n0yzt
Member
After this latest firmware update my 536 scanner no longer picks up the hospital ER's here in Kansas City. I have disconnected the gps, entered a zip code closer to where the majority are but no success. Any ideas?
Not hearing hospitals ER
- Thread starter n0yzt
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Have you also turned on all EMS services in the service type setting?
n0yzt
Member
Not hearing hospitals
All EMS is turned on. I even disabled my favorites and am using the full database in case my favorites list got corrupted.
All EMS is turned on. I even disabled my favorites and am using the full database in case my favorites list got corrupted.
Redneck0410
Member
My guess would be "hospital" not EMS. Worth a try.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
n0yzt
Member
The issue is actually much bigger
I live in Leavenworth county. All services if you look in the sentinel database for kc both sides are under this MARS system and my scanner will apparently NOT scan any of those frequencies. I attempted to pull certain frequencies out but the database and scanner defaults to this MARS. It had been working just fine. This has only occurred in the last 2 months or so. I apologize for being so wordy.
I live in Leavenworth county. All services if you look in the sentinel database for kc both sides are under this MARS system and my scanner will apparently NOT scan any of those frequencies. I attempted to pull certain frequencies out but the database and scanner defaults to this MARS. It had been working just fine. This has only occurred in the last 2 months or so. I apologize for being so wordy.
I don't see any MARS system in the Leavenworth area. Leavenworth County uses the KSICS statewide P25 system.You can't just copy talkgroups to a favorite list, you have to copy the sites too. Scanners do not scan talkgroups or departments, they scan sites, and use talkgroups and departments to identify traffic they find on a site.
n0yzt
Member
You are correct it is Johnson, Wyandotte, and Jackson (MO) counties around Leavenworth that are on the MARS system. I attempted to pull some frequencies from the MARS list and placed them in a favorites list. When it is loaded to the scanner, only MARS category displays and not the frequencies I pulled out. I know it used to work then it like disappeared and will not load again.
n0yzt
Member
Also, I can receive information from Ottawa (about 40 miles) from me not on the MARS. I can hear the police from Lawrence (not on the MARS) but Lawrence Memorial Hospital (on the MARS) I cannot hear. Go figure. I am currently running the full database and still nothing on the MARS comes through.
n0yzt
Member
I know I should wait for replies but as I mess with it other things show up. I made a favorites where I loaded the Catagory MARS. When the scanner reaches my favorite (MARS) the only frequencies scanned are the ones listed as Simulcast.
n0yzt
Member
Ok Uniden. So, a whole bunch of frequencies in the Sentinal software for Johnson County KS are listed under the heading Metropoliton Area Radio System ( MARRS). I don't know what has happened but my scanner is no longer scanning this system. When it comes to this it scans 4 county frequencies all marked simulcast. Up until a couple weeks ago I would hear these frequencies. I do have the GPS but these counties are all within the range of the of hearing. I unplugged the gps and placed another zip code in and still not able to scan those frequencies. WHAT IS GOING ON, PLEASE.
I'd be tempted to set the scanner's Range value to 50.0 while you attempt to sort through the issues. Sometimes problems can be attributed to location issues and casting this wide net lessens the potential for this situation. Once you get things sorted out, you can back that number down to a more appropriate value.
Just looking at the Sentnel database, most of the hospital talkgroups are listed as "Hospital" Service Types with an "EMS Dispatch" and "Emergency Ops". I'd cpmfor, tjese Service Types are enabled in your Profile.
If you are up for a little experimentation, on those sites that you aren't receiving, you might trry looking at the location information for one of these in Sentinel and note the lat/long. Then edit your Profile in Sentinel, in the Location Settings tab, put those settings in the boxes provided for Latitude ang Longitude. Then do a write to your scanner.
This will "fool" the scanner into thinking it is at the location of the site. The scanner should attempt to receive the site. Whether you will actually receive the site is another question which depends if you are close enough to receive it.
On the wild and crazy side: I noticed the "simulcast" sites use frequencies in the 800s and the "non simulcast" sites are in the 700s for frequencies. It's possible, but I think very unlikely, that the firmware update may have a bug related to difference in those control channel frequencies. Again this is admittedly wild and crazy.
Yet another wild and crazy possibility for your hospital comms is that they may have began using encryption for patient privacy. They turned that on just coincidental to your firmware update.
Just looking at the Sentnel database, most of the hospital talkgroups are listed as "Hospital" Service Types with an "EMS Dispatch" and "Emergency Ops". I'd cpmfor, tjese Service Types are enabled in your Profile.
If you are up for a little experimentation, on those sites that you aren't receiving, you might trry looking at the location information for one of these in Sentinel and note the lat/long. Then edit your Profile in Sentinel, in the Location Settings tab, put those settings in the boxes provided for Latitude ang Longitude. Then do a write to your scanner.
This will "fool" the scanner into thinking it is at the location of the site. The scanner should attempt to receive the site. Whether you will actually receive the site is another question which depends if you are close enough to receive it.
On the wild and crazy side: I noticed the "simulcast" sites use frequencies in the 800s and the "non simulcast" sites are in the 700s for frequencies. It's possible, but I think very unlikely, that the firmware update may have a bug related to difference in those control channel frequencies. Again this is admittedly wild and crazy.
Yet another wild and crazy possibility for your hospital comms is that they may have began using encryption for patient privacy. They turned that on just coincidental to your firmware update.
I think that the odds of the problem being an actual firmware bug are pretty mych zero, given that the OP was associating the traffic he is looking for with the wrong service type, appears to be confused regarding the difference between frequencies and talkgroups, and went from using GPS to provide scanner location to a ZIP code, which is far less accurate. As to the "wild and crazy" ideas, they are exactly that. If encryption was being used, there would be some indication that was the case--either ENC showing on the display or garbled audio. The remainder aren't worth contemplating. If a firmware bug disabled 800MHz frequencies, there would be hundreds or thousands of affected users (including me), and there would be a huge thread about it already.
What is far more likely that system changes were made in the main database, such as updating site location info, the service type tags on various talkgroups, etc. and those changes were written to the scanner during the same write to scanner as the firmware update.
Also, turn on all Service Types, make sure there are no Avoids set on the systems or departments within the systems, and that all quick keys associated with favorite lists and affected systems are still active. Reconnect the GPS so the scanner thinks it is where it actually is. Temporarily increasing Range is a useful diagnostic, but will cause the scanner to scan a lot of out-of-range clutter.
What is far more likely that system changes were made in the main database, such as updating site location info, the service type tags on various talkgroups, etc. and those changes were written to the scanner during the same write to scanner as the firmware update.
Also, turn on all Service Types, make sure there are no Avoids set on the systems or departments within the systems, and that all quick keys associated with favorite lists and affected systems are still active. Reconnect the GPS so the scanner thinks it is where it actually is. Temporarily increasing Range is a useful diagnostic, but will cause the scanner to scan a lot of out-of-range clutter.
Yeah I do think the possibility of the Hospital channels becoming encrypted right at the same time as the firmware update is far-fetched. Still wild and crazy happens as I can attest to seeing enough of that in 40 years of fire service.
Our local system uses a fair amount of ADP encryption on medical and police talkgroups. The only indication I get when these talkgroups are active is a brief flashing of the talkgroup's alpha tag. I won't see ENC (I expect that's because of ADP versus the more "standard" encryption like AES) nor do I hear any noise/garble (though I did on the x96 scanners).
If he is doing Favorites List only scanning, as in full database off, having a huge scanner range should not lead to that out of range clutter, unless he has numerous Favorites Lists for distant locations. However those could be turned off during the "disagnostic time" via Quick Key, which hopefully he is using.
I do agree with your last paragraph especially with confirming all avoids are off (Sites, Departments and Channels) along with all Quick Keys (Sites/Departments) are on.
I'd also suggest a stab at turning ID Search On, just to see if new talkgroups have been established. Some times "left field" shots come up with someone when one is at wits end.
Our local system uses a fair amount of ADP encryption on medical and police talkgroups. The only indication I get when these talkgroups are active is a brief flashing of the talkgroup's alpha tag. I won't see ENC (I expect that's because of ADP versus the more "standard" encryption like AES) nor do I hear any noise/garble (though I did on the x96 scanners).
If he is doing Favorites List only scanning, as in full database off, having a huge scanner range should not lead to that out of range clutter, unless he has numerous Favorites Lists for distant locations. However those could be turned off during the "disagnostic time" via Quick Key, which hopefully he is using.
I do agree with your last paragraph especially with confirming all avoids are off (Sites, Departments and Channels) along with all Quick Keys (Sites/Departments) are on.
I'd also suggest a stab at turning ID Search On, just to see if new talkgroups have been established. Some times "left field" shots come up with someone when one is at wits end.
ID Search is always a good idea. System operators are under no obligation to notify scanner users that talkgroup IDs have changed, and ID Search is the only way to see when new talkgroups have been added to the system.
Much of our local hospitals ER comms from EMS units have moved to cellphone. We still maintain a base for comms on the local P25 trunk system though.
South Central KY
South Central KY
ljcook8
Member
Having just taken a trip in an ambulance I can tell you it is all cell phone (in my area).
Talking to hospital base is via cell as well the vitals and stats are sent over cell networks - so the hospital sees exactly what the paramedic sees. So, at least in my area hospitals use cell.
Fire and law enforcement will not likely change from radio dispatch but even they do private conversation via cell phone.
Talking to hospital base is via cell as well the vitals and stats are sent over cell networks - so the hospital sees exactly what the paramedic sees. So, at least in my area hospitals use cell.
Fire and law enforcement will not likely change from radio dispatch but even they do private conversation via cell phone.
n0yzt
Member
Thank you ALL.
May be to simple an idea here, but if everything worked well.to your liking before the update, have you thought about a new SD card, blank, and then copy Sentinel to the new card and download to scanner again? Just a thought. FWIW. Greg
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