Sacramento County System

[leitung]

Okay,
I am sure this is not the first noob to walk in here with this type of question. But here the deal, I am new to trunk tracking, and have some questions. I have a Uniden Bearcat BC898T with ARC898 software hooked up, I also have a discone antenna on a stick outside, the $78 from Radio Shack. Here is my issue, I am having a problem with the Sacramento County system, I have the City wide system programmed in bank 1 with the Trunk ID's for Sac PD, and Sac sheriff. It seems, at least to me, that I don't get all of the Sac Sheriff and other county stuff on it, only part of it. When it does come in, it's really scratchy. I am mainly trying to get ID 61552 for sheriff north. But if I re-program the scanner to the county system, I dont get SacPD, even with the county site Trunk ID programmed in, but I seem to get the sheriff system well. I know there is a way to program both sites on it, but I dont know how to do it. I basically want to get all of Sac PD and Sac Sheriff on the scanner. I also tried programming the county system on another bank, and running Sac Sheriff trunk id's on it but I didn't get anything.
Thanks for any help in advance..

 

[Sac916]

Your best bet is to program Site 001 in one bank, Site 002 in another.
In Site 001 bank, program the SPD trunk id's, in Site 002 program the Sac Sheriff trunk id's

The closest county radio tower is at Gibson Ranch, the closest city tower is downtown. It sounds like your issue is getting good reception. Monitoring the Sac trunked system can be quite frustrating due to poor reception.

There is a technical issue with monitoring Sac Sheriff and Sac PD programmed all in one site. Without getting too technical, County radios will affiliate to Site 002 and City radios will affiliate to Site 001. Due to a variety of reasons, you may not hear County radios on Site 001, the same goes for hearing City radios on Site 002. But this is not always the case. It's seamless to those that use the real / actual Motorola equipment, but for scanner users it can be a bit of a juggle.

If you are trying to monitor Sac Sheriff Ch 1 ( North Division / District 1 ) you will definitely want to program your scanner with Site 002 frequencies with the SSD SD1 TGID 61552

When setting up your antenna, tune your scanner in on a data (control) channel - move your antenna to a point where you hear the data channel as clear as possible. Position your scanner Kasser Rd and Tan Woods Rd

kasser rd & tan woods rd,sacramento,ca - Google Maps

Okay,
I am sure this is not the first noob to walk in here with this type of question. But here the deal, I am new to trunk tracking, and have some questions. I have a Uniden Bearcat BC898T with ARC898 software hooked up, I also have a discone antenna on a stick outside, the $78 from Radio Shack. Here is my issue, I am having a problem with the Sacramento County system, I have the City wide system programmed in bank 1 with the Trunk ID's for Sac PD, and Sac sheriff. It seems, at least to me, that I don't get all of the Sac Sheriff and other county stuff on it, only part of it. When it does come in, it's really scratchy. I am mainly trying to get ID 61552 for sheriff north. But if I re-program the scanner to the county system, I dont get SacPD, even with the county site Trunk ID programmed in, but I seem to get the sheriff system well. I know there is a way to program both sites on it, but I dont know how to do it. I basically want to get all of Sac PD and Sac Sheriff on the scanner. I also tried programming the county system on another bank, and running Sac Sheriff trunk id's on it but I didn't get anything.
Thanks for any help in advance..

 

[mkewman]

without being too specific, would it be possible to post the "General" area locations of all the sites, I think that would help those who are pointing their antennae or are wondering where the nearest tower is without being too specific (for security reasons).

 

[Sac916]

without being too specific, would it be possible to post the "General" area locations of all the sites, I think that would help those who are pointing their antennae or are wondering where the nearest tower is without being too specific (for security reasons).

You can find tower locations right from the RR database - click the correct links and you'll get the info you want. ( via public fcc records )

Scanner Frequencies: Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System (Public Safety) Trunking System, Various, California

 

[gmclam]

Sacramento county & city systems

Generally speaking, the dispatch channels for PD (channels 1, 3, 4 & 6) and SSD (channels (1, 2, 4 & 6) are on both sites. the fire dispatch channels are also on both sites (A1 & B1). However, most other channels only appear on sites 'as needed' (it is a SmartNet system).

If you only want to hear SSD (such as TG 61552), you should always hear them on a county site. If you want to listen to both city PD and SSD, especially more than just dispatch, then you need to monitor both sites.

What I have done is generally program one bank for city, and one for county, each with most of the same TGs. I did program the city fire tacs (B6-B15) only in the city bank and Folsom PD only in the county bank; but you might not need to do that if you can program enough TGs in one bank to have all you need/want.

 

[leitung]

Generally speaking, the dispatch channels for PD (channels 1, 3, 4 & 6) and SSD (channels (1, 2, 4 & 6) are on both sites. the fire dispatch channels are also on both sites (A1 & B1). However, most other channels only appear on sites 'as needed' (it is a SmartNet system).

If you only want to hear SSD (such as TG 61552), you should always hear them on a county site. If you want to listen to both city PD and SSD, especially more than just dispatch, then you need to monitor both sites.

What I have done is generally program one bank for city, and one for county, each with most of the same TGs. I did program the city fire tacs (B6-B15) only in the city bank and Folsom PD only in the county bank; but you might not need to do that if you can program enough TGs in one bank to have all you need/want.

I tried putting in the county system, and running the 61552 ID on it, I only get partial traffic it seems. I mean how busy is this ID?
I am thinking I may need to get one of those mutiple site trunking capable scanners that uniden makes in order to hear everything.

 

[Sac916]

I tried putting in the county system, and running the 61552 ID on it, I only get partial traffic it seems. I mean how busy is this ID?
I am thinking I may need to get one of those mutiple site trunking capable scanners that uniden makes in order to hear everything.

Monitoring from Antelope,CA - You should have Site 002 Countywide System programmed with Talk Group ID 61552 ( Sac Sheriff Ch 1 )

61552 is very active and runs 24/7 - If your scanner is programmed correctly, you will hear every transmission, every time from 61552 via Site 002. This can be done from any trunking scanner dating back to the mid and late 1990's

 

[gmclam]

Sacramento Sheriff

I tried putting in the county system, and running the 61552 ID on it, I only get partial traffic it seems. I mean how busy is this ID?

I monitor a lot of channels, but I dedicate one scanner just to the trunked stuff in Sacramento county. I really don't pay attention to how much traffic any specific TG ID gets, but 61552 is the main Sheriff talkgroup. They are fairly busy until well past midnight. But in the wee hours they reduce from 4 channels countywide to 3 then 2 then 1. And when using a single channel, it is 61552.

OTOH you should know that calls are dispatched via computer and have been since circa 1975. So if you think you should be hearing all the typical complaints, that is why you don't. What makes you think you are only getting "partial traffic"?

 

[Sac916]

...... 61552 is the main Sheriff talkgroup. They are fairly busy until well past midnight. But in the wee hours they reduce from 4 channels countywide to 3 then 2 then 1. And when using a single channel, it is 61552.

Tiny bit of clarification

Channel arrangement

2 channel ops @ apprx 0600hrs
3 channel ops @ apprx 1100hrs ( this is VERY dependent on Comm Center staffing and workload)
4 channel ops @ apprx 1530hrs
2 channel ops @ apprx 0115hrs
(sometimes 1 channel ops @ 0330hrs, depending on Comm Center staffing levels and workload)

The Antelope area is always on Channel 1

The service area is described here Community Service Centers
North Division - Field Services - District 1



As far as only hearing partial traffic - you really need to make sure your Control Channels are clear and reception is consistent.

Control Channels for Site 002

868.53750
868.73750
868.93750
868.96250

 

[leitung]

Alright sounds like I probably programmed it wrong or something. I will check the control channels and see what is going on. The reason I feel like I am only getting partial traffic is that sometimes all I will hear is like...

"Sam 24.. 10-4" and then nothing before and after..

Tell me, being new to Trunk tracking, is there anything I need to program in such as the System ID or connect tone..
Basically all I did was program the frequencies in, then put in the IDs such a 61552.. thats it. I put in the control freqs in like any other frequencies.. Do I need to tell the scanner that they are control channels? Also, I noticed the ID has a Dec and Hex, do I need to program the hex as well?

Thanks for answering all of my noob questions..

 

[Sac916]

Alright sounds like I probably programmed it wrong or something. I will check the control channels and see what is going on. The reason I feel like I am only getting partial traffic is that sometimes all I will hear is like...

"Sam 24.. 10-4" and then nothing before and after..

Tell me, being new to Trunk tracking, is there anything I need to program in such as the System ID or connect tone..
Basically all I did was program the frequencies in, then put in the IDs such a 61552.. thats it. I put in the control freqs in like any other frequencies.. Do I need to tell the scanner that they are control channels? Also, I noticed the ID has a Dec and Hex, do I need to program the hex as well?

Thanks for answering all of my noob questions..

You just need TGID and Freqs. Make certain that none of the freqs are L/O locked out.
Don't worry about the connect tone etc..

 

[leitung]

Okay, I think I found the issue.. I am only receiving 868.9375 clearly as fas as data.. 868.9625 is not coming in with data, neither are the 868.5375 or 868.7375..

I tried moving the antenna, but the outdoor one will require some time to move, it's on the back of the house.. I also tried the small one that the scanner comes with and it's not coming either.

Are the alternate control channels supposed to have data all of the time?

 

[leitung]

Also seems to be my problem with getting the City of Roseville system, I only get one of the control freqs clearly..

 

[Sac916]

Also seems to be my problem with getting the City of Roseville system, I only get one of the control freqs clearly..

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. The data will only transmit on one freq at a time. It will normally stay with one freq for 12 hours and then switch to a different freq.
This applies to the Roseville system too. You do want to make sure all control channels are programmed and unlocked.

 

[gmclam]

Sacramento County & Roseville

I have not tried to pick up the Roseville system from Antelope, but they are a much weaker system than is the Sacramento systems. Roseville's control channel switches every night at midnight (or 1am, depending on DST). In the RR DB they use channels 10,9,8 & 6 for control channels; and it will switch to the next lower channel (6 goes back to 10).

When you program in the control channel frequencies, you have to set each frequency to MO (Motorola) mode. Make sure they are not locked out and that you do not have the ATTenuator on. I'm not sure how the BearCat works, but in the GRE scanners the bank in which the control channels are programmed must also be in MOtorola mode. The scanner lets you enter the talkgroups in either HEX or DEC mode, you don't need both.

The fact that you are getting some traffic leads me to believe you have programmed things correctly. I have never liked the 800 MHz systems from the standpoint of reception. It is a lot pickier than the older 460 MHz UHF channels. Here at my house, even though I get great reception from both sites, 867.3750 MHz on the city typically comes in poorly. Fortunately it is not used as a control channel. So it is the luck of the draw as to what TG broadcasts on that channel. But that's where the multi-site system comes in as that TG is usually being broadcast simultaneously from the county site.

When you stop a GRE scanner on a control channel it will show a percentage of control channel reads that were good. The higher the %, the better. I find that you should have at least 50% for good reception.

 

[leitung]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. The data will only transmit on one freq at a time. It will normally stay with one freq for 12 hours and then switch to a different freq.
This applies to the Roseville system too. You do want to make sure all control channels are programmed and unlocked.

Ah okay, I still need to look into how I programmed it.I don't know if there is a setting I missed or what..
Do I need to tell the scanner what the control freqs are?

 

[scannerboy02]

When you are programing the frequencies are you doing it in "trunking programming mode" ?

Setting the Scanner to Trunking Programming Mode
You must set the scanner to its trunking programming mode before you can program channels and enter trunking frequencies.
If you are in conventional scan mode:
1. Hold down TRUNK. The scanner beeps twice and BANK and TRUNK flash.
2. Select the trunking bank you want to program.
If you are in trunking scan mode:
1. Press TRUNK to return to conventional mode if you have been monitoring a trunking bank.
2. Hold down TRUNK. The scanner beeps twice and BANK and TRUNK flash.
3. Select the trunking bank you want to program.
Note: When you set the scanner to its trunking programming mode, you cannot select channels in other banks.


If I remember correctly you must program all the system frequencies into the 898T before it will correctly trunk track.

Countywide System
866.11250
866.13750
866.35000
866.37500
866.43750
866.63750
866.71250
867.05000
867.10000
867.16250
867.31250
867.41250
867.68750
867.83750
867.93750
868.13750
868.23750
868.43750
868.53750
868.73750
868.93750
868.96250


Also the 898T will only track one system at a time so you will not be able to track the Sacramento County, Sacramento City and Roseville City systems at the same time and each systems frequencies must be programed into separate banks.

 

[scannerboy02]

Programming Motorola Systems

1. Hold down TRUNK for about 2 seconds. The scanner beeps and BANK, TRUNK, and the bank letters A-J blink.

2. Press a bank key to select the bank where you want to store the frequencies.

Note: You can program only one trunked system per bank.

3. Select Motorola scanning by turning the rotary tuner or repeatedly pressing HOLD �� or LIMIT �� to select the following Motorola scanning choice:
• E2-800 (Motorola Type II 800 MHz)

Then press E on the keypad.

4. Repeatedly press HOLD �� or LIMIT �� until PRO9 F appears. Then press E on the keypad.

5. Enter trunking frequencies, use the keypad to enter the frequency, then press E on the keypad.

6. For each additional frequency, select the next channel by turning the rotary tuner or pressing HOLD ��. Then use the keypad to enter the next frequency, then press E on the keypad.



When you are done with the above do this to start

Programming Talk Group ID’s

1. If you are still in the programming mode, press DATA. Otherwise, hold TRUNK for 2 seconds, then select the bank and system type and press E.

2. Repeatedly press HOLD �� or LIMIT �� until PRO9 ID appears. Then press E.

3. Repeatedly press HOLD �� or LIMIT �� or rotate the dial to select the channel you want to program.

4. Enter an ID, then press E.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for all ID’s you want to program.



When you are done with the above do this to start

Trunk Scanning

To scan only those talk groups you have stored into your scanner, press SCAN. When one of the talk groups you have stored becomes active, the scanner switches to that transmission and displays the ID number for that talk group.

Note: You must store at least 2 talk group ID’s in the system for ID scanning to work.

 

[leitung]

Yeah I did all of that, I followed the directions as you both said, and it seems to still be very quiet. Like right now I have not heard one communication from 61552 in the past 10 mins.

Maybe I am expecting more communication then accually goes on? I seem to have the scanner programmed right according to all of your instructions..

When your in the trunk programming menu, after you pass Pro9id, there are several other options in that menu, of which the manual does not state what they for one is "CC only"

 

[leitung]

Also would holding the scanner on the talk group affect it's performance?