Midland County (Dumb Question)

[TopSlide]

So I programmed Midland County into my Uniden BCD396T. For some reason I am not hearing traffic (I know there is traffic).

Any tips? This system is not trunked is it? Can someone give me a basic compare and contrast of the following terms.

P25
Digital
Trunked Digital

 

[hiegtx]

So I programmed Midland County into my Uniden BCD396T. For some reason I am not hearing traffic (I know there is traffic).

Any tips? This system is not trunked is it? Can someone give me a basic compare and contrast of the following terms.

P25
Digital
Trunked Digital

Hi rrs

Which part of "Midland County" are you trying to program? Looking at the database page for the county, it appears that the county Sheriff's office is mostly P25 (digital), but is not currently trunked. For your BCD396T, you'd enter those frequencies in a Conventional system. Do not use a trunked system like Motorola or EDACS. There are NAC codes listed, but the 396T is not set up to use those. (The 396XT can, also the 996XT, and several other scanners, but not the 396T nor the 996T.)

For the 396T, you'd create a new system as Conventional, then enter the frequencies you want in a group. For each frequency that has a NAC code, instead of a CTCSS (PL) tone or DCS code, make sure that you set the field labeled for the tone/code to "Off", not to "Search" or to any value. If you have it as "Search", the scanner will ignore digital transmissions, and instead wait for an analog (non-digital) signal, so that it can search for a tone or code. Sheriff Ops1 is a good example. It shows a frequency of 158.9250, and a NAC setting of 165. You ignore the NAC on the 396T.

For Midland (city), it appears that most of their communications are on this EDACS trunked system: Midland Public Safety Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
This one, of course, is programmed as a trunked system, and for EDACS, you must enter all the system frequencies in the correct LCN position.

Another trunked system in that area is this one: Permian Basin Regional Interoperability Network Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
Odessa is on it, though most of their talkgroups appear to be encrypted. Midland S.O. has a talkgroup on there, but it is a patch to their Vhf dispatch channel, according to the notes.

Attached is a FreeSCAN file for that area. If you don't have FreeSCAN, you can get it here. (Click on the download link.)
The file is zipped. Most newer windows versions (Windows 7, Vista) will extract the FreeSCAN file from the zipped file (if you download the zipped file, then right-click on it, see if you show "extract" as an option on the pop-up menu.) The programming file name is Midland area 396T.996
You can also use a file utility such as WinZip or 7-Zip. 7-Zip is free, and be downloaded here.

Once you have the extracted file on your pc, connect the pc to the scanner with the programming cable you should have received with the scanner, then use FreeSCAN to open the file and send it to the scanner. You can find the user guide for FreeScan in the Wiki: FreeScan User Guide - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[TopSlide]

Wow

Your file worked amazing well. Thanks a bunch.

 

[hiegtx]

Your file worked amazing well. Thanks a bunch.

You're welcome.

For the Uniden scanners, such as your 396T (as you can see from my signature, I have a number of Uniden's as well), the scanner will use the first control channel it finds in a Motorola system. It keeps going back to that frequency even if another control channel (from a different site) has a better signal. It will repeat that until it can no long receive the first channel well enough to use; only then will it finally look for another frequency. That's why you have several "Permian Basin" systems in the file, so that the scanner can use any of them in range.

For the Midland (city) system, which is EDACS, there are also two sites- Downtown & the Airport. For EDACS systems, all system frequencies have to be entered, in correct LCN position. So, there has to be two Midland (city) systems to cover both sites.

The successor model to the 396T, the BCD396XT, as well as it's base/mobile sibling the BCD996XT, have multi-site capability. For these, as well as the BCD996T, you would have one Permian Basin & one Midland (city) system. The different frequency sets are entered as sites within the system, much as you see them on the database page. This eliminates the duplication of talkgroups required by using multiple sites.

 

[jaymz812]

Midland Co SO & DPS

I can hear the MPD fine on my Radio Shack PRO 160. I downloaded them from here via ARC160 software. The Midland Co I do not hear anything but the noise. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong.. Please. I am using these
154.3700 Midland CF FM
155.0250 MidlandPDLnk FM
158.9250 Sheriff Ops1 FM
155.6150 Sheriff Ops2 FM
155.0750 Sheriff Talk FM
156.0900 Sheriff Tac1 FM
158.9700 Sheriff Tac2 FM
155.7450 Court RTC FM
158.8950 Public Works FM
158.7750 Courthouse FM
156.2000 MidlandFDLnk FM
158.9250 Dispatch 1 FM
155.4650 DPS Midland FM

 

[hiegtx]

I can hear the MPD fine on my Radio Shack PRO 160. I downloaded them from here via ARC160 software. The Midland Co I do not hear anything but the noise. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong.. Please. I am using these
154.3700 Midland CF FM
155.0250 MidlandPDLnk FM
158.9250 Sheriff Ops1 FM
155.6150 Sheriff Ops2 FM
155.0750 Sheriff Talk FM
156.0900 Sheriff Tac1 FM
158.9700 Sheriff Tac2 FM
155.7450 Court RTC FM
158.8950 Public Works FM
158.7750 Courthouse FM
156.2000 MidlandFDLnk FM
158.9250 Dispatch 1 FM
155.4650 DPS Midland FM

Welcome to the Texas Forum, Jay

You're hearing "noise" on the Midland County frequencies because most of those are digital. Your Pro-160 scanner is an analog scanner, and can not decode digital transmissions. While it would not make a difference, since you can't receive digital, it also appears that some of the frequencies you show above differ from those in the database:
For example, Sheriff Ops 2 is 155.6175. not 155.6150.

However, that frequency, and any of the others listed with "P25" in the Mode column, are digital, and not scannable with your receiver. In addition, the Sheriff Talkaround, 155.0775, besides being digital, is also shown as encrypted (scrambled), so no matter what scanner you had, you would be able to listen to it.

To listen to the digital channels, you would need a different scanner, such as the Pro-197, PSR-600, or BCD996XT (all base/mobiles, like your Pro-160), or (portables) Pro-106, PSR-500, or BCD396XT. The Uniden Home Patrol-1 or GRE's PSR-800 would also work. Having a digital capable scanner would also enable you to listen to Tx DPS, and the Permian Basin system, used by Ector County and Odessa, as well as a couple of smaller communities in Midland County.

 

[jaymz812]

The PRO 160 is a triple trunking scanner. I pick up MPD in the 800 range. like these
855.4625 EDACS
856.4625 EDACS
857.4625 EDACS
858.4625 EDACS
859.4625 EDACS
856.2625 EDACS
857.2625 EDACS
858.2625 EDACS
859.2625 EDACS
854.0625 EDACS
02-054 EMC 1
02-055 EMC 2
02-057 Siren Control
02-071 Fire Tac 5
02-065 Fire Tac 4
02-064 Fire Tac 3
02-063 Fire Tac 2
02-062 EMS to ER
02-070 Fire Prevent
02-061 Fire Dispatch
02-066 Fire Admin
02-072 Fire Tac 6
02-067 Fire Train
02-073 Fire CntyVFD
02-074 Fire NEVFD
02-076 Fire GVFD
02-114 Texas Fire 1
02-115 Texas Fire 2
02-116 Texas Fire 3
02-117 Texas Med 1
04-104 Training 2
02-083 Air Tac
02-085 Air PD
02-090 Air Net
02-081 Air Ops
02-082 Air Maint
02-046 Administration
02-030 Chief
02-026 Command 1
02-042 Command 2
02-041 Detectives
02-021 Dispatch 1
02-022 Dispatch 2
02-032 D.E.A.
02-044 Intelligence
02-043 Narcotics
02-023 N.C.I.C.
02-031 Petrol
02-045 PERM Net
02-027 P.D.S.
02-024 Traffic
02-050 Citizens Patrol
06-033 Metro 1
06-034 Metro 2
02-106 Com Training
02-025 TAC & UC
02-051 Warrents
02-103 Training 1
02-033 SWAT
02-104 Training 2

Are these not digital?

 

[hiegtx]

No, those are not digital. You're confusing a trunked system with digital transmissions. They are not the same thing. Communication, on a radio system, may be made either on a conventional system, which is what Midland County S.O. is using, or on a trunked radio system, such as Midland (city) is using; specifically, this one: Midland Public Safety Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
Note in the "System Voice" description for this system it specifies "Analog". That's why your Pro-160 can monitor it. On the other hand, for the Permian Basin system, Permian Basin Regional Interoperability Network Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies, it shows 'system voice' as "APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive". In other words, it is digital.

Trunking Basics may give you a better understanding of trunked systems in general. There are a number of other articles in the Wiki with additional information.

The answer remains as I indicated previously: To receive Midland County S.O., you need a digital scanner. Unfortunately, your current scanner is not digital.

 

[Ensnared]

Permian P25 Trunking Question

No, those are not digital. You're confusing a trunked system with digital transmissions. They are not the same thing. Communication, on a radio system, may be made either on a conventional system, which is what Midland County S.O. is using, or on a trunked radio system, such as Midland (city) is using; specifically, this one: Midland Public Safety Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies
Note in the "System Voice" description for this system it specifies "Analog". That's why your Pro-160 can monitor it. On the other hand, for the Permian Basin system, Permian Basin Regional Interoperability Network Trunking System, Midland, Texas - Scanner Frequencies, it shows 'system voice' as "APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive". In other words, it is digital.

Trunking Basics may give you a better understanding of trunked systems in general. There are a number of other articles in the Wiki with additional information.

The answer remains as I indicated previously: To receive Midland County S.O., you need a digital scanner. Unfortunately, your current scanner is not digital.

Several months ago when I visited Big Spring & Midland area, I downloaded several of the new Permian Basin P25 trunking system sites on my PSR 500. Consequently, I heard Odessa PD here in Big Spring like it was right next door. This might have been during a testing phase. I believe I downloaded a combination of VHF and 800 mhz CC's from the RR DB for this system. In Win500, I had "CC's only" checked before I downloaded these.

Last week, I was driving west on IH20 near Cahoma. I heard 151.45250 in P25 with the alpha tag for Lamb County showing up on the display. I might add I previously programmed most of west Texas in conventional mode. When I looked in the RR DB, this frequency was identified as a Lamb County P25 frequency; however, no voice was present, a clue that something was amiss.

Last night, I experimented. I downloaded the Permian system as follows: a) one TSYS with VHF towers; and b) one TSYS with 800 mhz towers. I also unchecked "ignore encrypted talk groups" & unchecked "CC's only in Win500. But, I have not heard a peep since I arrived.

After downloading all of the operating frequencies, I put my radio into analyze mode to see if any other CC's were present. I scrolled through these until I found a CC, 152.5175 (site 009 CC for Big Spring). The analyze screen showed 99% with N1F0.

So, before I set out on attempting to analyze this system with Pro96Com, I have several questions:

1) After asking GRE why my PSR 500 didn't show data like other P25 trunking systems (TXWarn P25) in analyze mode with Pro96Com employed, the representative stated, "The thing that everyone needs to remember is that the PSR-500 was never really designed to be a control channel decoding radio, so extended packet functionality was not really a requirement. It does have everything it needs to track group and private calls, which is basically what it is designed to do. The good news is that the PSR-800 CCDump supports all of the P25 packets, standard and extended, and it works very well when decoding VHF/UHF P25 CC data." My question is, "how do people figure out various VHF P25 trunking systems with the limitations inherent in the PSR 500, particularly using Pro96Com. Do people use other radios like the PSR 800 or other Uniden radios to do so?

2) When programming a system with mixed VHF and 800 mhz CC's, does it matter that whether VHF & 800 mhz are programmed within the same TSYS? I have successfully downloaded TxWarn P25, but I have not had to program the VHF frequencies within that system.

3) Why am I only seeing one CC in Big Spring when I heard 151.4525 (site 007 VHF CC for Midland) the other day?

4) Have all of the CC's been properly identified in the Permian Basin?

5) With the strong CC from Midland showing 99% here in Big Spring, why am I not seeing the radio tracking the Permian Trunking system?

I hope someone will attempt to answer these questions and help me out.