New scanner help

[tvengr]

Just now, I heard activity on TGID 10651. That is the first time since I started to monitor it. I am now simultaneously monitoring both TGID 7302 on FIRST and TGID 10651 on CMARC to compare activity on both.

 

[tvengr]

The traffic for MSP D Bel Air on the FIRST and CMARC systems has been identical. It is presently possible to receive Bel Air barrack on a P25 Phase 1 scanner using the CMARC system.

 

[jandlory]

So sorry to hear about your wife's condition. If Money is tight but you still would like to listen in on the scanner, the cheapest way by far is to listen online at broadcastify. You will never have to worry about upgrading your radio and there is a national data base incase you would like to listen in somewhere else in the country.

Harford County Maryland Live Audio Feeds

Harford County Maryland Live Audio Feeds

www.broadcastify.com

 

[ka3jjz]

By the way, MSP is not very chatty. Even when listening to them on lo band, they are only on when necessary. Don't expect a lot of traffic from them - you will be disappointed....Mike

 

[Bob1955]

State police is now on the state FIRST system which is a P25 Phase 2 system which the WS1065 cannot receive. The BCD996P2 will receive Phase 2 systems, but the only way to know if it will work is to try it at your location due to the simulcast issue. The SDS200 would not have a problem, but you would be paying for that. I'm going to check if MSP is still on the Harford Co system. If it is, a Phase 1 scanner would receive it.

Bearcat BCD-996P2 is a great base/mobile scanner both for P.1/P.2 and is currently $325.00 on Amazon or you may purchase it from Bearcat Warehouse in Maryland and they can program it for you for $70.00 for one county. All digital scanners ship free of charge but no sales tax except MD residents.

 

[tvengr]

I already have the programming done for all of the area counties for every model scanner. No reason to have to pay to program it, and then only get one county.

 

[maus92]

I'd advise buying from a vendor who will accept returns without a restocking fee. The 996P2 is a solid radio, however like all previous generation scanners, they generally do not perform well on simulcast systems like CMARC. You may be lucky and live near a tower site that overwhelms the signal from the other tower sites, essentially nullifying the adverse effects of simulcast. If you give me an intersection nearby where you will be using the scanner, I can tell you how far away you are from each site. Generally, the closer you are to ONE site, the better.

 

[tvengr]

He is in Dublin MD.

 

[u2brent]

He's smack dab between 4-5 towers.. The most un-optimal situation for the older models..

RR Database Home

The most complete database of radio communications data

www.radioreference.com

 

[maus92]

He's smack dab betweeen 4-5 towers.. The most un-optimal situation for the older models..

RR Database Home

The most complete database of radio communications data

www.radioreference.com

That is unfortunate.

 

[u2brent]

I'd recommend taking up @tvengr 's offer of seeing several of these models in use @ your location before buying anything (unless of course you decide to spring for an SDS100, which negates the entire simulcast problem discussed here/pricing aside)

 

[maus92]

The traffic for MSP D Bel Air on the FIRST and CMARC systems has been identical. It is presently possible to receive Bel Air barrack on a P25 Phase 1 scanner using the CMARC system.

I don't know if the MSP Bel Air TG on CMARC is strapped full time. It may be that a Harford Deputy Sheriff could be scanning TGs with his mobile radio, which lights up the MSP TG. If there are no on-duty deputies that are doing this, then the TG could be silent. But then again, I'm not there and you have monitored the TG.

 

[tvengr]

I heard MSP dispatching units and doing car checks on both talkgroups.

 

[n3or]

I heard MSP dispatching units and doing car checks on both talkgroups.

So you think that the Whistler that I asked you about would work?

 

[Hit_Factor]

So you think that the Whistler that I asked you about would work?

Probably not, if simulcast is in your area. Only the Uniden SDS series handles simulcast.

Whistler is probably the oldest technology, then Uniden 436/536 (there are a couple off shoots in the model line), and Uniden SDS is the newest.

 

[maus92]

I heard MSP dispatching units and doing car checks on both talkgroups.

Yup you will if somebody is affiliated with the TG. I’m just mentioning that it’s a possibility that it is not be a full time TG. I think that the OP should consider a Phase 2 capable scanner as a minimum for his area / needs.

 

[tvengr]

I agree about the Phase 2 scanner. All of the new systems are Phase 2. With all of the current Phase 2 systems and those upgrading in the future, it makes no sense to purchase a scanner capable of Phase 1 only. If the CMARC system upgrades, it would no longer be possible to receive Harford Co on a Phase 1 scanner. At his location, the adjacent counties are Baltimore and Cecil as well as York Co PA. Cecil is on the FIRST Phase 2 system and York has its own Phase 2 system. Baltimore Co is presently Phase 1, but that could change. I can program all of them into a Phase 2 scanner. I have both the BCD996P2 and BCD536HP and can test if they work on both the CMARC and FIRST systems at his location. I also have a Pro-197 (the Radio Shack equivalent of the WS1065) and the BCD996XT if he only wants a Phase 1 scanner at the present time.

 

[n3or]

I agree about the Phase 2 scanner. All of the new systems are Phase 2. With all of the current Phase 2 systems and those upgrading in the future, it makes no sense to purchase a scanner capable of Phase 1 only. If the CMARC system upgrades, it would no longer be possible to receive Harford Co on a Phase 1 scanner. At his location, the adjacent counties are Baltimore and Cecil as well as York Co PA. Cecil is on the FIRST Phase 2 system and York has its own Phase 2 system. Baltimore Co is presently Phase 1, but that could change. I can program all of them into a Phase 2 scanner. I have both the BCD996P2 and BCD536HP and can test if they work on both the CMARC and FIRST systems at his location. I also have a Pro-197 (the Radio Shack equivalent of the WS1065) and the BCD996XT if he only wants a Phase 1 scanner at the present time.

Thanks for all your help. I guess this is dead for awhile, I just can't justify an expensive scanner when I don't really need it. Thank you for your time.

 

[wtp]

did you try the online broadcastify on this site ?

 

[maus92]

did you try the online broadcastify on this site ?

Only one of the sites is online, and the working feed has a background noise issue.