Four digit freguencies

[dcorby]

I am looking at a new scanner, and I need access to frequencies like 154.2575. I currently have a BCD895, but it will not accept the frequency. Which scanner will accept those ranges. I am also looking to get a trunk tracking scanner as part of the package. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Al42]

Unless the receiver has an extremely narrow IF bandwidth (scanners don't), you won't notice any difference if you let it set the frequency to something close.

As far as a trunking scanner is concerned, in order to advise you, we'd need to know what you're planning on monitoring - state, county, system. Also what, other than that system (or those systems) you'd want to monitor - Mil air? CB? Something else?

 

[DaveNF2G]

Scanners that both trunktrack and recognize VHF narrowband channels:

Radio Shack PRO-97 (analog only)
Uniden BC-296D
Uniden BC-796D
Uniden BCD-396T

 

[eyes00only]

As always, the BIG question is how much do you want to spend. A Pro 95 is a good starter for around $160, but if you need digital, and other bells & whistles, were talking $500 +.

Jerry

 

[ShawnCowden]

Scanners that both trunktrack and recognize VHF narrowband channels:

Radio Shack PRO-97 (analog only)
Uniden BC-296D
Uniden BC-796D
Uniden BCD-396T

so the pro 96 and 2096 wont do those freqs ?? i wasted my money ??

 

[DaveH]

Scanners that both trunktrack and recognize VHF narrowband channels:

Radio Shack PRO-97 (analog only)
Uniden BC-296D
Uniden BC-796D
Uniden BCD-396T

The BC780 does narrowband and 7.5kHz steps (although not 6.25kHz for UHF). I presume the BC785 will do at least that as well.

Dave

 

[Al42]

so the pro 96 and 2096 wont do those freqs ?? i wasted my money ??

That depends on the definition of "do".

"Will show the exact frequency on the display": you wasted your money.

"Will receive the frequencies you want, even though the display shows a frequency a couple of KHz away": you didn't waste your money.

 

[n4voxgill]

The problem may be you are trying to enter a frequency that is incorrect. The example you give of 154.2575 is not a "legal" FCC frequency and that is why the scanner changes it.

Try putting in 154.2725 and see if you scanner will take that. My 895 is loaned out right now, but I checked this with a BC235 and it takes the narrow band frequency and I'm pretty sure the 895 does also. You just have to make sure your using an actual FCC frequency.

 

[dcorby]

More Info

I am looking to track the trunking frequencies in western New York, whatever I might be able to pick up. I know that some of the ambulance, and others have switched over. I know that I want to be able to montior the local fire and police. That frequency that I listed before is our fire company's business frequency. So the 396D would work then? I figure that if I am spending a couple hundred already, I might as well go for the gusto!!

 

[DaveH]

The problem may be you are trying to enter a frequency that is incorrect. The example you give of 154.2575 is not a "legal" FCC frequency and that is why the scanner changes it.

Try putting in 154.2725 and see if you scanner will take that. My 895 is loaned out right now, but I checked this with a BC235 and it takes the narrow band frequency and I'm pretty sure the 895 does also. You just have to make sure your using an actual FCC frequency.

Incorrect.

Frequency 154.2575 is the 7.5kHz narrowband channel between
154.2500 and 154.2650. The BC235 and BC895 won't give the correct
channels (trust me I have both of them); plus they don't adjust the
bandwidth for 2.5kHz deviation. This is the problem with a lot of
older scanners.

Dave

 

[eyes00only]

n4voxgill must have an old frequency allocation list. I made the same mistake a few months ago, and was corrected. That's why this is a great website! You can teach an old dog (me) new tricks.

Jerry

 

[Voyager]

so the pro 96 and 2096 wont do those freqs ?? i wasted my money ??

That depends on the definition of "do".

"Will show the exact frequency on the display": you wasted your money.

"Will receive the frequencies you want, even though the display shows a frequency a couple of KHz away": you didn't waste your money.

Funny. Both my 96 and 2096 display the SNFM frequencies just fine. You don't have either or didn't try them, did you?

Joe M.

 

[Voyager]

The problem may be you are trying to enter a frequency that is incorrect. The example you give of 154.2575 is not a "legal" FCC frequency and that is why the scanner changes it.

Try putting in 154.2725 and see if you scanner will take that. My 895 is loaned out right now, but I checked this with a BC235 and it takes the narrow band frequency and I'm pretty sure the 895 does also. You just have to make sure your using an actual FCC frequency.

Sorry, Gill, but 154.2575 most certainly IS a valid SNFM frequency - just as much as 154.2725 is.

154.2500 - 154.2575 - 154.2650 - 154.2725 - 154.2800
(note that they are all 7.5 kHz steps).

BTW, the BC235XLT does not take EITHER SNFM frequency mentioned above. It round off to the nearest 5 kHz step. It will work somewhat there, but you will have a lot of adjacent-channel interference since it only has NBFM filters in it (no SNFM filters).

I'm pretty sure the 895 acts the same as the 235, too. Same with the BC245XLT, too, I think. I know the 246 and 396 accept them fine. Not sure where the changeover was (BC250D or BC296D or if the 246 was the first.)

Joe M.

 

[SCPD]

the 246 was the first with the narrow filters and correct steps

bill simpson
n1jbs

 

[DaveNF2G]

Based on the responses, here is an updated list of scanners that can track trunking systems AND tune narrowband VHF (7.5 kHz spacing) and UHF (6.25 kHz spacing) frequencies exactly:

Radio Shack PRO-96
Radio Shack PRO-97 (analog only)
Radio Shack PRO-2055 (upcoming base/mobile PRO-97 - analog only)
Radio Shack PRO-2096
Uniden BC-246T (analog only)
Uniden BC-250D (digital with card)
Uniden BC-296D
Uniden BCD-396T
Uniden BC-780 (analog only)
Uniden BC-785D (digital with card)
Uniden BC-796D

Only the BC-246T and BCD-396T have the proper filtering for true "narrowband" reception.

Other scanners can receive traffic from narrowband channels adequately if tuned to a nearby frequency. However, they will not be able to trunktrack properly on a Motorola system that uses these channels because their microprocessors lack the code to tune the frequencies, so they can't process control channel commands to go to those channels.

EDACS would be unaffected as long as the scanner could receive the control channel well enough to decode the command stream. As long as a frequency is loaded into the correct LCN position, the scanner can't tell if it is exactly on-frequency or not. (Same goes for LTR-Regular.)

So far, I haven't heard of any EDACS systems on VHF, so the above is moot anyway for now.

If LTR-Multinet ever comes to VHF or UHF, it would have the same tracking limitations as Motorola because it also uses the FCC-designated channel numbers to tune the receiver.