SDRTrunk Not hearing talkgroups

[AngWay]

I have a question that i hope someone can help me with. i'm using two rtl-sdr dongles with sdrtrunk and i am able to lock onto 3 different control channels but i am only hearing these 4 talgroups.

VSP Wyt 2 DWR 3 LAW DOC OP W Buch Sheriff 1 but according to my site their are a LOT more talkgroups but i can't hear them and i don't know why. HERE is my area. i'm locking onto CC 152.6825 161.800 161.9500 but i can only hear the 4 talkgroups. is it just that none of the other talkgroups are active? but there is so many of them why only 4?. Thanks . oh and only the Buch Sheriff 1 is encrypted but it shows it.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Does each site carry the same traffic or no? If yes, try listening to one site, perhaps the site closest geographically to you. Any improvement? Do you have a scanner you can use to compare traffic on each site? Is traffic from talkgroups you aren't hearing on the SDRs heard on the scanner?

 

[Enforcer52]

Are you in Botetourt County or Buchanan County? What counties or towns are you trying to listen too?

Edit: It appears you are listening to Buchanan County. There are 3 towers in that area, which one are you closest too? Have you imported the entire STARS database, or only the channels for Buchanan County? Have you created an Alias list?

 

[AngWay]

Are you in Botetourt County or Buchanan County? What counties or towns are you trying to listen too?

Edit: It appears you are listening to Buchanan County. There are 3 towers in that area, which one are you closest too? Have you imported the entire STARS database, or only the channels for Buchanan County? Have you created an Alias list?

yes i have imported everything and i am in buchanan county the closet to me is elkin's branch i have a alias list as well. if i put both the honaker and elkin's branch CC in i get duplicate traffic on both of them and they are about a hour's drive from each other

 

[AngWay]

Does each site carry the same traffic or no? If yes, try listening to one site, perhaps the site closest geographically to you. Any improvement? Do you have a scanner you can use to compare traffic on each site? Is traffic from talkgroups you aren't hearing on the SDRs heard on the scanner?

yes each site carries the same traffic.i do not have a scanner. sometimes i will get more talkgroups popping up on the site farthest from me than the one closest. but it's only those 4 talkgroups and 2 of them is encrypted i have monitored it for a long time and i never see a different talkgroup pop up

 

[dave3825]

It all depends what radios/agencies affiliate with the sites you monitor. You should get everything below. If the Bush Sheriff is encrypted, please make a submission to the database.

Buchanan County
​

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
8001	1f41	D	Buch Sheriff 1	Sheriff Ch. 1	Law Dispatch
8002	1f42	D	Buch Sheriff Tac	Sheriff Tac	Law Tac
8003	1f43	D	Grundy Police	Grundy Police	Law Dispatch

And you do have all the aliases in the alias list set to Listen, right?

 

[AngWay]

It all depends what radios/agencies affiliate with the sites you monitor. You should get everything below. If the Bush Sheriff is encrypted, please make a submission to the database.

Buchanan County​

​

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
8001	1f41	D	Buch Sheriff 1	Sheriff Ch. 1	Law Dispatch
8002	1f42	D	Buch Sheriff Tac	Sheriff Tac	Law Tac
8003	1f43	D	Grundy Police	Grundy Police	Law Dispatch

And you do have all the aliases in the alias list set to Listen, right?

yes everything is set to listen. and all of the Buch Sheriff is encrypted so is DWR 3 LAW. the only tg i am getting is the VSP Wyt 1 and VSP Wyt 2 and DOC OP W and these agencies are a couple hours away from me, in totally different counties.

 

[AngWay]

It all depends what radios/agencies affiliate with the sites you monitor. You should get everything below. If the Bush Sheriff is encrypted, please make a submission to the database.

Buchanan County​

​

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
8001	1f41	D	Buch Sheriff 1	Sheriff Ch. 1	Law Dispatch
8002	1f42	D	Buch Sheriff Tac	Sheriff Tac	Law Tac
8003	1f43	D	Grundy Police	Grundy Police	Law Dispatch

And you do have all the aliases in the alias list set to Listen, right?

i am making the submission now... i just heard the state police on the department of energy talkgroup. that is weird

 

[Enforcer52]

What kind of antenna are you using, inside or outside?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

yes each site carries the same traffic.

Try monitoring only one site at a time, any difference?

 

[dave3825]

What kind of antenna are you using, inside or outside?

He is using a 2 meter & 70cm J pole outside. His county is only 19000 and lots of mountains and trees

Buchanan County

Virginia

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[AngWay]

What kind of antenna are you using, inside or outside?

What @dave3825 said

 

[AngWay]

Try monitoring only one site at a time, any difference?

no difference i have tried that. still only those 4 control channels with 2 of them encrypted.

 

[AngWay]

He is using a 2 meter & 70cm J pole outside. His county is only 19000 and lots of mountains and trees

Buchanan County

Virginia

maps.app.goo.gl

my town is so small but yet my county police is fully encrypted but the state police isn't why would that be for such a small agency and they are really small so small they have to ask the state police to do a wellfare check sometimes. oh and if my county police is on the stars system and so is the state police why is my county encrypted and the state police is not?.

 

[RMason]

I have a question that i hope someone can help me with. i'm using two rtl-sdr dongles with sdrtrunk and i am able to lock onto 3 different control channels but i am only hearing these 4 talgroups. but according to my site their are a LOT more talkgroups but i can't hear them and i don't know why

Are you expecting to hear talkgroups from other parts of the state? Although STARS is a statewide system, you will only receive talkgroups that are in your area. As Dave93825 mentioned, it depends what radios/agencies affiliate with the sites you monitor. Give us an example of a missing talkgroup you want to hear, and we can talk about reasons you are not receiving it.

This might help answer your questions and hopefully give you a better understanding of affiliation:

Trunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[AngWay]

Are you expecting to hear talkgroups from other parts of the state? Although STARS is a statewide system, you will only receive talkgroups that are in your area. As Dave93825 mentioned, it depends what radios/agencies affiliate with the sites you monitor. Give us an example of a missing talkgroup you want to hear, and we can talk about reasons you are not receiving it.

This might help answer your questions and hopefully give you a better understanding of affiliation:

Trunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

ok i am seeing TG 8001 Buch Sheriff 1 coming over as encrypted in sdrtrunk but i don't even see TG 8002 or 8003 which is the same location. and i heard the department of forestry one time but haven't heard it anymore. and the department of transportation it seems i would hear something there but i don't or the fire department i don't see anything happening with any of that or ems i see nothing on any of that, only the 4 TG's i mentioned in my post is what i see

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

but i don't or the fire department i don't see anything happening with any of that or ems i

Database shows your county fire & EMS as mostly analog conventional with a smattering of NXDN conventional so you won't hear them on STARS. Consult the database to see who operates where. You can add the analog conventional frequencies to your playlist editor but SDRTrunk doesn't support NXDN as of date of this posting

Buchanan County, Virginia (VA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Buchanan County, Virginia (VA)

www.radioreference.com

 

[AngWay]

Database shows your county fire & EMS as mostly analog conventional with a smattering of NXDN conventional so you won't hear them on STARS. Consult the database to see who operates where. You can add the analog conventional frequencies to your playlist editor but SDRTrunk doesn't support NXDN as of date of this posting

Buchanan County, Virginia (VA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Buchanan County, Virginia (VA)

www.radioreference.com

i tried the analog freqs but none of them are active i don't hear anything on them at least.

 

[dave3825]

Do you by chance know any of the firemen in your area to find out where they communicate? They have to be somewhere. I will scout out their frn and see if they have any other licenses. Probably not many scanner users in your area so I imagine the database for your area is not that up to date

 

[AngWay]

Do you by chance know any of the firemen in your area to find out where they communicate? They have to be somewhere. I will scout out their frn and see if they have any other licenses. Probably not many scanner users in your area so I imagine the database for your area is not that up to date

No i don't know anyone like that.. and honestly i don't understand all of it the best and i don't have maybe the resources that you might know of so it would be wonderful if you could find anything out. i did catch a ham radio operator the other night and they said they transmit every wednesday at 7 and i heard ppl from the next state over but the guy hosting it was using a tower close to me i want to say the name of it was "two way radio communications" which i have seen that name in dsdplus and online from searching around i believe it's right up the road from me a place called little prater. now on sdrtrunk i'm locked onto the elkin's branch CC and it's showing a voice channel of 159.10500 which is not in the RR DB and Buch Sheriff 1 which is my local police is on it and fully encrypted. btw i get on sdr++ and i go through the whole spectrum from 0 to 4ghz and i don't really hear anything that is fire or ems i see tons of what looks like active freqs but nobody ever talking. and i know i'm using the right settings.