Setting the record straight on trunking

[SCPD]

You know, there is a lot of confusing info on trunking on this site. I had read many of the public agencies in my area used trunking and this kept me from getting a scanner for quite a while b/c I didn't want to throw down the money for a trunking scanner. But I think people are getting confused, and I know some of the folks on here aren't helping out (no offense) about the trunking issue.

For everyone looking for a low-cost scanner that is scared away by the fact that their local agencies might be trunked, a conventional scanner WILL pick up those frequencies as long as they are analog, aren't encrypted, and are in the range of frequencies picked up by that scanner. Now, in my case, I live in a city of 200,000 and the entire parish (county) uses an 800 mhz analog trunked system. True, I cannot discriminate between sheriff's dept, police, fire, and EMS traffic. BUT.....I can certainly tell who's who just by the nature of the traffic.

True, I can't single out one agency since they hop around over the 25 frequencies. But, I can hear them and it has been fun to listen to. I would have bought a scanner more than a year ago if I had known this. Now, the state has been slowly implimenting a digital trunking system. But the local agencies don't seem to be using it and from what I have read from some folks in the know, don't plan to anytime soon. When or if that day does finally come, I will have to put down some more money.

But I certainly have NOT been inhibited by the presence of an analog trunked system. If I lived in a much larger metro area, I could see how the traffic could be overwhelming. But for where I live, and with an analog system, my Uniden BC95XLT has been just fine! Sure it would be nice to have alpha tags...but it'd also be nice to have a Mercedes S class. But if a Corolla gets you to the same place, buy it and save some money!!!

 

[Grog]

If we suggest someone use a non-trunking scanner for a trunked system with lots of active talkgroups, they'd come back and threaten to burn down our shacks :lol:

 

[SCPD]

Yeah, but for Billy Ray out there in small town, wherever, the presence of a trunking system should be an impeding factor in buying a scanner. Granted, my scanner pretty much never shuts up. But it is not bad enough that I can't follow what's going on. And THIS is the list of talkgroups for the "Caddo Parish Trunked System." It's not a short list.

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=1125

 

[SCPD]

Yeah, but for Billy Ray out there in small town, wherever, the presence of a trunking system should be an impeding factor in buying a scanner. Granted, my scanner pretty much never shuts up. But it is not bad enough that I can't follow what's going on. And THIS is the list of talkgroups for the "Caddo Parish Trunked System." It's not a short list.

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=1125

\
you can get an analog trunking scanner for under $100 , I have a pro 93 I'd sell for $75 or less just laying in the drawer somewhere??. its analog & has text tags & does PL/DPl.. so $$ shouldn't be a factor, also I used to program it by hand even... So give us another excuse?... oops reason??

 

[SCPD]

Thanks for adding something constructive.....

Go to radioshack.com or any other place FIRST TIME buyers are going to buy a NEW scanner and show me all the deals you find on trunking scanners under $100. I'm sure I can go to eBay and find an adequate conventional scanner for less than $75 if we want to put it that way.

Regardless, that's not my point. My point is people on here are many times not conveying the fact that you CAN follow analog trunked traffic on a conventional scanner.

 

[Grog]

I have a pro 93 I'd sell for $75 or less just laying in the drawer somewhere??. its analog & has text tags & does PL/DPl

I never got my 93 or either of my two 2053s to decode PL/DPL codes. You have to share your secret

 

[Grog]

You know, there is a lot of confusing info on trunking on this site. I had read many of the public agencies in my area used trunking and this kept me from getting a scanner for quite a while b/c I didn't want to throw down the money for a trunking scanner. But I think people are getting confused, and I know some of the folks on here aren't helping out (no offense) about the trunking issue.

For everyone looking for a low-cost scanner that is scared away by the fact that their local agencies might be trunked, a conventional scanner WILL pick up those frequencies as long as they are analog, aren't encrypted, and are in the range of frequencies picked up by that scanner.

Go to radioshack.com or any other place FIRST TIME buyers are going to buy a NEW scanner and show me all the deals you find on trunking scanners under $100. I'm sure I can go to eBay and find an adequate conventional scanner for less than $75 if we want to put it that way.

So you complain because people on here scare people away from trying to listen to trunked systems without a trunking scanner yet you assume everyone goes to radioshack or another retail location to buy all their scanners.

Do you acknowledge that some people come here first for advise on what scanner to buy for their area and they are often pointed to the used scanners on egay and RR that are a great value for someone just starting out?

 

[LarryMax]

Thanks for adding something constructive.....

Go to radioshack.com or any other place FIRST TIME buyers are going to buy a NEW scanner and show me all the deals you find on trunking scanners under $100. I'm sure I can go to eBay and find an adequate conventional scanner for less than $75 if we want to put it that way.

Regardless, that's not my point. My point is people on here are many times not conveying the fact that you CAN follow analog trunked traffic on a conventional scanner.

Yes you can, but that doesn't mean it should be done. Trunking scanners are for trunked radio systems. Non trunking scanners are for non-trunked radio systems period. If you're scanner works for you then great.

I don't see any reason to tell people a non trunking radio will work PROPERLY with a trunked radio system. For me personally and I would think for most people using a non-trunking radio for a trunked system would just be a giant pain in the ass.

 

[Grog]

I don't see any reason to tell people a non trunking radio will work PROPERLY with a trunked radio system. For me personally and I would think for most people using a non-trunking radio for a trunked system would just be a giant pain in the ass.

It would also drive some people away from the hobby. I know when I monitored a medium size trunked system before trunktracking scanners came out, I only did it at work where I really needed to know what was going on.

The pro-90 was my friend when it came out

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

you CAN follow analog trunked traffic on a conventional scanner.

A conventional scanner may be able to hear trunked traffic on a voice channel but it cannot "follow" a trunked system. For example, you may hear a dispatch to a given unit but there's no guarantee that you'll hear that unit respond if a different voice channel is assigned by the system. See the Trunking section here.

 

[SCPD]

Yes you can, but that doesn't mean it should be done. Trunking scanners are for trunked radio systems. Non trunking scanners are for non-trunked radio systems period. If you're scanner works for you then great.

I don't see any reason to tell people a non trunking radio will work PROPERLY with a trunked radio system. For me personally and I would think for most people using a non-trunking radio for a trunked system would just be a giant pain in the ass.

It works for me and it would work for a LOT of people. You don't know what the traffic is like for each and every individual person who wanders on here and asks about their local frequecies. I don't see any reason to tell people that a non-trunking scanner WON'T work with an analog trunking system when it plainly will. That'd be fine to tell them it won't work "properly" or you won't get the benefits that a trunking scanner would provide.

But a lot of people don't care, want or need tagging or to block out certain talk groups. Now sure, if you're an enthusiast and/or you have a specific need for listening to a trunked system "properly," then by all means invest in one.

But I see a lot of posts on here by people who are just wanting to have a basic scanner and they get told "You have a trunking system in your area. That scanner won't work." Then you never hear from them again. Take a look through the old posts here. You'll find it's full of these types of posts. But that is the last post you see from many of these people b/c they don't want to throw down the money for a pricey scanner that for many people, is an item of occasional use.

 

[SCPD]

A conventional scanner may be able to hear trunked traffic on a voice channel but it cannot "follow" a trunked system. For example, you may hear a dispatch to a given unit but there's no guarantee that you'll hear that unit respond if a different voice channel is assigned by the system. See the Trunking section here.

I'm well aware of how a trunking system works and what you lose by not having a trunking scanner. But if you have all the channels programmed in, you can still follow the conversation. For me, my parish (I'm in Louisiana) trunking system has 25 different frequencies. I have all 25 programmed in. Yeah, it goes from one to another when following a conversation, but how is that a big loss? I can still easily follow conversations. I know in some places there may be too much traffic to operate a scanner this way. But in plenty of places a conventional scanner is going to work just fine for the unwashed masses who don't have a goal in life of owning 37 scanners and just want to know what's going on around them.

 

[SCPD]

So you complain because people on here scare people away from trying to listen to trunked systems without a trunking scanner yet you assume everyone goes to radioshack or another retail location to buy all their scanners.

Do you acknowledge that some people come here first for advise on what scanner to buy for their area and they are often pointed to the used scanners on egay and RR that are a great value for someone just starting out?

Lets NOT feed the the troll any more!!

 

[SCPD]

Dude I don't care what you call me. I have a few names I can think of for you, too. Yes, please don't post in this thread because you haven't made any worthwhile contribution. If you can't follow what I am saying, why bother?

But silly troll me, I'm sitting here with my non-trunking scanner listening to a trunked system just like everyone on here told me I wouldn't possibly be able to do. Must be some special troll magic.

 

[Austin4Wyo]

I think that having to try and sort out trunked communications on a regular scanner would be just as likely to drive a person from the hobby. If they're a first time buyer, chances are they are 1) unfamiliar with radio communications and the protocols involved, 2) unfamiliar with how technology implements radio communication. So, we can either be straight with them and let them know that a trunked scanner and some help programming would be more beneficial, thus taking the risk of them not wanting to plunk down a little extra change ($150 via Radio Shack's website, it appears) and them leaving, or having them get a scanner, and be completely lost because they won't be able to clearly understand anything due to the combination of them being unfamiliar with radio protocol in their area and trunking causing them to miss conversations.

At the most base level, you are correct. At a pragmatic level, however, I have to disagree.

 

[SCPD]

I think that having to try and sort out trunked communications on a regular scanner would be just as likely to drive a person from the hobby. If they're a first time buyer, chances are they are 1) unfamiliar with radio communications and the protocols involved, 2) unfamiliar with how technology implements radio communication. So, we can either be straight with them and let them know that a trunked scanner and some help programming would be more beneficial, thus taking the risk of them not wanting to plunk down a little extra change ($150 via Radio Shack's website, it appears) and them leaving, or having them get a scanner, and be completely lost because they won't be able to clearly understand anything due to the combination of them being unfamiliar with radio protocol in their area and trunking causing them to miss conversations.

At the most base level, you are correct. At a pragmatic level, however, I have to disagree.

That's fine and like I said, I have no problem with people explaining that a non-trunking scanner can't "properly" follow trunked traffic. But you can't just tell people "they won't work" because A) they do "work" and B) you don't know what every person's local radio traffic is like. On high traffic systems, yes, you might want the ability that a true trunking scanner provides. But I'm sitting here on a Saturday night in a city of 200,000 with a pretty high crime rate and I am having NO trouble following fire, ems, sheriff's office, local pd, as well as state police conversations. My entire parish comprises 25 trunked frequencies on one system as well as 5 state public saftey trunked frequencies and about 5 more various non-trunked including SKYWARN.

Here's a link to "current active events" on the 25 freq trunked system.

http://ias.ecc.caddo911.com/ActiveEvents.asp

 

[SCPD]

So you complain because people on here scare people away from trying to listen to trunked systems without a trunking scanner yet you assume everyone goes to radioshack or another retail location to buy all their scanners.

Do you acknowledge that some people come here first for advise on what scanner to buy for their area and they are often pointed to the used scanners on egay and RR that are a great value for someone just starting out?

Yes because a lot of people aren't doing this for a hobby. Rather they just want to know what's going on around them. And a decent chunk of these people aren't going to buy from eBay or buy sight unseen from someone they just met on an internet forum. And if you take a look at a lot of threads on here, these first timers aren't getting the adviced to check on used deals b/c A) no one mentions it in the thread or B) one they are told they need a trunking scanner you don't see another post from them.

Like I said, I have no problem with people being told that they won't be able to "properly" listen to trunked systems. But to tell them they just won't be able to listen to what's on a trunked system or that they "can't follow a conversation" is a mis-statement.

 

[SCPD]

I never got my 93 or either of my two 2053s to decode PL/DPL codes. You have to share your secret

Ok Ok, I was wrong.( about the tones). its been a few years since I've even looked at it hehe, thanks for the correction

Paul

 

[Grog]

Since bkrell has made his point (repeatedly), I can't think of much more that can be said in this thread. Remember when someone lives in a city with 500 talkgroups that we can tell them to use a non-trunktracking scanner even though we know they will be horribly dis-satisfied with it's performance.

 

[LarryMax]

Well then, Could someone let Uniden, GRE, and all of the dealers know not to sell trunking scanners to cities with less than 200,000 people. It seems they are not needed.