Ok, I am playing around with my 325p2 and Freescan software. I think I have grasp on the conventional system, but the trunking part has me a bit confused.
First let explain how I "think" it works then someone can correct me if I am not understanding right.
Systems - This would be the particular trunking system you want to monitor, for instance in my area there is:
the State public safety system (MPSCS) on P25 phase I,
The railroad which is on an NXDN system
ComSource is on DMR TRBO
Consumer Energy is on EDACS standard
The county road commission is on an LTR passport system
And the MIdport Electronics is on LTR standard.
So if I wanted to listen to the county law enforcement, EMS and State Police I would use the MPSCS P25 system. If I wanted to listen to the railroad I would use the NXDN system (if I had a TRX-2 that could pick it up).
Sites - Are pretty much just that, the actual site that is associated with the antenna or antennas for that system in a specific area. For my MSPC system I have numerous sites around me, Adrian, Monroe, Jackson and Detroit (there are others as well).
What I would optimally want to do is choose the site ( ie antenna location) closest to me. In m case it would be Adrian. If I wanted to choose a different site I would have be either close enough to receive it, or have an antenna strong enough to pick it up from where I am. As in it does me no good to choose the Detroit site unless I am going to actually be in that area or I have a really good antenna that can reach 50 miles.
Groups - These would be the specific cities, counties or agencies associated with the system. For instance for me it would be the different county sheriffs offices, any city systems on that network and the State Police.
Here is where my confusion starts. I am using a large tv tower antenna hooked to my scanner. I was told it probably wouldn't work, but it does. At least better than the rubber ducky or the OFCD home brew I made yesterday. (granted I can't get the the home made antenna as high, I am scared of heights and I am not climbing that tower lol). It is pretty directional, but I have a rotor adjustment for it. I can pick up regular signals 150.00 to 450.00 from almost 50 miles away if I point it in the right direction. It is a no go on the Apco25 systems unless they are very close (my home town). I am going to assume this antenna just blows at picking up 800.00 signals. Which is probably why I was told it wouldn't work very well.
If I choose the Monroe or detriot sites I pick up nothing, it is just dead silence on the trunked systems. Now if I choose the local Adrian site I can pick up Lenawee county groups, monroe groups like those county sheriffs and that state police post in Monroe. And I can pick up conversations from cars pretty far away (over 20 miles away).
What I can't get state police from jackson or detriot. I know there is a ton of highway patrol traffic outside of detriot, but I don't hear any of it. Just the local adrian and monroe post. Is this because the local Adrian tower can't pick them up either, so if it can't hear them, neither can I?
And if this is the case, does that mean that if I programed in the sites for monroe, jackson and detriot that I would start to receive them if drove closer to that area, or had a better antenna that could reach that far?
An example would be if I created a system for the State Police and linked it to the michgan state public network (apco25 phase I). Then added the sites for Adrian, Monroe, Jackson and Detroit. Then added all the State Police groups in those areas. Would that mean that as I drove around and left one area, then entered the other it would start receiving transmissions from those towers because I was in range now. Or same thing with a better antenna pointed in the direction of those particular sites.
Am I close to understanding this or am I hopelessly lost? Back when I had a regular scanner you were either close enough to pick up that frequency or you were not. I kind of assumed that if I could pick up one site from the network I could get the whole network. I am either wrong about that theory, or I just can't program those other areas correctly and it isn't picking them up.
Let me clarify that a bit. I thought since all the state police were on the mighigan public system, that if I could pick up one site (adrian) that I could listen to whatever group I programmed in, even if it was on the other side of the state. Simply because it was the same system and they were all linked. Now I am thinking that is not the case and instead you need to able to receive signals from a site closer to those groups in that particular area.
So that would mean that the Detroit area state police cannot communicate with cars or posts in the adrian area if they are physically in the detriot area ( out of range). So they would either need to be closer to my area, start communicating with the local post (14 in monroe) or they have much more powerful systems in their cars than what my little scanner has.
Does this make sense to anyone, or did I just take too much anxiety medication today lol.
First let explain how I "think" it works then someone can correct me if I am not understanding right.
Systems - This would be the particular trunking system you want to monitor, for instance in my area there is:
the State public safety system (MPSCS) on P25 phase I,
The railroad which is on an NXDN system
ComSource is on DMR TRBO
Consumer Energy is on EDACS standard
The county road commission is on an LTR passport system
And the MIdport Electronics is on LTR standard.
So if I wanted to listen to the county law enforcement, EMS and State Police I would use the MPSCS P25 system. If I wanted to listen to the railroad I would use the NXDN system (if I had a TRX-2 that could pick it up).
Sites - Are pretty much just that, the actual site that is associated with the antenna or antennas for that system in a specific area. For my MSPC system I have numerous sites around me, Adrian, Monroe, Jackson and Detroit (there are others as well).
What I would optimally want to do is choose the site ( ie antenna location) closest to me. In m case it would be Adrian. If I wanted to choose a different site I would have be either close enough to receive it, or have an antenna strong enough to pick it up from where I am. As in it does me no good to choose the Detroit site unless I am going to actually be in that area or I have a really good antenna that can reach 50 miles.
Groups - These would be the specific cities, counties or agencies associated with the system. For instance for me it would be the different county sheriffs offices, any city systems on that network and the State Police.
Here is where my confusion starts. I am using a large tv tower antenna hooked to my scanner. I was told it probably wouldn't work, but it does. At least better than the rubber ducky or the OFCD home brew I made yesterday. (granted I can't get the the home made antenna as high, I am scared of heights and I am not climbing that tower lol). It is pretty directional, but I have a rotor adjustment for it. I can pick up regular signals 150.00 to 450.00 from almost 50 miles away if I point it in the right direction. It is a no go on the Apco25 systems unless they are very close (my home town). I am going to assume this antenna just blows at picking up 800.00 signals. Which is probably why I was told it wouldn't work very well.
If I choose the Monroe or detriot sites I pick up nothing, it is just dead silence on the trunked systems. Now if I choose the local Adrian site I can pick up Lenawee county groups, monroe groups like those county sheriffs and that state police post in Monroe. And I can pick up conversations from cars pretty far away (over 20 miles away).
What I can't get state police from jackson or detriot. I know there is a ton of highway patrol traffic outside of detriot, but I don't hear any of it. Just the local adrian and monroe post. Is this because the local Adrian tower can't pick them up either, so if it can't hear them, neither can I?
And if this is the case, does that mean that if I programed in the sites for monroe, jackson and detriot that I would start to receive them if drove closer to that area, or had a better antenna that could reach that far?
An example would be if I created a system for the State Police and linked it to the michgan state public network (apco25 phase I). Then added the sites for Adrian, Monroe, Jackson and Detroit. Then added all the State Police groups in those areas. Would that mean that as I drove around and left one area, then entered the other it would start receiving transmissions from those towers because I was in range now. Or same thing with a better antenna pointed in the direction of those particular sites.
Am I close to understanding this or am I hopelessly lost? Back when I had a regular scanner you were either close enough to pick up that frequency or you were not. I kind of assumed that if I could pick up one site from the network I could get the whole network. I am either wrong about that theory, or I just can't program those other areas correctly and it isn't picking them up.
Let me clarify that a bit. I thought since all the state police were on the mighigan public system, that if I could pick up one site (adrian) that I could listen to whatever group I programmed in, even if it was on the other side of the state. Simply because it was the same system and they were all linked. Now I am thinking that is not the case and instead you need to able to receive signals from a site closer to those groups in that particular area.
So that would mean that the Detroit area state police cannot communicate with cars or posts in the adrian area if they are physically in the detriot area ( out of range). So they would either need to be closer to my area, start communicating with the local post (14 in monroe) or they have much more powerful systems in their cars than what my little scanner has.
Does this make sense to anyone, or did I just take too much anxiety medication today lol.
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