Centre county going digital

[firefighter1811]

So I just found out that Centre county Pa is going digital by march 2011. This is going to be good for the people that use the radios however for those of us that like to hear whats going on it is going to be a real pain having to buy new scanners. So here is the question, What "digital" scanner do you recommend? I was looking at the home patrol, this looks to be just about the best all around scanner I can find. As I look I don't see very many digital scanners on the market yet. and something else I was thinking of is when will radio reference update the software to include the new frequencies? I'm guessing that could take some time. If I would buy this scanner or any scanner for that matter will I have to pay to get the latest frequencies? I like the home patrol for the simple to use interface it seems to have however I am also looking at other scanners as well. any info you could give a NOOB like me would be great.

Thank You,

Mike

 

[HM1529]

So I just found out that Centre county Pa is going digital by march 2011. This is going to be good for the people that use the radios however for those of us that like to hear whats going on it is going to be a real pain having to buy new scanners. So here is the question, What "digital" scanner do you recommend? I was looking at the home patrol, this looks to be just about the best all around scanner I can find. As I look I don't see very many digital scanners on the market yet. and something else I was thinking of is when will radio reference update the software to include the new frequencies? I'm guessing that could take some time. If I would buy this scanner or any scanner for that matter will I have to pay to get the latest frequencies? I like the home patrol for the simple to use interface it seems to have however I am also looking at other scanners as well. any info you could give a NOOB like me would be great.

Thank You,

Mike

You might want to wait until you find out what flavor of digital Centre County will be using. The digital scanners on the market only decode audio and track systems based on P25 standards. Other forms of digital communications cannot easily be monitored. Some other digital technologies include DMR (MotoTRBO), NXDN (Nexedge and IDAS), OpenSky, and ProVoice. And, current digital scanners can only handle Phase 1 P25 systems. Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki

As far as how quickly Radio Reference will update the database...that all depends on how quickly someone sends us the information. We usually rely on user input to ensure the most up to date info.

While Centre Co will likely implement a P25 system, OpenSky and ProVoice are both used around PA for public safety. And, finding out about use of encryption is also important. If Centre Co decides to encrypt most of the traffic you'd want to monitor, a digital scanner wouldn't help much.

From the wiki, here's a chart showing most of the digital scanners available:
Digital Scanner Comparison Chart - The RadioReference Wiki

Home Patrol's not on that table, so here's the wiki entry to compare"
HomePatrol-1 - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[HM1529]

Just found this article in the Centre Daily Times:
Aging Centre County 911 service may go digital - Local | Centre Daily Times - State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate

Sounds like the digital scanners would at least be compatible as long as they go with the Motorola P25. Now the only issue would be the amount of encryption and how that might impact a scanner buyer's plans.

 

[firefighter1811]

digital scanners

Wow I never knew there was so much to learn about digital scanners. Thank you for the info, The 2 scanners that look the most compatible are the BCD396XT and the BCD996XT Though they apear to be the same scanner other then the form factor. I think the best thing for me to do is to wait till they do the switch to see what they wind up getting so that I get a scanner that will handle the new system. As soon as I find out what the new frequencies are I will let you all know. Should I post it here?

You might want to wait until you find out what flavor of digital Centre County will be using. The digital scanners on the market only decode audio and track systems based on P25 standards. Other forms of digital communications cannot easily be monitored. Some other digital technologies include DMR (MotoTRBO), NXDN (Nexedge and IDAS), OpenSky, and ProVoice. And, current digital scanners can only handle Phase 1 P25 systems. Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki

As far as how quickly Radio Reference will update the database...that all depends on how quickly someone sends us the information. We usually rely on user input to ensure the most up to date info.

While Centre Co will likely implement a P25 system, OpenSky and ProVoice are both used around PA for public safety. And, finding out about use of encryption is also important. If Centre Co decides to encrypt most of the traffic you'd want to monitor, a digital scanner wouldn't help much.

From the wiki, here's a chart showing most of the digital scanners available:
Digital Scanner Comparison Chart - The RadioReference Wiki

Home Patrol's not on that table, so here's the wiki entry to compare"
HomePatrol-1 - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[firefighter1811]

This was where I found out about the new system.

Just found this article in the Centre Daily Times:
Aging Centre County 911 service may go digital - Local | Centre Daily Times - State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate

Sounds like the digital scanners would at least be compatible as long as they go with the Motorola P25. Now the only issue would be the amount of encryption and how that might impact a scanner buyer's plans.

 

[firefighter1811]

Any word on what type of system Centre County is going with? Also I heard that the system will be up and running by the beginning of 2013. Has any one heard what the new frequencies are going to be? I talked to a friend from the fire co. that said they are still going to use the same fire dispatch frequency for the pagers.

 

[zendawgg]

News?

Hi,

N00b concerning scanners.

What system did they go with and what scanners will work here?

Thanks

 

[dmg1969]

zenndawgg, see this thread. http://forums.radioreference.com/pe...tre-county-test-new-radio-system-october.html

 

[zendawgg]

Thanks Dave.

Thinking about getting Uniden BCD396XT.
The digital, trunking etc is a lot more complicated than the old days!
I have a lot to learn I guess...