NewBe Question...Filtering Talk Groups & Site Selection (EBRCS)

[RC769]

Hi, I just bought an SDS-100 and am new to this digital and trunk scanning (I’m an old hand on the old analog conventional systems). Can anyone shed some light on a couple of things?

1. Is there a way to filter an agency from within a talk group? If so, how? Specifically I want to hear only:

a. Alameda FD communications which are on ALCO FD Dispatch-1 (Talk Group 2605, which also includes dispatch for Fremont, Newark, Union City, and maybe others);

b. ALCO sheriff contracted to the Oakland Airport which are on ALCO Sherrif Dispatch-2 (Talk Group 3707), which also includes Dublin PD, and several other contract agencies)


2. EBRCS has 4 simulcast sites. Are these sites specific to the covered areas, or specific to receiving the signal depending on where the receiver is? (Example: Oakland PD (OPD) coverage area is on NW site. If I were located in the far eastern part of the county, would I want to scan the East site, or the NW site to hear OPD?)

Thanks

 

[ScanRafael]

There is not any way to filter agencies within a talk group. Sometimes I wish there was because I like to bring my SDS100 to the airport but I don't care to listen to deputies patrolling the courthouse. The sites serve radio users within their vicinity. I highly recommend that you download Uniden's sentinel software and create a favorites list of only the sites and talkgoups that you want to monitor.

 

[Eng74]

There is no way to filter traffic on a talk group, just like a real radio, if you are on the dispatch TG/channel you will hear everything that happens on it. The best thing to do to help your scanning speed is to give each site its own quick key so you can turn on and off the ones you are near or not.

 

[MountainMoose]

You can program you Favorites list to include those and turn them on and off as needed. I assume you have programmed a FL or are you doing a "database" only scan? if so that will pull EVERYTHING on the system site

 

[ECPD279]

As for "4 simulcast sites", that's not entirely accurate. EBRCS has about 20 simulcast sites, spread over six cells across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Alameda County has ALCO NW, ALCO SW and ALCO E, whereas Contra Costa has CCCO WEST, CCCO CENTRAL and CCCO EAST. Each of these cells operates on multiple simulcast sites, with some sites serving multiple cells. Many agency specific talkgroups operate across several cells due to coverage issues within their "home" cell. For example, I hear Oakland PD channels on the CCCO WEST cell and the CCCO CENTRAL cell, even though their home cell is ALCO NW. There's no real rhyme or reason to it other than filling coverage gaps. My work radios will occasionally switch to the ALCO NW cell when I'm on the back side of the hill and the signal is stronger than CCCO WEST. It's pretty seamless and done automatically. But for scanner purposes, if you program the home cell for the agency you want to hear, you'll get all the traffic even when the talkgroup is also talking on other cells.