SIRN
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Thanks for the info!
It looks like the BCD996p2 will work for me.
I'm curious why two different scanners. I was looking at them on the internet and the big difference that I can see between them is the price. About $300.
Also, I'm about a mile from Weirton. (Eldersville road). I have no problems picking up the current Weirton system. I assume that the new system is located on the same tower site? Is there a map available that shows the positions of the Weirton and Ohio county towers? I could then verify which is closest to me. I expect that It's Weirton. Wheeling (Ohio county) is quite a bit farther away from me.
At this time, McKims Ridge is where the Brooke county tower is located. The BCD996p2 would work fine. If you plan to add any Ohio County tower sites the closet tower is in West Liberty. Ohio County is on a simulcast system, so that’s why you would want a SDS200.
Any idea on how likely it is that Brooke County would ever switch to a simulcast system? If this is likely, I'll need to decide whether to start with the more expensive scanner or go with the cheaper one. This is going to be a big hit to my bank account either way. About $400 or $700!
Ohio county and Moundsville merged together a few weeks ago as a simulcast system. As of now Brooke is a stand alone tower, but there has been talk about a South tower. I which I could tell what to buy. I have booth the SDS100/SDS200 and it is the best scanner I have ever owned.
That will not work for a radio feed that he wants to do. 😀
@lukemaster you can also consider a BCD536. It also is a nice scanner but does not do the greatest on simulcast systems. It runs a few $$$$ more than the BCD996p2.
Wow, I did not know that. That sure beats tying up an expensive scanner. Thanks, for the information.
Brooke County update from WTOV 9.
This might be a possibility. The learning curve looks fairly steep
The sdr Radio dongles are only about $35. It looks like two are required for a digital trunk system.Is anyone using an RTL Software Defined Radio for the West Virginia SIRN network?
It looks like the sdtrunk software may work with SIRN:
DSheirer/sdrtrunk
So far I can't determine whether or not sdtrunk supports simulcast.
I may just buy two of these dongles and give it a try before buying a new scanner. I see that they can also be used as a spectrum analyzer. If I can't get sdtrunk working I can allways use another spectrum analyzer. Also, these will be a lot more portable than my old boat-anchor benchtop spectrum analyzer
Yike
My Brooke County feed might be going dead quicker than I thought... Definitely need to get going with the SIRN network.
I have only heard Brooke county Sheriff/EMS/EMA.
My friend told me most Fire Depts do not have the new radios yet.
My friend told me most Fire Depts do not have the new radios yet.
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There are different options for going the SDR route. I happen to use one dongle in a Raspberry Pi mini-computer running the OP25 software. OP25 definitely handles simulcast well. There is a bit of a learning curve though. And one of the things I learned is to get a Noo-Elec dongle because slightly cheaper generic ones won't stay on frequency as they heat up.
I will add that if you want to include both conventional frequencies and SIRN, that may be a little difficult. I'm not saying it's impossible but I believe it does increase the complexity.
I will add that if you want to include both conventional frequencies and SIRN, that may be a little difficult. I'm not saying it's impossible but I believe it does increase the complexity.
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I've ordered an SDR dongle. I should have it by friday. Thanks for the help everyone! I'll keep you informed of my progress.
I just want to verify that I need the Fast Lane version. Plus version is older but free. Fast Lane is a paid version.
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