Some Basic Pro-95 Questions

[coyote1964]

Hello all,

I'm still a newbie here, but slowly beginning to understand some things. I have a recently purchased Pro-95 scanner and had a couple questions which I couldn't find answers to in the manual which I did read. (Which is a feat, because as a computer tech professional, I don't often read manuals.)

1. The pre-programmed trunks are Motorola trunks. I find as it scans through, probably 90% of the frequencies it stops on allows me to hear the final second or two of conversation before it moves on to the next frequency. The result is a disjointed listening experience wondering why a taxi cab is picking up an old lady at a (switch) ....fire at the bread factory (switch) ...just bitten by a raccoon (switch) .... going 10-8 at the Donut Shoppe, etc. Now I hit the delay button which will hold the frequency for 2 seconds after the conversation ends, or I can hit the MANUAL button and listen to the end of the sentence and then silence until I give up and start the scanning again. Any suggestions on how to make my listening experience a little more fulfilling?

2. Alien Ray Gun - Some frequencies I get this pulsing Alien Ray Gun noise. What is this?

3. On the bottom of the display, it shows MOT: {NUMBER} Is this the talk group number for that frequency? If not, what is it and how come the number may change several times during the course of the conversation?

4. If I've got a trunked system programmed which includes dozens of talk groups. Can I program something somehow so I can listen to certain talk groups only?

5. Can you program more than one trunked system on a bank? For example, I have bank 6 programmed with 4 control frequencies for the trunk system referenced above. That leaves 96 free channels on that bank. If so, would I just add more control frequency channels?

6. My main PC is a...PC, but I also have a Mac. Does anyone know if there is a Scanner ---> Mac software/cable solution out there?

7. How come women can't pull up to a drive-up ATM close enough without having to back up, pull forward and still end up opening the door to put their card in?

Thanks again for the help!

Ron Jaffe
Orlando, Florida

 

[exalti]

Read below for each item:

Hello all,

I'm still a newbie here, but slowly beginning to understand some things. I have a recently purchased Pro-95 scanner and had a couple questions which I couldn't find answers to in the manual which I did read. (Which is a feat, because as a computer tech professional, I don't often read manuals.)

1. The pre-programmed trunks are Motorola trunks. I find as it scans through, probably 90% of the frequencies it stops on allows me to hear the final second or two of conversation before it moves on to the next frequency. The result is a disjointed listening experience wondering why a taxi cab is picking up an old lady at a (switch) ....fire at the bread factory (switch) ...just bitten by a raccoon (switch) .... going 10-8 at the Donut Shoppe, etc. Now I hit the delay button which will hold the frequency for 2 seconds after the conversation ends, or I can hit the MANUAL button and listen to the end of the sentence and then silence until I give up and start the scanning again. Any suggestions on how to make my listening experience a little more fulfilling?

Perhaps you could adjust your squelch such that it picks up lower levels. I am not sure about this but it could be a reasonable assumption. Also, I find that on my Pro96, the more channels I have programmed in and are actively being scanned, the less likely I am to get all of the conversation line. Try locking out what you don't think will be interesting such as the taxi pickup, etc. Also, remember you canNOT have two different trunk types programmed in the same bank.


2. Alien Ray Gun - Some frequencies I get this pulsing Alien Ray Gun noise. What is this?

I have yet to figure this out totally. I did find that it is important to make sure the individual channel AND the Bank as a whole are defined as MOT (or EDACS). The p9x file I stated with had the Bank defined as MOT butthe individual channels for the frequencies on the MOT trunk were defined as FM. Adjusting these made a lot of difference but I still get the occasional ray gun.

3. On the bottom of the display, it shows MOT: {NUMBER} Is this the talk group number for that frequency? If not, what is it and how come the number may change several times during the course of the conversation?

I think this is the designator for the talk group. You can bind a text tag to individual talk groups and it should display it instead of the number.


4. If I've got a trunked system programmed which includes dozens of talk groups. Can I program something somehow so I can listen to certain talk groups only?

Hmm, one way is to make the bank CLOSED which will only stop on talk groups you have defined. OPEN will play all that are detected - defined or not.


5. Can you program more than one trunked system on a bank? For example, I have bank 6 programmed with 4 control frequencies for the trunk system referenced above. That leaves 96 free channels on that bank. If so, would I just add more control frequency channels?

Not 100% sure about this. It is possible to do it but the scanner will lock on to the first control freq it finds in the bank. You could program more than one but you would have to make sure none of them are within listening range of each other. Then which ever one you are closest to should be the one copied.


6. My main PC is a...PC, but I also have a Mac. Does anyone know if there is a Scanner ---> Mac software/cable solution out there?

There might be but I haven't heard of it yet. FWIW, I am trying to reverse engineer the serial protocol for the Pro96 so I can make an interface to my HP48 calculator. If I could just determine the correct commands to transmit over RS232 I could do it.

7. How come women can't pull up to a drive-up ATM close enough without having to back up, pull forward and still end up opening the door to put their card in?

Same reason women have to get back in their cars and look in the mirror while at the gas pump filling up. I actually heard a study of this and these women (the gas pump wierdos) are responsible for the majority of fires in these locations due to ESD from sitting on the seat and getting out to touch the pump nozzle.


Cheers!

Thanks again for the help!

Ron Jaffe
Orlando, Florida

 

[Pro-95]

1. The pre-programmed trunks are Motorola trunks.

Umm Pre-programmed???? You mean as in the store programmed them for you??? There is no pre-programmed data in the Pro-95 from the factory.

I find as it scans through, probably 90% of the frequencies it stops on allows me to hear the final second or two of conversation before it moves on to the next frequency.

While trunking, once a conversation is over, it goes on to the next conversation which could be the tail end of another. While someone is talking on a trunked system, press TRUNK and hold it for a few and "ID HOLD ON" will popup. This will stay on that talkgroup until you say not to, which is press TRUK or SCAN.

2. Alien Ray Gun - Some frequencies I get this pulsing Alien Ray Gun noise. What is this?

Depending on which aliens, could be a control channel or just data coming across the radio. You should not hear this while trunking if it is a control channel.

3. On the bottom of the display, it shows MOT: {NUMBER} Is this the talk group number for that frequency? If not, what is it and how come the number may change several times during the course of the conversation?

It *should* be the talkgroup number and no, it should not change during one conversation.

4. If I've got a trunked system programmed which includes dozens of talk groups. Can I program something somehow so I can listen to certain talk groups only?

Yes. If the talkgroup is in your talkgroup list you can CLOSE a bank and ONLY the talkgroups identified will you hear.

5. Can you program more than one trunked system on a bank?

NO and YES. EDACS, NO Motorola possibly maybe depending on the locations of the sites you program. Meaning that if you program one site then another that is 60 miles away so that there is little chance of both control channels being picked up at the same time, no problem. Motorola modes is definately a "better" use of channels for a scanner in that regard.

That leaves 96 free channels on that bank. If so, would I just add more control frequency channels?

See above. However you CAN add convetional frequencies to any trunked system to better utilize the bank.

6. My main PC is a...PC, but I also have a Mac. Does anyone know if there is a Scanner ---> Mac software/cable solution out there?

I deffer to more knowledgable for this one.

7. How come women can't pull up to a drive-up ATM close enough without having to back up, pull forward and still end up opening the door to put their card in?

That's because of the spatial reasoning differences between the sexes. A Man says it's 12 inches the woman thinks 3. Now add the windsheild factor which inverses the image you have your answer.

 

[W4KRR]

The pre-programmed trunks are Motorola trunks. I find as it scans through, probably 90% of the frequencies it stops on allows me to hear the final second or two of conversation before it moves on to the next frequency. The result is a disjointed listening experience wondering why a taxi cab is picking up an old lady at a (switch) ....fire at the bread factory (switch) ...just bitten by a raccoon (switch) .... going 10-8 at the Donut Shoppe, etc. Now I hit the delay button which will hold the frequency for 2 seconds after the conversation ends, or I can hit the MANUAL button and listen to the end of the sentence and then silence until I give up and start the scanning again. Any suggestions on how to make my listening experience a little more fulfilling?

Sounds like you're listening to a trunked system in conventional mode. Both the bank and each frequency must be set to Motorola mode (assuming it's a Motorola system). And, there are no preprogrammed trunked systems in the PRO-95.

2. Alien Ray Gun - Some frequencies I get this pulsing Alien Ray Gun noise. What is this?

Sounds like the control channel in a trunked system. If you're hearing this, you're listening in conventional mode, not trunked.

3. On the bottom of the display, it shows MOT: {NUMBER} Is this the talk group number for that frequency? If not, what is it and how come the number may change several times during the course of the conversation?

Yes, this is a talkgroup number. If it keeps changing, it's because you're listening in conventional mode, or the bank is set to scan in "open" mode.

4. If I've got a trunked system programmed which includes dozens of talk groups. Can I program something somehow so I can listen to certain talk groups only?

Yes. Enter only the talkgroups you want to listen to into a talkgroup list.

 

[coyote1964]

Regarding Pre-Programmed Pro-95

Wow, thanks for the great, informative replies.

Just to clear up my post, Radio Shack is advertising now that if you buy the Pro-95, they will Pre-Program whatever local public service/safety trunks/frequencies are in that store's area. In my case, it was a slew of frequencies that are "listenable" in the Metro Orlando area including taxis, fire, police, public safety, rail, aviation, marine, etc. The way the text tags are listed, it's probably just dumped to the scanner from some big database or something.

Because I did not actually program those trunks and channels myself, that is probably why I'm having trouble deciphering exactly what it is I am listening to.

As soon as I get my Radio Shack cable, I'll dump the scanner's info to my PC so I can figure out a little more, and hopefully better understand, how the thing works.

Man, I sure wish the Pro-95 had backlit keys

Oh, thanks again for the insight on the women and ATM question. I suppose I am as bad in the reverse. I like to see if I can get my sideview mirror a millimeter or less from the ATM machine. No fear of damaging my car though...does that make me a bad person?

Ron

 

[scanfan03]

Get Win 95 for your PC to program your scanner. You can get it Here. It is free.

 

[jamiewmorris]

pro95

Also, since the Pro95 is not a digital scanner, if you are trying to monitor a digital talkgroup you will hear that "alien gun" noise.

 

[LarryN]

:wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:
All of your other questions have been answered quite well. As for the women thing:

According to Judeo-Christian beliefs men have been trying to understand women for around 6,000 years. For those who follow Darwin millions of years. The millions of years thing alone makes you wonder why if we really had all that time to figure women, haven’t we done it yet?

In the Bible John talks about the signs to expect at the end of the world. He talks about “War and Rumors of War” and other complex things like that. The sure sign for me is when I start to understand women. I figure one of two things will be happening. Either the horsemen of the Apocalypse will be coming over the horizon or I will see a bright light and hear “GO towards the Light, Larry”.

So my advice to you Coyote1963, stick to things we know we can figure out. Things like curing cancer, ending world hunger, proving the existence of UFO’s, and finding out who really killed JFK.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[crayon]

Proceed, now, towards the light Larry.

 

[coyote1964]

Update`

Well, I finally located a PC-Scanner cable at a local Radio Shack after days of trying - When I installed the W95 software and dumped the scanner into it, finally I can see a visual of what's going on with all of the data laid out in front of me.

After about an hour studying the screens, suddenly it all clicked. I've made a boatload of changes to the information and downloaded it back into the scanner and now I understand what I'm listening to.

Thank you all again, and Larry, thank you for the insightful reply regarding the women and ATM thing. I'll defer my quest for that knowledge in lieu of something easier, like time travel or perpetual motion.

Ron

 

[scnnr]

Well, I finally located a PC-Scanner cable at a local Radio Shack after days of trying - When I installed the W95 software and dumped the scanner into it, finally I can see a visual of what's going on with all of the data laid out in front of me.

Ron ,

You might also want to join some of the Yahoo pro 95 groups and look in there files sections for all kinds of P95 files for your area and around Florida. You can download and load into your scanner as you see fit to do so.

It is a great way to learn how to use Win 95 and to learn how to load, edit and program your scanner.

Have fun.

Randy

 

[coyote1964]

You might also want to join some of the Yahoo pro 95 groups and look in there files sections for all kinds of P95 files for your area and around Florida.

Ah, an excellent idea! I'll do that, thanks.

Ron