Hello fellow Texans,
I am new to the scanner world. I am looking at getting the Uniden BCD325P2. Will this work for monitoring public safety freqs in Bexar Co, Hays Co, and Travis Co? It looks like agencies such as San Antonio PD are now encrypted? Is it possible to use the above scanner to monitor SAPD?
Also, is there anyone in the Bexar Co area that can program the Uniden BCD325P2 for me?
I appreciate any help. Thank y'all in advance!
All the San Antonio PD talkgroups are encrypted on their new system.
Alamo Area Regional Radio System (AARRS) Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
There is
no scanner that can monitor encrypted transmissions. Not the 325P2 nor any other. It's against the law to make a scanner that could do that.
For the other talkgroups on the new system used in San Antonio & Bexar County, several of the sites are Simulcast.
Simulcast systems are a problem for any scanner other than Uniden's SDS100 & SDS200. The Unication pagers do handle simulcast, but they are not true scanners, and you are limited to only one site at a time, & no more than 64 talkgroups at one time. (You can program more, but only listen to one site & 64 talkgroups at any one time.)
The
Blue Tail receiver also can handle simulcast, but they are not actual scanners either. I understand that they are working on a new product that will be more like a scanner, but it's not yet on the market.
The other option is to use on of the SDR dongles & downloaded software, but requires using a PC to do that. Not exactly something you could grab & take with you.
More on Simulcast in the Wiki.
Simulcast digital distortion - The RadioReference Wiki
Travis County & Austin are on this system:
Greater Austin/Travis Regional Radio System (GATRRS) Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
It also uses simulcast sites.
Hays County & it's cities are on the LCRA system.
Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) P25 Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
The Hays County site is not flagged as simulcast, but since it uses licenses issued to the State of Texas, you can't review the actual transmit tower locations to see if it is handled as simulcast, or not.
If you are
extremely lucky, you might find some places where a scanner other than the SDS series might work. That would be where terrain (hills) or possibly clusters of tall buildings block signals from some of the sites. Simulcast can be so
very location specific that, in some cases, if you are in exactly the right spot it might work. But the minute you walk out the door & drive around your area, all bets are off unless you have one of the receivers mentioned above that can handle simulcast.
