Looking for advice..... Niagara Peninsula area

[snowplowguy]

I'm interested in getting into this hobby again after being AWOL for some 25 years. My last radio licence was XM-4340910... :shock: .... so it's been a while. The good ole days of skip-land and 200w bi-linear boots.....

I found this site a few days ago...... very impressive.... and have spent hours reading thru 14 some odd pages of this Canadian discussion forum as well as many other forums on the site. I have learned more than my pea brain can absorb in a short period of time. I registered yesterday and almost wore out the 'search' button. :lol: (the only thing that I found annoying is that whenever I hit the 'back' button while in search mode I keep getting page expired and have to do the same search again to go to the next thread..... maybe a problem on my end).

Anyway..... I'm located on top of the Grimsby hill.... in a place called Smithville and was wondering if any of the resident guru's could lend some advice.

I would like to purchase a scanner in the next week or so but would like to know what type will best be suited for this particular area. By type I mean... (a) analog non-trunking, (b) analog trunking, or (c) digital and trunking.

I'm mainly interested in scanning local EMS, Local Fire dept, and public works. It's my impression that a few years back our township went with a central dispatch for all emergency services (police, fire and ambulance).

From reading through this forum I understand that the Niagara Regional Police are digital and encrypted so I know that's out of the question.... although I thought I read somewhere that someone said NRPS dispatch was not encrypted...... :?:

I guess basically what I'm looking for is what types of transmissions (analog, analog trunked, or digital) are prevalant in the Niagara Peninsula. If the majority are still analog or analog-trunked then I'll prolly grab either the Uniden BC-92XLT (non-trunked) or the BC-246T. If they are going digital in a big way down here in Niagara then I suppose I could muster up the fundage (and qualifications under the radiocommunications act) for the BC-296D.

Although I'm a newbie to scanning..... computers and programming don't particularly scare me so it's not a choice between what will be easiest for a beginner to learn..... but rather what would be more practical for this particular area. I also spend much of my summers shunting between work and the trailer park in Fonthill (basically same general area) so I'd like to be able to pickup the Fonthill EMS stuff if possible.

I'd prefer not to go digital right now just due to the cost.... but if digital is currently big in this area or is feasable at this particular time then I guess I will rob the piggy-bank.


any feedback will be sincerely appreciated....

thanks for reading
wayne

 

[Saint]

Niagara Region

Hi Wayne, as far as the Niagara Regional Police @ Parks Police they are all encrypted, if you want to listen to O.P.P. , M.T.O. , M.N.R. they are on the new fleetnet digital system also the M.O.H. is starting to migrate to this system, I don't know your frequencies in Grimsby I'm in Fort Erie, works, roads, water the regional frequencies are p25 digital analog.
Steve

 

[EJB]

Hi Wayne: Eventually the ambulance service will switch to Fleetnet. If the OPP doesnt interest you and if $ is a prob the 246 sounds like a good one.


I lived not far from you last year and I know that from that vantage you can pick up a great dea of towers so you can listen to action from the falls, Welland and maybe Toronto.


Right now on Fleetnet you will hear OPP/MTO digital bursts and snow plows.

 

[snowplowguy]

Thanks for the replies Steve and EJB.

I took the plunge and ordered the 296D. I'll have to break the news gently to the Mrs.... :shock:


In the mean time I'll read, read, and read in order to become somewhat familiar with what I'll be up against.


cheers
wayne

 

[Saint]

Thanks for the replies Steve and EJB.

I took the plunge and ordered the 296D. I'll have to break the news gently to the Mrs.... :shock:


In the mean time I'll read, read, and read in order to become somewhat familiar with what I'll be up against.


cheers
wayne

Hi Wayne, the first thing I would recomend is get used to programming the scanner by hand and then you might want to buy some software to do the program so you can save time and spend more time enjoying the scanner these new scaner radios are a hand full to program if you don't have good software, the best software as far as I'm concerned is Butel, you will find it hear http://www.butel.nl/
Steve

 

[EJB]

Hi Wayne, I have a 296 also.
When I lived in the Hammer I was able to hit the Grimsby towers. I heard alot of activity:

OPP-Niagara, Burlington, MTO-digital and analoge. Eventually the MOH is on there as well.
Enjoy and make sure when you load up the towers in Fleetnet, spread them apart, I.E. dont put Grimsby and N.Falls in the same bank.

E

 

[Thornhill20]

Re: Niagara Region

I don't know your frequencies in Grimsby I'm in Fort Erie, works, roads, water the regional frequencies are p25 digital analog.
Steve

I assume you mean P25, digital, unencrypted?

Is this the same for everyone in Niagara? I used to listen to the City of Port Colborne on 164.955 in analog, but are they now digital too?

-M

 

[Saint]

Re: Niagara Region

I don't know your frequencies in Grimsby I'm in Fort Erie, works, roads, water the regional frequencies are p25 digital analog.
Steve

I assume you mean P25, digital, unencrypted?

Is this the same for everyone in Niagara? I used to listen to the City of Port Colborne on 164.955 in analog, but are they now digital too?

-M

Yes that's what I ment, The Niagara Region frequencies are digital, I have not herd any digital on 164.955 Port Colborne.
Steve

 

[snowplowguy]

Sucks to be me........lol..


Durham radio just called me.... and though they have absolutely nothing on their website that I can find regarding restrictions they won't ship me the 246d.

good thing I opted for COD.

 

[qxtechservices]

Try Radioworld for it

 

[mikewazowski]

Durham radio just called me.... and though they have absolutely nothing on their website that I can find regarding restrictions they won't ship me the 246d.

Perhaps because the 246d doesn't exist?

Either you mean a 246T which is an analog scanner or a BC296D which is a digital scanner.

 

[snowplowguy]

sorry mike.... it was the 296d.

They called and told me I needed a radio licence to purchase it from them. I figured as much anyway but there was nothing on their website about the restriction.


Now I'm looking up info on this 'amatuer radio operator certificate' examination.

Do you still need to obtain some other type of special radio licence if you have passed the exam and get the certificate or will they accept that?



http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/vwapj/ric7.pdf/$FILE/ric7.pdf#search='Amateur%20Radio%20Operator%20Certificate'

 

[snowplowguy]

This is a functional download from IC. Doesn't say so but it also works on XP.


http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/h_sf05378e.html

 

[mciupa]

You are so close to the American border. Why not order and pick it up
in Buffalo or Niagara Falls N.Y. ? I'm sure there are American dealers
eager for your business. The Canadian dealers make you jump through
hoops.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't try for your Amateur ticket, but if it is only to purchase a digital scanner, is that a proper reason to become a Ham ? :?

 

[snowplowguy]

Well I'm still really interested in getting involved again so I'm gonna change plans a bit.

I'm not completely sure whether my order for the 296d was filled or refused. They did call me last monday to say they could not ship me the unit without a valid licence, but then 2 days later I got this confirmation email..... :?: so I don't know what is up. Perhaps the email was automatically generated when they purged my order from their system.

I will talk to them tomorrow and if they did not ship the 296D then I will order the 246T from them. In the mean time.... and I know some will disagree with the reasoning but I will still try to write the amateur radio test...... and maybe save up over the summer for the 396.

You have received this notification from Durham Radio Sales & Service because you are a registered user or you or some other registered user requested some information for you from our store.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Wayne ******,

Your order has been processed successfully.

 

[ajc165]

so what did you buy....

snowplowguy...did you purchase anything yet?

is a digatal card required to listen to the opp. in niagara?

 

[jellotor]

Yes, a digital scanner is required to listen to the OPP unless you are in the proximity of a BEAT or vehicular repeater. There are no BEAT repeaters in Niagara, but each cruiser has a VR that is switched on from time to time.