BC246T and San Diego PD

[toybreaker]

I have been readin and learnin like crazy to try and get caught up after many years away from the scanner world. I am using a BC246T scanner and the latest version of ARC246 software with a subscription to RR I keep trying to pull down the San Diego City 800MHz Trunk system to get all the SD police frequencies. I upload them into the radio and 2 things happen:
1) I get an error part way through the upload to the radio.
a) Error creating new channel, no resource available
b) Google returned nothing useful
2) the channels that are in the scanner are silent...i never hear anything on them over a couple hours.

I have uploaded smaller sets of police data and not received the error and still no sound on the channels.

My assumption is I have a setting wrong but no clue what the combo should be. I have tried 10-15 different configs on the trunking and no luck.
Here are some of my settings.
Motorola Type 2 800 MHz Standard
ID Scan Mode
Icall - Off
EndCode - yes detect
Status bit - unchecked
Control Channel only - checked
There are 2 trunk frequencies
for trunk IDs the longest one has 108 ID's listed.

Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated.

 

[UPMan]

1) There is a maximum 200 channels per system. You are exceeding that limit.
2) PD (and many other) channels on that system are digital. To receive them you need a digital-capable scanner like the BCD396XT, BCD996XT, or HomePatrol-1.

 

[KD4YGG]

Also, the San Diego County system is a SPLINTER system.

 

[JoeyC]

The San Diego CITY system is mostly analog. There are some police digital channels on it, but most police are ANALOG still. As was stated above, you must program the system as a SPLINTER system for it to track.
The county RCS is primarily digital only for police, which includes the Sheriffs office, and most all other municipal police departments in the county.

 

[mke65]

Try hand programming the control channels and scan everything. Also as mentioned make sure it's set to splinter in the settings

 

[mke65]

Also if you are in carlsbad you may be too far away to pull in a signal depending on your location

 

[toybreaker]

New Scanner - BC396XT

Funny how one post can make ya spend some $$

So now I am rocking the BC396XT and using Freescan.

I have verified the digital stuff is set to Splinter. No reception at all. Been scanning for about 15 minutes. If I do service search I can pick up some analog signals in the "Air" service and a bit in others too.

Wish one of you folks was close and we could sit down for 15 minutes...you would probably have this thing rockin in no time. Any new suggestions gladly taking...in the mean time I'll keep plugging away.

 

[mke65]

I am in Oceanside and work in Carlsbad. The SD city system is analog which is fine for the BC346xt. The setting must be set to splinter as well.

I have programmed bcd396xt earlier and later version, pro 106, and most recently psr-310 by hand.

The reception in Oceanside is spotty at best and ditto for Carlsbad. That is with my psr-310 which generally pulls in a good signal.

I am eye balling getting the bcd396xt again as it was an awesome radio despite not being able to pull in the signal as good as the gre models without overloading the radio like you get with the gre/radio shack models.

 

[W6KRU]

I live near the harbor in Oceanside. I can monitor the city system with an outdoor antenna but it is impossible using the scanner's antenna indoors. I find the RCS system more interesting anyway. The RCS system has Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Escondido PDs and the Encinitas, Vista, and San Marcos offices of the sheriff as well as the Norcom channels for FD.

 

[mke65]

DDan, which radio do you find handles traffic better in Oceanside, the PSR500 or the BCD396XT.

I am in Oceanside and have narrowed my next scanner to those two. I bought the psr-310 to have the military coverage and use it when south to listen to SD City.

I ride my bike 30 miles a day to get to work and back and see alot of police action in the neighborhood. My main question, does the BCD396XT good in Oceanside as I am favoring this due to the small size which makes it much easier to carry around in my front pocket (no I don't wear the ridiculously tight lycra shorts).

 

[W6KRU]

My 396XT does not deal with the RCS simulcast very well. The PSR-500 has better audio. The latest firmware for the 396XT and a mode setting of 11 is a lot better than it used to be but the GRE is still superior.

 

[toybreaker]

So I am picking up some radio signals but conversations come and go. It will regularly cut off mid sentence then come back a second or 2 later. Feels like it isn't tracking something well. Still no regular Carlsbad signal or any other local station. I am using free scan andpulling directly from RR. Should I make changes?

 

[JoeyC]

Post your freescan file.

 

[toybreaker]

Attached is my current Freescan file.

I am hearing Camp Pendelton FD and some other randomness but still have not heard ANY CBad or OSide police chatter. For those who know CBad, I am near El Camino Real and Carlsbad Village Drive, up on a hill. I would think I am decently positioned to hear police chatter.

DDan or anyone else, What is RCS?

 

[W6KRU]

You need to add the RCS trunked system. I haven't looked at the conventional frequencies you have loaded yet but there is very little on conventional. All of the police traffic is on RCS.

 

[W6KRU]

Here is a start to give you an idea. I have added an RCS system with some groups for some of the muni PDS to your file.

 

[toybreaker]

DDan - Thanks so much. I am now picking up some Esco, and CBad PD on the Law North thing. I have been going through that section trying to understand how you have it configed and why it works vs what I had. I still havent had that AH HA moment when it all clicks. I thought the hierarchy would be:
System (container with basic info and the system type)
Site (containing frequencies)
Groups (containing trunk ID's and descriptions)

Yours has Sites and groups on the same level and I cant grasp how a group relates to a site or if it does at all.

Audio is still cyclic. Talking, second break, talk, second break, etc. It isn't consistent though. I am guessing it is weak reception and drops the signal too low?

 

[W6KRU]

You will want to use site quick key 4 which is the north simulcast site. SQK 5 is the south simulcast site and SQK 6 is east. You probably don't need the east site unless you travel to east county.

The north simulcast site(4) should come in fine where you are. Make sure you don't have close call, weather, or priority functions on.

 

[W6KRU]

I just checked the scanner config section of your file and you have close call enabled . Turn that off.

 

[toybreaker]

thanks DDan. I pulled out the CC and audio seems solid.