First timer questions.

[joshandlauri]

#1 i have a pro 97
i have bc programmed and am programming aa county but need help
example
what districts are
854.1875
3375
4125
5125
7125
8125
855.1625
5375
856.0125
.0875
1125
1625
3875
4125
5125
6375

Question #2
i want to listen to gb barracks for msp but all i get, when i put it on standard range 30-45mhz, is an occasional talk on 39.40 do they never talk??

Also on SP chatter do they say the names of the towers going to tow cars??

many many thanks

 

[joshandlauri]

453.475000 what is this tunnel fm or harbor???

 

[hoser147]

Welcome, Go to Database at the top of the screen and select your state it will make things a lot easier on you. Are you programing it by hand or using software and RR database? Good Luck and Good Scanin.......hoser147

 

[maus92]

Question #1.

Those frequencies appear to be part of a trunked radio system. They do not correspond to any particular police district. In fact, any one of those freqs can be shared between fire, public works, schools, sheriffs, as well as the police. You need to set up the radio to track the AACo system and program the proper "Talkgroups" (TG's) into the scanner to be able to reliably monitor any particular police district channel, or any other channel for that matter. In the database section of this website you can find all the frequencies and TG's for Anne Arundel County. BTW Talkgroups are analogous to channels and frequencies on conventional radio systems.

Question #2

I live in Annapolis not too far from the Annapolis Barracks. I can copy the barracks transmiting, but I can rarely pick up the Troopers on the road, unless they are a mile or two from my house. I cannot pick up the Glen Burnie Barracks at all. Glen Burnie is notorious for having a bad signal.... MSP sometimes says what tow company is responding, but usually does not. Annapolis City Police always says who's coming....

Hope this helps,

CA
Annapolis

 

[joshandlauri]

i had radio shack program baltimore county in it, which is great as the districts show up when transmitting. One problem i have is that they put bc on banks 0-3 with thier software and the rs in aa county only has it set up to go in those banks, they don't know how to cut and paste into other banks, the employee told me to talk to the manager and he could help. BTW radio shack very helpfull.

 

[ka3jjz]

First off, welcome to the newcomers!

Even tho RS personnel try to be helpful - and I used to know one or two of them in the Essex area that are both hams and scannists - they generally aren't very versed in programming scanners. You were quite lucky that the one you found actually knew something about what he was doing. The software they're licensed for (Scancat Lite Plus) is not the easiest software to use, and is rather limited in the usual kinds of operations you would need in a Windows environment, such as cut/paste within or between banks (at least, it was when I reviewed it some time ago...)

Your better bet is to get the correct programming cable and a copy of Win97 -see the topic 'General Specifications' under...

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Pro-97

then other folks with Win97 in the area can help with pre programmed files.

Re MSP - they transmit almost exclusively on low band; they do use the 155.73 frequency on occasion. They do have a talkgroup on the Baltimore county system, but I don't hear them there all that much. Without going into the physics, that little duckie antenna is almost worthless on VHF lo band - you will need to get something better, such as a telescoping whip. If you're using it in a car, an external antenna will be a HUGE help.
I would hesitate putting a large antenna on it in a home environment - it might well be too much for the handheld, and you'd hear a lot of junk (such as the ever present pagers...) that you simply don't want to hear; either that, or you will hear less because the scanner is essentially swamped with too much signal. Be more specific about where you are using the 97, and there are folks here that can help. We also have an extensive Scanner Antennas wiki that has all sort of models, from extended duckies to much more.

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Scanner_Antennas

73s Mike

 

[joshandlauri]

I listen to bc police, ems, fire and aa county police(still setting up), realy want MSP. Should i get better antenna? links to purchase??

 

[hill]

Just sent you a private message on this web site with my email. I have a few Win97 that should get you up with the local area. You have to down load win97 from the Starrsoft web site and then buy the cable from Radio Shack. Win97 is free for 30 day and then have to pay $25 for it, but is worth the extra money. If you donate money to this website, you can just do a web import to get data into your pro-97. You need to one of the cables at Radio Shack. Either of these cables will work.

Scanner/PC Interface Cable Catalog #: 20-289

or

USB Scanner Programming Cable Catalog 20-047

Larry

 

[ka3jjz]

I understand that the 289 serial cable is out of stock, even on the website; however, the GRE cable is still on their website - be sure to check the 1st page link I gave earlier. Anything that is in blue is a link, and you should click on it to see what's there.

And to hear MSP, yes, as I wrote earlier, a duckie is almost worthless at 39 Mhz. However, before anyone can recommend an antenna, we need to know in what environment you normally use your 97; in your car, at home as a base, as a portable, ect. Be more specific, and the answers will similarly be more specific. The 2nd link I gave is for our scanner antennas page; you should keep that handy.

However, you should know that any antenna - in order to cover such a broad range, from 39 to 860 Mhz - is something of a compromise. An antenna might work wonders on 40 mhz but be lousy on 800; it's very important to keep this in mind when selecting an antenna no matter what the environment.

Me, I use a ScanTenna clone I picked up at a hamfest for USD10, along with a couple of home constructed ground planes and 1 folded dipole. But those antennas feed base scanners, not a handheld. They might work well for you in an indoor environment, however. That too is something we would need to know - if you are using your 97 in a primarily fixed location (your home), can you mount something outdoors? If so, your receiving range will be extended quite a bit.

Heck, that offset dipole project that's in the technical section of the antennas page might well be the best ticket....73s Mike

 

[joshandlauri]

I will use the scanner at work to listen to aa county as i am a tow-er, not to be confused with large building protecting castles. I would like to listen to MSP and arundel mills security, all while sitting in gb at work, i do listen to northpoint police at home.

 

[hill]

joshandlauri,

Please check you private messages on this forum. I sent you a private message with my email in it.

Larry