SDRTrunk and CC/VC

[RMason]

i'm trying to figure out if i really need that 161 cc or not or if it even matters which CC i use.

There is no list that shows what talk groups are carried on each site. This is something that you will have to determine. Since the Honaker and Oakwood sites are in close proximity to each other, it is likely a talkgroup will be affiliated with both sites. But there is no guarantee that all talk groups will be carried on both sites. One just has to review logs and listen for a while and take note of what talkgroups are carried where to make that determination

You may want to read up on affiliation:
Trunking_Basics

You are currently monitoring the Honaker and Oakwood sites. From the screenshots you have posted, I see traffic on the following talk groups:

VSP Wyt 2 (0753)​

Buch Sheriff 1 (8001) - (this talkgroup shows encryption, but this is not noted in the RR database)​

DOC Ops W (2306)​

The screenshots show that the traffic for these 3 talkgroups are carried on both the Oakwood and Honaker sites. Obviously, this is just a sampling of what is carried on these two sites.

 

[AngWay]

There is no list that shows what talk groups are carried on each site. This is something that you will have to determine. Since the Honaker and Oakwood sites are in close proximity to each other, it is likely a talkgroup will be affiliated with both sites. But there is no guarantee that all talk groups will be carried on both sites. One just has to review logs and listen for a while and take note of what talkgroups are carried where to make that determination

You may want to read up on affiliation:
Trunking_Basics

You are currently monitoring the Honaker and Oakwood sites. From the screenshots you have posted, I see traffic on the following talk groups:

VSP Wyt 2 (0753)​

Buch Sheriff 1 (8001) - (this talkgroup shows encryption, but this is not noted in the RR database)​

DOC Ops W (2306)​

The screenshots show that the traffic for these 3 talkgroups are carried on both the Oakwood and Honaker sites. Obviously, this is just a sampling of what is carried on these two sites.

ok yes i will just monitor is and see. ya know i have been trying to see if i am picking up any ambulances or fire departments and i never see anything from those types of agencies i just see police and department of corrections what would be the reason i'm not hearing ems and other things in my area am i just getting what is on those 2 control channels? it's the only 2 CC that i can get from the RR database. if you know of anything i would appreciate the guidance.

 

[RMason]

what would be the reason i'm not hearing ems and other things in my area am i just getting what is on those 2 control channels?

I'm not from the area, so I can only speculate - that's not always a good thing. That being said, EMS and other agencies in your area may not be on the statewide STARS trunked system. Do you see talkgroups for the agencies you are not getting in the database for STARS?

You may need to monitor conventional frequencies in addition to STARS. See here for Buchanan County. I see Fire/EMS listed.

Buchanan County, Virginia (VA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Buchanan County, Virginia (VA)

www.radioreference.com

 

[AngWay]

I'm not from the area, so I can only speculate - that's not always a good thing. That being said, EMS and other agencies in your area may not be on the statewide STARS trunked system. Do you see talkgroups for the agencies you are not getting in the database for STARS?

You may need to monitor conventional frequencies in addition to STARS. See here for Buchanan County. I see Fire/EMS listed.

Buchanan County, Virginia (VA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Buchanan County, Virginia (VA)

www.radioreference.com

yes i have talkgroups for department of fire programs and just about everything is in the talkgroup list, i have on occasion actually just once heard the department of forestry and department of transportation and i think i heard some fire once but it's super rare that i will hear any other talkgroups other than the state police " and those can be in other counties" and the encrypted county police is always popping up and i don't know how to fix that, i have one of those dipole antennas that come with the rtl-sdr bundle and i also have one of those antennas that u can mount on a car with the magnet base and that antenna seems to pick up better than the dipole. i have tried monitoring the conventional channels before but all of them are just staic, i would set the frequency to NBFM and turn the squelch down so it wasn't making static but i couldn't get nothing . i have tried the dmr but i don't think my area has any dmr channels but is that how u set up conventional channels ? and will sdrtrunk handle those well? many thanks to u and for ur patience.

 

[dave3825]

For conventional channels you would be much better off using DSDPlus with fmp24.scan list. Just program the simple list and it scans like a scanner. Sdrtrunk would need all the freqs within 2.4 and a Quick Look of your county show the freqs are not close together. Some grundy is nxdn which sdrtrunk won’t do but DSDPlus will.

 

[AngWay]

For conventional channels you would be much better off using DSDPlus with fmp24.scan list. Just program the simple list and it scans like a scanner. Sdrtrunk would need all the freqs within 2.4 and a Quick Look of your county show the freqs are not close together. Some grundy is nxdn which sdrtrunk won’t do but DSDPlus will.

i tried the dsdplus option and put in all my freqs and i'm not picking up nothing and i put in every freqs on the RR database. it's almost like their is nobody using any of those freqs.

 

[dave3825]

Did you set up a scanlist and let it scan a while? Chances of punching in a freq and hearing something instantly in a county of 20,000 are slim. My county is 1.5 million and fd and ems is kinda quiet. Pd is busy.

 

[AngWay]

yea i set up the scanlist and let it run awhile maybe i'll let it run longer and see. i finally got my j pole today i'm gonna put it up this weekend hopefully that will make a huge difference and lets me pick up alot more. i hope

 

[dave3825]

yea i set up the scanlist and let it run awhile maybe i'll let it run longer and see.

Try adding your local weather freq or any other freq you know of that's active to verify you have the scanlist and fmp24 setting set up correctly.

i finally got my j pole today

You have a link to the one you bought?

 

[AngWay]

Try adding your local weather freq or any other freq you know of that's active to verify you have the scanlist and fmp24 setting set up correctly.



You have a link to the one you bought?

where exactly can i find my local weather freqs?

 

[RMason]

Buchanan County
Gilbert 162.475
Pikeville 162.400

Broadcasts are found in the VHF public service band at these seven frequencies (MHz):

162.400
162.425
162.450
162.475
162.500
162.525
162.550

 

[dave3825]

where exactly can i find my local weather freqs?

NWR Station Search

 

[AngWay]

NWR Station Search

i got my j pole and i havn't had time to put it on the roof yet but i tried just plugging it in to see what it does and i'm getting a fainter signal that i do with the antenna that came with the dongles. any idea what is up with that?

 

[dave3825]

Where did you do this? Inside or outside?

 

[AngWay]

outside i took 2 water clamps and mounted it to a steel piece of pip about 8 foot and stood it up and my signals are weaker than before.i tried hooking both dongles to a tv splitter and when i try that i get no signal but when i plug the antenna straight into a dongle i get enough of a signal to lock on to a control channel

 

[AngWay]

Where did you do this? Inside or outside?

ijust tried switching out the steal pole for a pvc pipe and i mounted the j pole to is and got it about 15 feet in the air and i ain't getting nothing i'll post a pick showing u the signal i'm getting and thats by hooking it straight into a dongle i can't get anything if i use the tv splitter, the second picture is with the splitter if u notice i see like signals in the waterfall just no control channel. i'm picking up fm radio stations so i know i have a connection.

 

[AngWay]

outside i took 2 water clamps and mounted it to a steel piece of pip about 8 foot and stood it up and my signals are weaker than before.i tried hooking both dongles to a tv splitter and when i try that i get no signal but when i plug the antenna straight into a dongle i get enough of a signal to lock on to a control channel

ok nevermind i got it working!! i think yay. what was wrong is my sample rate was wrong i must have been playing around with and forgot to put it back to 2.4 it was set to 2.56... but i am having a problem with my 152 cc the 161 is alot stronger now than it was before but my 152 is really weak. and i just found out i am able to lock onto a different control channel that i didn't have before 161.94937 i never could get that one before but i can now with the j pole i'm confused tho if this is a different CC or not it's pretty much right beside the 161.800 should i leave new control channel running or do u think it's just a duplicate or something. here are some picks of my waterfall on each freqs

 

[dave3825]

i just found out i am able to lock onto a different control channel that i didn't have before 161.94937 i never could get that one before but i can now with the j pole i'm confused tho if this is a different CC

161.94375 yields no hits on FCC licenses or in the database. Possible your PPM is off.

161.950 is licensed and comes back to the third site in your county.

2 (2)

027 (1B)

Elkin's Branch

Buchanan

161.900c

161.9375c

161.950c

 

[AngWay]

161.94375 yields no hits on FCC licenses or in the database. Possible your PPM is off.

161.950 is licensed and comes back to the third site in your county.

2 (2)

027 (1B)

Elkin's Branch

Buchanan

161.900c

161.9375c

161.950c

yes it is the third site i changed the freqs to 161.95000 and it locked on. i can't wait until i get the j pole on the roof i'm hoping i'll get even better signal i don't believe i'll need a LNA what do u think?. and big question here since i can lock onto 3 sites now will i need the third dongle or no? . and how come in the picture is the freqs for state police different than the CC if u know why i'm curious.

 

[RMason]

and big question here since i can lock onto 3 sites now will i need the third dongle or no?

The frequencies shown in the database for the 3 Buchanan County sites are:

2 (2)	013 (D)	Honaker	Buchanan	152.6825c	152.7125c	161.875	162.000
2 (2)	017 (11)	Oakwood	Buchanan	152.8175c	161.800c
2 (2)	027 (1B)	Elkin's Branch	Buchanan	161.900c	161.9375c	161.950c

If you look at the diagrams (and other information given) in post #24, what conclusion do you reach?