BCD996XT Trunking help Mass State Police

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Davisnet28

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So I was lucky enough to get the BCD996XT for Christmas.

I'm basically trying to program the Mass State Police Trunking system.

I know they run MOT2. What I was wondering was when I Program the Site can I program the site with every MSP control frequencies? Then for each group I make being a different Troop? That way I can turn off a group when I'm no where near that area?

Thanks in advanced!
 
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Merry Christmas!

So I was lucky enough to get the BCD996XT for Christmas.

I'm basically trying to program the Mass State Police Trunking system.

I know they run MOT2. What I was wondering was when I Program the Site can I program the site with every MSP control frequencies? Then for each group I make being a different Troop? That way I can turn off a group when I'm no where near that area?

Thanks in advanced!
Nice gift! Great radio too.

Welcome to RR too.

Massachusetts State Police Trunking System, Statewide, Massachusetts - Scanner Frequencies

I'm not able to suggest how you might design your layout. It's very flexible, and I don't know enough about how the state lays out. What I will tell you in case you don't already know is that you can have 100 Systems 0~99. Each System can be programmed however you choose.

Then within each of those systems, you'll be able to toggle up to 10 Groups on and off. (0~9)

Since there are a boatload of talkgroups, I'm not sure how you'd split them up.

Maybe the boys can help you over here-> Massachusetts Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums

It might be good to start out with a known-good configuration and tweak it to your liking.

Lots of people use FreeSCAN - Sixspot Software which as the name implies, is free, but worth a donation. FreeScan User Guide - The RadioReference Wiki

I hope that gets you started.

Have fun!
 

Tryton

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As doctordialtone said, Welcome to RR! Another handy tip is putting your location in your profile so it's easier to help you :)



So I was lucky enough to get the BCD996XT for Christmas.

I'm basically trying to program the Mass State Police Trunking system.

I know they run MOT2. What I was wondering was when I Program the Site can I program the site with every MSP control frequencies? Then for each group I make being a different Troop? That way I can turn off a group when I'm no where near that area?

Thanks in advanced!
 

garys

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The way I did it was to program the different MSP sub systems (Zones) into their own sites. You can assign each site it's own Quick Key, and can even assign each Site a different start up key.

I then put all of the Talk Groups into their own Groups in the 996XT. I broke that down by Troop, so all of the Troop A TGs are in one group, all of the Troop B in another, and so on.

What TGs you hear will depend on which Zone you are listening to.

For example, in Zone 5, which covers the eastern MA/Greater Boston area, you will here all of Troop A, Troop E, Troop H, and some of Troops C and D. You won't hear the airport, Troop F, because they are on a totally different trunk system at Logan.

If you are listening to Zone 8, central MA, you will hear Troop C and Troop E, and parts of Troops A, H, and B.

How much you want to put into the scanner depends on where you are and where you plan to be. That's assuming this is going into your vehicle. If it's going to be used as a base unit, the programming is going to be different depending on where you are. I'm south of Boston, so I can hear Zone 5, Zone 8, and Zone 3 (Plymouth and Bristol Counties). That allows me to hear Troops from the NH state line, to west of Worcester, to the RI state line, and parts of the Upper Cape.

It's complex at first, because it's a statewide system, with the exceptions of parts of western MA which are still being built out. It takes a while to tweak the programming to get exactly what you want. In addition to the MSP, there are other agencies on the trunk that you might want to listen to.

There is some really good information at Scan New England that will help you understand how the system is designed.

You didn't mention it, but programming is much easier if you use software than if you manually program.
 

hd625b

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Use FreeSCAN to get up and running then you can take your time learning how to program manually.
 

Davisnet28

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Thanks for all the help. I am using freescan and its much easier except the $30 I had to spend on a serial to USB adapter lol.

Yes my scanner will be getting mounted into my vehicle. So I liked the Scan New England page you posted garys, questions is when I program all those sites do I program every frequency within those sites or just the ones that say CC?
 

garys

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Just program the control channels. The XT scanners work fine that way, some would say better.

I haven't used Freescan in a while, but if it can import ARC XT files, I'll send you the one I use for the MSP. If not, there might be one in the files section at Scan New England.

Thanks for all the help. I am using freescan and its much easier except the $30 I had to spend on a serial to USB adapter lol.

Yes my scanner will be getting mounted into my vehicle. So I liked the Scan New England page you posted garys, questions is when I program all those sites do I program every frequency within those sites or just the ones that say CC?
 

Davisnet28

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Thanks for the info, After looking at free scan the only files I can import are other freescan files, .MEM files or .m96 files.

Again thanks for the info.
 
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Freescan

Thanks for the info, After looking at free scan the only files I can import are other freescan files, .MEM files or .m96 files.

Again thanks for the info.

This is where you might;

1) See whether somebody in the Mass. Forum has a working Freescan file or

2) Build your System and then learn how "EZ GRAB" works for Sites and Groups.

It goes something like this. Highlight - COPY - Click "EZ Grab" button - pause and observe, then

A) Copy from Clipboard
B) Import
C) Save your work
D) Rinse and Repeat for each site and all Groups
E) When finished - upload to scanner
F) Monitor


Repeat about 50 times or See Number 1 above.

Take your time - you have the rest of your life to get it just right.
 

garys

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Or I could install Free Scan, read my radio out and send the file to him. :wink:

After all, it is FREE, so I can download, install it, use it, and the delete it if I want.

Davisnet28, let me know if that's what you'd like me to do. I think I can attach a Zip file to a PM. If not, I'll just need an email address.



This is where you might;

1) See whether somebody in the Mass. Forum has a working Freescan file or

2) Build your System and then learn how "EZ GRAB" works for Sites and Groups.

It goes something like this. Highlight - COPY - Click "EZ Grab" button - pause and observe, then

A) Copy from Clipboard
B) Import
C) Save your work
D) Rinse and Repeat for each site and all Groups
E) When finished - upload to scanner
F) Monitor


Repeat about 50 times or See Number 1 above.

Take your time - you have the rest of your life to get it just right.
 
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MSP/Freescan

Or I could install Free Scan, read my radio out and send the file to him.

After all, it is FREE, so I can download, install it, use it, and the delete it if I want.

Davisnet28, let me know if that's what you'd like me to do. I think I can attach a Zip file to a PM. If not, I'll just need an email address.

Very generous offer, Gary. That's the best and quickest solution for our OP. I'd like a copy myself if that's OK. Thank you!

I looked at my original MSP file and it was woefully dated. I'll PM you.
 
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