New to scanning and looking for someone/s to chat with about all of the possibilities of my new scanner. i live in Yukon and have a new bcd396t. i am running arc396 software. so far i have programmed just the conventional channels in canadian county and am slowly learning. slowly might be too fast of a word maybe crawling backwards. anyway just looking to chat and see what is out there.
Bcd396t
- Thread starter mtg
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In this area, there are 3 or 4 other 396 users - Fireant, d-stew, and myself that I can name off the top of my head.
We have been having meetings once a month (usually first Tuesday) to chat about stuff like that, but I'm sure you could catch one of us around some other time also.
As for other things to listen to....
the possibilities are almost endless. You already have PD/FD/SO? Try some business stuff - or fast food drive thru's. Amateur stuff is good to listen to, especially with severe weather. The state trunked system might be a big step from conventional stuff, but there can be some interesting things on there if you can pick up a site. Finally, try finding new things that aren't posted on here, or anywhere else. That's where the real fun comes in - ID'ing a new freq!
We have been having meetings once a month (usually first Tuesday) to chat about stuff like that, but I'm sure you could catch one of us around some other time also.
As for other things to listen to....
the possibilities are almost endless. You already have PD/FD/SO? Try some business stuff - or fast food drive thru's. Amateur stuff is good to listen to, especially with severe weather. The state trunked system might be a big step from conventional stuff, but there can be some interesting things on there if you can pick up a site. Finally, try finding new things that aren't posted on here, or anywhere else. That's where the real fun comes in - ID'ing a new freq!
For real.mam1081 said:
The RRDB really helps out in this area as it has down at the bottom of each county page a link to "unknown" frequencies.
Check 'em out .. you score a hit on something.
well, so far i have only programmed the conventional stations in Canadian and Cleveland counties found on the rr database. ultimately i would like to utilize all possibilites of the bcd396t but am still a novice and learning. so, to show my novice status i can say not 800 yet but as far as vhf or uhf not sure. hz range mostly in the 150's and some in the 460's so if i was to guess i think uhf? anyway i am sure it is very obvious i don't yet know what i am talking about. thanks again for your help.
What sorts of things interest you? Do you like to listen to law enforcement? Fire? EMSA? Business? I would be happy to help you with information. Like Mark said, I also have a 396 and can provide a lot of info about scanning in general, and also about systems in this area to listen to. The upcoming scanner meeting on April 11th would be good to attend as well.
Let us know what your interests are, and we can provide suggestions on what to program in, as well as info to help you in understanding what you're programming. I use Arc software too, so sending a file or two wouldn't be a problem, but the real fun comes after understanding why things are the way they are, and how they work. Once you have some of this basic knowledge, the sky really is the limit on what you can find.
Let us know what your interests are, and we can provide suggestions on what to program in, as well as info to help you in understanding what you're programming. I use Arc software too, so sending a file or two wouldn't be a problem, but the real fun comes after understanding why things are the way they are, and how they work. Once you have some of this basic knowledge, the sky really is the limit on what you can find.
to start with FD/PD/EMSA and noaa. i have programmed the conventional stations now for canadian, cleveland. There is so much out there and i am so new that i am not sure beyond that point for now. after i have all of my conventionals programmed then i would like to move on to trunked and whatever else is available. i do need to pick up an antenna though as it is still choppy. i live in Yukon and even the Yukon pd/fd is choppy.
I will be out of town on the 11th in April but would like to come to some of the future meetings.
As far as the arc396 and bcd396t i would like to learn how to use it efficiently and so am really just looking for answers to questions in run across such as good antenna's, programming especially when i get into the trunked and just general questions to the rr database and information listed.
Thanks
mtg
I will be out of town on the 11th in April but would like to come to some of the future meetings.
As far as the arc396 and bcd396t i would like to learn how to use it efficiently and so am really just looking for answers to questions in run across such as good antenna's, programming especially when i get into the trunked and just general questions to the rr database and information listed.
Thanks
mtg
well, we'll be more than happy to help with those questions.
one thing that will help if for you to familiarize yourself with 10-codes and signals. it isn't very much fun to listen and not understand.
on the antenna, where do you mostly use your scanner? In your car? Everywhere? Just at the house or work? If it's everywhere, a rubber duck antenna that is tuned to what you want to listen to will help a lot. There's just now way to get a multi-band antenna that will perform as well as a tuned antenna. If you drive around with it, an installed mobile antenna will work wonders. You can get a dual-band antenna that will perform very well, but the same principal applies here with multi-band antennas. If you're mainly at work or home, a base antenna would be the best help, although it may not be feasible for work.
With programming your scanner, it's going to boil down to personal preference. I've learned trick over time that helps me categorize what I want to listen to, and quickly enable/disable certain things. There are certainly some things you can do that will help you efficiently manage versatility, but I've found that one size does not fit all when it comes to arranging frequencies into groups and subgroups. It all boils down to what you want to listen to.
For example, I prefer to arrange communities into groups, with individual agencies (FD/PD/EMS) into subgroups. The reason for this has been the way most scanners are set up, which only uses groups. Since I'm use to doing it that way, it's been easy to keep doing it that way. However, this scanner is so versatile that it would make more sense for me to use subgroups to turn off areas (since you have to hold the function button), and the one-touch group keys to toggle fire, emsa, and other agencies on and off as I need them.
Someone who is really into fire might want to set up their scanner so that they have local PDs on a subgroup, since they might not toggle them on/off as often as they would fire dispatch and fireground frequencies. So, it's really going to depend on what your interest are. It might help for you to tell us where your interests are, in order of importance. If we know that, we might be able to offer different suggestions on how to set things up for you. I certainly don't hold all the knowledge or ideas in this area, but I have significant experience in areas that would cause me to offer up suggestions that might be very different than someone else with significant experience doing things another way.
On a side note, I REALLY wish Uniden would've made that function button a "sticky" button, where you could toggle the "function" function on and off. It's a little difficult to turn subgroups when you're going down the road. I've found that it almost impossible to do this with one hand, and I'm not a fan of steering with my knee while both hands are otherwise occupied.
One last thought on progaming the scanner. If you don't travel a whole lot, then I would recommend not assigning quick-keys to things which you don't want to easily turn on and off. Save those quick-keys to assign to groups of things you want to toggle. This means that you might only have a couple frequencies in a particular group, which is not a very good use of the scanner's "space", but it may make more sense for your needs. On the other hand, if you want to listen to a whole lot of things at one time, this approach may not be needed. I used to try to listen everything I could turn on at one time, but I found over time that it's just not realistic to do that with one scanner. You end up missing too many things due to the fact that the scanner is tied up "listening" to one thing while something much more important to your interests is happening on another frequency. The only way to really solve this issue is to get multiple scanners and keep them on low volume. I usually have 3 at a bare minimum going at any time, and usually 4 or 5, with one of them turned up just a little bit louder than the rest. This simulates a priority function of sorts, but you don't get annoyed with missing the first part of a conversation until the scanner "checks" your priority frequency for traffic. I would always miss the address or something else before my scanner switched to the priority channel. Having one scanner or radio on which is dedicated solved that problem for me.
one thing that will help if for you to familiarize yourself with 10-codes and signals. it isn't very much fun to listen and not understand.
on the antenna, where do you mostly use your scanner? In your car? Everywhere? Just at the house or work? If it's everywhere, a rubber duck antenna that is tuned to what you want to listen to will help a lot. There's just now way to get a multi-band antenna that will perform as well as a tuned antenna. If you drive around with it, an installed mobile antenna will work wonders. You can get a dual-band antenna that will perform very well, but the same principal applies here with multi-band antennas. If you're mainly at work or home, a base antenna would be the best help, although it may not be feasible for work.
With programming your scanner, it's going to boil down to personal preference. I've learned trick over time that helps me categorize what I want to listen to, and quickly enable/disable certain things. There are certainly some things you can do that will help you efficiently manage versatility, but I've found that one size does not fit all when it comes to arranging frequencies into groups and subgroups. It all boils down to what you want to listen to.
For example, I prefer to arrange communities into groups, with individual agencies (FD/PD/EMS) into subgroups. The reason for this has been the way most scanners are set up, which only uses groups. Since I'm use to doing it that way, it's been easy to keep doing it that way. However, this scanner is so versatile that it would make more sense for me to use subgroups to turn off areas (since you have to hold the function button), and the one-touch group keys to toggle fire, emsa, and other agencies on and off as I need them.
Someone who is really into fire might want to set up their scanner so that they have local PDs on a subgroup, since they might not toggle them on/off as often as they would fire dispatch and fireground frequencies. So, it's really going to depend on what your interest are. It might help for you to tell us where your interests are, in order of importance. If we know that, we might be able to offer different suggestions on how to set things up for you. I certainly don't hold all the knowledge or ideas in this area, but I have significant experience in areas that would cause me to offer up suggestions that might be very different than someone else with significant experience doing things another way.
On a side note, I REALLY wish Uniden would've made that function button a "sticky" button, where you could toggle the "function" function on and off. It's a little difficult to turn subgroups when you're going down the road. I've found that it almost impossible to do this with one hand, and I'm not a fan of steering with my knee while both hands are otherwise occupied.
One last thought on progaming the scanner. If you don't travel a whole lot, then I would recommend not assigning quick-keys to things which you don't want to easily turn on and off. Save those quick-keys to assign to groups of things you want to toggle. This means that you might only have a couple frequencies in a particular group, which is not a very good use of the scanner's "space", but it may make more sense for your needs. On the other hand, if you want to listen to a whole lot of things at one time, this approach may not be needed. I used to try to listen everything I could turn on at one time, but I found over time that it's just not realistic to do that with one scanner. You end up missing too many things due to the fact that the scanner is tied up "listening" to one thing while something much more important to your interests is happening on another frequency. The only way to really solve this issue is to get multiple scanners and keep them on low volume. I usually have 3 at a bare minimum going at any time, and usually 4 or 5, with one of them turned up just a little bit louder than the rest. This simulates a priority function of sorts, but you don't get annoyed with missing the first part of a conversation until the scanner "checks" your priority frequency for traffic. I would always miss the address or something else before my scanner switched to the priority channel. Having one scanner or radio on which is dedicated solved that problem for me.
will break up the previous reply and try to give more information.
Thanks for the information on the 10-codes. i did a brief search for "10-codes" while typing this out and found some quick web pages that explain some of the more common ones.
Very nice. thanks.
Thanks for the information on the 10-codes. i did a brief search for "10-codes" while typing this out and found some quick web pages that explain some of the more common ones.
Very nice. thanks.
meant to include one of the sites
http://www.bearcat1.com/radiook.htm
I did notice though that there is some variation between the different departments.
http://www.bearcat1.com/radiook.htm
I did notice though that there is some variation between the different departments.
right now my scanner is mostly used in my home. i have taken it on the road and gotten somewhat better reception but still think that maybe another antenna might help. how do you get a rubber duck tuned to what you listen too? i have thought about getting an antenna for my truck and have actually thought about putting a cb in it to listen too and thus not have to scan any of those frequencies. Do you just try antennas to see what gets better reception and then also i read about having the right coax cable. can all of these be picked up at Radio Shack or somewhere like that and they will know what specifically i need. i hate to have to buy a bunch of different ones just to figure out which will work. i am not opposed to having multiple scanners/antennas but need a good place to start and can work from there. thanks again.
The last thing you want to do is go down the street to your local Radio Shack. While I know of at least one very knowledgeable RS employee in the metro, Radio Shack has become nothing resembling its name.
There are rubber duck (and other types too) antennas which are tuned to specific bands. For example, to receive Yukon/Canadian County, you can get a VHF antenna that will work better than your current antenna. There are also better multi-band antennas that will work better than the one that came with your scanner. There are several places on the web you can access where you can read reviews from people who have actually purchased and tried different antennas, radios, etc. Plus, there are people here who will give you feedback if you see a particular antenna you think might work.
If you're going to install a mobile or base antenna, having the right coax can help a lot.
There are rubber duck (and other types too) antennas which are tuned to specific bands. For example, to receive Yukon/Canadian County, you can get a VHF antenna that will work better than your current antenna. There are also better multi-band antennas that will work better than the one that came with your scanner. There are several places on the web you can access where you can read reviews from people who have actually purchased and tried different antennas, radios, etc. Plus, there are people here who will give you feedback if you see a particular antenna you think might work.
If you're going to install a mobile or base antenna, having the right coax can help a lot.
freqscout
Member
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The somewhat technical explanation is that resistance is built up at the feed point that defeats the signal before your scanner can receive it, especially the weaker ones. This is why hams use "antenna tuners" on HF (lowband) alot. This resistance is almost negligible within some bands where it is critical on others. However anything outside of your house would receive better than the rubber ducky that comes with the scanner. What is essential is an antenna with a good ground plane or grounded mount (tower, vent pipe, etc). Some of the best scanner antennas are just plain 1/4 wave VHF antennas (they are lower profile, too).
Now D-Stew is a "pro" as I would call him so he has antennas for most bands that he listens to, but I am sure that he would agree that anything outside is better than a rubberducky. The reason for this is that a rubber ducky does not have good ground wave reception because it has little to no ground plane which is key to stronger signals. That is why a mobile radio with a mounted antenna with 5 watts would dominate a handheld with comparable electronics with 5 watts.
If you went out and bought a VHF/UHF mag mount antenna and put it on a pie plate and stuck it out on your patio your poorly received signals would probably jump to clear as a bell because the pie plate would provide a better ground plane for the antenna.
Remember every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If the antenna is the action then the ground wave is the opposite reaction. Both working together efficiently creates better listening ability. A handheld has an antenna but hardly a ground plane so the opposite reaction is not handled efficiently (poorer reception).
Now D-Stew is a "pro" as I would call him so he has antennas for most bands that he listens to, but I am sure that he would agree that anything outside is better than a rubberducky. The reason for this is that a rubber ducky does not have good ground wave reception because it has little to no ground plane which is key to stronger signals. That is why a mobile radio with a mounted antenna with 5 watts would dominate a handheld with comparable electronics with 5 watts.
If you went out and bought a VHF/UHF mag mount antenna and put it on a pie plate and stuck it out on your patio your poorly received signals would probably jump to clear as a bell because the pie plate would provide a better ground plane for the antenna.
Remember every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If the antenna is the action then the ground wave is the opposite reaction. Both working together efficiently creates better listening ability. A handheld has an antenna but hardly a ground plane so the opposite reaction is not handled efficiently (poorer reception).
Couldn't have said it better myself...even if I tried real hard ;-)
Yes, ANYthing outside will be leaps and bounds better than the rubber duck. Getting a tuned antenna with the right coax would be better, but just a little better than sticking a mag mount on a pie tin (I'll have to remember that one).
Yes, ANYthing outside will be leaps and bounds better than the rubber duck. Getting a tuned antenna with the right coax would be better, but just a little better than sticking a mag mount on a pie tin (I'll have to remember that one).
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