Hello RR!
I bought my first scanner in 2001 as a freshman in college to listen to police departments, aircraft, and maybe "accidentally" stumbling upon a phone conversation in the dorms. That Bearcat was my baby and I took it everywhere I went. Fast forward 20 years, I've completed 12 years in the Air Force and have dealt with all kinds of fun radio equipment in all kinds of "fun" places. Now I'd like to pass the hobby on to my kids.
Obviously a lot has changed in 20 years, mostly with departments going fully digital. I'm looking at handheld scanners to purchase, but I'm having trouble deciphering the capabilities I'll need based on the systems used in my area. I live in Ellis County, Tx, just south of Dallas County. I've copied and pasted the frequencies I'm interested in tracking. I did a little reading on the P25, but I'm unclear if I'll need Phase 1 and 2, or if I need something completely different. Based on the frequencies below, which capabilities should I be looking for? What are some good hand held options that would work for us? Thanks!
| Frequency | License | Type | Tone | Alpha Tag | Description | Mode | Tag |
|---|
| 155.83500 | KZH948 | BM | 162.2 PL | Ellis SO 1 | Sheriff Dispatch 1 | FMN | Law Dispatch |
| 159.45000 | WNRL779 | RM | 342 NAC | Ellis SO 2 | Sheriff Dispatch 2 | P25 | Law Dispatch |
| 159.45000 | WNRL779 | RM | 186.2 PL | Ellis SO 2 a | Sheriff Dispatch 2 - Analog | FMN | Law Dispatch |
| 155.58000 | WPZQ256 | RM | 77.0 PL | Ellis CF Dis | Ellis County Fire Dispatch | FMN | Fire Dispatch |
| 155.43750 | WQKR458 | RM | 532 DPL | Ellis ESD 6 | Ellis ESD 6 Fire | FMN | Fire-Tac |
| 46.46000 | KEO300 | BM | | Ellis CF low | Fire | FM | Fire-Tac |
| 159.36750 | WRBZ457 | RM | 532 DPL | Ellis EMS | Ellis County EMS (operated by AMR) | FMN | EMS Dispatch |
| 155.11500 | KNHA824 | RM | 107.2 PL | Ellis PubWrk | Ellis County Public Works | FMN | Public Works |
| Frequency | License | Type | Tone | Alpha Tag | Description | Mode | Tag |
|---|
| 154.98000 | WNJZ866 | RM | F13 NAC | Midl PD Disp | Police Dispatch | P25 | Law Dispatch |
| 154.98000 | WNJZ866 | RM | 110.9 PL | Midl PD Ana | Police Dispatch, Analog | FM | Law Dispatch |
| 151.46000 | WNKN392 | RM | F13 NAC | Midl FD Dig | Fire Dispatch (Primary on Digital) | P25 | Fire Dispatch |
| 151.46000 | WNKN392 | RM | 110.9 PL | Midl FD Disp | Fire Dispatch | FMN | Fire Dispatch |
| 153.87500 | WNKZ370 | RM | 110.9 PL | Midl PW/PD | Public Works, Police Backup | FMN | Multi-Dispatch |
Welcome to RadioReference
While you do not need a P25 Phase II scanner right now, it will only be a few months till that will be required.
The Ellis County frequencies in your top group are ok for now.
However, Midlothian, as well as Red Oak, are using P25 Phase I on the FWRRS trunked system.
North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN) Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
Midlothian may have kept the conventional, digital, frequencies you have as a backup, but they use the trunked system now for communications. Red Oak is also on the FWRRS system.
Waxahachie, as well as Ellis County, will be joining FWRRS. And, as part of their move, the Midlothian/Ellis County layer of FWRRS will be upgraded to P25 Phase II. There are also three more sites being added to the system. One is slightly northeast of Waxahachie. A second will be off to the east of Ennis. The third site, to cover the southern part of the county, will be down in the Italy/Forreston area just off I35E.
See this thread:
New application filed for additional sites in Waxahachie and Ennis with the same frequencies as Midlothian & Red Oak. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applMain.jsp?applID=12108307 Original thread is old & locked...
forums.radioreference.com
I monitor them from my house in SW Dallas. Depending on your l;location, you might also be able to hear Johnson County, which is also on FWRRS, though all law enforcement in Johnson County use encryption. Fire, though, is not encrypted.
I would not suggest anything less than a scanner capable of P25 Phase II. If you went with a scanner that only handled Phase I, you'd be left out in the cold once Waxahachie & Ellis County join FWRRS & the system is converted to Phase II. The unknown factor here is simulcast. Once the transition is complete, the Ellis County layer will be a five-site simulcast. Simulcast, as you see noted in many posts on this site, can be a pain to deal with. If you are in the right spot, such as near one of the transmit sites, you may be able to hear traffic with no problems. But if you are in the "wrong" spot, surrounded by sites at various distances, it can be very frustrating. For more on Simulcast, see this article in the Wiki.
Simulcast digital distortion - The RadioReference Wiki
If you can avoid simulcast issues, then either the BCD325P2 or BCD436HP will work for you. In the Whistler line, you'd need to look at the WS1088. All of these are handheld scanners; each has a corresponding base/mobile sibling.
If it turns out that simulcast is an issue, then you should consider the SDS100, one of the Unication pagers, or the
BlueTail receiver. The SDS100 would be the best choice (again, if simulcast is an issue), since it is a scanner, and you can program a number of system types in it. The Unication pagers handle simulcast well, but you are limited as to what you can monitor other than the simulcast system. That's also a drawback with the BlueTail.
I have not seen comments, either way, on whether Ennis and the other small cities in the county will also move to FWRRS, or simply keep their current conventional systems.
