CTCSS

[KME507]

Can anyone out there splain how the CTCSS or DCS works with a Uniden scanner? I have a 785xlt and a 250D and both manuals say the same thing about programming with no information about what it does. I listen to a freq on vhf-hi and always pickup traffic from another county about 50 miles away that I do not want to hear. Even with the attenuator and the squelch turned up, I still pick up the radio traffic. I understand what a pl tone is and what it does, but just am not following how it applies to a scanner. :?:

 

[UPMan]

If your local agency uses PL or DPL, program that into the channel along with the RF frequency. The scanner will then only open squelch on transmissions that use that tone.

 

[KME507]

That's what I thought and is how I programmed it, but the book was saying to enter the pl tone that you don't want and press lock out and will not stop on that tone. Hence, why I wasn't following what they were talking about. I will leave it alone then.


Thanks

 

[crayon]

You can read about CTCSS here:

http://members.cox.net/rr_faq

 

[UPMan]

The scanners also have Tone Lockout that operate as you describe. If you turn on Tone Lockout, the scanner will only open squelch if the tone you select is not present.

 

[mdulrich]

That's what I thought and is how I programmed it, but the book was saying to enter the pl tone that you don't want and press lock out and will not stop on that tone. Hence, why I wasn't following what they were talking about. I will leave it alone then.


Thanks

That is if you want to exclude a PL. For example, rural fire departments in my county use CSQ, but the neighboring county uses a PL. I exclude the PL from the neighboring county and only listen to my county's FDs.

Be sure you have TONE SQ selected under the SQ MODE option in the SYSTEM OPTION in the menus (Menu button, 3, 8, 2, 8, 2)

Mike

 

[KME507]

I have the rf freqs entered with the pl tone that is used for my county as UPMan mentioned previously. It is used for county FD paging and that is all I want to hear. The other county uses it for police traffic and they never shut up. I don't want to pickup anything other than my countie's fire dispatch.