Starcom in Champagin

[k9swx]

Starcom in Champaign

As I await the Fedex truck to show up with my 396 today, I'm curious about what control frequencies I need to program in for Starcom21. Do I just need to put the primary control frequency for Champaign (866.93750) and go from there, or do I need to do the Pesotum (860.26250) one too? Also, what about if I visit other counties, do I just plug in the control channels for those sites as well? Thanks!

 

[cubn]

Just put in 866.9375 which is the Champaign site. The only reason you'd need to program in the Pesotum site is if there would be a talkgroup that is carried on that site but not on the Champaign site. If you travel, plug in the site control channel frequency where you will be staying. If you have multiple control channel frequencies in the same bank, (ex. Champaign, Pesotum, and Leroy), the scanner will track whichever frequency it finds a signal on first). So if you have Pesotum's freq in the scanner before Champaign, even though the Pesotum signal is weaker, the scanner will lock onto that freq unless you lock it out.

 

[k9swx]

Just put in 866.9375 which is the Champaign site. The only reason you'd need to program in the Pesotum site is if there would be a talkgroup that is carried on that site but not on the Champaign site. If you travel, plug in the site control channel frequency where you will be staying. If you have multiple control channel frequencies in the same bank, (ex. Champaign, Pesotum, and Leroy), the scanner will track whichever frequency it finds a signal on first). So if you have Pesotum's freq in the scanner before Champaign, even though the Pesotum signal is weaker, the scanner will lock onto that freq unless you lock it out.

Good deal. Thanks for the info.

 

[cubn]

If you want to monitor multiple sites at the same time, put them in as two separate systems.

 

[k9swx]

If you want to monitor multiple sites at the same time, put them in as two separate systems.

Gotcha. What would be the best way to put all the sites in the scanner? Put each site into it's own system and just lock it out or just leave them on the computer and upload when I travel to a different part of IL? Thanks!

 

[cubn]

When I travel, I make 1 system file for the destination city to monitor while I’m there and just put the control channel freqs and talkgroups for the site in that city. For traveling I make another system. I put all the control channels that I will pass by in that other system. Let’s say you are leaving Champaign headed to Peoria. You know you are very close to Leroy’s site but are still receiving Champaign’s site at 1 bar signal strength. It’s time to force the scanner to switch sites, so you lock-out the Champaign control channel and then the scanner will look around and stop on the next control channel that it finds that you have programmed in that system (which may or may not be the desired site you wish to hear). Then for the return trip, unlock any control channel freqs you locked out.

You don’t have to make a separate system for the city and for traveling. For example, just make sure that if your are in Peoria, you are scanning the Peoria site and not Metamora, Congerville, etc. which would have a lower signal strength and may not carry the talkgroups that are being carried on the Peoria site which would be most relevant to you while you’re there. The advantage to having a separate system for the destination city is that you can have the groups and quickeys set up differently and have different talkgroups locked out than you’d like to have it for traveling.

 

[k9swx]

Starcom in Champaign

Very good advice, thanks again! Now where is that darn Fedex truck?!?!

 

[k9swx]

Well I got the 396 today and been tinkering this evening with Starcom. I only programmed in the D10 talkgroups since I figured that is all I would get from the Champaign site. However I have picked up the following talkgroups so far that are outside the D10 area:

30358 McLean County
9021 D21: Ashkum
13032 D6: Pontiac

Is this normal? Should I go ahead and plug in more talkgroups than just D10? Thanks!

 

[wannabescannist]

Have some fun, use it in 'Search' instead of 'Scan' mode

 

[k9swx]

Have some fun, use it in 'Search' instead of 'Scan' mode

Yeah, I've got it in search mode which is why those non-programmed talkgroups popped up. I'm just curious what I should program in there so I know who is talking instead of just seeing TG #'s.

 

[cubn]

I would put in the MABAS and IMERT talkgroups since they pop up a lot. I'd also put in ISP D12 and D9 since I've on occasion seen their talkgroups pop up (more often D9). You'll also get the D21 and D6 ISPERN talkgroups here in Champaign. Sometimes Normal PD or Normal Fire pops up on the Champaign site. I'd put in ISP Cental Zone event talkgroups 13063 and 13064. Listen to 13020 for the ISP Detail during Illini home football games.

Honestly I don't listen to Starcom21 much now that MDICE is in use. What I used to do is just wait for a new talkgroup to show up and then quick save it, look it up on Radioreference, and then alpha tag it if I want to hear it again or lock it out if it's not something I care to hear.

 

[k9swx]

I would put in the MABAS and IMERT talkgroups since they pop up a lot. I'd also put in ISP D12 and D9 since I've on occasion seen their talkgroups pop up (more often D9). You'll also get the D21 and D6 ISPERN talkgroups here in Champaign. Sometimes Normal PD or Normal Fire pops up on the Champaign site. I'd put in ISP Cental Zone event talkgroups 13063 and 13064. Listen to 13020 for the ISP Detail during Illini home football games.

Thanks again for the info. I have loaded them in there so we'll see how that works. I picked up the 800mhz antenna from RS today and it seems to work wonders around the stock antenna as well as my Diamond SRH77CA on MDICE and StarCom.