Need Dallas/Garland/Rowlett Help

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rbtsmpsn

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It's obvious that I have no clue. I thought I figured out how to get Rowlett yesterday, but didn't.

I'm in Rowlett and I'm still having trouble tuning Rowlett PD and FD.

I have a Radio Shack Pro-164 v1.08 and I'm running ACR300 (latest version with rebanding)

Here's what I did, obviously wrong:

Through ARC300 I named Bank 1 "Rowlett"
I then went to Import RR
I selected Texas, Dallas County, Garland Public Safety (trunk system)
I selected Garland Channels: 12 / Rebanded..... from the left side
From the right side, I expanded Talkgroups: 88 and selecter Rowlett/ 10 TGID's
I then imported to my scanner

All I get is some Garland Public Works and some Garland PD and FD.

What did I do wrong?


Thanks for any input
 

rbtsmpsn

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I'm running ARC 1.22 Build 3

Here's what I loaded from RR through ARC from TEXAS, DALLAS, GARLAND PUBLIC SAFETY:

All 12 Garland frequencies
From Talkgroups: All 10 IDs for Rowlett

99% of what I hear is Garland Public Works and Garland Animal Control. I occasionally hear Garland PD. I did not even select any Garland Talkgroups. Should all 12 Garland frequencies have been loaded?
Contrast that with Dallas PD and Dallas FD. These arent talkgroups, just frequencies. I hear exactly what I loaded.

It has to be me. I'm just doing something wrong when it comed to rebanded talkgroups.

Any additional help would be most appreciated. Sorry for being such a dumb ***. I'm just not getting my head wrapped around this for rome reason.
 

Cressida81

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Hey, i just relocated to Rowlett and was looking to setup my old Pro-95 to listen but it looks like the pro-95 won't support the rebanding. We just bought our first house and had our first kid so money is tight. What is the cheapest trunking scanner that supports the new rebanding?
 

hiegtx

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Hey, i just relocated to Rowlett and was looking to setup my old Pro-95 to listen but it looks like the pro-95 won't support the rebanding. We just bought our first house and had our first kid so money is tight. What is the cheapest trunking scanner that supports the new rebanding?
Cressida,

In the Radio Shack line, the Pro-164 will support the Garland system, but it requires using software & the pc interface cable to enter the rebanding tables. Same with the discontinued PSR-300; GRE makes both scanners. You might find the 164 on sale, if you're patient, but the ac adapter and pc cable are extra cost items. The 300, being discontinued, might be found used, either here in the classifieds, or on eBay. It came with an adapter, but not the cable. Software is the same, and an extra cost item, for both.

GRE's replacement for the PSR-300 is the PSR-310. You'd still need the ac adapter, or plan to keep a stock of rechargeable batteries on hand, but it can be programmed, including the custom band plan, through the keyboard. (Software is easier, though.) The PSR-700, which has the RadioReference database loaded in it, would also work.

The current Uniden hand-held analog scanner is the BC346XT. It comes with the ac adapter, pc cable, and FreeSCAN can be used for programming, though it can be programmed through the keyboard. Older Uniden analog scanners that would also work include the BC246T & the BR330T. Of those two, the 246T would be cheaper on the used market. FreeSCAN works with them as well.

Please remember that just to your northwest, this system serves Plano, Allen, Wylie, & Murphy. It's a P25 (digital) system, as is Richardson now. Should those interest you (Texas DPS is also digital), then you may want to consider, if not now, at a future date, a digital scanner. The PSR-500 is GRE's current digital hand-held. Radio Shack sells what is essentially the same scanner, just with a different front panel arrangement, as the Pro-106. While R/S often puts the 106 on sale for a little less than the normal PSR-500 price, the 500 comes with the ac adapter & pc cable. The Pro-106 does not. Software is extra (same program for either). For Uniden, the current digital handheld is the BCD396XT. It comes with pc cable, ac adapter, and rechargeable batteries, & you can use FreeSCAN. You might find one or any of these scanners on eBay, or in the classifieds here on RadioReference.
 

Cressida81

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Thank you so much. Now I know what to be on the lookout for. Probably going to try and find something used since I have very little money after just having our first baby and also buying our first house!

Cressida,

In the Radio Shack line, the Pro-164 will support the Garland system, but it requires using software & the pc interface cable to enter the rebanding tables. Same with the discontinued PSR-300; GRE makes both scanners. You might find the 164 on sale, if you're patient, but the ac adapter and pc cable are extra cost items. The 300, being discontinued, might be found used, either here in the classifieds, or on eBay. It came with an adapter, but not the cable. Software is the same, and an extra cost item, for both.

GRE's replacement for the PSR-300 is the PSR-310. You'd still need the ac adapter, or plan to keep a stock of rechargeable batteries on hand, but it can be programmed, including the custom band plan, through the keyboard. (Software is easier, though.) The PSR-700, which has the RadioReference database loaded in it, would also work.

The current Uniden hand-held analog scanner is the BC346XT. It comes with the ac adapter, pc cable, and FreeSCAN can be used for programming, though it can be programmed through the keyboard. Older Uniden analog scanners that would also work include the BC246T & the BR330T. Of those two, the 246T would be cheaper on the used market. FreeSCAN works with them as well.

Please remember that just to your northwest, this system serves Plano, Allen, Wylie, & Murphy. It's a P25 (digital) system, as is Richardson now. Should those interest you (Texas DPS is also digital), then you may want to consider, if not now, at a future date, a digital scanner. The PSR-500 is GRE's current digital hand-held. Radio Shack sells what is essentially the same scanner, just with a different front panel arrangement, as the Pro-106. While R/S often puts the 106 on sale for a little less than the normal PSR-500 price, the 500 comes with the ac adapter & pc cable. The Pro-106 does not. Software is extra (same program for either). For Uniden, the current digital handheld is the BCD396XT. It comes with pc cable, ac adapter, and rechargeable batteries, & you can use FreeSCAN. You might find one or any of these scanners on eBay, or in the classifieds here on RadioReference.
 

Cressida81

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Still having trouble finding one of those scanners above for a price I can afford :-(
I still have my Pro-95 though. How much are those worth? Would anyone who doesn't need the rebanded frequencies be willing to trade my Pro-95 for a Pro-164 or PSR-300? I could pay whatever the difference is. That way my out of pocket cost doesn't eat into the diaper budget!
 

hiegtx

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Still having trouble finding one of those scanners above for a price I can afford :-(
I still have my Pro-95 though. How much are those worth? Would anyone who doesn't need the rebanded frequencies be willing to trade my Pro-95 for a Pro-164 or PSR-300? I could pay whatever the difference is. That way my out of pocket cost doesn't eat into the diaper budget!
Taking a quick look over on eBay, there are a few Pro-95's listed, in the $40-$50 range bids right now. They may get a little higher, but not much.

If you acquired a Pro-164 or PSR-300, whether in a swap, or purchase, you'd still need the pc cable (about $30) and software (another $25), as that's the only way those scanners can be programmed for a rebanded system such as Garland.

You might take a look at the Pro-107. Radio Shack has this as a factory refurbished @ $129.99. This would have about everything you need, except batteries.

Instead of the Pro-164, or PSR-300, also consider the PSR-310. It comes with the ac adapter, but no cable. However, it can be programmed for a rebanded system without software.

As I noted previously, none of these scanners are digital capable, so you would not be able to hear Plano, Richardson, Texas DPS, or the Dallas P25 system (if & when they ever get it built out & operating, probably several years out).
 

hiegtx

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I have a PC cable for the Pro-95 already, is that the same cable you would use for the pro-164?
I don't own that scanner, but since it is basically an "updated Pro-97", to allow for rebanding, I believe it would work. However, software is still required.

For the PSR-310, you'd need the newer USB cable (if the cable you have is the older style).
 

Cressida81

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I've seen some Digital Pro-96's used that I might be able to get a hold of, they seem pretty cheap for a digital scanner though (under $200 used in some cases). Is there something wrong with those? They appear to support rebanding and also digital.
 

hiegtx

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I've seen some Digital Pro-96's used that I might be able to get a hold of, they seem pretty cheap for a digital scanner though (under $200 used in some cases). Is there something wrong with those? They appear to support rebanding and also digital.
You would still need software for rebanding on Garland.

The Pro-96 would work on most of the other current digital systems, for now. However, if & when Dallas gets a P25 system up & running past the current limited use stage, it will include 700MHz sites. The Pro-96 will not trunk-track 700MHz systems.

Another digital scanner, occasionally found in the low to mid $200's, is the BCD396T (or the base-mobile equivalent BCD996T). These will do 700MHz trunking. These ship with a cable (if buying used, ask if the cable is coming with it). Software is not required, but makes things easier. FreeSCAN (which is freeware) handles programming very capably.
 
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