Fremont, Newark, UC help

[Raider510]

Hey guys, I'm new to the programming of the channels to a scanner. I have a PSR-300 that I just got, and I was hoping to get some help on picking up the ALCO system, mainly the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City. I have heard that they are trunked, but I cant quite figure out how to get them on the scanner. Hayward is easy, I got them no problem, because I dont think they are trunked. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ben96cal]

Re: Alco

Hey guys, I'm new to the programming of the channels to a scanner. I have a PSR-300 that I just got, and I was hoping to get some help on picking up the ALCO system, mainly the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City. I have heard that they are trunked, but I cant quite figure out how to get them on the scanner. Hayward is easy, I got them no problem, because I dont think they are trunked. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not familiar with that scanner, but if you look through your manual it will show you how to enter the freq's which you'll find under the alameda county section of RR into "trunk" mode. Once you do that look at the manual and it will show you how to enter the talkgroup ID's..

 

[gmclam]

PSR-300 programming

Hey guys, I'm new to the programming of the channels to a scanner. I have a PSR-300 that I just got, and I was hoping to get some help on picking up the ALCO system, mainly the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City. I have heard that they are trunked, but I cant quite figure out how to get them on the scanner. Hayward is easy, I got them no problem, because I dont think they are trunked. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I monitor the ALCO system when I am in that area. The PSR-300 is an updated PRO-97. If you want to program it manually, that's fine. But it took me a week to program my first PRO-97 once I had everything figured out in a text document. Now granted I did program all 1000 frequencies, but it is the text tags for all the channels, including talkgroups that takes so much time.

I suggest that you get some software and a serial cable to program the scanner. I use WIN97 which you can download here (www.starrsoft.com). It is not free but does come with a 30 day free trial. The PSR-300 does not work with the COM version cable, so you'll need the USB version. Radio Shack sells that (20-047) for $35. GRE also has them online.

By the way, welcome to RadioReference.com. If scanning is your hobby, you've come to the right place. A lot of people are confused by trunking, it really is not all that tough. You can read up about it in the Wiki here on RR.

To program a trunked radio system (TRS), all you need to program are the "control channel frequencies". Since the ALCO system is Motorola, you'll only need to program 3 frequencies. You can find the info here, including TGs. The frequencies you need to enter are: 866.9375, 868.0875, 868.7625. Pick a bank in the scanner to dedicate for this system. Program the frequencies in to the 1st 3 slots. Set EACH frequency to MOT, and set the bank to MOT. Program the TGs you want in the same bank. CLOSE the bank so that you only hear the programmed TGs.

Look at it this way, the TGs are the channels, not the frequencies. The frequencies are needed, but there are only 3. Those 3 frequencies give you a lot of "channels" (TGs). Note that Hayward has additional channels there as well.

Good luck.

 

[Raider510]

Thanks for the replies, I fiddled around with it last night/this morning and was able to program the above listed frequencies and some of the talkgroup ID's. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to isolate two or three talkgroups so that the scanner only scans them instead of others that I might not want.

Scanning will be a new hobby of mine, along with fishing Still have a lot to learn with both.

 

[cousinkix1953]

I monitor the ALCO system when I am in that area. The PSR-300 is an updated PRO-97. If you want to program it manually, that's fine. But it took me a week to program my first PRO-97 once I had everything figured out in a text document. Now granted I did program all 1000 frequencies, but it is the text tags for all the channels, including talkgroups that takes so much time.

Right! It does take some time to program everything that I need here. A few hundred channels for three counties and the various state agencies is enough for me.

To program a trunked radio system (TRS), all you need to program are the "control channel frequencies". Since the ALCO system is Motorola, you'll only need to program 3 frequencies. You can find the info here, including TGs. The frequencies you need to enter are: 866.9375, 868.0875, 868.7625. Pick a bank in the scanner to dedicate for this system. Program the frequencies in to the 1st 3 slots. Set EACH frequency to MOT, and set the bank to MOT. Program the TGs you want in the same bank. CLOSE the bank so that you only hear the programmed TGs.

Look at it this way, the TGs are the channels, not the frequencies. The frequencies are needed, but there are only 3. Those 3 frequencies give you a lot of "channels" (TGs). Note that Hayward has additional channels there as well.

Good luck.

A Motorola system seems to be the easiest one to program. It isn't fussy about which channels those frequencies are using, as long as all of them are in the same bank. EDACS must be programmed into certain channels or the tracking does not work. Same goes for those comercial LTRs down on the UHF bands; but sometimes we don't even have all of the frequencies used by these systems and the search goes on.

 

[cousinkix1953]

Thanks for the replies, I fiddled around with it last night/this morning and was able to program the above listed frequencies and some of the talkgroup ID's. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to isolate two or three talkgroups so that the scanner only scans them instead of others that I might not want.

Scanning will be a new hobby of mine, along with fishing Still have a lot to learn with both.

Most of these scanners have ten banks. Nothing stops you from programming the ALCO system into two or three of them. Put the sheriff in one, the local police in the second and the fire depts in the third one. Then turn them on and off as you see fit.

That leaves you with other banks for the OPD, the CHP, Cal-Fire/State Parks and so on...

 

[gmclam]

Most of these scanners have ten banks. Nothing stops you from programming the ALCO system into two or three of them. Put the sheriff in one, the local police in the second and the fire depts in the third one. Then turn them on and off as you see fit.

Yes, there IS a problem with "splitting" one TRS across several banks in a GRE scanner. I just went through all this in another thread.

If you put the same control channel frequencies into more than one bank, split the TGs between the banks and turn on those banks at the same time, YOU WILL MISS CALLS. If you want to turn on and off TGs, lock them out individually or use sub-groups. That's what sub-groups are for.

That leaves you with other banks for the OPD, the CHP, Cal-Fire/State Parks and so on...

Yes, if you use ONE bank for ALCO, then you can use other banks for other stuff. If you split one TRS into several banks (sheriff in one, fire in another, city pd in another) then you won't have banks for other stuff.

Here are how my banks are set up
0 = conventional fire
1 = Cal Fire (statewide)
2 = State Parks, USFS, BLM
3 = CHP (statewide)
4 = Sacramento city TRS
5 = Sacramento county TRS
6 = Roseville TRS
7 = conventional law enforcement
8 = Amateur & marine
9 = aviation

 

[cousinkix1953]

Yes, there IS a problem with "splitting" one TRS across several banks in a GRE scanner. I just went through all this in another thread.

If you put the same control channel frequencies into more than one bank, split the TGs between the banks and turn on those banks at the same time, YOU WILL MISS CALLS. If you want to turn on and off TGs, lock them out individually or use sub-groups. That's what sub-groups are for.

Read the original post again.

Hey guys, I'm new to the programming of the channels to a scanner. I have a PSR-300 that I just got, and I was hoping to get some help on picking up the ALCO system, mainly the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City.[/] I have heard that they are trunked, but I cant quite figure out how to get them on the scanner. Hayward is easy, I got them no problem, because I dont think they are trunked. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

In that case I would program ALCO in a second bank and include those particular talk groups. The county-wide system (bank) can be turned off; when he wants to concentrate on his local cities in southern ALCO. I have a pair of LTRs on standby and turn those banks on when I need them.

 

[Raider510]

thanks for the info. I have it up and running pretty much the way I want it, the only issue I'm having, which probably is an easy fix, is that after I lock onto a TG in ID hold mode and I turn it off, it wont stay locked onto them. For instance, if im locked onto the id 40016, its okay as long as I keep the scanner on. Once it goes off, it doesnt hold the same TG.

 

[gmclam]

Read the original post again.

Well then let me re-phrase what I wrote, but the meaning is the same.

There is a problem if you have the same active control channel frequency being scanned in two separate banks at the same time in that you will miss calls.

Certainly with ALCO, each site should be in a separate bank.

 

[Big_Ears]

Hayward PD is also on the "800" which is within the ALCO Trunked system. So if you have Hayward configed you and you have the adjacent cities TG's for Fremont/UC, then you should be in business.

 

[cousinkix1953]

Well then let me re-phrase what I wrote, but the meaning is the same.

There is a problem if you have the same active control channel frequency being scanned in two separate banks at the same time in that you will miss calls.

Certainly with ALCO, each site should be in a separate bank.

I would still program another bank with the talk groups (cities) that he prefers. It remains on standby, until he wants to concentrate on those agencies, at which time, he should bypass the main ALCO bank.

He has a priority channel and he can have a priority bank too, albeit that he must switch to it manually.

 

[kma371]

Hayward PD is also on the "800" which is within the ALCO Trunked system. So if you have Hayward configed you and you have the adjacent cities TG's for Fremont/UC, then you should be in business.

Incorrect. Hayward PD is still on the UHF freqs, only their task force is on the 800 system