Learning Lesson
I'll continue on this post then...
I was surprised that the IDOT Minutemen Digital switchover wasn't discussed more in the forums, but i'll assume not many listen. I don't have it on everyday at home, but when I'm on the expressways and have my 396XT with me, IDOT has come in handier then the Starcom with all the issues of decoding and loss of the system.
So...here's my story: The last couple of times on the highways have been unusually quiet on the IDOT channels. I had them programmed in as "Analog" only with a CTCSS tone assigned. Checked and double-checked the programming, made sure I didn't lock out the system by accident (Seem to do that alot!), and everything seemed to be in order. My reasonable deduction was they switched to Starcom so the State can save money (For our pension crisis of course), and maintain only one radio system. Set my Starcom into ID search Mode, and the chase was on.
Tick tock...an hour passed and no radio traffic on any of the assigned Starcom IDOT Talkgroups for Dist. 1, so I was dumbfounded. I hear them on District-Chicago Talkgroup 9067 (Car-to-Car) an awful lot, but where can they be. My next thought was maybe the CTCSS tone changed, so I manually put each channel back into the ALL mode (Allows Analog and Digital Traffic) and I was hit with a loud and clear "9-5-2 to Control 10-8!" on 453.150 with a prominent P25/LNK flashing in the display. Ah haaaa....got cha I say aloud!!!
Then I went into the Database, and instead of going into the Trunked Systems of Illinois (Starcom search), I scroll down to the IDOT and there it is..all the "new and updated" channels right along with Digital and the NAC Code next to them. I felt like I've been duped (No not really, but kicked myself for not looking closer).
Even an old time scanner guy can learn something now and then. I've been listening the last couple of days and thinks the system sounds very good. This can be programmed as a Convential/Digital Channel or a "One-Channel Trunked" system. The current scanners seem to handle the Convential/Digital programming better, but this is a user preference more than anything else. In the One-Channel Trunked Mode, you will be able to see Radio ID's, but if you're driving this means nothing to you if you become the "10-50" that IDOT speaks about.
A few things I hope Uniden is working on in the future models is the 6.25 Mhz space decoding. The Starcom Control Channe frequencyl I monitor (774.34375) frequently loses it's decode and therefore I lose the system, which makes monitoring impossible. I've attempted to program these frequencies in as a convential system, but have the same results. An 800 Mhz. system or UHF system decodes perfectly, but those pesky 700 Mhz/6.25 spacing are always an issue.
This is all I have to report...
