TRX-1: TRX-1 not scanning all simulcast sites

[daredevil1]

The APCO-25 system I'm scanning uses four sites. The TGIDs are specific to each site. However, it seems as if the scanner is locking onto the control channel/site with the strongest signal. So it's missing the transmissions from the other three sites. I have tried duplicating the systems with the EZscan software and adding only the frequencies for each site independently. However, it still seems to only pick up on one site. But I have no way to confirm this as the scanner doesn't show what frequencies are being scanned with a trunked system. With my Uniden I'm able to program each site separately as it's own system and assign it's own Quick Key. As it scans through each site, it displays the different control channels that are being received.

Here is the system I'm monitoring:

Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Trunking System, Various, New York - Scanner Frequencies

 

[troymail]

The TRX (and it's earlier versions) are designed like a roaming radio - they look for and stay on the "best" site.

Assuming you are in range and can receive the other sites, you're on the right track.

I routinely do what you've described - duplicate the system and enable one system "site" for each copy of the system. I then assign all of the talkgroup and radio objects for each copy to a different scanlist. This way, I can force the radio to scan any/all of the sites by enabling their respective scanlist and disable/turn off scanning of sites I don't want to scan as well.

 

[sparklehorse]

<snip>But I have no way to confirm this as the scanner doesn't show what frequencies are being scanned with a trunked system. <snip>

It may be different on the TRX-1, but on my TRX-2 there is a Global setting called "Show VC/CC". When that's enabled, and the radio is stopped on an active channel, the display alternates between showing the Control Channel frequency and showing the current Voice Channel freq. There's also an option for "Show Site Name".

As far as programming, Troymail described the only programming method that forces the scanner to check each desired site for activity. It's the only one I know of anyway. It's unfortunate we can't still use the Stationary method and keep all the sites in one system. You have to wonder what Whisler was thinking when they removed that option.
.

 

[abqscan]

Dumb question, but, why doesn't the TRX line of scanners allow you to choose between roam or stationary when a trunk system has multiple sites? Also, why doesn't the number if sites change when entering a TRS, even though, the Trunk system site info has multiple sites entered?

 

[daredevil1]

I turned on the display for VC/CC. I put all four sites into a separate scanlist when importing. I've turned on all scanlists separately and it's still picking up only one site for all four scanlists. I'm about to return this thing because the NXDN sucks too. But there's a 15% restocking fee which is about $75.

 

[buddrousa]

Have you verified that your data is correct? Just because it is in the data base does not make it 100%
We just now got NXDN for scanners and still have a lot of work to do to get the systems right.
We have people still working to get the LNC numbers for TRBO TIER 3 systems.

 

[daredevil1]

I didn't mean to change the subject to NXDN. But I had planned on replacing my BCD436HP with the TRX since it can receive NexEdge. But the TRX can't even monitor this APCO 25 system correctly. The way the EZScan program is set up is horrible.

 

[buddrousa]

The GRE/WHISTLER style software takes a little bit to get used to but it works if you can get past the having to wait for the PC to see the USB port of the scanner when you plug up to the scanner. The TRX series scanner is an improvement over the WS series (receiver wise) and works well but I also have 2 BCD536HP's 2 BCD996P2's and 1 BCD436HP each of my scanners serve a purpose and work well for those purposes.

 

[daredevil1]

I don't see how I can assign a system to a scanlist. The only thing the scanlist shows is the TGIDs. How does the scanlist know what system those TGIDs belong to? Because I can't get it to scan the other systems when I make each site it's own system.

I see you said on another thread that I do not need to assign a system to a scanlist that is why one system can share several scanlist. But I'm treating each site as 4 different systems. I can't get it to scan each system, even when programming them in separately.

 

[buddrousa]

The Site details are linked to the system site information which is linked to the system talk group information which is linked to the system user id information. In the Talk Groups you place the Tg in a scan list. One trick I use is to put all police on a system in scanlist 5 all fire talk groups in scanlist 6 and it is easy to add or remove a agency. I have our TACN system setup as 4 systems local 4 sites west tn 20 sites all middle Tn sites and all East Tn sites with the talk groups set up for the area I am in.

 

[jim202]

The APCO-25 system I'm scanning uses four sites. The TGIDs are specific to each site. However, it seems as if the scanner is locking onto the control channel/site with the strongest signal. So it's missing the transmissions from the other three sites. I have tried duplicating the systems with the EZscan software and adding only the frequencies for each site independently. However, it still seems to only pick up on one site. But I have no way to confirm this as the scanner doesn't show what frequencies are being scanned with a trunked system. With my Uniden I'm able to program each site separately as it's own system and assign it's own Quick Key. As it scans through each site, it displays the different control channels that are being received.

Here is the system I'm monitoring:

Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Trunking System, Various, New York - Scanner Frequencies

According to this link you supplied, this has been labeled a simulcast system. This means that all control channels at all sites should be transmitting on the same frequency with the same information on all tower sites regardless to which tower your trying to pick up. Yet there doesn't look to be any confirming information that this is a simulcast system. So not sure why it even has the label of being a simulcast system. Then again, maybe some radio shop set this system up with the same traffic being transmitted on all the control channels at the same time. But this would be a real engineering problem because the voice channels are not the same. Bottom line is I don't think there is any way this can be called a simulcast system.

I didn't try to see how far apart the tower sites are. There is a possibility that your too far away to be able to hear more than one site. The way to prove this is to listen to each of the control channels from each tower and see if you can even hear them and at what strength. If you can hear them, then my gut feeling is you have something set up wrong with the way your trying to listen to the system.

It might take a different scanner for each of the different tower sites and their individual control channels to hear what is going on on more than one tower location. As the control channel will never drop, the scanner will never leave it except to go to the voice channels a talkgroup get assigned to that your trying to listen to.

 

[troymail]

Best I can tell, this is a 4 county system - with each county having their own "simulcast cell" covering their county with multiple tower/transmitter sites within each county. The "sites" (counties) are then likely linked via microwave or cable.

I don't know where you are located and/or what you are using for antenna, but even if you are sitting on the far western point of Oneida Lake (which would be about the most central point between the 4 counties, chances are you aren't going to receive/hear all four sites/counties from any given location. That's not the way these systems work.

I am not saying it is impossible to hear all four sites/counties, but I am saying it's not "normal".

It makes sense that the talkgroups are specific to each "site" since that site is essentially a county and the talkgroups (with exception of area wide or interop talkgroups) will most likely only be used by that specific county.

If you've programmed 4 completely different systems - and have assigned a copy of the talkgroups for the system to each copy (and placed each copy of talkgroups in 4 different scanlists), you have the control to enable and scan (or disable) any or all 4 of the "sites". If you don't hear talkgroups for Cayuga County on the Madison County site, etc., that is normal. Cayuga County public safety probably doesn't care much about what is happening two counties over.

 

[daredevil1]

The thing is, on my Uniden, I can pick up talkgroups from all counties, but I can't hear all talkgroups in each county. I'm in Madison County. On the TRX-1, I can only pick up Madison County talkgroups and one talkgroup from Onondaga County. Madison and Onondaga County sites share some frequencies. I'll have to check later exactly what frequencies I'm locking on to with the Uniden.

 

[buddrousa]

daredevil1 not knowing the system and how it is setup it could operate in several ways.
#1 It could only transmit on the sites that have a Talk Group associated to that site For Example Dispatch is on all sites and TAC TG's are on the tower site they are associated with.
#2 All Talk Groups are transmitted on all sites ect.

 

[daredevil1]

UPDATE: I've solved the problem. When I duplicated the system, I was deleting frequencies from each site that I didn't want to monitor on that system. That didn't seem to work. So instead of deleting them, I locked them out. Now I can monitor each site instead of just the closest one.