BCD396XT/BCD996XT: Trunked system programming issues

[mtnlion]

I'll preface this by saying I'm not 100% confident in my understanding of trunked systems and how to program them, so if I'm missing something or making any mistakes please educate me.

I'm trying to program a statewide P25 system into my scanner. Specifically, the Montana Public Safety Communications System. I'm using FreeScan to download the programming from the RR database.

There are several dozen sites in this system, and I'd like to have them all programmed into my scanner so I can listen wherever I am in the state.

Normally when dealing with non-trunked frequencies, I create a system for each agency or county; and I use System Hold to scan only the one I select. For example, I have a system for Missoula County that includes fire, police, sheriff, and anything else I want to listen to when I'm in Missoula. For state and federal agencies, I also have them programmed as their own system, for example MHP or USFS. AFter years of using this scanner, this is the most optimal way I have found to easily choose what I want to listen to. If I'm going to Missoula, I select Missoula County. If I'm driving a long distance on the highway I select MHP; if there's a wildfire I select USFS.

The way this scanner handles trunked systems really throws a wrench in the works. I'd like to set up a trunked system for each agency or county, with all relevant sites included and only the relevant talkgroups enabled. When I set up the system in FreeScan, it shows all the sites under a single top-level heading. That's what I want. But when I upload the programming to my scanner, every site appears as its own system, cluttering up the menu with dozens of new entries.

Is there any other way to set up this system so it's more streamlined and user-friendly? I just want to have one menu entry I can select, and hear transmissions from whatever site is nearby.

Are there any settings I can change in FreeScan or in my scanner to achieve this? Other programming software I can use? Or is there a newer model of scanner that can do this?

 

[mtnlion]

Apparently my scanner should have this functionality, called multi-site trunking. But every reference I have been able to find to "multi-site trunking" simply describes what it does, and not how to set it up! My firmware is 1.07.03, which as far as I can tell is the latest version.

 

[doctordialtone]

This explains Multi-Site Trunking, but the programming isn't any different than setting up any trunked system.

Just set up the System, add the Sites (Frequencies) and add the groups you want to monitor.



Good luck!

 

[mtnlion]

This explains Multi-Site Trunking, but the programming isn't any different than setting up any trunked system.

Just set up the System, add the Sites (Frequencies) and add the groups you want to monitor.

The 996XT is only capable of Phase 1 systems, so verify that too.

Good luck!

The system is Phase I according to the database.

I have tried downloading the programming from the database, and I have also tried programming it manually. Either way, each site shows up as a separate system. I've spent hours messing around with settings and searching the internet. I don't know what else to do.

This isn't the first time I have tackled this problem - I've wasted dozens of hours on it over the last couple years. It's like my white whale at this point. I've read every manual, every forum post I could find. Clicked on every search result that looked vaguely relevant. I just wish someone could tell me what I'm missing, cause I have no clue.

 

[doctordialtone]

Perhaps @tvengr will see this and make a program file you can use.

Good luck 👍

 

[dave3825]

edited,

Can you export the file from freescan and add it as an attachment here?

I just imported that system. There are a bunch of sites, more than you would be in range of all at once. Where are they showing as separate systems? In freescan, anything with a grp prefix is a group and anything with a mp25 prefix is a site.

If you click each site, then under site setup, and click the "use gps" and then upload to the scanner, do all of the sites still show when your scanning?

 

[tvengr]

If you are using the 996XT mobile, the easiest way to handle the sites is to use a GPS receiver. The sites will switch on and off automatically as you travel so that you will always be scanning only the closest sites. You can set up all of the highway patrol talkgroups in one group with a group quick key and all of the local fire, EMS. and law talkgroups in another group with another quick key. You will only receive the local units affiliating with the sites in the area you are scanning at the time. You could set up the Missoula talkgroups in its own group with another group quick key so that you can turn off all of the other counties. You only want to have the statewide system entered once as a single system using all of the multiple sites. The number of talkgroups will not affect your speed of scanning. Using a GPS, all of the sites can be assigned the same system quick key so that you can switch the statewide system on and off by pressing a single button. The 996XT can use up to 500 talkgroups per system so the Montana statewide system should not be a problem. You can set up other local systems with their own system quick keys to be able to select which systems you wish to scan. I you want to use the statewide system in a local area without using GPS, you can set up a separate system using only your local site or sites with its own system quick key with the GPS turned off. If you leave your local area, turn off that system so that you are not scanning the same sites multiple times or out of range sites. That will slow down your scanning and result in missing transmissions. Here is a PDF file that will answer all of your questions about using quick keys:

 

[mtnlion]

Here's the file. The relevant systems are:
"MT PSCS 2" (fresh download from RR including all sites)
"MT PSCS" (same thing but with only a few sites)
"Idaho P25" (Idaho's statewide system which I also want to monitor)

There are also a few custom systems where I experimented with various combinations of sites and talkgroups.

Where are they showing as separate systems?

FreeScan shows all sites and talkgroups under the main heading for the system. But once uploaded to the scanner, each site appears as a separate system.

I haven't tried the GPS setting because I don't have a GPS unit connected to my scanner.

 

[mtnlion]

If you are using the 996XT mobile, the easiest way to handle the sites is to use a GPS receiver. The sites will switch on and off automatically as you travel so that you will always be scanning only the closest sites. You can set up all of the highway patrol talkgroups in one group with a group quick key and all of the local fire, EMS. and law talkgroups in another group with another quick key. You will only receive the local units affiliating with the sites in the area you are scanning at the time. You could set up the Missoula talkgroups in its own group with another group quick key so that you can turn off all of the other counties. You only want to have the statewide system entered once as a single system using all of the multiple sites. The number of talkgroups will not affect your speed of scanning. Using a GPS, all of the sites can be assigned the same system quick key so that you can switch the statewide system on and off by pressing a single button. The 996XT can use up to 500 talkgroups per system so the Montana statewide system should not be a problem. You can set up other local systems with their own system quick keys to be able to select which systems you wish to scan. I you want to use the statewide system in a local area without using GPS, you can set up a separate system using only your local site or sites with its own system quick key with the GPS turned off. If you leave your local area, turn off that system so that you are not scanning the same sites multiple times or out of range sites. That will slow down your scanning and result in missing transmissions. Here is a PDF file that will answer all of your questions about using quick keys:

I'm sorry, I've read your comment and the file you linked several times, but I'm having a really hard time understanding what you're describing and how it addresses my problem. I don't have a GPS that's compatible with the scanner, so I can't try that. You're talking about using quick keys to enable or disable sites and systems, but will that prevent all the sites from appearing in the System Select menu?

I have never used quick keys, I keep System Hold on and use the function knob to select one system at a time. I just want to do the same thing with the trunked system(s) alongside my conventional systems. Everything I've read seems to indicate this should be possible.

 

[tvengr]

I believe you are mistaken that the sites are being broken into separate systems. When scanning, the 996XT does not show the system name. The top line shows the site being scanned and will alternate between the site and the group when a talkgroup is received. If you use system hold, you can select only one system at a time. Using quick keys, you can select the system or systems you want to scan by pressing numbers on the keypad. FreeSCAN defaults to ID Search which will output every talkgroup on the system. On the trunked system setup page, you can change ID mode to ID Scan which will output only the talkgroups you programmed. If not using a GPS, the only thing you could do is assign a different system quick key to the sites in each county so that you could select the sites for the county you are in as you travel across the state. Investing in a GPS receiver would make life a lot easier. You can set up conventional systems on quick keys also.

 

[natedawg1604]

I'm sorry, I've read your comment and the file you linked several times, but I'm having a really hard time understanding what you're describing and how it addresses my problem. I don't have a GPS that's compatible with the scanner, so I can't try that. You're talking about using quick keys to enable or disable sites and systems, but will that prevent all the sites from appearing in the System Select menu?

I have never used quick keys, I keep System Hold on and use the function knob to select one system at a time. I just want to do the same thing with the trunked system(s) alongside my conventional systems. Everything I've read seems to indicate this should be possible.

I would suggest learning how to setup quick keys, with a trunked system you are ultimately monitoring a SITE, with your system it's just a single control channel. There are a lot of good YouTube videos out there. Typically I monitor ONE site at a time on a multi-site trunking system, most people only monitor a couple sites at once, depending on how busy the sites are. Plus from any one location you can only receive approx. 1-3 sites.

I would start by keeping it very simple, and first figure out what sites you can monitor from your particular location. Until you determine that, you can't do anything else. There are multiple ways to accomplish this, the most accurate way is to run a custom band search and filter only for control channels. Write down the info for each control channel you can receive from your location, and for now ignore all the other sites in the system. Also keep in mind, any radio system will have coverage gaps in certain areas, there will be some areas not covered by any site, especially deep canyons. Also keep in mind, it always helps to have an external antenna mounted as high as you can get it.

In any event, once you verify what sites you can actually receive from your location, I would program them as individual quick keys, this way you can activate/de-active the sites and monitor them one at a time, or alternatively monitor a few sites at once.

 

[mtnlion]

My antenna at home is a discone mounted about 20' up on the roof. Even though it's zero gain, I can consistently hear repeater traffic from every neighboring county, upwards of 100 miles away.

I figured out a long time ago which sites I can receive from my location. I used SDRSharp to monitor the band, took note of which frequencies I could receive, and cross-referenced them with the database. I created a custom version of the trunked system with only the 4 sites that came in the strongest. That didn't solve the problem.

Just now I tried assigning quick keys to each site. Didn't change anything. The scanner still treats each site as a different system, and I can only monitor one at a time - unless I turn off System Hold; in which case the scanner will go and scan EVERYTHING - every system, every frequency in its memory.

 

[tvengr]

The scanner still treats each site as a different system, and I can only monitor one at a time - unless I turn off System Hold; in which case the scanner will go and scan EVERYTHING - every system, every frequency in its memory.

Any system or site without a quick key will scan all of the time. The scanner does not treat each site as a separate system. All of the sites are on a single system. You can assign a different system quick key to any site. If any site in a system is enabled, the system will scan. If no sites are enabled, the system will not scan. Please take the time to thoroughly read the quick key instruction file I attached.