Control Channel Only / BCD536HP

Status
Not open for further replies.

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Is there a method to have the BCD536HP search and stop on the Control Channel on a trunking system? This would be used to find new trunking systems not in the RR database. Or in this case an area system changed frequencies. This question has been asked before but I am checking for current info.
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
6,169
Location
CT
Is there a method to have the BCD536HP search and stop on the Control Channel on a trunking system?
I would just enter all of the frequencies in the database - then make a note of the frequency it shows between voice transmissions.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
That's the only way the scanner works. Trunk tracking requires the scanner to listen to the control channel between calls. All frequencies should be programmed because some systems require LCNs to be programmed to switch to the correct voice channel, and on others the control channel can rotate among all the voice channels.
 

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Thank you for the replies. I should elaborate. On the BCD996's there is located under

Menu >Search For>Edit Custom>Select Custom 1>Set C-Ch Only - function that provides for the ability to search a frequency range for a Control Channel Only.

Using another radio I have discovered a continuous signal on a new frequency being used. I discovered it quite by accident when I was using the other radio to view the spectrum and saw a signal. I was able to monitor the signal and suspected it was a NEW Control Channel for an area trunking system. The NEW Control Channel frequency is NOT IN THE RR database. Of course at this point I could plug the NEW Control Channel Frequency into my BCD536 radio and begin monitoring. But I am having to use another radio and an SDR to locate new trunking systems NOT IN THE RR database. I was hoping the BCD536 could do it with a search.

I live in a sparsely populated area of Texas. There are two trunking systems with many sites. I have a tower with several verticals and a yagi and can monitor VHF systems within a 60 mile radius. From time to time new sites will be added to the systems with new trunking frequencies. Additionally the system owners change the control frequency. As an example, recently I noticed I was not receiving a system that I had previously monitored. I performed a review of it using the Analyze function under the BCD536 Menu. The signal was gone. After some monitoring using other radios and my SDR I discovered the Control Channel frequency had changed. The info is still not on RR.

Hence my want to listen for Control Channel frequencies only and gather the related info such as site number etc.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Program control channels and voice channels into the site data. If you find a new P25 control channel, use the scanner's analysis functions to get the site ID, then program that as a new site. Add voice channels to the site as you find them, by logging site traffic with ProScan.

But there's no special "control channel only" mode.
 

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Thank you. That answers my question. I will continue to use the work around you suggest and I had thought about.

I no longer have the capability of finding the Control Channel as I did with the BCD996 series.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
There is no need for you to have a special control channel mode, the scanner is smart enough to know the difference between control channel and voice channels. And on P25 systems it can get the voice channel freq from the control channel.
 

W6KRU

Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
3,408
Location
Oceanside, CA
Thank you. That answers my question. I will continue to use the work around you suggest and I had thought about.

I no longer have the capability of finding the Control Channel as I did with the BCD996 series.

Yes, the c-ch only search mode that was in the x96 series is missing from the x36 series.
 

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Thank you to all. Now I do understand there is no Control Channel Only / C-CH only / function on the BCD*36HP series.

Now only asking for experimental sake, if I do a Menu>Search for…>Custom Search

And I have placed the parameters to be around a known VHF 150 mHz trunking channel, why isn’t it stopping on the frequency? I have the frequency steps correct. I know in former BCD996 models there was a “Skip Data Frequency” choice but I cannot find this to turn it off.

The signal is readable by the BCD536HP radio since I have the trunking system in my scanning and the radio receives it fine. When I use the Menu> Analyze function for the System/Site in Favorites it indicates good signal strength and quality signal.

But for some reason I don’t have the parameters correct on the Search> because the >Search for… function is not stopping on the known Control Channel frequency.

I know this is a fruitless exercise….just wondering why the Search function is not finding it. The Search won’t detect the Control Channel of a known system.
 

KevinC

Big Dog...celebrating 10 years of abuse!
Super Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2001
Messages
11,339
Location
Home
Thank you to all. Now I do understand there is no Control Channel Only / C-CH only / function on the BCD*36HP series.

Now only asking for experimental sake, if I do a Menu>Search for…>Custom Search

And I have placed the parameters to be around a known VHF 150 mHz trunking channel, why isn’t it stopping on the frequency? I have the frequency steps correct. I know in former BCD996 models there was a “Skip Data Frequency” choice but I cannot find this to turn it off.

The signal is readable by the BCD536HP radio since I have the trunking system in my scanning and the radio receives it fine. When I use the Menu> Analyze function for the System/Site in Favorites it indicates good signal strength and quality signal.

But for some reason I don’t have the parameters correct on the Search> because the >Search for… function is not stopping on the known Control Channel frequency.

I know this is a fruitless exercise….just wondering why the Search function is not finding it. The Search won’t detect the Control Channel of a known system.

Are they 152.xxxx frequencies? If so you probably have paging enabled on the Broadcast Screen.
 

teknishun

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2010
Messages
355
Location
Alvin, Texas
There is no need for you to have a special control channel mode, the scanner is smart enough to know the difference between control channel and voice channels. And on P25 systems it can get the voice channel freq from the control channel.

Yes...BUT.... In order for the scanner to get the voice channel you must have the control channel for the system programmed in.
And that is the problem - he does not know the control channel because he is searching for new systems that are not in the
RR database yet and thus will not be loaded yet.
 

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Are they 152.xxxx frequencies? If so you probably have paging enabled on the Broadcast Screen.
Thank you so much. That was the problem. Disabling it on Menu>Srch/CloCall Opt>Set Each Band>Pager :OFF
now allows the Search function to find the Trunking Channels in a Custom Search.

The other settings I had in Custom Search were correct. I needed only to disable the part in Broadcast Screen

You have been very helpful. Your time and patience is greatly appreciated.
 

KevinC

Big Dog...celebrating 10 years of abuse!
Super Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2001
Messages
11,339
Location
Home
Thank you so much. That was the problem. Disabling it on Menu>Srch/CloCall Opt>Set Each Band>Pager :OFF
now allows the Search function to find the Trunking Channels in a Custom Search.

The other settings I had in Custom Search were correct. I needed only to disable the part in Broadcast Screen

You have been very helpful. Your time and patience is greatly appreciated.

You're welcome.
 

gregkaderli

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
17
Yes...BUT.... In order for the scanner to get the voice channel you must have the control channel for the system programmed in.
And that is the problem - he does not know the control channel because he is searching for new systems that are not in the
RR database yet and thus will not be loaded yet.

Thank you Teknishun for the support. You understand exactly. I have solved my question.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Yes...BUT.... In order for the scanner to get the voice channel you must have the control channel for the system programmed in.
And that is the problem - he does not know the control channel because he is searching for new systems that are not in the
RR database yet and thus will not be loaded yet.
A P25 control channel is the easy to find, since it broadcasts continuously. A simple frequency range scan will find them. Once you have the control channel(s), add them to individual sites in a system, and as the scanner hears call grants, it will jump to the correct voice channel--it gets the voice channel frequency from the control channel. If you're logging with ProScan at that point, it's trivial to figure out which voice freqs are used by each site, as they will be logged as associated with the site.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top