Lake County Public Safety / Sentinel Software?

[MarkBradley]

Using Centinel to download Lake County Public Safety,or any local system on my Uniden BCD536HP ,I do not get any receive at all. I have tried everything,reading the book,using the Mark's easier to read BCD536HP manual. Uniden tells me there is nothing wrong with the scanner. Any one local,I am in Cedar Lake,St. John border,is there any one who may want to see if they can program this for me? I am willing to pay for you time and effort setting the scanner up. If you have problems,I will still pay,and may have to call Uniden and explain what the issues are, if you can determine the problem,,or is it just me.
I use the EDIT when using Centinel and save the setting,this is why I do not understand why this will not work,even the Discovery does not pick up any Digital when using the Lake County Public Safety,Countywide Simulcast system.
If anyone is willing to program a few systems for me,I will work something out payment wise to make it fair for both of us.Thank you very much,Mark Bradley,,Have a great day...Still trying to get this to work,,I don't think I am stupid,I can read and understand directions,I think,,LOL

 

[Ed6698]

Hopefully someone comes along this time and can give you some help, as I see this is the 2nd time you posted about this. I don't own a 536 so I can't help you out and I don't know anyone in this area that does. I am surprised it does not work from downloading from the database, hopefully it is something simple to correct, as I doubt there is anything wrong with the radio itself.

 

[MarkBradley]

ED6698,thanks for the reply,I am sick of messing with his scanner,I have tried everything to get the local area fire and police. I am using the Centinel software,not changing anything,just making sure I save the profiles when done with my system I want to listen to. Just don't make any sense I cannot get my locals to receive.Tried everything,even changing things,I have been at this scanner for 5 months now since I bought it,and it is a paper weight now until I get it to work,and my wife is sick of be complaining all the times.I was told by Uniden it is nothing wrong with it,hoping they are correct.I just wish that a local could try to program this for me,I even tried manually,but nothing either.Thank you for the confidence,you made me feel a bit confident that someone may help me out,or do I send it out to a fly by night scanner programming shop and keep my fingers crossed it works when I get it back,this is what I am a afraid of,if there is a issue with the unit,I just wasted my money.Well ED6698,going to keep on trying different things and settings,and if all else fails,I think I will sell this and maybe try another Trunk Tracker V,maybe a different brand,as all I ever bought in the scanner world was Uniden,as I love these and never ever had any problems with the Uniden products,even the Radar Detectors,love em..Thanks my friend,thanks for the confidence,Mark,have a great day,Mark,KB9GTB

 

[N4GIX]

Mark, I hadn't noticed your request for help before, but since you are in Cedar Lake, IN that's close enough to me here in Hammond, IN to be practical. Just for reference, I am a member of the Lake County Amateur Radio Club.

If you'd like to bring it to me, I'd be delighted to help you get that 536 running. I have been using a 436 for nearly a year now and have had nothing but good results from it.

In fact I suspect that I could probably shove my 436 codeplug into your 536 and it would start working instantly... :wink:

My email is listed at qrz.com if you wish to contact me by email. Alternatively, give me a call @ 219-256-1025

 

[MarkBradley]

Bill,I am sorry for not getting back to you sooner,I have been lost on this forum trying to navigate and I seem to lose where I am at and going sometimes. YES,I will take you up on that offer to help me with the scanner.W9BU and Ed6698 and mentioned that you replied back to me on this post,I appreciate your offer.I am not sure if you are home during the day,I will try to call you one day this week,if you are home.I am home all day as I am on disability from a stroke and a bad back,so I am pretty much open,just have therapy 3 times a week from a previous back surgery,but won't stop me from getting my scanner to work.THANK YOU,I will call you,and we can get together and get this puppy working,as I exhausted my knowledge of getting the 536 to work on the Lake County System.I will call,my wife was getting mad at me for complaining so much,but she is very happy you will help me,talk soon my friend,and thanks to all who tried to help me,I am not the brightest bulb on the chandelier,but I try,Mark,,KB9GTB

 

[N4GIX]

Mark, I am (mostly) retired these days. What work I still do is from here in my home office and it is very flexible (CAD 3d modeling and avionics systems programming).

Feel free to call anytime during the day, as I usually retire to my bedroom to read after supper, and then sleep when I get too tired to read more...

 

[MarkBradley]

Bill,I almost do the same,retire to the bedroom after super,and maybe watch a show or two.I am not to up on CAD 3d modeling and avionics system programming,all I know is I was a Chrysler,Jeep,Plymouth,AMC technician for about almost 18 years before I had a stroke after my second back fusion in 2004,doctors not sure what happened,but on left side of neck,one of the arteries is 100% blocked,and nothing they can do. But I got most of my right side back but a little weakness,trip on stairs every so often..I am about to run out with my wife right now,but I hope to call you tomorrow,I really APPRECIATE you offering to program the scanner for me,and keeping the fingers crossed no issues with the scanner. Your job really has my head spinning,sounds interesting,but to much for me.Bill,will call you hopefully tomorrow and set something up,possibly Friday morning before the afternoon traffic,yuck,hate driving in the Friday afte3rnoon traffic coming down 41 or Indianapolis Boulevard,.Bill,speak tomorrow,late morning sometime.Thanks,your saving me from my wife about to boot me out.Mark,,,,,,Have a great afternoon,enjoy the cool weather,time to dig out the sweats...LOL

 

[Ed6698]

Did you ever get the scanner to receive the Lake County system?

 

[N4GIX]

Mark brought his 536 over last Friday and I basically wrote his with my existing code plug for my 436. It was working just fine before he left at least.

 

[Viper43]

make sure you have squelch at no more than 2.

 

[MarkBradley]

Bill,Thank you so much for helping me with the scanner,but I have to let you know,it has been a week,and when I have the time to mess with the scanner,I still cannot pick up Cedar Lake,Crown Point,St. John,Lake Hills,Merriville,Scherriville,any local departments.It has the Control channels,and all the Talk group ID's. I pick up your area,some Hammond,some East Chicago,but nothing in my area??? I think I am going to give up,as I tried everything I can think of. I pick up the State Police in Lowell,but I also pick it up on my Uniden BCD996XT,which tells me it is a Trunking IV system,I believe,as the 996XT is not a Trunk Tracker V. I do not know,I think I may sell this and give up,and try a different brand and see if that may work,just lost and unhappy with the BC536HP performance and receive. Do I need a GPS? To I need the Uniden $60.00 software for DMA,I think that is what it is called???But THANKS Bill,and all,just don't know what to do.Have a great day,enjoy your scanners,not sure what is up with these area Systems and departments I cannot receive.Thanks again all,Mark,

 

[Viper43]

DMR will not help with SAFET or Lake County, it's a different form of digital. GPS won't help either. It sounds more like you need an outside antenna. What is the building your in made from? Does it have aluminum siding or aluminum wrap under the siding? A metal roof? What about obstructions between your location and the tower site? Buildings, trees, hills, etc all block the signal,

 

[usswood]

better yet, what kind of decode signal is he getting from the tower, that will determine what he might need to help improve his signal. It might be something as simple as to move the scanner to a different location in his home or elevate it with a few books are something similar...

 

[MarkBradley]

Hello,I am using a Diamond discone antenna that I believe goes from 30Mhz to 1300Mhz,about 40 or so feet on my tower. I was able to pick all these up when I used my BCD996XT before until they changed over. But I am totally confused why I cannot pick them up now using the BCD536HP. The antenna works fine,as I can pick up all the weather stations around the area,I do receive State Police from Lowell working I65 and that area,and the Toll Road,so District 13 and Sheriff.But loading the Lake County Public Safety,as being on Radio Reference,I assume I am loading the latest information for me to use.
With the towers,I am not sure how to go about adding the towers,do I add the frequencies to my Control channels frequencies? I am a bit behind on how to add towers or as it is called,reapeters,this may be my problem. I as for some still using VHF,I added the Lake system also to the scanner,which is just the plain frequencies,besides the Talk Groups from the Lake County Public Safety,and all the Talk Groups to have all the correct Service Types added,but the Custom one,if I need that,never programs when I check it,as I was told Custom 1 needs to be checked,but never checks from Sentinel from the PC to the scanner. All I can say gentleman,if I need to add anything,can you show me the way with some instructions,like control channels from towers?? I am a bit dumb when it comes to this,but if you can lead me to a certain idea,I will give it a try..Please,direct me to a solution,VHF,repeaters,towers,frequencies,anything that may help,I am a bit slow on this stuff.THANKS ALL,Mark B. Will check back .....

 

[MarkBradley]

Oh,and I went to the Lake County call signs with the frequencies of the towers and the Emissions,Class,Units,Power,Lat,Long on it,and those frequencies are what I have programed for all of my Control Channels,I am assuming these are the control and frequencies for the Lake County Public Service area,if so,they do not seem to be doing anything.One thing I noticed on the scanner is that I do not have anything on the Band Plan,is there to be anything on that or will this have no affect on the receive from this system??Mark,Thanks......