Maryland Scanner Test

[baybum]

VERY NICE

That is one nice setup, Al.
I've attached a picture of what it looks like for you.
I've never done attachments here so I don't know how it will turn out.

Will RS scanners display like that, or only computer controlled radios?
Man, I wish you could leave HoCo up while I'm at work!

God job buddy,

Mike

 

[TinEar]

Thank you jimmyhat and thank you Mo. <bows>
Glad you're enjoying it. I wasn't sure there for a couple of weeks
if I was going to be able to get this done. I was starting to feel like
a first-grader in calculus class when it came to the programming.

Mike, I can't open that dowload. It shows illegal operation when I try.
Can you give it a jpeg?

 

[baybum]

I forgot to ask, and this is for anyone...How come I can't view or listen with Firefox but I can with IE?

Mike

 

[TinEar]

Mike, I was worried about Netscape being able to see it but I've had a few people that have told me they're using it. One couldn't though as reported above. Firefox should be about the same, shouldn't it?

I can't answer for sure about the RS radios but I don't think so.

 

[TinEar]

[Edit] The web site will be fully active at 8 p.m. tonight (Sunday). I'm testing some things now (4:30) and will just have the BWI airport traffic active.

Let me explain something I've had a lot of emails asking about...the military frequencies on my scanner and why I'm copying them the way I do. It boils down to two words - scanner limitations.

I'm using a Uniden BC785D which is limited to ten banks which means only ten trunked nets. I'm full. So, many trunked military nets you're seeing labeled as "Andrews AFB, MD" "Dept of Defense" and "NTIA Federal" along with "Aberdeen Pvg Gnd" and "Edgewood Arsenal" (plus NIH Bethesda and NASA Goddard) when the freqs pop up are programmed and heard in a conventional mode only. I can program the freqs but not the trunked net because of scanner limitations. All those systems are listed in the database at this site and contain many military bases around the area if you wish to program them into your own scanners. They can be interesting at times.

All this will go away when the new Uniden base/mobile finally hits the market along with its dynamic programming which, basically, gives a chunk of memory to use any way you wish rather than arbitrarily specifying a certain number of banks and talk groups. I've heard it will be theoretically possible to program up to 200 trunked nets in that scanner. It will have 5000 channels for programming frequencies, talk groups or whatever you wish. Uniden announced the portable BC396 for late summer which will have these features (along with a host of other new features) but have not announced a date or model number for the base/mobile version which is the only type I have a use for.

All that is to say why you're seeing what you're seeing on the web site scanner output.

Alan

 

[TinEar]

Re Netscape: I don't know what to do to fix the problem. Some are connecting to the web site with Netscape. From the feedback I've gotten, those with old versions (4.x) and those with the newest version (7.2), are having no problem. Versions in between seem to have the problem. Even this info is based on relatively few responses so far so it has to be taken with a grain of salt. I'm a Netscape person myself so I wish I could fix it. I have no clue how to do it. Those using MSIE, no matter the version, aren't having any problems at all.

I appreciate all the comments whether good or bad.

 

[Admin0140434]

alan, was wondering if you could send me a file of your setup, id like to put it in my scanner too.

 

[TinEar]

Sure, but I'll need your email address to do it. I can't use the pm or email functions on this board since they don't allow attachments. You can use the email button below to send me your address.

 

[Admin0140434]

need your email address

admn0140434@aol.com

 

[TinEar]

I reversed the colors on the display tonight. Which displays better - this way or with the black letters/numbers on a yellow background the way I had it?

 

[wadeless28]

black with yellow writing

 

[raceman005]

liked

i like the yellow letters and black background

 

[TinEar]

Well, that's two votes for the way I have it tonight. I can't see it because I can't open the site while I'm broadcasting. Some strange thing in my setup prevents it. I was going to try one more color tomorrow night which matches what the new Unidens are going to be just to see what I'm going to have to get used to.

 

[troymail]

I agree - light colors on a dark background is better.

 

[TinEar]

It's unanimous for yellow on black. Black letters on a blue background is what I'm being told will be in the new Uniden receivers. I'll try it for a bit and get some reaction and then we'll go back to the yellow with black background since that's what everybody seems to agree is the easiest to see.

 

[troymail]

Al - what's with the 121st Fgtr Sq tonight? Something happening?

 

[TinEar]

No, just flying the cap over the area per normal and doing gunnery range/bombing training. In case you didn't catch the callsigns, they are "ANGRY1" and "ANGRY2." DC Air National Guard F-16s. Nothing special going on...expected them up tonight because of the President's SOTU.

Did you hear those G forces on them when they were trying to dodge the simulated ground-to-air missile attack? The one almost lost his voice.

[Edit] Before anyone asks, I left the air freq because they were landing. I'll check to see if another flight takes their place and go back to it.

 

[Llwellyn]

Thanks for sending the file, Al.

Just thought I'd post here, that using my whip antenna near the computer, I've picked up the following stations from your file:

Harford County PD and FD UHF
Harford County Control Channel loud and clear (nice 3600 baud data...)
NSA Police
Balto City blows me outta the chair with that 3600 baud digital stuff
Balto County Lowband and TRS
BWI Police
McHenry and Harbor tunnel Police
MSP Waterloo and MSP Glen Burnie
408.1375 Unknown military
406.2875 Unknown military
406.3375 Unknown military
Balto Transit Police and Transit Authority
Montgomery County 153.95
City of Aberdeen PD
161.295 Union Station police
154.25 Howard County fire loud and clear!

So all in all, better range than I thought possible but not nearly as good as what you're getting.

I had to throw out a run of coax, the BNC connector was ruined and I don't have tools or connectors to recrimp it. Glad I didn't keep using that while mobile or I'd have been scratching my head for weeks wondering why I wasn't hearing anything! I couldn't even pick up the AA Control channel with that guy on there. It had a better signal with nothing than with it connected. :shock:

I've also decided that GSM is evil, and it's going to kill us all. The phone is 30 feet or more from the coax/antenna and I can still hear the freakin' thing handshaking on any frequency the scanner's stopped on. :shock:

 

[TinEar]

Excellent! If you hear anything at all that might help me identify those three military unknowns, please pass it along.

I also have a firm identity for one of the freqs that I had marked "Unk PL156.7" on 154.325 at channel 392 in the file. I figured it had to be Wicomico County Fire dispatch but there was no PL tone listed in the database so I wasn't positive. I identified it from street names given during a fire dispatch last night and submitted the tone to the database. All you need to change within the file is the ID since the tone was already there. Prince William County VA is the other user of that freq.

 

[baybum]

Black text on Yellow back looks better on the computer.
At least in my humble opinion.