BCD396T/BC996T: Programming Help Please
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ka3aaa
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This system will not work with the 996t model scanner that you own so forget about it unless you are willing to purchase a scanner that is capable to receive phase 2 communications like the 996p2.
For the 396T, import it as Mot P25/P25 Standard.The images below show the system I want to enter. I'm a little confused about what kind of system the scanner wants to see this as; P25, Type II UHF? It's been a decade or so since I last programmed this thing...
That would be true if all the talkgroups were P25 (Mode T on the database page). However, all talkgroups on the system are Phase I, mode D in the database.
The system is listed as P25 Phase II because the control channel reports that, meaning it is capable of Phase II communication. But, as all talkgroups are using only Phase I, the 396T would work on the system.
Strange, all the towers in the SouthEast Region report as Phase 1. I wouldn’t be surprised if that is a database error. A old 996T and 396T will work just fine.
Set it to P25 and enjoy.
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Set it to P25 and enjoy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's exactly the problem I'm having. I read the help files, but P25 isn't one of the options. It's coming back to me slowly.... maybe too slowly.
These are the options. Once I can get past which one of those to select, I may have even more questions
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Which software are you using?That's exactly the problem I'm having. I read the help files, but P25 isn't one of the options. It's coming back to me slowly.... maybe too slowly.
These are the options. Once I can get past which one of those to select, I may have even more questions
FreeSCAN imports it as "Mot Type II/P25" for the system itself, and the actual site comes up as "Mot P25/P25 Standard.
If creating manually (on the scanner via the keyboard, select Mot when creating in the Main Menu, that then takes you to the next screen where you can specify 'P25', or the 800MHz and 900MHz options.
Edit to add:
If you are using ARC396, scroll on down for the system type. Right below "LT" is "Motorola APCO25", which is what you need to use.
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Your screenshot is from the old UASD software, supplied by Uniden. It does not have RadioReference import capability.
After comparing screens on the programs that I have, it appears that the OP is using ARC396.
Yes, ARC396. I don't think I can import from the site unless I'm a member or some such.
I have it set to APCO25 as mentioned by heigtx, and I get some voice. I don't think I'm getting everything, or some of it is encrypted. I may have found another control channel, and adding that to the list may have helped. I need to spend some time near the antenna tower in CloseCall and see what they're doing.
Thanks everyone! I'll keep plugging away.
Correct, you cannot do the web import unless you are a premium subscriber.
I would suggest adding all the frequencies for that site, just in case the control channel frequencies shown on the database page have changed, or if they rotate frequencies.
While the database page does not show anything as being encrypted, that may well have changed. Also, there may be talkgroups in use that are not shown. So, I would also suggest that you set the system to use ID Search, instead of ID Scan.
ID Scan will only stop on the talkgroups that you have programmed, as long as they are not locked out. You would see their text tags however you have them entered.
ID Search will stop on any active talkgroup, as long as it is not locked out. If it is a TGID you have programmed, you'd see the text tag. If it's one that you have not entered, you'd see the talkgroup ID instead of a text tag. If you are seeing ones that are not programmed, then you'd need to listen to how they are being used, to get an idea of what it should be called.
I'm even more baffled than before. I picked up several more freqs using the close-call feature and have entered them into the APCO25 list in ARC396. I am noticing that when the scanner stops on some activity, there is a frequency in the display that is not in the list or even in the scanner anywhere. Where is that freq coming from?
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From the P25 trunking protocol. The scanner would normally decode data on the control channel until it sees a message about activity on a talkgroup that you're interested in. That control message includes data about the voice channel (different frequency from the control channel), and the scanner will retune there to receive the voice traffic, then return to the control channel afterwards. You only really need to program in the control channel frequency - the rest can be discovered by monitoring the control data.
Bluntly speaking, pay the RR premium subscription dues and use your software to download the correct "stuff" (System type, frequencies, TGIDs) and your life should be less frustrating. The software will populate fields with the correct settings, system types and so on.
It's been a while since I've programmed my 396T, but I believe it is a one site only type scanner. You want to monitor a multi site system. (No you can't drag all the control channels from all the sites into just one. That's because a frequency shown for some site far away, could be used by another unrelated system close by and totally foul the gears.)
Thus you'd have to program your scanner with each site being its own separate system, very time consuming.
Close call means the scanner will stop on any transmission that is close by. It could be unrelated to your system, so plugging that frequency in may be problematic.
It's possible you may have turned on some type of search feature on your scanner, which could be the reason to see a frequency that hasn't been programmed by you. (Searches can be unintentionally turned on pretty easy).
If you are seeing an additional frequency in a close call search, you would need to be very close to the source, especially if it is from a handheld or mobile installation. Also, note that if your 'extra' frequency is in the ~380 to 430MHz range, used by the military and federal agencies, those will not be in the RadioReference databse unless someone has submitted them previously. Those are not searchable by FCC license either.
As noted, the 396T is not a 'multi-site' scanner. For the 396T, each site needs to be in a separate system. The scanner, once it finds a control channel in a site, will keep returning to that frequency, regardless of whether or not there are other control channels active or not, nor whether the other channels have a better signal strength. Only once it completely loses the first active control channel it found will it then look for the next one it can receive, and once again, that one may not be the strongest signal, only the next one found.
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