BC796D\ARC250Pro Question

[VA3CAF]

To this point I have not been able to find information on what or how I can load\program
any one particular bank. Specifically my question is, I wish to load various sites from the
Zone 1 and Zone 2 Systems into one bank. Is there a requirement to leave a particular
number of blank lines between site entries or can I bunch them all together? Obviously
one would suggest to try it and see but, unfortunately I have the software available here
but not the BC796B so must ask the questions. TUVM

 

[seamusg]

To this point I have not been able to find information on what or how I can load\program
any one particular bank. Specifically my question is, I wish to load various sites from the
Zone 1 and Zone 2 Systems into one bank. Is there a requirement to leave a particular
number of blank lines between site entries or can I bunch them all together? Obviously
one would suggest to try it and see but, unfortunately I have the software available here
but not the BC796B so must ask the questions. TUVM

The BC796D will not do multiple sites in one bank, it will find the first control channel in a bank and use it, it will not look for a second control channel in a bank unless it looses the first one.

 

[VA3CAF]

Tnx for immediate response and I do realize that the unit would obviously lock onto any
readable Control Channel but again, my question was as to whether there is a requirement
to separate a block of freqs from each other?

 

[seamusg]

Tnx for immediate response and I do realize that the unit would obviously lock onto any
readable Control Channel but again, my question was as to whether there is a requirement
to separate a block of freqs from each other?

With the BC796 1 site= 1 bank for a trunked system. If your talking about conventional freqs, you can put them in any way you want.

 

[loumaag]

Tnx for immediate response and I do realize that the unit would obviously lock onto any readable Control Channel but again, my question was as to whether there is a requirement to separate a block of freqs from each other?

Your response (above quoted) does not sound as if you understand, so if I am repeating something you do, pardon me. The 796 does not lock onto any readable Control Channel, it locks onto the first readable Control Channel in the bank it encounters and then ignores all other readable Control Channels in that bank. So, putting two zones in a bank would not work if your intent was to monitor both zones simultaneously.

 

[VA3CAF]

796D Programming

Thanks for your response Lou. As I mentioned in my initial post, I unfortunately do not have the charming 796D in hand (yet) but am playing with populating the ARC250PRO for when the scanner gets here. I don't usually work backwards like this but, what the hey, it fills in the hours.
Anyway, what I am contemplating is loading any one bank with Moto type II SmartZone sites. There are around 8 freqs for each tower\location and I wanted to load probably 5 or 6 sites to a bank. I appreciate that the scanner would lock on the first CC and hold until I moved into another district, where it would search and capture the next CC. What I am not sure of is, if I hit the SCAN button, would it move to obviously the next CC it hears, or would the SCAN button work for this configuration?
So that brings us back to my initial question that, if the aforementioned is acceptable to this point, should there be any requirement for 'X' blank lines between sites?
Thanks all for your help.

 

[loumaag]

So that brings us back to my initial question that, if the aforementioned is acceptable to this point, should there be any requirement for 'X' blank lines between sites?

No it won't. It will just move off of the bank to the next bank to scan (or any conventional channels you have programmed in the current bank) then then return to the same CC. I have tried all kinds of tricks to get it to change CC's when it somehow gets one that is not the first.

That needs explanation -- I have a bank setup so that it should (because it is first) grab the downtown (site 1) tower of the STARNet system here in Houston and as a backup (in case it goes down) I also have sites 4 and 15 in the same bank following 1 just in case 1 goes off the air. Sometimes, for some reason or other, it gets on say site 4 and no matter what I do, it keeps coming back to site 4, including removing the antenna until it starts to scan even turning it off and back on doesn't do it.

So anyway, as long as you are distant from the other sites your plan will work, as a matter of fact a fellow scannist uses exactly that trick on a system in his neck of the woods and says he can scan all of the local towers where ever he is by using three banks and programming them so that no one bank has adjacent sites.

Anyway, since that won't work, the trick used on the Pro-96/2096 won't work. BTW, the trick may or may not be necessary where you are, my GRE radios didn't need it before either here in Houston or when I experimented a lot while in South Dakota. But I will admit that your mileage may vary if you get hold of a GRE radio. As for the Unidens, well join the club.

 

[n7jei]

If it works like the 780, try trunk off then back on.

 

[rc104a]

The BC796D will not do multiple sites in one bank, it will find the first control channel in a bank and use it, it will not look for a second control channel in a bank unless it looses the first one.

Well that explains why I can only hear ONE tower while scanning and hear ALL the local towers while searching. I guess I will program all the local towers in separate banks

Do I program all the channels per tower in a bank or just the CC? I noticed in search mode I hear traffic from neighboring towers on the non CC frequencies.

Rick
2 day owner bc796d

 

[loumaag]

Do I program all the channels per tower in a bank or just the CC? I noticed in search mode I hear traffic from neighboring towers on the non CC frequencies.

Control Channel Only trunking works on the 796D under the following conditions:

• You are scanning a Motorola Type I system or a Type II not in VHF or UHF bands
• If you are scanning a Moto Type II in the 800 MHz band (or a Type I), you can fit the site into one of the 4 band plans offered (see the manual)
• You are scanning a Project 25 system.

Other than those you must put all the frequencies in the bank for it to work.

 

[MetalCarnage]

Control Channel Only trunking works on the 796D under the following conditions:

• You are scanning a Motorola Type I system or a Type II not in VHF or UHF bands
• If you are scanning a Moto Type II in the 800 MHz band (or a Type I), you can fit the site into one of the 4 band plans offered (see the manual)
• You are scanning a Project 25 system.

Other than those you must put all the frequencies in the bank for it to work.

sorry, does alll the conditions have to be met at the same time?

 

[seamusg]

sorry, does alll the conditions have to be met at the same time?

The system can only be one of those. If you have more than one then it more than one system.

 

[rc104a]

Control Channel Only trunking works on the 796D under the following conditions:

• You are scanning a Motorola Type I system or a Type II not in VHF or UHF bands
• If you are scanning a Moto Type II in the 800 MHz band (or a Type I), you can fit the site into one of the 4 band plans offered (see the manual)
• You are scanning a Project 25 system.

Other than those you must put all the frequencies in the bank for it to work.

Sorry, just a beginner. I have discovered:
The Colorado DTRS is Moto II, 800 MHz band, digital, Project 25.
I have manually typed in all the local and adjacent towers split up into 3 banks and all the talkgroup IDs in all three banks, is that correct?

I am tired of typing in channels, can you help me with the SS program that came with it? I paid for access and downloaded my .csv file for import into the Reference Database, I get an error that says No File Open when I try to open the .csv file. What file is supposed to be open first in order to open the .cvs file? The Reference Database window is solid gray. I created a Bank Editor file, saved it, then opened it, still No File Open error. I did select .csv file for file type and migrated to the file.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[drunyon]

I'm in Indiana and monitoring the SAFE-T system on 796D. I have programmed in the CC freq of several different tower sites into one bank. At someone else's suggestion, I seperated them by a conventional freqs (NPSPAC and some others simplex freqs in use in my area). I am ID Searching, rather than ID Scanning, though I do have a ID List of 100 different TG's programmed in for that bank.

So far this seems to be working fine...at least I think it is as do several other in Indiana using the same method. It seems to lock onto the first CC it finds and then moves on to the next in the list that it can find. Once it scans all CC's for a signal or activity it moves on to scan the next bank in sequence.

Doug

 

[loumaag]

Sorry, just a beginner. I have discovered:
The Colorado DTRS is Moto II, 800 MHz band, digital, Project 25.

Rick, I can't help with the SS program, but the Colorado system is a Project 25 system. There is no such thing as a Moto II Project 25 system. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as a Motorola Project 25 system, unless you are talking about what vendor installed the radio equipment. In other words, other than who makes the equipment, there is no difference as far as system level stuff no matter who installs the system, Motorola, E.F. Johnson, M/A Com, etc. Project 25 is Project 25.

 

[RISC777]

Sorry, just a beginner. I have discovered: The Colorado DTRS is Moto II, 800 MHz band, digital, Project 25. I have manually typed in all the local and adjacent towers split up into 3 banks and all the talkgroup IDs in all three banks, is that correct?
Thanks, Rick

Rick,

I'm coming into this way after you first posted. If this is a base and non-mobile setup for the Colorado DTRS system, you only need to locate the best received single site for your geographical location. Use one 'primary' Control Channel (CCh) freq for one Bank. It is a good fall-back idea to put one 'secondary' CCh freq as the second CCh in that Bank in case the first CCh freq is not active for whatever reason. Then put the Talk Group IDs (tgIDs) in that you want to monitor. So, let's say for instance you want PD, FD, State Patrol. To separate them, have Bank 1 as PD, Bank 2 as FD, Bank 3 as State Patrol. Use the exact same two CCh freqs in all three Banks, just put FD tgIDs in 1, FD tgIDs in 2, and State Patrol tgIDs in 3. That's just a basic for instance type 'example.'

If you want to go into more depth, let me know where you are and I'll help with site / CCh freqs to try / use. PM or email me direct if you want, doesn't matter to me. ... Now, if you are going to put the BC796D into a vehicle and be mobile with it, the CCh freqs and Banks then becomes a whole different 'design' scenario.

-Doug