SDS200 Trunking Help

[hiegtx]

I have an interesting add on from one county over. First off Sentinel is awesome! I was using BuTel to manage my 996XT and I thought that was easy! This is much easier.

My issue is with the Nassau P25 system-- as we all know most of the system is AES so nothing to hear there but EMS and Fire have some TGs on the system that are not AES-- I can tune to the talk groups and hear Medial Control and the Fire Marshal but it doesn't pick up the transmissions when scanning. I don't have them on "Avoid" (old school me want to say lock out). Any suggestions?

How are you "tuning to the talkgroups to hear them" yet you don't hear them while scanning?

While scanning a trunked system, you can hold on a channel, then manually enter a talkgroup, and press the Channel key again to listen to it. Is that what you are doing?

If you can hear something 'manually', but not when scanning the same system, your issue could be one of several things.

The first (for the database scanners such as the SDS200) would be that the Service type programmed is not enabled. When first shipped, only the Dispatch service types for Public Safety are enabled: Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, & Multi Dispatch. You should also enable the Tac and Talk types are also enabled. So, be sure & enable Law Talk, Law Tac, Fore Talk, etc, etc.

If you are using location control;, your 'missing' channel might be out of range. Or, if programmed manually, location details were not enabled.

If neither of the above are applicable, is your entry accidentally avoided (you indicated that is not the case, but is it in a system or department that is set as "Avoid")?

 

[jonwfd65]

How are you "tuning to the talkgroups to hear them" yet you don't hear them while scanning?

While scanning a trunked system, you can hold on a channel, then manually enter a talkgroup, and press the Channel key again to listen to it. Is that what you are doing?

If you can hear something 'manually', but not when scanning the same system, your issue could be one of several things.

The first (for the database scanners such as the SDS200) would be that the Service type programmed is not enabled. When first shipped, only the Dispatch service types for Public Safety are enabled: Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, & Multi Dispatch. You should also enable the Tac and Talk types are also enabled. So, be sure & enable Law Talk, Law Tac, Fore Talk, etc, etc.

If you are using location control;, your 'missing' channel might be out of range. Or, if programmed manually, location details were not enabled.

If neither of the above are applicable, is your entry accidentally avoided (you indicated that is not the case, but is it in a system or department that is set as "Avoid")?

I lock on to the system and scroll through the TGs that are programed in direct from Sentinel. I have the SDS200 running right next to my BCT996XT both of them working the UHF simulcast of the Nassau P25 (I have line of sight to the transmitter from my antenna). The 996 picked up the EMS and Fire TGs, the SDS200 does not. I did read elsewhere that Nassau as a Hybrid P25 1 and 2 system and I'm wondering if that plays into it. Saw someone commenting above about the system in a neighboring county and thought I would pile on.

I'm only one week into playing around with this and I'm sure I'll figure it out but thanks a bunch for the leads-- going to keep playing around-- I made a back up of the SD card so there isn't much that I can't mess up too bad.

 

[hiegtx]

I lock on to the system and scroll through the TGs that are programed in direct from Sentinel. I have the SDS200 running right next to my BCT996XT both of them working the UHF simulcast of the Nassau P25 (I have line of sight to the transmitter from my antenna). The 996 picked up the EMS and Fire TGs, the SDS200 does not. I did read elsewhere that Nassau as a Hybrid P25 1 and 2 system and I'm wondering if that plays into it. Saw someone commenting above about the system in a neighboring county and thought I would pile on.

I'm only one week into playing around with this and I'm sure I'll figure it out but thanks a bunch for the leads-- going to keep playing around-- I made a back up of the SD card so there isn't much that I can't mess up too bad.

If you can hear your "missing" talkgroups by holding on the system & scrolling through channels, then your issue is programming, not a fault with the scanner itself. If the 996 can pick them up, but you're not hearing then when scanning on the SDS200, then one of the possibilities I mentioned above apply. Either the TGID is set as Avoid, or it is in a Department (or system) set as Avoid. Your other possibilities would be the specific Service type is not active, or you are using location control, but did not provide those details in that specific department. (If using location control, verify that your correct location & range is set in Sentinel and the scanner.)

I presume you are using a Favorites list, since you can scroll through the department. If so, export it to an *.hpe file and attach it to a post. The Export to hpe is under the drop-down File menu in Sentinel. Export the file and save it somewhere where you can find it easily. After exporting, use Windows Explorer (called File Explorer in Win 10) to find the file. <Right><click> on the file & select "Send to" from the pop-up menu. Then, on the sub-menu that appears, choose 'Send to compressed (zipped) folder'. You can attach the zipped file to a post.

If you are not using a Favorites list, just location, range, and the main database, then your likely issue is that the Service types are not enabled. However, do verify that your location & range are set correctly.

Is this the system you are trying to monitor?

Nassau County Public Safety Trunking System, Nassau County, New York

Nassau County Public Safety Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

If not, please post a link to the system in the database.

 

[jonwfd65]

Steve-- this is awesome- thanks so much for the assist.

That is the system I'm using and I exported and compressed the File.

I'm still learning how the programming works. You are right, I'm using a favorites list.

I've been away from the hobby for so long and immersed in DMR/TRBO and I forgot how awesome this community is.

Thanks very much for the assistance!!!

 

[hiegtx]

Steve-- this is awesome- thanks so much for the assist.

That is the system I'm using and I exported and compressed the File.

I'm still learning how the programming works. You are right, I'm using a favorites list.

I've been away from the hobby for so long and immersed in DMR/TRBO and I forgot how awesome this community is.

Thanks very much for the assistance!!!

I imported your file in Sentinel to have a peek.

The Departments or sites that are red are set as "Avoid", locked out in other words. You have four of the five sites for the system locked out, plus four Departments.

If your "missing" talkgroups are in one of the Avoided departments, you will not hear them while scanning. Also, if their talkgroups are not carried on the "UHF Simulcast" site (that's the only site not being Avoided), you would not hear them regardless of whether you set their Department back to 'un-Avoided' so that they're scanned.

You can <right><click> on those items in Sentinel's main window, and you'll get a pop-up menu where you can clear the Avoid. (You don't have to use the Favorites list editor if all that you want to do is change the 'Avoid' setting.

Put those departments back in the game * see if you know hear them. You might also review whether you want all of the other sites being avoided. I suspect that you may be better off to resume scanning one or more of them, as well as all of your departments.

Looking at your list in the Favorites editor (so that I could verify location details are there), I see that the University Medical Center department is set for a one mile range. Everything else is 8 miles or more, with most of the entries set as 13 miles. Remember that when using Location Control, the actual distance where a site or department is enabled is the sum of the range set for the site (or department) plus the range you set along with your location. For more details, see this:
How it Works: Location, Location, Location

 

[jonwfd65]

Steve-

Thanks so much for taking a look for me. The "missing" TGs are in Countywide Fire and Countywide EMS. So they aren't avoided and I am hearing them on the UHF simulcast on my 996XT. I'm 100% certain this is operator error I just can't seem to hone in on what I'm doing wrong.

I'm going to put the 700 South Simulcast in the game but I can't wrap my head around why I hear TG 4021, 6001, 6002, 6003 using the UHF on the 996XT. I do not have the 700 system on that rig.

As far as the location details that is 100%, I'm less than 1/4 mile with line of sight to the University Medical Center (and the transmitters on on top of the 20 story building).

I'm going to keep playing around with it but I'm still thinking that I have a setting that I put in (or didn't change) that would fix this up.

I'm also going to experiment with just monitoring the one system over the weekend to see if I'm just working the processor too hard by running 5 other P25 systems and a TRBO.

Again thanks so much for taking the time to look at my file!

Jon

 

[hiegtx]

Steve-

Thanks so much for taking a look for me. The "missing" TGs are in Countywide Fire and Countywide EMS. So they aren't avoided and I am hearing them on the UHF simulcast on my 996XT. I'm 100% certain this is operator error I just can't seem to hone in on what I'm doing wrong.

I'm going to put the 700 South Simulcast in the game but I can't wrap my head around why I hear TG 4021, 6001, 6002, 6003 using the UHF on the 996XT. I do not have the 700 system on that rig.

As far as the location details that is 100%, I'm less than 1/4 mile with line of sight to the University Medical Center (and the transmitters on on top of the 20 story building).

I'm going to keep playing around with it but I'm still thinking that I have a setting that I put in (or didn't change) that would fix this up.

I'm also going to experiment with just monitoring the one system over the weekend to see if I'm just working the processor too hard by running 5 other P25 systems and a TRBO.

Again thanks so much for taking the time to look at my file!

Jon

For talkgroups 6001, 6002, and 6003, the Service Type is Hospital, so make sure that that type is enabled in Sentinel & in your scanner. There is also the possibility that these three TGIDs are not carried on the Uhf site, though that's not likely since you hear them, on that site, on your 996. I suspect this is a service type issue.

Verify the service types in your Profile on Sentinel. On the scanner itself, access the Menu.
Scroll down & choose the Select Service Types menu.
In the listing of the types, if it says "On", that type will be scanned. "Off" would not be scanned. Use the E (yes) enter key to toggle between enabled and disabled. If, instead of On or Off, you only see dashes (---), there are no available channels on the scanner with that service type. You you did not have a given service type enabled when you wrote your Favorites list to the scanner, that service type would not be programmed.

TGID 4021 (Fire Marshals) is tagged as Fire Tac. Be sure that is enabled as well. If that is not enabled, then you also would not hear the four Fire Tac channels in that department, nor the various Battalion talkgroups.

You're not "pushing the processor with five trunked systems as well as a TRBO system. I have more systems than that programmed in bith my SDS200 as well as my SDS100.

 

[werinshades]

For talkgroups 6001, 6002, and 6003, the Service Type is Hospital, so make sure that that type is enabled in Sentinel & in your scanner. There is also the possibility that these three TGIDs are not carried on the Uhf site, though that's not likely since you hear them, on that site, on your 996. I suspect this is a service type issue.

Verify the service types in your Profile on Sentinel. On the scanner itself, access the Menu.
Scroll down & choose the Select Service Types menu.
In the listing of the types, if it says "On", that type will be scanned. "Off" would not be scanned. Use the E (yes) enter key to toggle between enabled and disabled. If, instead of On or Off, you only see dashes (---), there are no available channels on the scanner with that service type. You you did not have a given service type enabled when you wrote your Favorites list to the scanner, that service type would not be programmed.

TGID 4021 (Fire Marshals) is tagged as Fire Tac. Be sure that is enabled as well. If that is not enabled, then you also would not hear the four Fire Tac channels in that department, nor the various Battalion talkgroups.

You're not "pushing the processor with five trunked systems as well as a TRBO system. I have more systems than that programmed in bith my SDS200 as well as my SDS100.

Another suggestion for that Uniden suggestion box would be to enable ALL service types as default, and the user can disable as needed. As we've seen many times, this is a common problem and causes frustration.

 

[hiegtx]

Another suggestion for that Uniden suggestion box would be to enable ALL service types as default, and the user can disable as needed. As we've seen many times, this is a common problem and causes frustration.

Agreed, that would be an easy "first step" to try on cases of "why can't I hear this?????". Then, once service types are out of the process, if there are still issues, then start looking at other items. I have all service types enabled, but I only scan using Favorites lists, not the full database. Were I, instead, say on a trip to an unfamiliar area, and using the main database & a GPS (instead of a specific Favorites list), then I would tailor the service types more closely, to control what I was scanning on the journey.

 

[jonwfd65]

Holy cow! It worked Steve! I knew is was something I was or was not doing. Can't thank you enough everyone!!!

100% works now-- I'm also going to look at how the TRBO system is programed and make sure that I have them ticked correctly.

Thanks and 73s all around!

Jon

 

[danc107]

Is it possible to have UHF and trunking operating at the same time on a digital scanner?

 

[doctordialtone]

Is it possible to have UHF and trunking operating at the same time on a digital scanner?

Yes

 

[danc107]

W

Yes

ould you know how to do it on the SDS200?

 

[doctordialtone]

ould you know how to do it on the SDS200?

Just set it up as 2 separate systems.

One system Conventional
One System Trunked.


Like this:
Programming Systems

 

[danc107]

Just set it up as 2 separate systems.

One system Conventional
One System Trunked.


Like this:
Programming Systems

And ill be able to listen at the same time?

 

[doctordialtone]

And ill be able to listen at the same time?

Of course, as long as you are scanning both systems

 

[doctordialtone]

ould you know how to do it on the SDS200?

After you add your systems, make sure the Service Types are enabled for what you want to hear.

This is a common omission that will prevent you from hearing the system(s).

 

[jtwalker]

And ill be able to listen at the same time?

You‘ll be able to SCAN both at the same time, you can only listen to one channel at a time as the scaner only has one receiver. So if something is active on one channel and you hear it, you won’t know what is happening on the other channel.

Just want to word it this way because of how you asked your question.

 

[danc107]

I cant seem to scan both of them at the same time

 

[danc107]

I have both list set to scan but im only getting the conventional to scan not the trunking