Hello. I have a quick question that I hope someone can help me with. Hopefully it's not too rookie of a question but I can't seem to figure it out. I have mostly Uniden scanners and have a 996P2 running in my downstairs office. However, upstairs I have a TRX-2 that I picked up. I have it setup and can hear everything the Uniden does except for DMR. It's not a huge deal but the only DMR system near me are our county school busses. I'd like to see if I could simply make it work so I could hear them since it is DMR and I could test that functionality on this radio. Is this setup correctly? Any help is greatly appreciated and I'm a newbie with Whistler radios and software. Thanks!!
TRX-2 DMR Setup
- Thread starter bigmac58
- Start date
Try adding the color code. I've a frequency of 155.818750 that is DMR (UK Mountain Rescue channel 4) that my Whistler would not receive on until I entered the color code. I don't know why it does it with that frequency as all other signals work a treat.
Thanks. Gave that a shot but still nothing. The radio setup seems simple enough so I’m curious about the info in the database being accurate.
Try doing a search around the range of the frequency you want, maybe the database is wrong, maybe they went back to analog, maybe the time slot is wrong, any number of things could be happening but doing a search should let the TRX stop on it and give you the proper info.
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Ubbe
Member
Yes, it should receive DMR regardless of its settings of color code or any other parameters.
Try set it to analog to check that you have reception of those signals. TRX are not the best scanner on VHF so while in analog mode do Fn+0 and enter one of the frequencies and turn squelch down until it opens and turn back until it closes, that might be 8 or 9. Then do Fn+1 and scan that list 1 and its name should be seen on the display.
Try different antenna positions and if you are using a telescope antenna then set it to a 50cm or 20inch length.
Check that attenuator are off, no A or G are seen on the first row at top of the display.
If you don't hear anything in analog mode then there's no point in trying digital mode.
/Ubbe
tvengr
Well Known Member
Please attach your EZ Scan programing file so we can take a look at it. Click on Attach files and open the file.
Are you able to open this? When I save the config it saves it as an archive file that is zipped up.
tvengr
Well Known Member
Yes, I was able to open it. CDAT files are zipped. I didn't see anything wrong. Are you able to receive NOAA weather?
Yes, pressing the WX button does play weather. On an interesting note, I messaged a lady local to me who advertises that she can program Whistler. Here is what she says. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a Wood Co BOE talkgroup ever mentioned on SIRN.
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tvengr
Well Known Member
I suggest that you click on Report and request that your thread be moved to the West Virginia forum. The BOE frequencies may no longer be in use and the members in your area would be better equipped to provide that info.
They are indeed on SIRN now and not the VHF DMR system, and they are encrypted with ADP (RC4) encryption, and there is no listening to them. I have a batch of updates I need to submit for SIRN in Wood County. Just waiting to capture a few more talkgroups of interest before I do.
Interesting update, thanks! Not a huge loss and I’m really surprised they went this route. I was just curious if I could pickup a DMR system mostly and not too interested in their actual radio traffic. It’s surprising they’re encrypted when medical traffic between ambulances and hospitals are wide open. Also, isn’t encryption and the radios needed for that significantly more expensive?
tvengr
Well Known Member
Glad you found the answer. Now, you can relax that the problem is not your scanner.
Haha my friend. I never thought it was the scanner, rather I thought it was my brain.
tvengr
Well Known Member
At least, you know it wasn't your brain this time. 
I'm not 100% sure but I believe the bus garage may have gotten some "hand-me-down" radios from another agency. I have seen other agencies aliases show up for a while for their radios, and then after a while it gets updated to "WOOD BOE BUS XX"
As for the encryption, they are running ADP, which on most radios is software based, and not very secure, but enough to keep most listeners out. I am not 100% sure but I believe they are starting to use it for more than just busses. Also FERPA - basically education's version of HIPPA - is very strict on giving out student names over non secure means. This way if a bus needs to radio in about Johnny, they aren't in violation.
The EMS-Hospital communications HIPPA wise, do not have to be secured as long as no personally identifying information is transmitted. There are also exemptions to HIPPA for dispatch and emergency situations, but I have never heard names go across any of the Westcom talkgroups.
Pretty much all of the radios used on SIRN or any P25 trunked system are a little pricy. The ADP encryption upgrade is just a software purchase on top of the radio. Last I saw anywhere it was around $150/radio for the option. Though I have heard of Motorola giving it away depending on the purchase size. When you start getting into AES encryption it becomes MUCH pricier.
If you want a DMR system to monitor - Yellow Taxi is running DMR on 452.150 - CC1 TG1 SL2. They are a little weird how they do it. The dispatcher talks on talkgroup 1, but the radios in the cars do a private call to the dispatch radio. If you want to hear both sides, make sure you have a wildcard set on their system.
I think from a prior thread you said you were out towards Lubeck - I am in the same general area. If you are on a high enough hill or mobile up toward Vienna, mall security is using DMR, their info is in the database.
With some sleuthing, Kraton Polymers - the old Shell plant in Belpre - is running DMR, though there was talk of them encrypting when they rolled it out. Not sure if they ever did or not.
I was doing some searching last night and it appears that Lattamus communications have a system that isn't in the database in the area. One of the frequencies is around 452.7375 (or maybe 1375, it was a long day yesterday and I didn't commit it to memory) though DSD was only showing data, never saw any voice. Need to do some more searching and get it added to the database.
Ubbe
Member
It's actually a very common method. Taxi drivers do not want to listen to a lot of chatter on the radio when they have customers in the car but they still want to hear the dispatcher asking if anyone will be free in 5 minutes. For analog I know several taxi repeaters that use one CTCSS tone from dispatch and cars use another CTCSS so that drivers will only hear the dispatch, but dispatch can also use his second transmit button to transmit on the vehicle CTCSS tone so the whole conversation will muted in all other cars.
Also the Tetra system for Stockholm bus system use TG's for dispatch announce but use private call when a bus wants to respond. If a bus driver by mistake answer on the TG then a bunch of drivers immediately responds with "Use private call for gods sake!"
/Ubbe
That makes sense! We have one taxi company that uses radios here so they are the only one that does it that way. It is the first time I heard it being done that way, but I can definitely see why! Thanks for the information!
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