Trunk programming question

[RFL]

My local PD is part of a state wide trunk network which has MANY sites all over the state (Michigan MPSCS).

For me to receive my local PD do I need to program ALL of the sites/frequeny or Only the sites/frequency in my area?

Thanks..

 

[seamusg]

My local PD is part of a state wide trunk network which has MANY sites all over the state (Michigan MPSCS).

For me to receive my local PD do I need to program ALL of the sites/frequeny or Only the sites/frequency in my area?

Thanks..

You only need your local towers, unless your local PD is roaming around the state they will only be on the local sites. I use 4 sites on the MPSCS system, and they are very busy.

 

[RFL]

Thanks !!
That sure saves me a lot of work!

 

[seamusg]

Thanks !!
That sure saves me a lot of work!

What scanner are you using?

 

[RFL]

What scanner are you using?

The BCD996T. This is my first scanner in over 20 years, so I am just getting used to things..
Oh, programmed in just the local sites and all is working correctly... Great!

 

[seamusg]

The BCD996T. This is my first scanner in over 20 years, so I am just getting used to things..
Oh, programmed in just the local sites and all is working correctly... Great!

One thing about Uniden scanners, who can only program in one site per system on the scanner. Each site has to be a seperate system, If you program more than one per system, it will only find the first one.

 

[RFL]

I am not sure exactly what you mean. I have programmed in a couple of extra sites and the one my local PD uses is the third one I programmed in the scanner. (?)
I am a little confused on all of this since if I press the Func key and rotate the dial.. it then shows the "sites" I programmed in as "systems"!
Edit:
I finally saw my local PD use a second site..

 

[seamusg]

That's what I was trying to say, each site has to be a system. It's just that you can't program multiple sites in as the same system. What city are you monitoring?

 

[RFL]

Oh, just noticed your local..
I'm monitoring Shelby Twp.
I still don't understand what you mean...
I can monitor different stations and use multiple sites. I don't know why they are called sites when programming them and systems when accessing using the Func key... I'm new at this, but I don't see any disadvantages.. yet..

 

[seamusg]

Oh, just noticed your local..
I'm monitoring Shelby Twp.
I still don't understand what you mean...
I can monitor different stations and use multiple sites. I don't know why they are called sites when programming them and systems when accessing using the Func key... I'm new at this, but I don't see any disadvantages.. yet..

Each site acts like a seperate system. It only handels the traffic for it's area and broadcasts the TG that have a radio affiliated with tat TG and is affiliated with that site or tower, I usually hear Shelby on the Mt. Clemens site, but at times on Romeo and once and awhile on Richmond. The idea of systems on your scanner is the way memory is managed. The old way was with banks and with Uniden scanners that ment 1 site per bank, even though the bank had 100 channels and you only used 2 channels, On my BC796D I'm limmited to 10 sites max. To realy hear how the system of sites are interconnected, listen to the USCG CIS TG, and you can hear one guy in the UP talking to his co-workers at 10 mile and Jefferson (Shores CG station). I have two digital scanners (BC796D and a Pro96), if I'm running them both sometimes I can hear the same conversation on two different sites. Also Macomb county's simulcast site is to be online latter this year with most of the county on it. I hope you're using software to program your scanner since sites may change later this year.

 

[RFL]

Thanks for your comments seamusg.. Ok, but wouldn't I still hear the person in the UP on the output of my local site since the UP person must be in the TG I'm monitoring? I understand the memory management part, but would I be missing something during monitoring?
Oh, it just hit me... is the disadvantage that these radios have a limitation in the max number of sites allowed per system (796D - 10 sites max)? Edit: just looked up the 996 specs. Its limited to 256 sites/system.

I am using the Uniden SW, but I am also looking for other SW.. what is your favorite?
I also program a lot in manually.. just to get the "feel" of the radio and see how efficient the user interface is. I like this radio, and as far as a menu type system goes it seem fairly fast and easy to use... but I would much prefer many more dedicated keys and also make some user programmable.

 

[seamusg]

Thanks for your comments seamusg.. Ok, but wouldn't I still hear the person in the UP on the output of my local site since the UP person must be in the TG I'm monitoring? I understand the memory management part, but would I be missing something during monitoring?
Oh, it just hit me... is the disadvantage that these radios have a limitation in the max number of sites allowed per system (796D - 10 sites max)? Edit: just looked up the 996 specs. Its limited to 256 sites/system.

I am using the Uniden SW, but I am also looking for other SW.. what is your favorite?
I also program a lot in manually.. just to get the "feel" of the radio and see how efficient the user interface is. I like this radio, and as far as a menu type system goes it seem fairly fast and easy to use... but I would much prefer many more dedicated keys and also make some user programmable.

The memory management of the 996 is a good fix for the limitations of a bank scanner. Yes you'll hear the person in the UP on the Mt. Clemens tower since he is on the same TG as the people at 10 and Jefferson. That's the nice feature of a smartzone system. Yesterday I was hearing Grand Blanc PD on the Mt. Clemens tower, I always consider this a bonus for scanning. I use the Uniden software for programming the scanner, I've used Butel, but couldn't find any great advantage to it. I use the 796 with my computer and use my own software to display the TG names and log activity. I did this to get around the 100 TG limit of the 796 since MPSCS has over 1300 TGs. I have a lot of extra time since I'm retired. I use the PRO96 to monitor the control channel data at times, like when a new P25 system is coming up (eg. Warren) and when a tower has trouble like Romeo or to try to ID new TGs. I usuall run two scanners a PRO2052 for conventional (local PD and Mil) and the BC796D for trunked and P25 conventional (federal), most of Southern Macomb is still conventional.

 

[RFL]

Very Nice you have written your own SW...maybe someday I'll give that a try.... still kind of tired of compter work from my workplace...but... I also just retired and will have much time to do all of the things I have wanted. Right now I am catching up on the house projects but plan to be done in a couple of months. I have been wanting to get a good scanner for many years but have not had time... Finally... last week... just thought I would read on them a little to see how they improved... found this forum...found a good thread on the 996...could not resist and bought one!
I have been a HAM for many years and I like all aspects of RF..

So do you think that the 996 overcomes the previous disadvantages of the Uniden memory allocation method?
It has Multi-Site Trunking, but I don't fully understand what that means yet..

 

[seamusg]

Very Nice you have written your own SW...maybe someday I'll give that a try.... still kind of tired of compter work from my workplace...but... I also just retired and will have much time to do all of the things I have wanted. Right now I am catching up on the house projects but plan to be done in a couple of months. I have been wanting to get a good scanner for many years but have not had time... Finally... last week... just thought I would read on them a little to see how they improved... found this forum...found a good thread on the 996...could not resist and bought one!
I have been a HAM for many years and I like all aspects of RF..

So do you think that the 996 overcomes the previous disadvantages of the Uniden memory allocation method?
It has Multi-Site Trunking, but I don't fully understand what that means yet..

Forgot to say welcome to the site and good luck on your retirement. If you're in Shelby Twp., you've got another HAM near you that knows scanners, Steve K8PBX in Washington Twp.

 

[RFL]

Thanks, and this is an Excellent site! Very glad I found it..
Not very active on HAM bands in the last few years... plan to enjoy them again after I catch up on things..

 

[Al42]

So do you think that the 996 overcomes the previous disadvantages of the Uniden memory allocation method?
It has Multi-Site Trunking, but I don't fully understand what that means yet..

It means that you can program each site separately (so you can monitor more than one site at a time, which doesn't work if you program 2 sites as one system) but you only have tp input the talkgroups for the entire system once.