Model/Brand of scanner for Analog+P25 to UDP MPEG-TS stream?

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bladamson

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Jul 10, 2014
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Riverton, WV
Hello everyone. I apologize for my ignorance, but I am a scanner-dummy and I've been given a Project and I'm having trouble figuring out what brand/model of scanner I ought to be buying. So I am hoping I can get some advice from y'all on what I ought to buy...

So, the situation is: I work for a small rural telephone coop in Pendleton County, WV (though we also cover parts of Pocahontas county). One of the services we offer to our customers is IPTV over fiber. The Big Boss has asked me to set up a local TV channel that broadcasts the output of a Fire/Police/EMS radio scanner.

I think I've gotten most of the technical stuff /past/ the scanner figured out. A linux box taking the audio off line-in, using ffmpeg to convert it into a multicast UDP MPEG-TS stream that I can feed into our grooming hardware. However, I can't seem to accomplish the simple task of figuring out /what/ scanner to buy to hook to the thing...

Here are links to the database entries for the counties I want to cover:
Pendleton County, West Virginia (WV) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
Pocahontas County, West Virginia (WV) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

My understanding is that our Police/Fire/EMS are in the process of converting to the statewide SIRN Project 25 digital trunked system, which is what is making my head spin. I would like to make sure that whatever scanner I buy will be able to deal with that.

I'm looking for a base station type of scanner, preferably one that will mount in a 19-inch rack. Since I am such a dummy, something that is relatively easy to program would sure be a bonus.

I understand that most of these newfangled scanners can output data to a computer during operation. Something that works well with Linux in that regard would be a plus, as I would like to render some text into a video stream showing what station/talkgroup is breaking squelch, such that it will appear on the customers' TV screens.

We'd be putting an external antenna on the roof here at the office in Riverton, here:
http://goo.gl/maps/cks0p
although if that's not a good place, we could potentially put it on a tower on top of Spruce Knob (though that would be sort of a nightmare):
http://goo.gl/maps/Wqz29
An antenna recommendations would be pretty darn cool, too...

Thanks so much, y'all. I apologize again for my ignorance, and really really appreciate any advice y'all might have for me.
 

UPMan

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Arlington, TX
If you want to monitor anything on the SIRN system, you'll need a digital scanner capable of monitoring APCO P25 Phase 1. Of Uniden scanners, the current models are:
BCD396XT
BCD996XT
HomePatrol-1

Overkill, but will handle P25 Phase 1 (as well as Phase 2):
BCD436HP
BCD536HP

You might also be interested in talking to Rangecast.com about this project.
 

bladamson

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Jul 10, 2014
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Location
Riverton, WV
Thanks, buddy. The BCD536HP looks quite handy and easy to program, especially with the ability to connect to it via TCP/IP and configure it from my desk rather than having to run down to the CO every time I want to mess with something.

I like that you can just give it a zipcode and go, too. That's nice for a dummy like me! However, is it possible to give that thing multiple zipcodes? The area we want to try to cover with it is 5-6 different zipcodes in 1.5 counties. I realize we might have to put a second unit at one of the remotes in Pocahontas county to get the analog stuff there, but I am hoping that one unit will be able to cover most of Pendleton county pretty well with a decent antenna that is well-placed.

Thanks again for your help!
 

UPMan

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Apr 19, 2004
Messages
13,296
Location
Arlington, TX
You should note that the Wi-Fi (TCP/IP) portion of the 536 is still pending. Massive threads elsewhere with details.

For how the zip code part works, see How it Works: Location, Location, Location

The zip code just defines your location. The scanner selects using the zip codes center point, not limited to agencies only in that zip code.
 
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