>> Conventional channels are the 453./458. and 460./465. and 154./155.etc I get for police and fire-ems etc................And these are FM (FM/Digital)
Almost all the time. But, you can have a trunked VHF or UHF system. Two examples ... the new statewide VHF trunked system in Virginia, and the combo VHF / UHF system in Brunswick Co, NC.
>> When I had a same freq being used by different areas - I needed to put their Tone-PL's # in which FM had to change to CT to it put in.....................Correct???
(I've seen some listed where I need to put in DC and has a 3digit#)
Some hobbyists don't use PL / DPL tones when monitoring. But, along with a good alpha name, using tones helps you distinguish who you are hearing in an instant.
If you don't know the tone, leave it blank, but still set the mode of that channel in the Pro 96 to "PL." If no tone is displayed when the agency transmits, then try changing the mode to DPL. The number of public safety agencies using no PL or DPL tone for a conventional analog channel is small.
>> Also is it necessary to put in the Freq and the Input Freq #'s using two ch's for each grp??
Usually, it is not necessary to include the repeater input frequency (although monitoring the input can sometimes reveal additional info about how the repeater is setup).
On rare occasions, an agency may use the input frequency for a secondary purpose, such as a simplex tac channel. In such cases, a different PL tone ... or no tone at all ... may be employed for that secondary use. Caldwell County Sheriffs used to do that with their dispatch repeater. I believe Raleigh PD uses the 465.xxx side of one of their repeater channels for tac purposes.
>> This may be a dumb questions but......800 #'s --are some conventional also?????
I was assuming if it was a 800# it is a Trunked systems period.....but I thought I saw somewhere it saying they could be either one????????????
They can be either conventional or trunked. The five ITAC frequencies, available to any public safety agency licensed for 800 MHz use, are a good example of conventional 800 channels.
And, if the computer controlling a Motorola trunked system fails, a trunked system may switch to a conventional mode called "failsoft," with each talkgroup reverting to a pre-assigned repeater frequency.