Any P25 systems in, or close to, Bell County?

[cws]

Bell uses an EDACS system, and I get it fine on my BCD396T. However, I've been reading about P25, and want to try to program one to see how it's done. Are there any of those that I could hear in Bell County, or maybe somewhere within a county or two, if I went there?
Thanks.

 

[Linn]

This system covers Williamson County http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2

 

[cws]

Thanks for that pointer, Linn. I got my scanner in Jan '06, and it had an Austin P25 system in it. Apparently Willliamson was changed to P25, and added to that in '07. I got really confused trying to figure out what to add to an Austin-like system to make it work. I think I'll just try to make the Austin one work when I go down that way sometime. Otherwise, I'll stick to the EDACS here; At least, I understand how that works. Then, if Bell ever changes to P25, I'll be able to test my changes without going anywhere.

 

[rbarker]

Williamson County only has 2 control channels for the P25: they are 858.9625 and 860.9625 you can put both of them in and be sure the radio is set to decode P25 and that's it. Of course the radio has to have the ability to decode P25 Motorola 800 Mhz trunked.

 

[loumaag]

How about Fort Hood?

 

[cws]

Williamson County only has 2 control channels for the P25: they are 858.9625 and 860.9625 you can put both of them in and be sure the radio is set to decode P25 and that's it. Of course the radio has to have the ability to decode P25 Motorola 800 Mhz trunked.

I added the frequencies to the Austin system on my 396T, but wouldn't I need to also add some talk groups for Williamson, too?

 

[cws]

How about Fort Hood?

Great idea! I may be able to hear that P25 from my location in Temple, since I can hear the Killeen groups on the EDACS system. I'll try it, and let you know. Thanks.

 

[cws]

How about Fort Hood?

Yep! It works.
There are some things I don't understand about it, though. Sometimes a brief noise, and then silence. Maybe that channel/freq is encrypted? Just to the right of the freq on my screen, I see abreviations like ENC, DAT, P25, and some freqs are blank in that position. Usually, when I hear normal voices, I see P25 there. It often stops on a talk group ID, and I hear nothing at all. Not sure if that's due to a weak signal, or not.

It appears that the "band plan" was automatically updated on the radio. I haven't found enough info on the internet to really understand if I must insert something into that area on the UASD software, (or on the radio) or not.

But, anyway, I see that P25 works. Thanks again for that suggestion.

 

[bpckty1]

If the tg is encrypted, you will hear nothing, except the tone opening the tg for use.

 

[hiegtx]

Yep! It works.
There are some things I don't understand about it, though. Sometimes a brief noise, and then silence. Maybe that channel/freq is encrypted? Just to the right of the freq on my screen, I see abreviations like ENC, DAT, P25, and some freqs are blank in that position. Usually, when I hear normal voices, I see P25 there. It often stops on a talk group ID, and I hear nothing at all. Not sure if that's due to a weak signal, or not.

It appears that the "band plan" was automatically updated on the radio. I haven't found enough info on the internet to really understand if I must insert something into that area on the UASD software, (or on the radio) or not.

But, anyway, I see that P25 works. Thanks again for that suggestion.

On your 396, if the display is showing "ENC", then the talkgroup is encrypted. You may hear a brief bit of static or other unintelligible sound, bit then the scanner will mute. Or, it may may catch the encryption quickly enough that you never hear anything (look for the 'ENC'). That's common with the later model Uniden's. My PSR-500 will sit there on an encrypted channel, & you'll hear what someone described as "R2D2 on steroids".

For P25 systems, the scanner will get all the information it needs from the control channel of the system. You don't need to add anything via software, or by using the scanner's keypad.

This thread may help you with an explanation on the DAT display.

 

[cws]

Yes, thanks for that thread link. Actually, I had just RTFM, before I saw your post, and I'm a bit more educated about this, now. The manual didn't mention that stuff about a mixed-mode channel, though. (But, I'm old, so I'll forget it all in a few minutes, or weeks.)

Also, I changed the system to "manual" decode level, and it works MUCH better that way than it did on "Auto". I have yet to try the method of Auto P25 optimization that I just R in the FM. That's next.

 

[cws]

Also, I changed the system to "manual" decode level, and it works MUCH better that way than it did on "Auto". I have yet to try the method of Auto P25 optimization that I just R in the FM. That's next.

Well, I tried that opitmization method, and I tried it on 'default', and it still works better on manual with a level of about 10 for the Fort Hood system, from my location. As a side note: there seems to be very little of interest happening on the Ft Hood system.