Talbot county Frequencies?

[choppertech87]

i have been told talbot county fire and ems is on 800 mhz now. i bought an 800 mhz scanner recently and havent figured out how to program the codes given by this site. difference between talk group and 800 mhz???? im new to the hobby please help

 

[guyiv]

Just first things first what is the radio that you have, cause most of the TG that you will want to listen to are digital.

 

[choppertech87]

bc92xlt

 

[ka3jjz]

Talbot county uses a digital system which is shared with 2 other counties; your 92xlt won't cut it. But we're getting ahead of ourselves - anything which follows that's got underlined text or in blue is a link;

a. Before you do anything, it's important to understand the concept of trunking. There are several FAQs listed below - stick with the overview section for now...

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Trunking

b. Now as to the scanners - you will need a digital trunktracker, all of the models (with fairly extensive coverage) can be found here;

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Category:Digital_Scanners

c. As to the trunk system where Talbot can be found - it's called the Upper Md. Eastern Shore Consortium, or UESC for short. Our database has the layout here; don't worry if you don't understand it all just yet, just be sure to bookmark the page. There are many software packages available that will allow you, with a paid subscription, to download data from the database into software, making life a bit easier...

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=615

What software you choose depends on which radio you eventually get. When you do, jump back here and we can help with the rest...

73 Mike

 

[boatbod]

You may not be able to receive the digital trunking, but you can listen to the dispatch traffic on 159.015Mhz FM.

 

[rickp5000]

I am in the same situation too. I was about to buy the exact same scanner just the other day, glad I did't. I haven't listened to a scanner in years, the only one I have is an old 16 channel one.

But in order to listen in Talbot County I would need a digital trunk tracker? I was wanting a hand held one, but they seem to be expensive. Are there any that are cheaper, say at least under $300?

 

[maus92]

The short answer is no. The GRE PSR-500 and the Uniden BC-396T are the only handheld scanners currently on the market that can track and decode Moto digital trunking systems. Both run about $500.

 

[rickp5000]

Does anyone know how well these work around here? I live in Easton so I imagine that there is a tower nearby, but once you are out driving around do they still pick up pretty well?

Do would you also hear communication from the other 2 counties on the same system?

 

[maus92]

They work very well throughout Caroline, Talbot and Queen Anne Counties. You will hear transmissions from all 3 jurisdictions in Easton.

 

[rickp5000]

Thanks. I might just wait a while them. $500 seems a bit high for a toy I will probably just put on the shelf after while.

 

[maus92]

They have been $500 for 3 years on now. Digital scanners are a niche market, so there is not much downward pressure on prices I'm afraid. You might be waiting for quite some time.

 

[NaptownScan]

Would a Pro-96 work for him?

 

[rickp5000]

The $499 Pro 96 from Radio Shack?

Was this area one of the firsts for this digital trunking?

 

[maus92]

Yes, a Pro-96 will work with the Upper Eastern Shore Consortium TRS because it is a mixed mode system that uses a 3600bps control channel. However, if I were buying a handheld scanner today, I would buy the GRE PSR-500. The PSR-500 has the added ability to decode systems that use a 9600bps control channel, and some say that it decodes the digital audio better than older scanners like the Uniden 396T or the Pro-96. Both the Pro-96 and the GRE PSR-500 can be had for $500 bucks, and incidentally, GRE makes the Pro-96 for RS. I should add that RS puts the Pro-96 on sale from time to time.

 

[boatbod]

The PRO-96 can decode a 9600bps control channel, not that there is anything currently around Talbot Co that runs on 9600....

As I see it, the biggest advantage of the PSR-500 or 396T is their ability to take firmware updates. The only update you can do to the PRO-96 is DSP firmware, which doesn't help you with 700MHZ trunking, whenever that becomes a reality.

I could be wrong, but part of the reason for high cost of these units is supposedly the licensing fees for the digital trunking. You can usually get yourself a PRO-96 for $399 when Radio Shack next puts them on sale. Maybe that will happen around July 4th?

 

[maus92]

Good point about the firmware upgradeblity - rebanding/reallocations are coming - another strong reason to buy the PSR-500 vs. the Pro-96.