Finding a frequency

[Unassuming2]

I've been away from the scanner world for over ten years. I am looking to get back into it, but my have things changed! I wanted to verify that the agency I'm most interested in is available. I've seen it online, but the feed doesn't work. Is there a way to determine if the agency can be monitored? I would hate to buy a new scanner, but I can't listen to them. What say you?

 

[mikewazowski]

If you let us know the general area where you're from, it would be much easier to help you.

 

[Unassuming2]

Sorry about that. The agencies I'm interested in are in Georgia, specifically, the South Fulton and Clayton County PDs.

 

[n0xvz]

Here's a start:

Fulton County, Georgia (GA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Fulton County, Georgia (GA)

www.radioreference.com

Clayton County, Georgia (GA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Clayton County, Georgia (GA)

www.radioreference.com

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

The agencies I'm interested in are in Georgia, specifically, the South Fulton and Clayton County PDs.

Womp womp womp...

 

[wtp]

Fulton County Public Safety P25​

Simulcast

brings it down to uniden SDS series, a unication, or a dongle.

 

[Unassuming2]

Fulton County Public Safety P25​

Simulcast

brings it down to uniden SDS series, a unication, or a dongle.

Thanks for chiming in, everybody. U, as a rank amateur, I have no idea what this "uniden SDS series, a unication, or a dongle" means! Can you dumb it down for me, please?

 

[Unassuming2]

Never mind, I googled it. Thanks!

 

[wtp]

absolutely,
uniden make a base and a handheld that is really a computer that looks at the incoming signal and then figures out what the real signal is.
so you get to hear what is being said. my own county is on 700Mhz and simulcast.
my 396T, 396XT and 325P2 all would receive about 1/4 second of a transmission, and then nothing for the next 1/4.
if i moved it around, it could get a little better, or go to nothing at all. the wife an i bought the SDS100 and now we hear everything.
the dongle is the same thing, but then you need a computer to go with it.
unication is actually a professional pager and also works well, but again, it is not a scanner.
so it works well on simulcast systems but there is nothing to do with encryption.

 

[MTS2000des]

City of South Fulton dispatch is in the clear, mostly TDMA, most other SFPD talkgroups including TAC-2s, SWAT, drone ops, traffic, CID etc are strapped encrypted.
South Fulton Fire is dispatched by FCDES and combined with Union City, Palmetto, Fairburn and Chattahoochee Hills. Most talkgroups are TDMA but we do have them set for DDM. All fire talk groups are currently in the clear. Fire station alerting is via IP (Mach Alert) and is silent except for dispatchers dropping a 1000Hz tone prior to speaking call text.

Grady EMS for the south county is also dispatched by FCDES on FCF MAIN and are the 7800 and 800 units.
Get an SDS, Unication, or if you can find one, a BlueTail Technologies.

 

[wtp]

ok, i just got done sending a PM, look at the top right of this page.

 

[Unassuming2]

City of South Fulton dispatch is in the clear, mostly TDMA, most other SFPD talkgroups including TAC-2s, SWAT, drone ops, traffic, CID etc are strapped encrypted.
South Fulton Fire is dispatched by FCDES and combined with Union City, Palmetto, Fairburn and Chattahoochee Hills. Most talkgroups are TDMA but we do have them set for DDM. All fire talk groups are currently in the clear. Fire station alerting is via IP (Mach Alert) and is silent except for dispatchers dropping a 1000Hz tone prior to speaking call text.

Grady EMS for the south county is also dispatched by FCDES on FCF MAIN and are the 7800 and 800 units.
Get an SDS, Unication, or if you can find one, a BlueTail Technologies.

Should I be able to listen to South Fulton dispatch with my old Bearcat Trunker Tracker 300, or has the latest technology rendered it obsolete?

 

[dlwtrunked]

Should I be able to listen to South Fulton dispatch with my old Bearcat Trunker Tracker 300, or has the latest technology rendered it obsolete?

Very obsolete/useless for what you are wanting to do.

 

[MTS2000des]

Should I be able to listen to South Fulton dispatch with my old Bearcat Trunker Tracker 300, or has the latest technology rendered it obsolete?

Nope, our system is 100 percent P25 TDMA. No analog trunking left in metro Atlanta. Everything is P25 and most TDMA. Gwinnett, Clayton and Walton are 100 percent encrypted public safety wise so no scanner will receive those whatsoever.

 

[Unassuming2]

Nope, our system is 100 percent P25 TDMA. No analog trunking left in metro Atlanta. Everything is P25 and most TDMA. Gwinnett, Clayton and Walton are 100 percent encrypted public safety wise so no scanner will receive those whatsoever.

What are you using to listen with?

 

[jeepsandradios]

What are you using to listen with?

Probably his issued radio....

 

[MTS2000des]

Probably his issued radio....

Multiple issued radios...it is after all, my responsibility to care and feed for this system!

 

[Unassuming2]

I'm going to go with the dongle before going with a more expensive option. Looking at one on Amazon, it says they recommend adding an upconverter. Do you guys think that is necessary for me basically wanting to listen to one agency?

 

[jeepsandradios]

Just order the Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 SDR. Thats all you need in addition to the SDR software. For Trunking I use SDR Trunk.

Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 SDR - NESDR Smart HF/VHF/UHF (100kHz-1.75GHz) Software Defined Radio. Premium RTLSDR w/ 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & Aluminum Enclosure. RTL2832U & R820T2 (R860)-Based Radio​