Recently got the Uniden BCD436. No problem finding & installing conventional channels but StarCom21 P25 I'm totally lost!!! Tried about everything I can think of and no luck. Want to listen to activity in Metro Chic area such as Il State Police & many suburbs that use P25 without having to scan to find it. When it's scanning the "full data base" some of the stuff shows up (not nearly all ). I want to be able to store specific Depts & put them in favorites or custom scans for quick access. I realize it's a BIG ask but can someone give me the step by step to enter & save those Depts? I copied alot of the TGID info - don't know if I also need to enter that or will the scanner do that?
Welcome to RadioReference, bbobt
If you are scanning the full database using your location, but seem to be missing some conversations, there are several things you need to check.
First, verify that your correct location is in the scanner. Also, look at the range setting. The range, as far as which systems are enabled versus those that are not, is based on the sum of the range you enter, plus the range of the system or department in question. See this:
How it Works: Location, Location, Location
Also make sure that you have all of the service types of interest enabled. The scanner, originally, has the public safety dispatch channels (conventional frequencies or trunked system talkgroups) enabled. That would be Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, Multi-Dispatch. you also need to enable the Tac and Talk service types as well. Examples include Law Talk, Fire Tac, Multi-Tac.
If you want to listen to certain, specific, agencies or departments, then you may want to create a Favorites list and scan that instead of the full database.
You can start off by using Sentinel to create a list for you. First, make sure that you have the correct service types enabled, as well as your location and range set.
Next, once you have those settings made, click on the Edit drop-down menu.
On that menu, select "Add Channels in Range".
That will create a Favorites list with all systems, departments, channels, and talkgroup IDs that match the active service types you selected, and that are within the range and location you are using. You can give it the name of your choice. That likely will pull in more than you really want, including some items that you probably would never hear (such as regional channels). You can address that in one of two ways.
You can edit the list in the Favorites editor to trim out things that are either too far away, or of no interest. The list editor can be accessed via either the drop-down Edit menu, or by clicking on it's icon on the second row, just under the menu names. The Favorites List Editor is the one that looks like a Star, with a pencil on it. Once you open the Editor, you can delete those you don't want, as well as modify text tags if need be. Note that you can do much of the "trimming" on the main Sentinel screen, without using the Editor. See this
document.
Since your questions are about a specific area, [FONT="]I would suggest that you request your thread be moved to the Illinois forum. Someone there might have information of any upgrades or changes planned for this system. To do that, do
not create a new thread. Instead, click on the red outlined triangle in the upper right corner of your original post, and request that a moderator move your thread to the state forum. Someone in the area would be more likely to see it there, and would be familiar with your locations of interest.[/FONT]
