McKean County (42) Monitoring

[n3bxk]

Please forgive me if this has already been discussed. I'm not new to scanners or analog radio technology. I am relatively inexperienced with trunked systems and an absolute newbie where digital trunked systems are concerned. I have an SDS200 and programmed it with Sentinel through this site. I'm not hearing any transmissions that I hear through Broadcastify. I have a VHF/UHF ground plane antenna fed with LMR400. Possibly someone could attach an hpe file with just McKean County (42), or help me do it myself. Thanks in advance.

 

[cavmedic]

Does it receive anything at all? Weather, amateur, aviation anything?

 

[n3bxk]

Does it receive anything at all? Weather, amateur, aviation anything?

Yes, I have Cattaraugus Co. frequencies programmed and I receive fire dispatch on 154.325 MHz.

 

[n3bxk]

Also WX on 162.500 MHz.

 

[n3bxk]

I also received 20124 4e9c T 42 FD/EMS Disp Fire/EMS Dispatch (Alerting Only), so the trunk tracking is working somewhat.

 

[n3bxk]

I think I figured it out, but I'm still climbing the learning curve. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Ddm857]

Having the same issue with my SDS200, no traffic at all on the McKean Simulcast site. I have tried using the national data base with Sentinel and Radio Reference data with the same results. I have compared all the settings I can between this site and other Simulcast sites in the area that do work, other than the frequencies I cannot find any differences. When receiving traffic on a near by NY based site the scanner shows P25 connection, when scanning the McKean site it shows data connection, signal level is high, only 5 miles or so from the antenna. Can someone please tell me what I am missing, thanks

 

[jeffm77]

Having the same issue with my SDS200, no traffic at all on the McKean Simulcast site. I have tried using the national data base with Sentinel and Radio Reference data with the same results. I have compared all the settings I can between this site and other Simulcast sites in the area that do work, other than the frequencies I cannot find any differences. When receiving traffic on a near by NY based site the scanner shows P25 connection, when scanning the McKean site it shows data connection, signal level is high, only 5 miles or so from the antenna. Can someone please tell me what I am missing, thanks

I scan the PA Starnet system with ID search on. I am in Allegheny County; I mostly scan the Allegheny Region Simulcast site.

 

[tvengr]

Yes, I have Cattaraugus Co. frequencies programmed and I receive fire dispatch on 154.325 MHz.

Having the same issue with my SDS200, no traffic at all on the McKean Simulcast site.

It would help to know your location (city and county) for both of you.

 

[jeffm77]

I think McKean County migrated to the PA StarNet P25 Phase 2 system. I see on the RR database that there are 2 sites for McKean County. McKean simulcast and Kane. All you need to program in is the control channels. Turn ID search on. You should be able to import everything into the Sentinel program right off of RR. I scan the surrounding counties by me, I am in Allegheny County, I use ID search to scope out new talk groups etc. I am to far away from McKean to scan those sites. The furthest I have gotten was the Beaver County site and once in awhile when the band is open, I can get a few other counties up that way.

 

[Ddm857]

Thanks Jeff, yes McKean county has migrated to the P25 network and before they made the move I was able to get traffic off the McKean tower but since they went to Simulcast I have not been able to receive anything. I have checked control channels in Radio Reference and the Uniden database and all appears normal. Because of the topography I am not able to receive from the Kane tower

 

[jeffm77]

Thanks Jeff, yes McKean county has migrated to the P25 network and before they made the move I was able to get traffic off the McKean tower but since they went to Simulcast I have not been able to receive anything. I have checked control channels in Radio Reference and the Uniden database and all appears normal. Because of the topography I am not able to receive from the Kane tower

What scanner are you using? The SDS100/200 series handle the simulcast very well. Do you just have the control channels programmed in? When you scan one of the systems, does it show DATA, as in receiving the control channel data on the display and it should show signal strength bars as well.

 

[Ddm857]

Using a new SDS200, when it scans the McKean site it shows full signal strength and data, I am on the fringe edge of another Simulcast site in New York and I can get traffic on that site, and can listen to traffic on conventional channels so am confident the scanner is working properly, just issues with the one site