Searching for talkgroups?

[akscanner]

Hello,

I have been scanning conventionally for about a year, but am now finding that with the switch to ALMR (APCO-25) in Alaska, I am not able to hear much of interest anymore. I am about to purchase an apco 25 cabable scanner, but am a bit leery to invest the money into a type of scanning I am not too familiar with. My concern is that I will not be able to scan the talkgroups in almr that I would like with the scanner, as I can't get the information on the talkgroup id's, etc.

My question is, can you "search" for available talkgroups within a system? For example, the talkgroups of interest have just recently switched to almr, and I know for a fact they exist but they are not listed in the RR database. If I can listen to the various tg's I can figure out which ones I am most interested in. Is there a way to search through the system to find what I am interested in, or do I have to have the tg's pre-programmed into my scanner?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

[gregmoss]

You can scan or search the ALMR system with a capable p-25 scanner of your choice. pro-96, pro-2096, bcd396t, bcd996, bc796 Once you've programmed one of these scanners for the ALMR system. You just have too catch and hold a talk-group ID and figure out who it is. Here in Alaska you can only purchase the pro-96 or pro-2096 from rat shack, otherwise you have too order online etc.

 

[ka3jjz]

Don't forget the BC296 - that is the portable brother to the BC796. It too is P25 capable.

While the ALMR system is defined in the database, I understand some talkgroups relating to one of the military bases were removed per an official request. So there are some holes to be filled.

Keep in mind Uniden models can be computer controlled and can produce logs, the PRO-96 and 2096 cannot - it isn't present in the firmware. IDTracker (and its brother IDTracker II for the DMA radios) is one of several - be sure to do your research by using the Wiki (we have extensive articles on each scanner) so you aren't disappointed with your decision.

73s Mike

 

[hankv]

My question is, can you "search" for available talkgroups within a system? For example, the talkgroups of interest have just recently switched to almr, and I know for a fact they exist but they are not listed in the RR database. If I can listen to the various tg's I can figure out which ones I am most interested in. Is there a way to search through the system to find what I am interested in, or do I have to have the tg's pre-programmed into my scanner?

Depending on which brand of scanner you choose, once you program in the frequencies you should run in ID SEARCH mode (Uniden) or OPEN mode (Radio Shack). This will let you hear ALL TG's in use. Once you identify a TG, you can program it in with a text tag or lock it out.

Later, you can change modes to only listen to the TG's you have programmed in.

 

[kikito]

My concern is that I will not be able to scan the talkgroups in almr that I would like with the scanner, as I can't get the information on the talkgroup id's, etc.

Just adding or confirming what most have already mentioned earlier.....

Have you checked the database here for talkgroup IDs and info?:

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=2447

It's a work in progress, especially since the majority of the system users have not or are still migrating to ALMR. Also, you can contribute to it if stuff you're looking for is not there! (hint, hint)

But anyway, you can also post in this forum what is the talkgroups you're looking for and maybe someone has an idea or might have the info but haven't posted it yet to the main database.

Is there a way to search through the system to find what I am interested in, or do I have to have the tg's pre-programmed into my scanner?

Yes, you can "search" through the system in ID Search mode. Just like doing a conventional freq search, just lock out what you don't want and keep on searching. Just remember, the talkgroup will need to be active and in use in order for the scanner to pick it up, just like a conventional frequency. You don't have to have the TGs programmed in order to hear them. The scanner will "tune" to any that becomes active.