Programming alternate control channels, is it needed?

[gpsblake]

I have only programmed the control channels for the Palmetto 800 system where i live at on my PRO-95. I can pick up the Batesburg tower the best but also can pick up the Lexington, Johnston (very dead), and Little Mountain towers. Am I missing anything by not programming the alternate channels??

I suspect I am not missing much but just curious.

Cheers,
Blake

 

[LarrySC]

One day the local tower [Paris Mtn] was off the air. Sure enough the system has switched to the alt freq. Go figure. Its better to put them in. Multi tower sites is a good idea. I have Greenville, Anderson, Laurens, and Hogback in two banks. One bank has all talk ID's locked out except for one and is used to check for new users in the open mode on the PAL800. The other bank is for HP and I put in Talk ID's for the towers I need. Each tower will simulcast some of the other towers but of course not all of them.

 

[evan]

I always program the alternate control channel in the channel number that is right after the channel number that I have programmed the main control channel into. I hope that doesn't sound too confusing :?

Occasionally, the control channel may be rotated for maintenance, tests, or other reasons. If you set the alternate control channel to MO, your 95 shouldn't stop on any voice traffic that may be on that channel if it is being used as a voice channel and not the current control channel.

 

[LarrySC]

One additional note: Some older type I Mot systems use 3 or 4 freqs in rotation for a controller. On those systems enter all of them. The MOT-2 system here in Greenville is that way. There are 5 freqs and I enter them all.