Discouraged New User.

[saioke]

he biggest treat is monitoring 462.725 MHz in the mornings and afternoons. Wellston City Schools uses that channel to coordinate bus movement and parents picking up their kids.

Huh, I wasn't even aware of that frequency. That's just analog? I monitor their DMR frequency at 463.200 and they talk quite a bit with the same type of traffic. I Always lock the frequency out after it ends for the summer just to make scanning a miniscule second faster lol. Didn't think they still used analog. I'll have to try tuning in whenever school starts back up.

As for railroads, I live within a couple of blocks from Ohio South Central, and the train yard and I've never heard them speak at all. Mostly as W8UU says, it's data bursts. Could probably read that data with the correct software with an SDR but I'm not smart enough to do that and it's probably data that I wouldn't particularly find interesting anyway.

I can pick up General Mills, which can be entertaining to listen to at times. I'm pretty sure they use analog GMRS radios but I've also seen random DMR signals appear in the same range so maybe it's all DMR and I just don't understand how to program that system, not sure. But listening to individual radios like 453.3375 and 463.5375 is easy enough to do.


Anyway, if the OP isn't interested in listening to distant cities, it might be wise to just lock them out. In the area he's in, it's probably packed full of constant communication. He'd probably never hear anyone he wants to without locking some out.

 

[K9KLC]

Did you create a favorite list or are you scanning from the full database i.e. zip code scan? Are you using location control and what is the distance you have set? I would suggest creating a favorite list with what you want and turning off location control. You would need MARCS and Lorain 5-city systems to get what you want. Only add the sites which you can receive at your location and the talk groups that you want. I have an SDS 100 dedicated to the same things you mentioned and a few more around my area and it is always busy. There is a learning curve with the SDS/BCD scanners don't give up.

I wish the OP @Spamoli14 would come back and answer this and a couple other questions that were asked of him. It's hard to help anyone when you don't even know how they started in all this.

 

[n3obl]

I wish the OP @Spamoli14 would come back and answer this and a couple other questions that were asked of him. It's hard to help anyone when you don't even know how they started in all this.

Typical new user whining post then they ghost!

 

[K9KLC]

Typical new user whining post then they ghost!

Seems so.

 

[Ensnared]

Typical new user whining post then they ghost!

 

[Ensnared]

I noticed that you said you were a newbie relative to the SDS 100. I also didn't see where you responded to the many detailed responses.

For some of us who have been out of the hobby for a long time, jumping into any digital scanner can be a rather steep curve.

If you want, I will program this for you & show you how to load the files sent.

If so, send me a PM & I will give you my email address.

Don't give up. It is worth it. You might want to look at a thread specific your state of residence. There might be a kind soul who might help you get started.

I too was highly discouraged when I first bought the GRE PSR 500. Then, when I bought a 435HP, I had to learn a different set of programming parameters.

 

[tazz]

Huh, I wasn't even aware of that frequency. That's just analog? I monitor their DMR frequency at 463.200 and they talk quite a bit with the same type of traffic. I Always lock the frequency out after it ends for the summer just to make scanning a miniscule second faster lol. Didn't think they still used analog. I'll have to try tuning in whenever school starts back up.

As for railroads, I live within a couple of blocks from Ohio South Central, and the train yard and I've never heard them speak at all. Mostly as W8UU says, it's data bursts. Could probably read that data with the correct software with an SDR but I'm not smart enough to do that and it's probably data that I wouldn't particularly find interesting anyway.

I can pick up General Mills, which can be entertaining to listen to at times. I'm pretty sure they use analog GMRS radios but I've also seen random DMR signals appear in the same range so maybe it's all DMR and I just don't understand how to program that system, not sure. But listening to individual radios like 453.3375 and 463.5375 is easy enough to do.


Anyway, if the OP isn't interested in listening to distant cities, it might be wise to just lock them out. In the area he's in, it's probably packed full of constant communication. He'd probably never hear anyone he wants to without locking some out.

Besides the 462.725 frequency, Wellston City Schools can also be found on analog using the following frequencies......

462.5625 MHz FRS Channel 1
462.6375 MHz FRS Channel 4
464.500 MHz (PL 123.0) used at the schools Track & Field events.


The Ohio South Central Railroad (OSCR) uses no kind of data transmissions for communications. They use 160.965 MHz simplex, which is used for switching operations, and for the locomotive crew to talk to the Maintenance of Way (M.O.W.) crews if work is being performed on a section of track that they also may be using.

The 463.3375 and 463.5375 frequencies used at the General Mills plant is part of their LTR (Logic Trunked Radio) system along with 461.350. General Mills plant security can be found on 462.400.

 

[saioke]

The Ohio South Central Railroad (OSCR) uses no kind of data transmissions for communications. They use 160.965 MHz simplex, which is used for switching operations, and for the locomotive crew to talk to the Maintenance of Way (M.O.W.) crews if work is being performed on a section of track that they also may be using.

Strange, I assumed 173.2875 was their data transmission. If it's not, I wonder what that could be, water perhaps? It's not a constant noise coming from that frequency, but it does seem random. Regardless, thanks for the frequency!

Besides the 462.725 frequency, Wellston City Schools can also be found on analog using the following frequencies......

462.5625 MHz FRS Channel 1
462.6375 MHz FRS Channel 4
464.500 MHz (PL 123.0) used at the schools Track & Field events.

Thanks for that too, I guess 463.200 are buses only? I'm just not sure why they'd need the other radios unless they split communication between buses, janitor, etc.

As for General Mills, I think I tried monitoring 461.350 too but I might be just too far away to hear it, same with 462.400. I can pick up 463.3375 and 463.5375 extremely well. I thought they were using some sort of cap+ system so I wasn't sure how to program them.

_____
Doesn't look like OP is coming back but I apologize for diverging his post.

 

[K9KLC]

I noticed that you said you were a newbie relative to the SDS 100. I also didn't see where you responded to the many detailed responses.

For some of us who have been out of the hobby for a long time, jumping into any digital scanner can be a rather steep curve.

If you want, I will program this for you & show you how to load the files sent.

If so, send me a PM & I will give you my email address.

Don't give up. It is worth it. You might want to look at a thread specific your state of residence. There might be a kind soul who might help you get started.

I too was highly discouraged when I first bought the GRE PSR 500. Then, when I bought a 435HP, I had to learn a different set of programming parameters.

I too was hesitant to get my first Unicaiton pager due to the programming of it. Frankly I was lucky, I got my first one and it was a in person meeting sale and the seller was kind enough to put some stuff in there for me. After I looked at what he did and a fair amount of help here in the forums, I was finally able to get it pretty much what I wanted within its capabilities. I'd advise the OP not to give up. This new era of scanning sure isn't what it used to be but in some ways better (well until the E comes into play). I agree it is worth it to take the time and learn it, regardless of the device in question.

 

[W8UU]

Thanks for that too, I guess 463.200 are buses only? I'm just not sure why they'd need the other radios unless they split communication between buses, janitor, etc.

Yes, 463.200 MHz almost exclusively for school bus communications. It's a hilltop repeater located on a tower behind Bundy Elementary. Portable radio operations within the schools and parking lots can primarily be found on FRS frequencies.

 

[Ensnared]

I too was hesitant to get my first Unicaiton pager due to the programming of it. Frankly I was lucky, I got my first one and it was a in person meeting sale and the seller was kind enough to put some stuff in there for me. After I looked at what he did and a fair amount of help here in the forums, I was finally able to get it pretty much what I wanted within its capabilities. I'd advise the OP not to give up. This new era of scanning sure isn't what it used to be but in some ways better (well until the E comes into play). I agree it is worth it to take the time and learn it, regardless of the device in question.

Have you ever noticed how some folks who are well acquainted with something like programming a radio or understand an electronic medical record, or a book of boring administrative directives, etc. overlook the learning curve of the newbie. Most of the time, these folks possess a lot of knowledge.

If one does not take into account the "newbie" factor, the brain circuits get overloaded and short out, LOL.

Sometimes when people go into layers of detailed instructions, radio designs, etc., they sometimes don't seem to recognize how difficult it is for a new boot.

However, if you have a severe reading disorder like yours truly, referring them to a book or even the Easier to Read series confuses them more. I find it the Easier to Read series difficult to navigate when you are learning about the radio. To me, it is much more complicated than the damn Uniden manual. I found the manual & You Tube helped the most. I think it is fairly well-written.

Later, the Easier to Read series are wonderful for finding specific steps/values, etc. I love how it shows default settings.

It took me over five years to master the SDS 100 & 436HP radio programming to the way I like it to operate. This was even more complicated when I moved from a GRE PSR 500 to a Uniden memory. To me, learning how to operate the radio can be a daunting task. I am quite positive I don't know the full potential of these radios. However, I am very happy with what I have.

I used to go into great detail on some things like psychological testing. When I try to teach someone to administer the WAIS-IV intelligence test or MMPI-2, I stopped when I noticed them zoning out.

Aging does not help matters, LOL.

Thanks for your response.

 

[K9KLC]

Have you ever noticed how some folks who are well acquainted with something like programming a radio or understand an electronic medical record, or a book of boring administrative directives, etc. overlook the learning curve of the newbie. Most of the time, these folks possess a lot of knowledge.

If one does not take into account the "newbie" factor, the brain circuits get overloaded and short out, LOL.

Sometimes when people go into layers of detailed instructions, radio designs, etc., they sometimes don't seem to recognize how difficult it is for a new boot.

However, if you have a severe reading disorder like yours truly, referring them to a book or even the Easier to Read series confuses them more. I find it the Easier to Read series difficult to navigate when you are learning about the radio. To me, it is much more complicated than the damn Uniden manual. I found the manual & You Tube helped the most. I think it is fairly well-written.

Later, the Easier to Read series are wonderful for finding specific steps/values, etc. I love how it shows default settings.

It took me over five years to master the SDS 100 & 436HP radio programming to the way I like it to operate. This was even more complicated when I moved from a GRE PSR 500 to a Uniden memory. To me, learning how to operate the radio can be a daunting task. I am quite positive I don't know the full potential of these radios. However, I am very happy with what I have.

I used to go into great detail on some things like psychological testing. When I try to teach someone to administer the WAIS-IV intelligence test or MMPI-2, I stopped when I noticed them zoning out.

Aging does not help matters, LOL.

Thanks for your response

Yep at 70, coming from plugging crystals in to receive even the first programmable analog scanner was really something. Honestly it took me getting that Unication pager to finally get my BCD 536 programmed the way I wanted and then a 996 i ended up setting up for my son. I had read and read about how to program the Unication but, it wasn't till I looked at a program in it it finally sunk in. I've programmed ham radios for years now even getting into DMR both amateur and light commercial but the P-25 trunking was a nightmare for me till that light bulb went off.

I got lots of help on RR here to go even a little further with things. It's all been a great learning experience.

 

[saioke]

Yes, 463.200 MHz almost exclusively for school bus communications. It's a hilltop repeater located on a tower behind Bundy Elementary. Portable radio operations within the schools and parking lots can primarily be found on FRS frequencies.

Thanks for confirming as always! I guess if their other communication uses FRS radios, those frequencies might be too weak for myself to pick up, but I'll try once school starts back up. Might be doable once I get a sma/f connector adapter so I can hook up this old TV yagi to my SDR. I used it before on my Whistler and it did really well with the radials pointed sky/ground. Doesn't do as well with MARCs, but I did pick up WV SIRN tower 453.775 located in Wood county with it. So it's pretty good within the 400mhz range.

the P-25 trunking was a nightmare for me till that light bulb went off.

My light bulb experienced a brown out. To this day, I still don't really understand how P25 works. Programming it is one thing, but understanding why I'm receiving traffic from even the capital of Ohio occasionally, is something I will probably never grasp. I'm not really complaining, it's cool to hear traffic from distant areas sometimes, but why they're rarely mixed into a local tower is beyond me. Like for example, The grant medical center in Columbus. I do know P25 is similar to the internet in how it works, but towers are supposed to be filtered from my understanding.

Either way, I do miss how simple it was to just program conventional analog signals and leave it alone. But at the same time, programming a control channel into your trunking scanner and to just have it automatically pick up all traffic in your area is actually pretty convenient, especially when you weren't always aware of how to listen to a particular agency. I never could listen to the local hospital in the past, but now hearing the EMS communicate with them in P25 is nice! It's awesome to discover traffic you never dreamed of hearing. My only gripe with P25 is that the audio quality is hit or miss. Some radios sound good, but some are muddy and hard to understand. Guess it just depends on the agency and what they can afford.

I miss listening to ODNR. Seems P25 made listening to them impossible once they enabled encryption.