MD p96 file... almost...

[NINN27]

just an update... i have 2 more banks to program for the p96 file im working on. my apologies to everyone who is waiting for me, as i know its been almost 2 weeks. 2 main reasons im behind in this project of mine...

1) i originally had NO trunked system in bank 0, but was able to put the BGE trunk system in there with all the other conventional stuff i have in there, so i had to "move" all the banks

2) i work 60+ hours a week, which leaves me with only one or two hours every other day to work on this thing

ok, maybe three reasons...

3) Montgomery Co's talkgroups are scattered all over the place, thats the bank im working on at this minute.

PLUS... i have 1 free bank, so if anyone would like to post or email me ( MD042@aol.com ) with ideas on what to put in the last bank. here is what the banks are set up as of right now

0. MEMA/DNR/MSP/BGE trunk
1. BWI Airport
2. Ft. Meade
3. Anne Arundel County
4. Baltimore City
5. Baltimore Co/Roads & Traffic
6. Howard Co.
7. Montgomery Co.
8. D.C. Fire (at least i plan on putting them here)
9. ????? <~~ need ideas on what to put here

let me know. bye

 

[TinEar]

Personally, I'd take DC Police over the DC Fire channels within an emergency context considering the side links to other agencies on their net along with some of their planned duties under an extreme emergency. Or both by using Banks 8 and 9.

Next, in addition to one of the trunked nets in any of those banks, I'd put all the VHF/UHF fire dispatch channels which is an excellent way of monitoring for emergency/natural disaster pockets of activity within a given area or even over a wide area. I'm assuming you're still looking at this as an "emergency" programming plan. The only downside to that is that the trunked traffic on that same bank would constantly be interfering with an attempt to monitor the fire dispatchers. Well then...maybe the fire dispatchers in Bank 1 - in place of the BWI air traffic which can only be heard over a short distance anyway and doesn't have much bearing on states of emergency?

Throwing that bank of fire dispatchers in there somewhere would also give all those people without digital capability a solid bank to listen to since so much of the rest of it requires digital capabilities. Killing two birds...etc?

Those are my suggestions for what it's worth.

 

[baybum]

DITTO

That makes sense to me. VHF (at least simplex) will still be there when the 800Mhz towers get blown up.
And Digital doesn't have the range analog does.

Great suggestion Alan.


Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

When that file is stabilized, I think it might be a good idea to migrate this to ARC250's format as well. Much too valuable to leave it on one platform. I'd do it if I had the program - and the time :wink:

And don't forget to pass the file(s) to Al Henney at CHM. His ID is alan@henney.com. We could use all the files we can get for the library.

Come to think of it, there's another way to make this a bit more 'universal'. I have the full version of Scan Control; I can easily build most of this into one of their files (I'd probably start with the non-digital stuff and post it for the 895). Scan Control will also then upgrade the file to the other scanners as needed. It handles the 895, 245, 780, 250/296 and 795/796 along with the PRO2052. I could then post this file on the Yahoo server for this group and we'd be in business there, too

Now all we need is a way to put the data into a Win92 format, then use Winxx Data Converter to upgrade the data from the PRO92 to Win93 and Win95 formats.

73s Mike
Capitol Hill Monitors links editor

 

[mstarn]

Dual channels

Little food for thought:
In St Marys County (where I live) I have the 860mhz EDACS channels in twice. That is - exactly duplicated in two channels, including all the talk groups. In one channel I have all the talks groups locked out except for the police. The other channel I have all the talk groups locked out except for emergency services. At times the fire department runs drills and what not, then all I have to do is lock out the whole channel. Sometimes I want to hear things that the emergency services are doing then it's simple to punch out the police channel. Normally I run both channel on. Locking out a whole channel is a lot easier then messing around trying to lock out talk groups, especially when you are in a hurry. The other day a 10-80 (high speed chase) was going on I wanted to hear and the fire board was doing something; therefore, it was extremely fast and simple to lock out the fire channel. :twisted:

 

[NINN27]

with respects to Alan's suggestion... i did it
i put all the fire dispatch channels in with the BWI Airport stuff (at least the MAJOR fire dispatch channels). for the few of us who can pick up BOTH BWI and the FD, its whatever floats your boat. i also am putting DC Fire (finished) and DC Police (not finished) in banks 8 and 9 respectively.

to mark, im already ahead of you, but in a different sense...
instead of wasting banks (and channels), i just simply sepereated the fire and police in the talkgoups lists.
i.e fire talkgroups, THEN police talkgroups (each bank is different on when the police start, some are list 1, some are 2, others may be 3 or 4). fire dept will ALWAYS start at list 0. that way, all you do is turn the lists "on" or "off" (yes, i know its a few extra keystrokes).

anyway, all i have left is the D.C. Police. but i am left with a considerably large amout of channels in banks 8 and 9. any ideas of what else i can put in here?

 

[baybum]

FRS/GMRS

This way you won't have to stop scanning to search these freqs.

 

[NINN27]

fill me in, what are those frequencies and where do i get them?
(never heard of it)

 

[ka3jjz]

fill me in, what are those frequencies and where do i get them?
(never heard of it)

Check the 'Common Frequencies' link under the 'RR Database' on the home page, then 'Common Business/Itinerant frequencies' (I think I got that right).

Anyway, for bank 8 I would suggest Park Police and US Capitol Police - both of which together won't take up that much space, and in a real emergency - say, like the Great Blizzard of a few years ago - will be up to their ears in problems. I wouldn't ignore ham repeaters, either. I'd also slide the SHA allocations as well; highways, under any major situation, are quite likely to be a royal mess.

I can see one problem we'll have to address migrating this file to other scanners - they don't have the same channel/talkgroup capacity as the PRO96, particularly the older models like the 245. The 895, 245, 780 and PRO2052 don't do digital, so that will free up several banks, but the talkgroups may need some pruning. In fact, it might better to leave the scan lists blank for these scanners; that way, lists can be built as the need arises.

73s Mike

 

[NINN27]

I'd also slide the SHA allocations as well; highways, under any major situation, are quite likely to be a royal mess.

5. Baltimore Co/Roads & Traffic

right there