Hello from Mc Donough Co

[Cowman]

Picked up a Uniden BC350c off ebay and started messing with it, got sidetracked for a while, now I'm playing with it again. I'm pretty new to this stuff, but I'm generaly good with electronics so most of it is pretty easy to figure out.

I notice that first of all when I scan the preset police frequencies(or fire/ems) I get the local university's maintinance people a lot. I'm guessing they just happen to be using radio frequencies Uniden thought police would use. I'm also noticing I hear a lot of conversations between cops or dispatch but not the replies... clearly the other person must be on another frequency and I'm not picking it up.
I've read about trunking and I think I understand how it works . Does this suggest I'm hearing trunking systems? How do I figure out if local departments are using a trunked system and what scanner I'd need to listen in.
Being right next to a big state school, some of the police broadcast especialy late friday/saturday nights are kinda funny/interesting. During the day it's pretty dead though.

I programed some of the stuff from the database in, used it to figure out what a lot of things are. However I hear transmissions all the time that arn't there and I can't figure out who it is. How would I go about this?

I hear a lot of weird things... noise that's clearly not static but not voice either. It's probably just something un-interesting but I'm kinda curious.

I'm also hearing what sounds like audio from television broadcasts too sometimes, or what sounds like radio stations. Are these likely feeds for broadcast towers or something?

 

[K9JLR]

Picked up a Uniden BC350c off ebay and started messing with it, got sidetracked for a while, now I'm playing with it again. I'm pretty new to this stuff, but I'm generaly good with electronics so most of it is pretty easy to figure out.

I notice that first of all when I scan the preset police frequencies(or fire/ems) I get the local university's maintinance people a lot. I'm guessing they just happen to be using radio frequencies Uniden thought police would use. I'm also noticing I hear a lot of conversations between cops or dispatch but not the replies... clearly the other person must be on another frequency and I'm not picking it up.
I've read about trunking and I think I understand how it works . Does this suggest I'm hearing trunking systems? How do I figure out if local departments are using a trunked system and what scanner I'd need to listen in.
Being right next to a big state school, some of the police broadcast especialy late friday/saturday nights are kinda funny/interesting. During the day it's pretty dead though.

I programed some of the stuff from the database in, used it to figure out what a lot of things are. However I hear transmissions all the time that arn't there and I can't figure out who it is. How would I go about this?

I hear a lot of weird things... noise that's clearly not static but not voice either. It's probably just something un-interesting but I'm kinda curious.

I'm also hearing what sounds like audio from television broadcasts too sometimes, or what sounds like radio stations. Are these likely feeds for broadcast towers or something?

There are no trunked public safety radio systems currently active in McDonough County. You will notice on the database the the Coop tower is on a trunked system over in Bushnell, but that's basically for business use. The database freqs pretty much hit all of the local stuff, but be sure to program ISP frequencies too. The Illinois State Police are in the process of developing a new trunked, digital APCO 25 radio system that will require a digital scanner to monitor but that's slated to be operational at the end of the year. You can read about this system on the statewide database on this site. Otherwise your scanner can monitor all of the local public safety agencies in this area.

Go here for a detailed article that describes trunked radio systems:
http://www.signalharbor.com/sr/05apr/index.html

 

[RADIOGUY2002]

Problem Rx

My cohert and I have come to a mutal decision. We think that you missing the other parts of the conversation as you are listening to the repeater input instead of the output. State however utilize two channel system right now (until starcommm 21 is up and running correctily). You want to monitor the output frequeny, state you need to enter both in and switch back and fourth or scan between the two, also be advise that state on input in certain spots can be hard to hear. If you are in the dorms you will get a ton of intermod such as tv channels as coxical cable is ran through the building and satileties are on the roofs of the buildings. Plus, in addition to the fact that tv channels operate on vhf and uhf to broadcast sigianls (there are scanners that are out there that allow you watch black and white tv on a police/fire scanner). Also, sxcanners are known to pick up shadows from tv stations, their are filters that are sold to block them out. In addition newer models feature the attenutator function which reduces some of it as well.

Tac 5

 

[Cowman]

I figured out that a lot of it was that I was missing a couple frequencies. Now I'm hearing most of the conversations. Put in everything on the database on this site that was police. I also have the annoyance that some of the pre-programmed channels in the scanner that I can't change pick up static, clicking, some sort of scrambled/digital signals now and then so I'm always having to hit L/O.

I'm also picking up inputs from what you describe here and there, if I hit L/O I'll hear the same conversation on the dispatch more clearly.

Not living in dorms, btw I'm renting a house with another student.

BTW, here's a question one of you might know the answer to: where does one get a Ham licecne around here? It's something I've been kinda curious about for a while but never had a starting point.

 

[K9JLR]

Cowman - Check your PMs!

Testing is usually once a month in Quincy, but there is also a test session next month at the Peoria Superfest. Send me a reply PM and I can get you more information ASAP.

 

[RADIOGUY2002]

Ham license

Go direct with a pm, in regards to some of the other information.

Thanks...

 

[Cowman]

Cowman - Check your PMs!

Testing is usually once a month in Quincy, but there is also a test session next month at the Peoria Superfest. Send me a reply PM and I can get you more information ASAP.

I think your inbox is full Info would be apreciated though. I might have a friend or two who'd be interested in this also.

 

[RADIOGUY2002]

Fourm Clear Request

10-24 Message fourm closed and done!!