I thought I was doing things right... nothing works

[osy79]

Hey guys, I'm trying to get back into scanning and things are not working out so well. I live in NW OKC (73132), and have a Pro-97. I downloaded all the Radio Reference Oklahoma County frequencies through the ARC software (including EDACS & OKWIN), so I would think it would be setup correctly... but as the title says, nothing works. I'm getting nothing but static & tones. Granted I will have limitations based on location & antenna, but how can I get my police channels to function at least as well as the live audio OKC Police channel?

Thanks in advance for the assistance (hopefully I've put in enough work into this so it doesn't look like I just want all the answers, I'm really stuck).

I was hoping to give you guys a screenshot of the software, but not having any luck with that on here, this is the best presentation I can give (Bank 0 - Police)

Frequency Alpha Tag Mode PL/DPL Attenuator Delay LockOut
1 460.35 OklaCoSO Ch1 CTCSS 107.2
2 460.475 OklaCoSO Ch3 CTCSS 107.2
3 460.375 OklaCoSO Ch5 CTCSS 107.2
4 465.0375 OkCoSOTrain2 CTCSS 82.5
5 465.0625 OkCoSOTrain3 CTCSS 82.5
6 465.0875 OkCoSO Quail CTCSS 103.5
7 465.3125 OkCoSO XRoad CTCSS 103.5
8 460.25 OkCoSOBackup CTCSS 107.2
9 460.5 Ok Co SO Car CTCSS 107.2
10 460.4 EastOkCo Net CTCSS 107.2
11 460.0375 OK CoSO SWAT
12 37.12 OK CoSO LoBd
13 37.26 OK CoSO LoBd
14 460.4125 OK CoSO SWAT
15 460.3625 OK CoSO Data
16 460.55 OK CoSO Tact CTCSS 107.2
17 460.0625 OKCoSOBombSq
18 458.0375 OKCoSOBomRob
19 155.0775 OKCoSOBomRob
20 460.4125 OKCoSOBombSq
21 460.2375 Ok Co Jail 1 DCS 423D
22 460.3875 Ok Co Jail 2 DCS 371D
23 460.425 OkCoJuvenile CTCSS 107.2
24 465.2625 OkCoJailMant
25 460.2875 Ok Co Jail 5 DCS 116D
26 852.3 OKC Direct 1 CTCSS 156.7
27 853.125 OKC Direct 2 CTCSS 156.7
28 159.09 OKCPD Sprglk CTCSS 127.3
29 158.97 OKC PD Hefnr CTCSS 127.3
30 159.03 OKCPD SntaFe CTCSS 127.3
31 158.79 OKCPD WilRog CTCSS 127.3
32 158.895 OKCPD Airprt CTCSS 127.3
33 158.76 OKCPD Projct CTCSS 103.5
34 155.19 OKCPD Projct
35 158.73 OKCPD VHF730 CTCSS 127.3
36 460.125 MidwstCtyPD1 CTCSS 192.8
37 460.1 MidwstCtyPD2 CTCSS 192.8
38 460.075 MdwstCtyCode CTCSS 192.8
39 854.1125 MidwstCtyMDT
40 855.2375 MidwestCtyPD DCS 205D
41 460.15 WarrAcres PD CTCSS 107.2
42 460.225 Choctaw PD DCS 506D
43 460.025 Village PD CTCSS 156.7
44 460.45 Bethany PD CTCSS 107.2
45 460.4125 Bethany PD 2 DCS 074D
46 465.275 SpencrPDCars CTCSS 107.2
47 851.0875 EDACS
48 851.6125 EDACS
49 852.125 EDACS
50 852.625 EDACS
51 853.25 EDACS
52 853.75 EDACS
53 851.1875 EDACS
54 851.7125 EDACS
55 852.2625 EDACS
56 852.85 EDACS
57 853.425 EDACS
58 853.925 EDACS
59 851.4375 EDACS
60 851.9875 EDACS
61 852.5625 EDACS
62 853.0625 EDACS
63 853.475 EDACS
64 853.975 EDACS
65 860.9375 OKWIN MOT
66 859.9375 OKWIN MOT
67 858.9375 OKWIN MOT
68 857.9375 OKWIN MOT
69 859.7625 OKWIN MOT
70 860.7625 OKWIN MOT
71 859.9625 OKWIN MOT
72 860.9625 OKWIN MOT
73 859.2375 OKWIN MOT
74 860.2375 OKWIN MOT

And the Talkgroup setup for that bank:

Talkgroup Alpha Tag Lockout
02-101 Bethany PD 1
12-041 Bethany PD 2
12-042 BethnyPDTac1
12-043 BethnyPDTac2
12-044 BethnyPDTac3
02-106 Mustang PD
12-062 MstngPD Tac1
12-063 MstngPD Tac2
02-102 WarrAcres PD
12-082 WA PD Tac 1
12-083 WA PD Tac 2
12-084 WA PD Tac 3
02-105 Yukon Police
12-022 YukonPD Tac1
12-023 YukonPD Tac2
12-024 YukonPD Tac3
02-021 OKCPD Hefner
02-022 OKCPD Splake
02-023 OKCPD SantFe
02-024 OKCPD WilRgr
03-041 OKCPD SpPrj1
03-042 OKCPD SpPrj2
02-027 OKCPD Airprt
02-066 OKCPD Tac 6
02-032 OKCPD Recrd1
02-025 OKCPD Brickt
02-026 OKCPD Disp 6
02-071 OKCPD Tac 9
02-030 OKCPD School
02-031 OKCPD Marshl
02-036 OKCPS Sprvs
02-034 OKCPD Invst1
02-041 OKC EmergMan
02-061 OKCPD Tac 1
02-062 OKCPD Tac 2
02-063 OKCPD Tac 3
02-064 OKCPD Tac 4
02-067 OKCPD Tac 7
02-065 OKCPD Tac 5
02-070 OKCPD Tac 8
02-072 OKCPD Tac 10
02-033 OKCPD Recrd2
02-035 OKCPD Invst2
02-043 OKCPD Train1
03-046 OKCPDTacTm1
03-047 OKCPD TacTm2
02-044 OKCPD Train2
03-050 OKCPD Impct1
03-051 OKCPD Impct2
03-052 OKCPD Impct3
03-053 OKCPD Impct4
03-043 OKCPD Intel1
03-044 OKCPD Intel2
03-054 OKCPD Impct
03-055 OKCPD Impct6
02-121 OKCPD-OHPMet
02-123 OKCPD-OHPRur
02-122 OKCPD-OHPCap
02-124 OKCPD-RMA 2A
02-125 OKCPD-RMA 2B
02-126 OKCPD-RMA 2C
02-127 OKCPD-RMA 2D
02-130 OKCPD-RMA 2E
02-131 OKCPD-Norman
02-113 OKCPD-Chowtw
02-110 OKCPD-DelCty
02-114 OKCPD-ElReno
02-107 OKCPD-MWCPD
02-115 OKCPD-Nwcstl
02-103 OKCPD-Nichls
02-142 OKCPD-OkCo 3
02-144 OKCPD-EastCo
02-141 OKCPD-OkCo 1
02-143 OKCPD-OkCo 5
02-111 OKCPD-Pidmnt
02-104 OKCPD Vilage
45360 DOC Transprt
45392 LARC Prison
45424 JoHarpPrison
45488 MBasetPrisn1
45520 MBasetPrisn2
46256 DOC Fugitive
63056 DOC Fugitive
42032 OHP Supervis
41968 DPS 1
42000 DPS 2
13424 OHP Tac Team
26896 ClevldCoSO A
26928 ClevldCoSO B
26960 ClevldCoSO C
26992 ClevldCoSO D
27024 ClevldCoSO E
27056 ClevldCoSO F
27088 ClevldCoSO G
53136 CleveldCo DA
17968 CleveCoDASec
41744 OHP ComCentr
41680 OHP OKC AM-1
41712 OHP OKC AM-2
41936 OHP OKC Supr

 

[osy79]

OK, figured out how to do a screenshot so you can see how some of this is set up. Please let me know if you need more info.

 

[LtDoc]

You are doing things as 'right' as you can with the scanner you have. Now you get to 'decode' those noises/tones, convert them into something understandable. Things are not simply analog FM as it used to be, it's now 'digital'.
Good luck...
- 'Doc

 

[osy79]

Oh, I thought my scanner could do all that! So if your not on one of the newer scanners you're pretty much out of luck in OKC. Guess an HP1 is in my future after all.

 

[n5bew1]

Hello you might want to read the listening to OKC's radio system wiki that should explain you not hearing OCPD or fire or much of anything from them. That system is not listenable from a scanner. All the old OCPD vhf freqs are not in service now. OKWIN the state's 800 trunking may be you best bet for a lot you want to hear. OCPD does have dedicated talk groups patched into OKWIN. OCFD not so much. I am not familiar with the pro-97's programing methods.

 

[osy79]

Thanks for the info n5bew1. I have read that page, and while it was disheartening to hear I thought I read there was an analog simulcast of the EDACS transmissions.

So if I understand correctly, all transmissions through EDACS are basically out. There is no simulcast. All we have to go by for emergency services in OK county is conventional & OKWIN? So I'm guessing the live audio channel for OKCPD is OKWIN?

I'm originally from NYC where everything is still pretty much the good ol days. These restrictions are bothersome.

 

[JoeyC]

You are doing things as 'right' as you can with the scanner you have.

Is he? From the initial list he provided it appears as if he has mixed conventional, EDACS and a Motorola trunked system all in the same bank as one big bank. Not gonna work right like that.

 

[osy79]

Yes, I do have conventional in the same bank with EDACS & OKWIN. I was trying to group all common genres (police, fire, etc) together so I could hear what I wanted in the same place.

Should I create separate banks for EDACS & OKWIN each? Is there any point in me having EDACS on a Pro-97 (I'm thinking no)?

The more I think about it, since I'm on the edge of NW OKC where most emergency operations are on EDACS, should I just give up on scanning & use my iPhone app to monitor emergency services?

 

[JoeyC]

EDACS and OKWIN are trunked systems. You cannot program their frequencies conventionally and expect the results you want. EDACS has special requirements in that it needs its own bank and freqs programmed in LCN order (starting in position 1 of the bank if so be it). The OKWIN site you choose should have a dedicated bank as well, although this is not imperative if you know what you are doing. The other MAJOR issue is, if any of these transmissions are digital, you are not going to hear any of it as this scanner is not a digital scanner. If any of the EDACS talkgroups are digital (Provoice) you will not find ANY scanner that can monitor the digital talkgroups.

 

[n5bew1]

At the current time much of OKWIN"S radio traffic is still analog. If you can get an OKWIN site working you should be able to hear the 3 or 4 districts of OCPD patched full time in analog on the state system.

 

[n5usr]

Yes, break the different system types out separately. Conventional in one bank, EDACS in another, OKWIN in a third. You may actually wish to have each of EDACS or OKWIN in multiple banks to further split them (fire, PD, etc). I don't know how many banks that scanner has...

If you are only interested in public safety, there isn't much point in putting the EDACS system in the scanner. However, there is a LOT to hear on the system that's in analog. Public works, some activites at the airport (nothing exciting - valets and such), operations at the Civic Center and Zoo and other such venues. If that interests you.

If you are at the northwest edge of OKC, you might have difficulty hearing OKWIN depending on the terrain and what antenna you are using. I'm in Bethany, close to Overholser, and on a handheld with duck antenna it's quite weak. With any antenna at all, though, I can hear it just fine. The one exception is if you happen to be in line of sight of a Nextel cell tower. Their frequencies are currently very close to some of the OKWIN frequencies and tend to swamp the scanner's receiver. If I'm right underneath one my scanners won't receive anything at all, anywhere in line of sight there's an annoying noise on top of the audio. Supposed to be fixed with "rebanding" if / when they ever do that here...

 

[KD5WLX]

I have that scanner (well, the base version of it) and you can mix conventional in with a trunked system. However, the basic limitation is ONE trunked system per bank.

There is a "bank" setting for trunking type - set that to MO, then put in the OKWin control channels for the site closest to you. That will get you OHP and whatever is simulcast on it from OKC as long as you are close enough to decode the control channel. If it's too weak, get an outside antenna up high and use good quality coax (like RG-213 or LMR 400) - at least for the majority of the run. Also if you are mobile you may hear more if you're closer to the site and/or on high ground. The channels also have to be set to MO - but if you put conventional stuff in the same bank (set to FM or PL mode) that still works.

Forget about the OKC EDACS system unless you want to listen to the non public safety stuff (as N5USR mentioned). The police and fire are ProVoice and not copyable, even with the more expensive digital scanners. You'll have to live with what you can hear on the simulcast.

If there are other trunked systems close enough for you to hear, put them in their own banks (possibly with related conventional stuff). I can't help you there - I'm northeast of Tulsa and thus use completely different systems (except OKWin).