BC396T Digital P25 Help Please

[bcec911]

I hope this is the right forum for my questions because I am using a Uniden BC396T. I am a long time conventional scanner, and an even longer time trunk tracker; but I am very new to this digital P25 TVRTS. I have three sites for the areas I live work and frequent. With my trunk scanning, I have all the system freqs- controls, alternates and voice channels all programed into the same bank and it has worked fine for years, and still working just fine. Now I have read with the digital APCO P25 that I need a seperate bank for each site with only the control channel and it's alternate, no voice channels. So I guess it is a two part question. First do I need to make a seperate system for each site? As it is now I have all three site control, alternate, and voice channel freqs banked in one system. Does this affect the proformance? Second, if this is true, or even if not, does the digital APCO P25 system require the voice channels programed with the controls and alternates?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Don't worry about using technical jargon, I'm no expert, but far from a beginner, I should be able to follow.

 

[nitroboie]

First do I need to make a seperate system for each site? As it is now I have all three site control, alternate, and voice channel freqs banked in one system. Does this affect the proformance?

You can leave it like that, but you'll soon realize that the 396T "locks" onto the first site (CC) it sees in the system, skipping the others. Don't believe me? Hit scan and watch the CC frequency at the bottom never change. I found this out last night after setting up my 396T.

For optimal reception/scanning, each site will need it's own system. If you have FreeScan, it's as easy as creating the system and then adding each "site". Each "site" will be a "system" once you transfer it to your 396T.

Or you can copy and paste the system directly on the scanner and update/change the CCs and name.

Second, if this is true, or even if not, does the digital APCO P25 system require the voice channels programed with the controls and alternates?

Voice channels don't need to be programmed.

 

[Viper43]

Set it up for each site. A lot of people say not to use the voice channels but I always do for each site, it doesn't hurt anything and in some cases helps

 

[n4yek]

As stated, set up a system for each site, here is a trick to do though. Assign the same 'quick key' number for each site. When you press the number you assigned, all site will become active and it will scan all three sites.
You don't have to put in the voice channels, but it is a personal option when doing that.