Rebanding yes, but change band plan?

[whacker]

Hello neighboring Hoosiers! I live in the area known by some as "Michiana" on the Michigan side from South Bend, and regularly monitor whatever I can with my Uniden BCD396T. I've had a bit of a gap this year due to not working in that area currently, so I seem to have missed the actual changeover with rebanding in this area earlier this year (very recently, in fact). I noticed it when I could no longer monitor anything on Safe-T, and I also couldn't find any control channels when doing a search of what had been the "regular" band area. So I knew it was time to check the database here at RR and change a few things.

My main question is, considering that I only ever have occasion to pick up the St. Joseph county site, and maybe Elkhart when I travel, do I need to do more than just listen to the new control freqs, or do I really need to set up the special Motorola band plan? If so, with this model scanner, I'm becoming aware that I would need to scrap my original Safe-T System and start over, creating it with that band plan, rather than just trying to add it to the existing System I have for it. Correct?

Part of the reason I ask is that I've heard that some sites don't require using the new band plan (just the new control channels), and I typically listen in Search Mode as opposed to Scan Mode, without having programmed Talk Groups set up (which is likely to change soon).

So if you know, please give me the lowdown on all of this. Since I've changed control channels to the new ones I have been able to monitor, but I'm unsure whether I'm missing some talk channels due to lack of full optimal reprogramming.

 

[KD4YGG]

Hello neighboring Hoosiers! I live in the area known by some as "Michiana" on the Michigan side from South Bend, and regularly monitor whatever I can with my Uniden BCD396T. I've had a bit of a gap this year due to not working in that area currently, so I seem to have missed the actual changeover with rebanding in this area earlier this year (very recently, in fact). I noticed it when I could no longer monitor anything on Safe-T, and I also couldn't find any control channels when doing a search of what had been the "regular" band area. So I knew it was time to check the database here at RR and change a few things.

My main question is, considering that I only ever have occasion to pick up the St. Joseph county site, and maybe Elkhart when I travel, do I need to do more than just listen to the new control freqs, or do I really need to set up the special Motorola band plan? If so, with this model scanner, I'm becoming aware that I would need to scrap my original Safe-T System and start over, creating it with that band plan, rather than just trying to add it to the existing System I have for it. Correct?

Part of the reason I ask is that I've heard that some sites don't require using the new band plan (just the new control channels), and I typically listen in Search Mode as opposed to Scan Mode, without having programmed Talk Groups set up (which is likely to change soon).

So if you know, please give me the lowdown on all of this. Since I've changed control channels to the new ones I have been able to monitor, but I'm unsure whether I'm missing some talk channels due to lack of full optimal reprogramming.

Quite simply - yes, program in the new control channels AND program them as rebanded REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS - PERIOD...

 

[RoninJoliet]

I have a 396XT and have the border northern counties of Indiana programmed ...I make trips over to Lake Co at times, i have changed the freqys but reading the postings im confused if i should use the "custom tables" or not ..We have here the NWCD analog and digital system in Arlington Hts ILL and must use the rebanded tables to copy the system???...

 

[usswood]

If it is part of the Safe T system, it should be entered as rebanded and with custom tables just to be on the safe side...at least until they change into a true P25 system and that won't happen for awhile!

 

[whacker]

Got it done, in a kind of a left-hand way, with the help of FreeSCAN, which I'm new at. I'll be posting some observations about that process in the software forum. Thanks for your comments.

 

[KD4YGG]

I have a 396XT and have the border northern counties of Indiana programmed ...I make trips over to Lake Co at times, i have changed the freqys but reading the postings im confused if i should use the "custom tables" or not ..We have here the NWCD analog and digital system in Arlington Hts ILL and must use the rebanded tables to copy the system???...

I use a PSR-500 and PRO-164, so your mileage may vary with the Uniden 396XT...

IMHO you should program any Motorola 3600-baud system with the custom rebanding tables regardless of whether the system has been actually rebanded or not. This allows you to easily change the new CC frequencies on the fly while not having to remember how to manually program the tables. The radio will track the system correctly regardless of the frequencies IF you program it this way.

Case in point when Tippecanoe County Indiana rebanded... it happened in the morning and that afternoon we had severe weather. I had set my radios up using the custom rebanding tables long before the actual frequencies changed, and when rebanding occurred, three modifications of frequencies and I was off and scanning.

Never had any problem before they rebanded, and never had an issue after rebanding - save for the frequency changes.

Your mileage may vary - and undoubtedly others will disagree - but I know this method worked for me all during 2012 as SAFE-T underwent rebanding - even as there were pre- and post- rebanded frequencies programmed in the same TSYS object.

 

[RoninJoliet]

Thats exactly the way its been done for the rebanding here in my local, THANK YOU very much....Happy New Year....

 

[wingmaker]

I use a PSR-500 and PRO-164, so your mileage may vary with the Uniden 396XT...

IMHO you should program any Motorola 3600-baud system with the custom rebanding tables regardless of whether the system has been actually rebanded or not. This allows you to easily change the new CC frequencies on the fly while not having to remember how to manually program the tables. The radio will track the system correctly regardless of the frequencies IF you program it this way.

Case in point when Tippecanoe County Indiana rebanded... it happened in the morning and that afternoon we had severe weather. I had set my radios up using the custom rebanding tables long before the actual frequencies changed, and when rebanding occurred, three modifications of frequencies and I was off and scanning.

Never had any problem before they rebanded, and never had an issue after rebanding - save for the frequency changes.

Your mileage may vary - and undoubtedly others will disagree - but I know this method worked for me all during 2012 as SAFE-T underwent rebanding - even as there were pre- and post- rebanded frequencies programmed in the same TSYS object.

I agree, this does make it easy LOVE AND BLESSINGS

 

[KevinC]

Quite simply - yes, program in the new control channels AND program them as rebanded REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS - PERIOD...

Anyone in particular in mind?

 

[GTO_04]

Got it done, in a kind of a left-hand way, with the help of FreeSCAN, which I'm new at. I'll be posting some observations about that process in the software forum. Thanks for your comments.

Freescan is probably the easiest way to do it. But it can be done manually without too much trouble. UPMan has a wiki page that explains it very well.

GTO_04

 

[whacker]

Yes, I'm very used to doing everything from the keypad. I just wanted to "give the software a chance," so to speak, and to make a few moves with it, since I had been dragging my feet in that regard (haven't used programming software since early 2009 using UASD!).

One thing that is clear to me now, and what wasn't previously, is that with the "T" model scanners (as opposed to the "XT" type), you have to go through the process of making the new System selection, and establish it, if only to simply get the ability to make entries in the Custom Band Plan table. IOW, so that that appears as a Menu selection. And also that it's a moot point for 9600 baud true P25 systems. So it was a learning experience in more ways than one. At home I mainly monitor the Michigan MPSCS as well as other conventional freqs, and then when in Indiana I switch over to SAFE-T, Mishawaka's P25 system, and various local Indiana fire and other conventional freqs I can receive while in the South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart areas.

The re-do of my SAFE-T setup was definitely a necessary move, and I'm glad I got it taken care of.