Brand new - How do I scan in SD?

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NewSDScanner

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San Diego
I am 100% brand new and I know absolutely nothing about scanners and setting them up. What scanner do I need to buy (preferably cheaper and portable) and what steps do I need to take with that scanner in order to listen to:

  • Oceanside Police
  • Carlsbad Police
  • Vista Sheriff
  • Encinitas Sheriff
  • San Marcos Sheriff
  • CSUSM Police

I'll just stick with those for now since I live in north county. I literally have no clue what steps I'd have to take to set this up. Thank you.
 

chuckinsocal

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Dec 16, 2000
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Carlsbad, CA
Just to get you started, you'll definitely need a digital scanner which runs about $500 brand new. Or, you might find a used one for about $250 - $350 on this site's market place or e-bay. I found a used Uniden BC296D a few years ago and it's perfectly adaquate for monitoring local PDs and the Sheriffs Department.

All agencies in San Diego County are on the Regional Communications System (RCS). The frequencies and talk group IDs are listed in the data base here on RadioReference.com.

Carlsbad and Oceanside are the only two cities on your list that have their own PD. Vista, San Marcos, and Encinitas are all serviced by the Sheriff's Department. CSUSM probably has it's own PD as well.

Hopefully, this will get you started in the right direction. I'm sure others will chime in as well.

Chuck Cannova
Carlsbad CA
 

NewSDScanner

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Thanks for the info!!! I just bought a Pro-106 used that also came with some software, rechargeable batteries, battery charger, and power cords. I'm currently waiting for it to arrive but anyway, I saw a video on YouTube and from what I understand, I first and foremost have to program frequencies for my closest tower in to my scanner. Then, I have to program the talkgroups that I want to hear. One question I have is how do you guys separate agencies? For example, can I group all of my Oceanside Police channels together and then toggle them on and off as a group? And also, do the multiple RCS towers all repeat off each other? In other words, if I'm close to a North County tower, will I hear South County (San Diego City) traffic loud and clear or do I need to be down in San Diego City?
 
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chuckinsocal

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Carlsbad, CA
Congrats on your new toy!!!

First, I don't think you need to worry about your closest tower. The RCS North Zone uses 19 frequencies which are listed here in the RadioReference data base. Just program those in. Or, if your scanner supports control channel monitoring, just program those 4 frequencies in and your scanner will select the frequencies the control channel tells it to.

I don't know anything about RS scanners, but my Uniden supports 100 talk groups per bank broken down to 10 lists with 10 TGs in each list. I have each agency assigned to it's own list. Lists 1 & 2 are Carlsbad PD, list 3 is Oceanside PD, list 4 is Vista Sheriff, list 5 is San Marcos Sheriff, etc, etc etc. I can turn each list on or off simply by pressing the list number on my keypad.

I hope this helps you get started.

Chuck Cannova
Carlsbad CA
 

NewSDScanner

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Thanks for your help. I have a question. Do you know anything about the CHP and North County Fire Talkgroups? I programmed Oceanside CHP Dispatch and Oceanside CHP Tac into my scanner as well as the "North County Fire District Dispatch (NCF DSP)" and I NEVER hear any traffic from those. Is there a more up-to-date or different talkgroup? Thanks.
 
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chuckinsocal

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Carlsbad, CA
CHP has their own radio system they use. Even though they have talk groups assigned in RCS I don't think they use them. I believe RCS users can patch in to CHP, or vice verse, when needed for inter agency communications during pursuits. etc.

CHP operates in the 39 mhz area and I have never had any success in monitoring them even on their own freqs. It's a totally different kind of radio system.

Chuck Cannova
Carlsbad CA
 

K6CDO

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As Chuck indicated, CHP operates on VHF Lowband. The Oceanside office is on the TAN1 pair (39.80 out). North County FPD is a member of the North County Fire Dispatch JPA ("NorthComm") and is the 1100 series units on Disp 1A (TG 11632).
 

NewSDScanner

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Thanks guys. I'm glad I programmed in the right fire dispatch frequency for North Comm but it seems oddly quiet. I hear parts of some calls but that's all. Does North County have a secondary dispatch channel? The reason I ask is because I was scanning Carlsbad and North Comm and I heard a Carlsbad dispatcher put out that Carlsbad Fire was responding to a traffic accident but I never heard this over North Comm.
 

K6CDO

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Thanks guys. I'm glad I programmed in the right fire dispatch frequency for North Comm but it seems oddly quiet. I hear parts of some calls but that's all. Does North County have a secondary dispatch channel? The reason I ask is because I was scanning Carlsbad and North Comm and I heard a Carlsbad dispatcher put out that Carlsbad Fire was responding to a traffic accident but I never heard this over North Comm.

NorthComm dispatch traffic is on 11632. The units are then assigned a different talk group to operate on while on the response. All fire operations on 800 MHz use a common program ("fleet map"). The talk groups are organized in groups of 16 ("zones") in the radio, labeled A through P. NorthComm uses Zone 1 and shares Zone 2 with Escondido Fire.

Your ability to hear everything is depended on where you are. There are 10 sites in the North Simulcast (where the the NorthComm member agencies are), but there are also some 'fill in' stand-alone sites covering spots like Elfin Forest, or Valley Center where the traffic is not broadcast unless a RCS user is in that area listening to that talk group.

Hope this helps.
 

NewSDScanner

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San Diego
NorthComm dispatch traffic is on 11632. The units are then assigned a different talk group to operate on while on the response. All fire operations on 800 MHz use a common program ("fleet map"). The talk groups are organized in groups of 16 ("zones") in the radio, labeled A through P. NorthComm uses Zone 1 and shares Zone 2 with Escondido Fire.

Your ability to hear everything is depended on where you are. There are 10 sites in the North Simulcast (where the the NorthComm member agencies are), but there are also some 'fill in' stand-alone sites covering spots like Elfin Forest, or Valley Center where the traffic is not broadcast unless a RCS user is in that area listening to that talk group.

Hope this helps.

Gotcha. Thanks!!! Man, this is awesome. So happy I purchased a Pro-106. It's real-time, nonfiction, and useful. Plus, I already know the codes from my job. Thanks guys!
 

davidvel

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The problem you are likely having with not hearing dispatch is you are monitoring too many different talkgroups. You will find its a delicate balance. Northcomm was likely dispatching CBD fire while you were listening to CBD police dispatch. You can only receive one transmission at a time.
 

NewSDScanner

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San Diego
The problem you are likely having with not hearing dispatch is you are monitoring too many different talkgroups. You will find its a delicate balance. Northcomm was likely dispatching CBD fire while you were listening to CBD police dispatch. You can only receive one transmission at a time.

Yeah, I kinda figured that. Part of what's so awesome about the scanner is that I can modify the talk groups and scan lists depending on what mood I'm in. If I want mainly quiet and only to hear transmissions from my city, I can single them out, or on a busy Friday when I just want to hear action, I can scan everything and just listen to constant transmissions. Good times. Thanks!
 

chuckinsocal

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Carlsbad, CA
Fire stations and vehicles get print outs of their dispatches so the radio dispatches go really quick and no repeats. If you blink, you'll likely miss it.

To me, monitoring NorthComm dispatch is a PITA because you have to listen to every fire and medical aid dispatch in North County, most of which I couldn't care less about, and in the meantime I miss local traffic.

Chuck Cannova
Carlsbad CA
 

DirtyCurti

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United States
Great thread, I'm new to this site and I am finding it very useful. I had the same questions as the original poster did. Thanks for the answers.

Now, I have the Pro-96, is this scanner obsolete for Oceanside? I found an old post (from 2008 i think) that said that this scanner would not get Oceanside due to OPD changing to a 700mhz system. Did this happen and I need to upgrade or how do I get OPD on my scanner?

Thanks in advance,
 

DirtyCurti

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Great thread, I'm new to this site and I am finding it very useful. I had the same questions as the original poster did. Thanks for the answers.

Now, I have the Pro-96, is this scanner obsolete for Oceanside? I found an old post (from 2008 i think) that said that this scanner would not get Oceanside due to OPD changing to a 700mhz system. Did this happen and I need to upgrade or how do I get OPD on my scanner?

Thanks in advance,

Is anyone monitoring these boards anymore? Does anyone have an answer for me regarding the Pro-96 capabilities of scanning Oceanside & Carlsbad police frequencies?

Not even the North dispatch is getting any North County calls.

ANYONE? PLEASE. Do I need to switch to the Pro-106?
 
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