Niles Michigan

[govermentcheese]

Got the scanner programmed with berrien county frequencies state police just dont hear much traffic. I have the niles rebroadcast on the msp frequency do not hear much traffic. Does anyone else have this issue. Any afdvice greatly appericiated.

 

[JoeyC]

Any afdvice greatly appericiated.

It would behoove you to read every PSR800 thread on this site to learn about your new scanner instead of making a new thread for each question you have along the way.

 

[WayneH]

I agree with Joe. Rather than asking a ton of questions please try using the forum search feature and/or browse the GRE forum. You aren't the first person to own an 800. I do not want to have to close more of your threads. Keep everything in the same thread and please stop creating multiple threads on whatever conceivable question you have for that day..

 

[govermentcheese]

Hello to all . I have had my psr800 for about 1 week now. I have pretty much got it figured out now. I have found that having the agc modes turned off seems to work good .My question is has anyone else that has a psr800 found this to be true. Any suggestions on how you have your psr800 set up greatly apperciated. No luck so far on the niles police being received yet. Going to spend some time tomorrow sunday with the digital speech processor . Patching a laptop with the psr.800

 

[DaveIN]

The digital AGC attempts to level the volume on the audio. Some systems may be louder than others, so this could be the case on your P25 TG's. It's a listener preference.

Niles PD can be found on MPSCS TG 13026 (patch to 453.975), and Niles State PD Post 153 TG 3016.

If you look at the Cass dB you'll notice that someone posted some conventional P25 frequencies that were in use last summer that you may want to try: Cass County, Michigan (MI) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

 

[gpp10x]

Hasn't Niles PD been discussed in this thread that they switched to a Kenwood NXDN system?

http://forums.radioreference.com/michigan-radio-discussion-forum/256026-niles-observations-qs.html

 

[govermentcheese]

Thanks for the advice . I thought I had that allready downloaded in the scanner but I did not. I am going to work but when I get home I am going to download that talkgroup. Thanks for the advice and help. And yes it was talked about in another thread but some were thinking niles might still be able to be heard.Anyway take care and thanks.. Got to go bend some metal 6 days a week is to much. Last week they had us at the shop for seven days. When I was younger I did not mind as you get older the overtime is not as important as the time off is.Take care 73s..10-4 over and out..

I have been working on getting a really good scan files for the niles area without alot of useless frequencies. When I recently used the software to get some local frequencies I got alot of so called wildcard channells.??. Not sure what this is about. Also have noticed alot of people or agencies using the wildcard labeling ??? Anyone got a good niles area file for a psr 800... Also noticed the led light will not flash on some wildcard channels even though I have it turned on...

 

[RonnieUSA]

You do understand that a wildcard is for discovering new talk groups that are unknown.
So that might be why the light is not working when You get a hit on it.

 

[govermentcheese]

Thanks..

Noticed more wildcard frequencies have been poping up lately...More and more action lately new wildcards in the niles area..

Has anyone else experienced while listening on psr-800 while someone is transmitiing it starts all over. While listening to smacas ambulance or michigan state police for example it will stop durning conversation and restart. On my older uniden I have running at the same time it does not do this. I have double checked to make sure weather option is shut off. When it does this you miss some of the transmission it seems to happen jsut when some important information is being passed. It is just plain frustrating . Any advice or help greatly apperciated.Take care and be safe. Also anyone having a really good set up on there psr-800 as far as options and frequencies and would like to share this let me know.

Hello to all anyone in the Niles area got a psr-800 and have it setup for the Niles area. I do not need all the extra stuff that does not apply to scanner. I had my psr -800 set up but while doing a update I got scanner all messed up. What type of radios do most of Niles agencies use i just want local channels that apply . I had berrien county sheriff and Niles police and some local fire but now it is all messed up any help greatly appeciated. Thanks Chuck

 

[Hit_Factor]

Most all of Berrien County is on MPSCS, a P25 radio system. Niles PD uses this system.

I use the Uniden SDS100 to monitor Berrien County Sheriff, Police, State Police, and infrequently fire/ems.

Many years ago I had the same scanner you have. I sold it and moved to Uniden 436, Home Patrol 2, and now SDS100.

I live in St Joseph.

 

[jaspence]

If you check the RR database, you will see that Niles does not directly use the MPSCS. They use VHF and mid 400 MHz frequencies and are or were patched into the state system. I lived in NIles, and from the info I got from a trusted source, some salesman convinced them the had to go digital, not ust narrow band, and their police are on NXDN. At the time that decision was made, NXDN was not on any scanner and the city thought it would give them secure radio traffic.

 

[govermentcheese]

When i try to download info or freq into scanner i get so many extra frequencies i do not need. Scanner when in data base of stored frequencies and it allows you to go by cities and state I pick Niles and then you get 2 more choices aggenies or another choice i can not remember it just downloads to many frequencies that i do not need. I kinda of got scanner working but not like it was. I feel so stupid that i canot get it back to what it was. Thanks for your replies.

 

[trentbob]

Hey Chuck, I was one of the first ones to respond to you on your other thread regarding your programming problem. I did steer you in the right direction by introducing what the database was to you and interpreting it giving you local frequencies and talk groups for your hometown.

You had fantastic help from one fellow who really did a lot of work to help you on your other thread. I also explained that your database from your state may not be accurate but it appeared that maybe your hometown police was still being rebroadcast on a UHF frequency and I gave you the talk groups for your police on the Statewide system. It is now established that someone on very trustworthy information has informed us that your hometown is now on nxdn. Your radio can not pick that up and the Legacy upgrade would not help with that. I noticed that you did not acknowledge the nxdn information.

There seems to be a missing link here, maybe there's something wrong with your radio, it is quite old, I had one years ago and now it's in my closet. No matter what rebranded GRE radio you had that is sold by Whistler the programming will basically be the same just using different software with the newer software being more efficient.

I've been paying attention to the other thread carefully after trying to steer you in the right direction and I'm impressed with the expert help that you received there. There is however some kind of disconnect between the help that you got and the results that you are getting. It does seem very frustrating.

keep in mind if your database is not correct on RR regarding your hometown, no matter what programming software you're using, or no matter what type of radio you're using, the software is updated from the RR database. Even if you had an SDS 100 you would have to put the nxdn system in manually anyway if it's not in the database.

Again I'm sorry to see you're having so much problem and perhaps we'll find what that Missing Link is.

 

[govermentcheese]

Thanks for your advice . I had scanner working pretty decent last weekend something changed when I messed with updating the software side which in turn when I clicked on updating it changed my scanner setup . It is probably something in the software side I need to change on the general settings tab or on the advanced setting tab or on the trunked radio sytem tab . Thanks evryone for all the help.

 

[tvengr]

I saw the post from trentbob on the Michigan forum. He says that your hometown has switched to a NXDN system, which your scanner cannot receive. Even if that is true, you should still see the 4 scan lists when you copy the configuration to your scanner. It could be a software problem. If I overreacted in my previous post, I apologize. My only intent is to help you. I am just as frustrated as you are.

 

[trentbob]

I saw the post from trentbob on the Michigan forum. He says that your hometown has switched to a NXDN system, which your scanner cannot receive. Even if that is true, you should still see the 4 scan lists when you copy the configuration to your scanner. It could be a software problem. If I overreacted in my previous post, I apologize. My only intent is to help you. I am just as frustrated as you are.

Eh... you couldn't have done more... the city I worked in before I retired as a longtime newspaper man went nxdn. Myself and a friend worked on the system and pinned it down... but didn't get it into the database as they threatened to go encrypted if we did. Someone else in the city worked on the system and it finally got into the database and it is still in the clear, It's not easy and we were listening on DSD on laptops in the car. As far as the files you made covering everything over 4 scan list, you couldn't have helped more but it may be a user knowledge type thing, not that there's anything wrong with that, I think Chuck needs a total walkthrough getting that information into his Radio, stay with it Chuck. That's why we're here. Hopefully somebody will eventually get that nxdn system pinned down.

 

[govermentcheese]

Thanks a complete walkthrough i agree..Also should i do this whistler upgrade..

 

[tvengr]

The Whistler upgrade would enable you to use the WS1080 EZ Scan software so that you can get the latest Whistler firmware updates. I have seen many reports of the upgrade improving performance. However, the 1080 is not capable of NXDN. If Niles has gone to NXDN, you may be better off purchasing a new scanner capable of that. The Whistler TRX-1 does DMR and NXDN out of the box, but DMR has trunking problems. The Uniden BCD325P2 is capable of DMR and NXDN with paid upgrades, but has limited battery life. It does not have the nationwide database. If you want a scanner to receive P25 simulcast systems, the Uniden SDS100 is the only one that will reliably receive them. It is also capable of DMR and NXDN with paid upgrades. The model numbers I gave you are just for the handhelds. The TRX-2, BCD996P2, and SDS200 are the comparable mobile/desktop models. Meanwhile, we are dead in the water until the updated Niles information is posted on the database.

 

[trentbob]

The Whistler upgrade would enable you to use the WS1080 EZ Scan software so that you can get the latest Whistler firmware updates. I have seen many reports of the upgrade improving performance. However, the 1080 is not capable of NXDN. If Niles has gone to NXDN, you may be better off purchasing a new scanner capable of that. The Whistler TRX-1 does DMR and NXDN out of the box, but DMR has trunking problems. The Uniden BCD325P2 is capable of DMR and NXDN with paid upgrades, but has limited battery life. It does not have the nationwide database. If you want a scanner to receive P25 simulcast systems, the Uniden SDS100 is the only one that will reliably receive them. It is also capable of DMR and NXDN with paid upgrades. The model numbers I gave you are just for the handhelds. The TRX-2, BCD996P2, and SDS200 are the comparable mobile/desktop models. Meanwhile, we are dead in the water until the updated Niles information is posted on the database.

I agree with this... Chuck... You should ask around town, talk to some fireman, radio techs, radio shops. Perhaps talk to a local ham operator Club. Someone might have that system and it just isn't in the database.

If you were to find out how to pick up the nxdn I also would not use the Whistler radios. The NX48 system near me does not work well on the TRX one. It also has trunking issues and doesn't use the two sites. Many missed Transmissions. It also doesn't work a lick on my P2 simulcast single-site multiple tower system. The x36 and the SDSXXX does work very well on nxdn.

 

[tvengr]

I forgot to mention the BCD436HP Handheld and BCD536HP Desk/Mobile. Both are DMR and NXDN capable with paid upgrades and have the nationwide database. I have P25 simulcast problems at my location with almost every scanner, including the BCD436HP and BCD536HP. The SDS100 and SDS200 perform perfectly.