If I am able to monitor my local Sheriff’s office here on Broadcastify. Would I not be able to monitor it on my Pro-197 scanner. If not can someone explain why? The talk groups are programmed.
General Question about Broadcastify
- Thread starter DcrScan1961
- Start date
- Status
Depends where the feed is coming from, some official feeds which is provided by the LE agency might be encrypted but provided unencrypted on delay. Another issue could be your scanner, the feed might be using a SDR or SDS Series scanner to solve a simulcast issue or the TGs may be P25 Phase 2, which your scanner can not get. Finally, you may not have the correct control channel or site programmed in.
It's really hard to answer better since you don't tell us what you are trying to listen to.
Thanks for the reply RG. Sorry I didn’t provide enough information. Just getting back in to using my scanner. I have a Radio Shack Pro-197 that is several years old. I am also using the ARC500 software to import. I guess I was a bit confused at first when the Broadcastify said “Live” then I eventually figured out it was not truly live, but a recording after the fact. Not sure which scenario you mentioned is the case. Probably my old scanner. Our local Sheriff dept did upgrade a few years ago. I have been told locally by another department that I should be able to hear them. To no avail. We have an antenna site close and I have all the control frequencies loaded as well as the talk groups. I’m still just trying to learn how the association of the “Sites” and the Talkgroups associate with each other. I like to consider myself reasonably savvy but now it more like a 3rd grader learning algebra. I have looked for documentation to help but not much luck. Thanks again for any references you may know about.
RG specifically here is the info from RR. It doesn’t appear by the mode indicator column to be encrypted.
Mode indicates they are TDMA. Your 197 won’t decode TDMA.
As @KevinC mentioned, your scanner will not do TDMA also looking at the RR database page that is on the Broadcastify calls platform, so the feeder is using a SDR dongle to monitor. That is one option if you want to be able to listen without buying a scanner that will be several hundred dollars. There is a great free course available that will get you started with the SDR, and the SDR is only about $35.
scannerschool.teachable.com
The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radios
Free Software Defined Radio Course
Also, Phase 2 and TDMA are synonymous, just FYI.
That’s great info guys. I really appreciate your time. SDR is definitely new to me. I’ll get to studying and consider. I am not opposed to upgrading to a new scanner as well since I could use 2 anyway. Suggestions for units appreciated. I did have an idea that my 197 wasn’t phase II scannable but if in the mode column the “T” indicates TDMA I can get numerous frequencies that show “T” So I might need clarification on that.
"T" in that respect on that scanner indicates trunking.
As far as I can tell, you do not have simulcast in Madison County. That means you wouldn't need one of the Uniden SDS series of scanners to listen locally. Now if you wanted to travel with your scanner, then an SDS is worthy of consideration because of its ability to receive simulcast sites. If simulcast is out of the equation, there are several Phase 2 compatible scanners that are options.
There is a small chance you could hear traffic on one of the P2 sites, which would be due to a user having an older radio affiliated to that TG. The system will revert to P1, if a user is not P2 capable. (That degrades the capacity of the system by a little bit; one talk path on the affected repeater, instead of two.)
- Status
Similar threads
