Allegan county & new BCD396T

[B4U]

My new BCD396T will be here on FRI. and I have a few questions.

This is my first digital scanner and I hope I will be able to listen to allegan county PD. If so can you tell me if I will here all of the things that I have listened to before they went digital or will it be only a few things?(car to car)

Do I only put in the control channels of the tower that is near me or should I put in all towers that i can get a signal from? If I put in all towers will I hear the same thing on more than one tower? What other cool things can be found with this new radio that I have been missing with the older scanners?
If I travel up north will I be able to listen to allegan county off the towers up north around grant?

Thank you for any info or help. I have read every thing that I can find but not to much on allegan county.

 

[KB8UYC]

I hate to be the one to burst your bubble....but Allegan county is now on an 800 MHz M/A Com Provoice System. This type of system is not scannable by ANY scanner.

Eric

 

[B4U]

Ok I hope I can listen to some digital with this radio. How about DNR or State PD. The Fennville tower is within view. What type of transmissions is it used for if you dont mind me asking.Or if you could point me in the right place to read about it.

Thanks for any help

 

[Thunderbolt]

Yes. You can listen to the Michigan State Police and DNR with your 396T scanner. Moreover, Allegan County 9-1-1 Dispatch does simulcast on the MPSCS TRS and should be able to hear their primary channels off the Fennville Tower and others that are nearby. Just go here:

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=100

73's

Ron

 

[B4U]

Thank you so much I thought I read that I would be able to hear some of allegan county. I can't wait to get the new scanner and start all over again just like the first few scanners. Sounds like this one will take a little longer to get to know than the older ones. I will just keep reading the owners man. till it gets here.

Stil not sure how the state tower system works. If I take it north can you still here radios that are talking off the Fennville tower?

All help is greatly appreciated sorry if it seems simple to you.

 

[Thunderbolt]

Stil not sure how the state tower system works. If I take it north can you still here radios that are talking off the Fennville tower?

That totally depends of how far you travel away from the Fennville tower itself, height of terrain, type of antenna, and coax cable being used. Moreover, if you program in all the MPSCS towers that are in or close to Allegan County, then you should be able to hear the radio traffic from your County 9-1-1 Central Dispatch. However, unless a state police cruiser from your county is up at Sault Ste. Marie, then don't expect to travel beyond the local area and hear Allegan County away from the local radio towers.

73's

Ron

 

[B4U]

So you are saying I will hear dispatch but not cars unless the cars are on the same tower as I will be? Or will i only hear what is close to the tower I will be on?

Sorry I can just wait til fri. when it comes in and I will just try it as I go. never using a digital before It will be somethig to look forward to learning the ins and outs of it. It would be great if I could listen to home town things even if we are at realtions home up north.

 

[B4U]

My new scanner just came in a day early. And yes I can hear Allegan county PD not sure how much of it yet but I have three different ID numbers from them. I hear other things on the Fennville tower not sure what it is yet sounds like a taxi or bus service (pick up drop off)? At work in Holland now I can still hear the Fennville tower but it is weak.

 

[4u2nv]

Make sure you have the Fennville, South Haven, and Plainwell Towers control freq. programmed in to listen to Allegan. As far as Allegan goes you will basically hear Central Dispatch and the county cars and State Police (that are being dispatched by the county.) On VERY RARE occations you might hear Central Dispatch talking with Saugatuck/Douglas City, Allegan City, and Plainwell and Otsego City...but it is VERY RARE...those agencies, and EMS are dispatched on the PRO-Voice side of the system. I would get yourself a GOOD mag mount antenna that is tuned for the 850-880 (or so) range for your vehicle....forget Radio Shack antennas....go with a more professional antenna. I monitor Allegan all the way up to almost Grand Rapids going North, Galesburg going East, and Benton Harbor going South with my mobile antenna and my PRO-96. I run an Antenna Specialists mag-mount and I got it on Ebay for a quarter of the cost of a dealer.

 

[B4U]

Thank you for the tips. I have been using it every chance i get and have been learning. I have sent in for my permit and will look into some of the antennas. Would you happen to know how I would be able to listen to consumers power in my area? or is that another one I will not be able to listen to?

 

[4u2nv]

Yes, you can listen to Consumers Energy...they run a standard EDACS system...the trick is programming your scanner PROPERLY to receive the transmissions....I would read your manual for your scanner on how to program your scanner to receive EDACS systems....then when you understand how to program your scanner...you can check out the "All Trunked Systems"...I think its called...on the Michigan Database page. Every Consumers Energy talkgroup for their whole statewide system are listed there and all the talkgroups in that database are correct...I know this for a fact...but not all the LCN's are correct...namely the Monterey Tower...which they have listed as Allegan in NOT correct...but all the other area tower LCN's ARE correct. You will hear the Allegan talkgroup on 3 other nearby Consumers Towers though. I work for Consumers out of Allegan so I moniter my headquarters talkgroup quite often. I wish I could help you out with the actually programming aspect of your scanner but I run the PRO-96 and PRO-2096....I have no knowledge of how to operate bearcat scanners. Good Luck hope this helps.

 

[B4U]

Yes this helps I now know it can be done and I will start working on getting it in my new scanner.

So the only thing wrong with the list is one tower is listed wrong as allegan and it is not?

Thanks again.

 

[B4U]

The software is asking EDACS wide narrow or S.C.A.T.S. What one do I use?

 

[rtripp]

I 105% do not agree with Pro Voice's Ideals. Someone should get their hands on a Pro-Voice radio, and phreak a scanner out of it.

 

[4u2nv]

In the freq. database site 071...listed as Allegan, which is actually the Monterey tower...which is IN Allegan Country...the freq's are NOT correct. As far as the EDACS question I would try WIDE.