Downtown Fort Worth - What would you scan for?
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While Ft Worth PD is encrypted, Ft Worth Fire and many of the other agencies on NTIRN are not. From your location, you likely can hear many of them.
If you have the DMR upgrade, I would suggest that you scan the Megahertz trunked system. More specifically, listen to CareFlite on that system. That's one of the air medical services that cover this area. There are a couple of other Medevac conventional channels that you might hear.
Forth Worth also is a major railroad hub. If that interests you, check the listings here.
And, of course, aircraft. While you likely would not be able to hear the tower at DFW Airport, you can monitor the aircraft in the air landing & departing, along with Approach & Departure frequencies. The Joint Reserve Base would also be in range, at least for airborne aircraft.
Depending on your location (in other words, if you are staying in one of the hotels several stories up), you might also be able to hear some of the Dallas PD & FD activity. Dallas, as well as Dallas County, are in the process of shifting to NTIRN, but their conventional channels (Uhf for Dallas, Vhf for Dallas County) are still in use & active. You might also be able to pick up the Parker County trunked system.
Dang, I wish we had a 1/10 of that here. We have one short line here, and they can't come up my way now because our recent hurricane smoked the river crossing bridges.
I am about 10 floors up facing east, southeast. I can pickup all the FW (non Police) channels and the smaller cities/towns around downtown with ease (White Settlement, Benbrook, Sansom Park, River Oaks, etc). Those are some good listening when they turn into an Interop situation.
I will try turning on the RR service, good idea.
What I am really interested in is listening to the 'Sundance Square Security' aka 'Bass Police' which I have loaded from the RR database, but I never get any hits. I just wonder what other frequencies are in use in my immediate area.
Thanks for your input!
Try this conventional license:
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
www.radioreference.com
Or perhaps thus system:
As suggested, input the Parker County trunked system. They are very busy with major accidents on the interstate and had a couple of grass fires today in the high winds. If you are so inclined the air emergency frequency, 121.50 is often active. It's kinda scary the number of times a plane departing DFW declares an emergency for fire or smoke or something else. No bad weather forecast for a few days, or the NCTC repeater system, storm spotters is good listeniing.
Try the two federal prison hospitals...Carswell and Ft Worth. Quiet most of the time, but prisoner moves, outside transports and facility security has been pretty interesting when they do utilize the radio.
Try the two federal prison hospitals...Carswell and Ft Worth. Quiet most of the time, but prisoner moves, outside transports and facility security has been pretty interesting when they do utilize the radio.
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Then it likely is this one:
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
www.radioreference.com
Is there a tutorial that shows how to do this? Thanks!
A
Are you programming just through the key, or do you have a laptop or other PC where you can use Sentinel?
Are you programming just through the key, or do you have a laptop or other PC where you can use Sentinel?
Laptop with Sentinel and ProScan.
Several options:
You can use use ProScan to import the trunked system into a Favorites list. (Or, you can append it from the main database in sentinel.)
Once imported (or appended), then I would edit the system (either in Sentinel's Favorites list editor, or in ProScan) to change the system to ID Search instead of ID Scan. (In Sentinel, you do that by turning ID Search on. That's under the Options tab in Sentinel.
If editing in ProScan, then select the system, and you'll see a checkbox to turn ID Search on.
Be sure & save your changes before downloading to the scanner.
If you also want to set it up as a One Frequency Trunked System, you can do that either in ProScan, or in Sentinel. I'll illustrate using ProScan, but the procedure is basically the same in Sentinel.
In ProScan, be sure that the Favorites list you want to use is selected. Then click the 'Add System' menu
Select DMR One Frequency.
With the system created (and named), select Add Site.
.After adding a site, then with the site selected, click on Add Frequency. Enter each frequency as a single site (within the OFT system).
For simplicity, I use the frequency as the name for it's site in an OFT system.
You can set the Color Code to 0 (zero) which is how it is listed in the database, or leave it as Search to verify if the zero is correct,
With all four frequencies (in their respective sites) added, select the Add Department.
Give the Department a name. Then, select Add TGID to add a talkgroup.
Ideally, if the database is correct, then you'll hear the system using the DMR trunked system as listed. But just in case, with the OFT system in place, you have a backup method to catch activity.
Of course, if you do find, and can verify the usage of any new talkgroups, be sure & submit that to the database.
WOW! Thank you for taking the time to show me how to do this!!
This is what I have programmed, does this look correct?
I added alert tone and color to let me know if it hits on one of these systems. I have not used the alert features before, hopefully I am not over complicating this for no reason.
Are there any other settings that I need to verify?
Also, can I set the 'Bass Radio' favorite as a 'priority' favorite? Right now I am monitoring 'Downtown' and 'Bass Radio' ... which means there is a lot of time for signals on 'Bass Radio' to slip by. Thanks for your help!
For the conventional frequency that jason mentioned above, you can set it as a priority.
That's 857.5375.
You can create a conventional system, in either ProScan, or Sentinel. Here's a look at ProScan:
I would, at least initially, leave the Audio type as 'Search'. That frequency is licensed for both analog, as well as DMR. Leaving it, initially, as Search, will let the scanner receive it no matter which way it's used. If you see activity, then you'll see the Color Code (if used as DMR), or the PL (or DCS) if it is used as an analog channel. Since their trunked system is DMR, I would expect that is how it would also be used, Here again, though, if it is used as DMR, then I would create an OFT system for it, in case they also use talkgroups.
For the Bass system in the database, as well as well as your OFT version, you can set trunking priority.
In ProScan, select the check box for Priority ID Scan when the system itself is selected (not the department or site).
Now, open the Department and look at the talkgroup. Check the box for P-Ch
Note that priority on a trunked system has to be enabled for each system where you want to use it. Turning Priority on or off on the scanner (while scanning) only sets, or disables it, for conventional channels only. The scanner only checks for a talkgroup set as Priority when it is scanning that specific system.
For your OFT system, you can set Priority the same was as the trunked system in the database, but unless you get one or more talkgroup to add to that, there would be nothing to use the 'priority' designation on.
If you see other talkgroups pop-up on the Bass system, they might be housekeeping (cleaners), engineering, or maintenance. I would leave just he Security TGID set as priority.
You have alert tones set OK. When I am trying to verify something, I use the flashing alert light to catch my attention.
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
www.radioreference.com
You can create a conventional system, in either ProScan, or Sentinel. Here's a look at ProScan:
I would, at least initially, leave the Audio type as 'Search'. That frequency is licensed for both analog, as well as DMR. Leaving it, initially, as Search, will let the scanner receive it no matter which way it's used. If you see activity, then you'll see the Color Code (if used as DMR), or the PL (or DCS) if it is used as an analog channel. Since their trunked system is DMR, I would expect that is how it would also be used, Here again, though, if it is used as DMR, then I would create an OFT system for it, in case they also use talkgroups.
For the Bass system in the database, as well as well as your OFT version, you can set trunking priority.
In ProScan, select the check box for Priority ID Scan when the system itself is selected (not the department or site).
Now, open the Department and look at the talkgroup. Check the box for P-Ch
Note that priority on a trunked system has to be enabled for each system where you want to use it. Turning Priority on or off on the scanner (while scanning) only sets, or disables it, for conventional channels only. The scanner only checks for a talkgroup set as Priority when it is scanning that specific system.
For your OFT system, you can set Priority the same was as the trunked system in the database, but unless you get one or more talkgroup to add to that, there would be nothing to use the 'priority' designation on.
If you see other talkgroups pop-up on the Bass system, they might be housekeeping (cleaners), engineering, or maintenance. I would leave just he Security TGID set as priority.
You have alert tones set OK. When I am trying to verify something, I use the flashing alert light to catch my attention.
For the conventional frequency that jason mentioned above, you can set it as a priority.
That's 857.5375.FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)
FCC Callsign WPJX426 (BASS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION COMPANY)www.radioreference.com
You can create a conventional system, in either ProScan, or Sentinel. Here's a look at ProScan:
View attachment 137043
I would, at least initially, leave the Audio type as 'Search'. That frequency is licensed for both analog, as well as DMR. Leaving it, initially, as Search, will let the scanner receive it no matter which way it's used. If you see activity, then you'll see the Color Code (if used as DMR), or the PL (or DCS) if it is used as an analog channel. Since their trunked system is DMR, I would expect that is how it would also be used, Here again, though, if it is used as DMR, then I would create an OFT system for it, in case they also use talkgroups.
Like this?
I have been getting hits on the new Bass OFT system, but not the RR DB system. FWIW the OFT is hitting on Color Code 9 and (so far) I see TGID 13 and 16.
My alert light settings do not seem to be working. Not sure what I am doing wrong there. At least I can hear them though!!
I just went & looked at your alerts and I overlooked what you had set::
Those will only alert if a talkgroup is flagged (by the unit transmitting) as an emergency, like an officer down, need immediate assistance, Not all systems are set up to do that.
Now, for individual talkgroups or conventional channels that are programmed, you can set an alert that will activate when that talkgroup, or conventional channel, is being received. I use red for Fire channels, yellow for EMS, and cyan for local police & sheriff's departments. I use the deep blue for state police. But, you can assign colors however you want. It's your call.
That. sort of, confirms my suspicion on the Bass trunked system in the database. You're seeing TGIDs 13 & 16, on the OFT channels. and also showing color code 9. While 0 (zero) is a valid color code, I suspect that somebody may have submitted the system without verifying the color. Or, it's also possible that Bass changed the code after the system was created in the database.
If you can determine what those TGIDs are used for, then add them to your OFT system, as well as the trunked system from the database.
For the trunked system in the database, this is what I would suggest. You can do this in ProScan, or in Sentinel.
Change the color codes from 0 to Search.
Once you have changed all four to search, & saved the changes, write that into your scanner.
With the scanner back up & running, go to the scanner's menu & scroll down to (and select) Analyze.
On the Analyze menu, select System Status
The scanner will then ask for the system's name that you want to check. You can either use the scroll knob to enter the name, or enter only a B (that will bring up all systems starting with a B), or just hit Enter, and you'll see all of the trunked systems that allow you to run Analyze.
Select the name of the system, then hit Enter.
The scanner will ask for the name of the site. You only have the one, so seelct it. For illustration, I'm using the Megahertz system, which is active here in Dallas County (among others).
I'm choosing the Dallas site.
The status screen will show you the type of system, the number of frequencies in use, and the color code it finds.
S= Signal Strength, Q= the quality of the system (is reception clear, or fuzzy), and A-the current activity on the system.
See if you see Color Code 9, not 0. If so, exit Analyze, and change the color codes to 9 fir each frequency. Save your changes & write it back into the scanner.
Now, with the scanner back up & running, go back to the menu, and select Analyze again. This time, instead of System Status, select LCN Finder
Once again, the scanner will ask for the name of the system & site, so once again, select the Bass System, and it's site.
The scanner will check the system & determine the LCNs for each frequency. If the system is relatively busy, it should find at least a couple fairly quickly. But, say, late night, when nothing much is going on, it mightnot get to all of them. The frequency has to be in use for Analyze to see which LCN applies. This probably would do better during a normal business day. Once it finds all of the LCN's, or at least a couple, exit Analyze & be sure to select 'save' for what it finds.
I would then read the scanner back into Sentinel (or ProScan) so that you can see what the LCNs found are. If it did not see a specific frequency used, that will show 0 for the LCN. If you se, say, 1 & 3 'found', and that matches what is in the database, then probably the LCNs listed were correct. Note, however, if it found, and you saved, say 2 of them, but then you run Analyze/LCN Finder again, it will change all the LCNs tzero before starting over, so that would wipe out the "LCN 1 & LCN 3 that you found initially.
As already noted, any new information that you can find, or that needs correction, whether color codes, LCNs, or talkgroups, please submit that to the database for future use.
Using the RR DB 'Bass Enterprises' (MotoTRBO) system ONLY:
I changed the CC to 'search' for all 4 of the freqs and ran Analyze/System Status. CC 9 was the only one that popped up.
I then changed all the CC fields to 9 on all 4 freqs and started the Analyze/LCN Finder. It did not find any LCNs. (They are still 1,2,3,4 in my settings - was I supposed to set them to 0 (zero) first?
Also, I cannot hear any voice traffic on this system... like I can on the OFT system.
When you start the LCN Finder, it resets all of the LCNs on your target system to zero. I presume that where you are seeing LCN 1, 2, 3, and 4 is on your programming file. If you "read" the scanner back into Sentinel, you should get a prompt that the list being read is different than in Sentinel, and choose whether to replace the item in the list in Sentinel, save it with a new name, or cancel (ignore) the change. You want to let it replace what is in the software so that you can view what it found.
When you run the System Analyzer, are you seeing any indication of a signal, like you see here? (After you updated the Color Code to 9?) And do you see anything after System Status? The Con + you see on this example is shorthand for Connectivity Plus, which is one version of a DMR system.
And you are seeing those two TGIDs on one of the "OFT" system's sites? Are they all popping uo in the same OFT channel? Or are you seeing more than one frequency come up?
You might connect the scanner to your laptop, putting the scanner in serial mode. Then, use ProScan to capture a log of what it is seeing.
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