommendation is to get familiar with Sentinel first, If after accomplishing this task you find yourself wanting more features/functions than Sentinel provides, Then look at the 3rd Party options. Butel ARC536PRO and ProScan are the most popular alternatives, but understanding Sentinel first will help with understanding the benefits/pitfalls of those programs. (They have higher learning curves than Sentinel because they do more with the manipulation of the data)...

Of course this is just my opinion, You know everybody has one.. That's my 2¢
Here's some addition info to peruse.

more here

https://www.youtube.com/user/UnidenUpman/videos

 

[bwhite]

Correct system is the one I outlined in green & Brent linked in post #2 above, NOT the statewide system you outlined in red

View attachment 98551

So as I look at the green selection in the database, even though I want the south part of the county I guess I'll have to set up both East & West.