Control Channel scanning of LSP

[McReb]

Went to Texas along I-10 last week using control channel trunking of LSP. It worked great until Lake Charles. From there to Texas line, and coming back, I heard nothing. I changed and tried each plan including plan 3 which I don't think works anywhere in Louisiana.

Anyone familiar with Lake Charles to Texas know which plan is best?

 

[bpckty1]

Try this link from a previous post:

Control Channel scanning of LSP

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=16111

 

[kylev]

So how would you properly program it in a scanner that has the plans 1-4. Would you just have to change plans everytime you went into another area?

 

[McReb]

The sit posted by

Bpckty 1 is my post from earlier when I used Uniden's parameters to determine what plan to use in control channel tracking. My experience I first related seems to me to say that Uniden's CC Plans aren't fool proof.

I believe you must first identify which tower exactly you are then receiving then use the proper plan. The problem is where the control channels duplicate each other but also have different frequencies. That is the wild card. That is what I was getting on my Texas trip.

 

[loumaag]

Pat,

I have (again) looked at the LA State TRS and the stupid Uniden 4 plan system of doing CC tracking. In general I see no need of Plans 1 or 3. They are contained within Plans 2 and 4 (unless there is something I don't understand about this ridiculous set of choices). It seems that Plan 2 would be for your normal system and Plan 4 would be for "splinter" systems.

To review, Motorola "Splinter" systems are really only used in border areas where interference from our southern neigbors are likely. You can recognize a splinter system easily by looking at the frequencies used. If the frequencies below 866.0000 end .x000, .x250, x500, or .x750 then it is a splinter system. Frequencies for 866.0000 and above can end in either the 0 or the 5 as only the frequencies below 866.0000 determine splinter systems. ('x' indicates a number 0-9)

A "regular" system can contain frequencies from 851.0125 through 865.9875 as long as they end in .x125, .x375, .x625, .x875 and any frequency 866.0000 through 869.9875 ending in (assuming 4 decimal places) a '0' or a '5'.

First lets state for the record, the Louisana State TRS is not a splinter system. (The only places I know they exist are along the southern border of the US in CA, AZ, NM, & TX.)

Second, splinter systems are only used in reference to 3600 kbs control channel, 800Mhz systems. In other words, if the system is VHF, UHF, or 900Mhz or if it is an APCO-25 (9.6kbs) system, then it is not a "splinter" system.

Third, Uniden does a dismal job of editing this important bit of information in the manuals. Either that or the radios are different from model to model, which I doubt, because as you review the manuals from different radios which have the "CC Only Plans" in them, you will note that they are not consistant.

Based on no personal experience, as I don't own a Uniden built CC only capable scanner, I would guess that Plan 2 is the one to go with in all cases for the LA state system. (I am sure to hear flak over that comment. :lol: )

In regard to your experience from Lake Charles area to the TX border, having passed over that strip countless times using first a Pro-90 (Uniden built), then a Pro-92, Pro92B and a Pro-2067; all of which require having the all the frequencies programmed. And also using a Pro-95 and finally most recently a Pro-96 (both radios only use CC trunking) I have always had abysmal performance from say Sulpher to the TX border. To me the Lake Charles tower is barely useful and the Hackberry and Dequincy sites just cannot carry all the way to the border. On top of this, you run into interference from other non-LA State TRS control channels that are on frequencies used elsewhere in the state as control channels. (Why don’t scanner mfg’s come up with a way of plugging System ID’s in?) In any case I wouldn’t say that I-10 from Lake Charles to the TX border is a shining example of scanning heaven.

 

[INDY72]

Additionally in the SUCKS coverage area.....

Hwy 84/61/98 At the Natchez crossing of the MS River.... The Ferriday Cell BARELY covers Vidalia, and the surrounding areas.... I have even sat beside some LSP Troopers, and LA's version of F&W at a great lil restauraunt there in Vidalia (shrimp babbbyyyyy), and they could barely hit a signal off that cell, even when my 94, and my 92 B were actually hitting the CC inside... The mobiles were also having issues. One of the game wardens was asking how my scanner was doing a better job then his mobile,.. All I could say was I must be lucky. According to them, when the 700 system comes into full reality, there is supposed to be additional towers statewide, and plans are to put one IN Vidalia. Now that would be nice indeed, you could then actually hear it in Natchez,.. which currently can not be doen unless you have a ant set up on a tower, or a high gain ant.

 

[bpckty1]

"Bpckty 1 is my post from earlier..."

Sorry 'bout that.

I thought it was a new poster asking the question, so I provided a link to a similar thread with appropriate answers.

 

[McReb]

Thanks to all of you

for your imput.

Loumagg, with greatest respect for your experience and knowledge, my experience with LSP CC is that most of the "outer" towers are best monitored while control channel scanning as a Plan 1; "metro" area towers are best on Plan 2.

Also, most LSP towers are Plan 1.

Again, thanks all.

 

[loumaag]

See, I said I would get flak for that statement. :lol:

Pat, explain to me, when all the manuals clearly state "system" and some of the manuals say Plan 2 is for systems having frequencies above 866.0000 and ending in any of the acceptable channel endings, why Plan 1 would ever be used? Also explain to me why Plan 2 does not include Plan 1 in it? I think we can agree that we can skip Plans 3 & 4 as they deal with splinter systems.

All I can say is I am glad GRE CC only requires you to mark it if its a splinter system.

 

[McReb]

Please don't take my comment as flak.

I cannot explain anything. All I was reporting is my personal hands on experiences.

You have always helped me for which I am truly appreciative.

Best regards,

 

[loumaag]

Okay Pat,

Thanks anyway. I probably will be getting a 796 within a month or so and can play with the different plans myself. The only bad part is that there is only 1 800MHz system around here and it is a five channel Type I with a pretty low traffic volumn. I was just trying to see what I could get a jump on.

BTW, if you ever get better results going through Lake Charles & West, let me know how. :wink:

 

[Jonfred21]

i live in sulphur and work in vinton and i catch most of lsp traffic on this end clearly. also im useing a pro-95.

 

[loumaag]

i live in sulphur and work in vinton and i catch most of lsp traffic on this end clearly. also im useing a pro-95.

Which site/control channel are you using?

 

[Jonfred21]

i use 3 of them.

014 Hackberry 860.9625
015 DeQuincy 858.4625
046 Lake Charles 860.9625 sorry, its a mistype 868.8875

 

[loumaag]

Thanks!
Hmm, Hackberry and Lake Charles have the same CC frequency? That has to be a mis-type.

 

[INDY72]

Actually Lou,.. on some Motorola TRS's... Some of the cells in "sorta" close proximity will run the same freqs as CC's... I do not know why.. But they do.... It doesn't seem to effect the mobiles/HT's.. or scanners.... One example I have verified personnally is the Entergy TRS cells for Brookhaven, and Union Church in MS.... Some days they will run the SAME CC..... Wish I could have run a slicer and Trunker on them when that happened to see if there was a variation of CT, or something to clue as to how it worked like that... But as it is, I won't be monitoring those two again till next winter. (Crossing fingers that we will get a trailer up out there again. )