TRX-2 Programming Help

[danc107]

Good afternoon, I just received a trx-2 and I went to program it and install it in my car, I hear absolutely nothing, I am scanning the right scan list, I am using the same tri band I always have. I used to have a bct15x with all the same frequencies and that picked up more than what this scanner is not. Did i do something wrong? I am listening to Suffolk County, NY Local fire/ems

Thanks all
Dan

 

[Ubbe]

Whenever you suspect some external issues, then manually enter (Fn+0) the NOAA weather channels one by one to check that you can receive something. Set the squelch to zero and listen to the noise if it changes some on a channel, and if it does then start to pull and bend on cables and antenna to see if there's a problem. Then try it at home. The front end in the scanner might be damaged by a radio being used to close the scanner antenna. If it's brand new and unused and not a restocked scanner then the TRX-2 are probably fine.

/Ubbe

 

[danc107]

I do recieve NOAA perfectly fine with no issues at all, I do have a gmrs antenna near it on my roof as well but i never had any issues before

 

[tvengr]

Good afternoon, I just received a trx-2 and I went to program it and install it in my car, I hear absolutely nothing, I am scanning the right scan list, I am using the same tri band I always have. I used to have a bct15x with all the same frequencies and that picked up more than what this scanner is not. Did i do something wrong? I am listening to Suffolk County, NY Local fire/ems

What is your city? There are 7 sites in Suffolk County. Please attach your configuration file so that we can take a look at it and check for programming problems. Click on Attach files and open the file.

 

[danc107]

What is your city? There are 7 sites in Suffolk County. Please attach your configuration file so that we can take a look at it and check for programming problems. Click on Attach files and open the file.

I am in Sayville, NY. I have this in my mobile unit. I having problems with my local fire/ems with is scan list 1, these are conventional frequencies. There is nothing wrong with the PD

 

[tvengr]

I see that you have only the Motorola trunked system programmed. None of the fire talkgroups on the Motorola system are programmed. Suffolk County is in the process of migrating to a new P25 trunked system which has many more fire talkgroups. I suggest that you click on Report and request that your thread be moved to the New York forum. There will be members there who will know the status of the transition and advise you accordingly. I have no way of knowing if the conventional fire frequencies are still in use.

 

[danc107]

I see that you have only the Motorola system programmed. None of the fire talkgroups on the Motorola system are programmed. Suffolk County is in the process of migrating to a new P25 system which has many more fire talkgroups. I suggest that you click on Report and request that your thread be moved to the New York forum. There will be members there who will know the status of the transition and advise you accordingly.

No my problem is my conventional frequencies, this issue has nothing to do with the Motorola System. Scan list 1. Thats my problem one

 

[wtp]

All County Low Band operations will move off of the current frequencies an onto the new 700 Mhz Phase II trunk system once the system is operational.

 

[tvengr]

Do you still have the BCT15X? If so, does it still receive the frequencies? You will only hear fireground activity if the units are nearby. They do not use repeaters. If scan list 1 is enabled, you should hear the conventional fire frequencies. I do not see any programming problems. Check that your squelch is turned up only far enough to quiet the noise on conventional frequencies. If you are not hearing the conventional frequencies, fire may have switched to the Motorola or P25 trunked systems. That is why I suggest that you request that your thread be moved to the New York forum. Only the members there will know the answer to that question.

 

[danc107]

Do you still have the BCT15X? If so, does it still receive the frequencies? You will only hear fireground activity if the units are nearby. They do not use repeaters. If scan list 1 is enabled, you should hear the conventional fire frequencies. I do not see any programming problems. Check that your squelch is turned up only far enough to quiet the noise on conventional frequencies. If you are not hearing the conventional frequencies, fire may have switched to the Motorola or P25 trunked systems. That is why I suggest that you request that your thread be moved to the New York forum. Only the members there will know the answer to that question.

I dont have the bct15x anymore but I do have a BC 780 XLT in my room that still receives all the frequencies im trying to listen to on the trx-2

 

[dave3825]

In the scan list, Suffolk Fire, is there any differentiation between the fire dept divisions because it looks like you have all (339) Suffolk fire freqs in one list. I'm not saying it's your problem, but the scanner is scanning a ton of freqs that are well outside its reception area. I am not sure how long that scanner takes to scan all of those freqs but it will most likely result in missed comms. I would at least program the freqs in groups by Division so you can have your scanner not scan stuff that's too far away to receive.

Suffolk County is in the process of migrating to a new P25 trunked system which has many more fire talkgroups.

Just to note, all of these are in use on the 800 side of the P25 system.

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
85	055	D	FRES Dispatch	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Dispatch	Fire Dispatch
161	0a1	D	FRES Command	FRES Command	Fire-Talk
20161	4ec1	D	FRES Command	FRES Command	Fire-Tac
163	0a3	D	FRES Ops 1	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 1	Fire-Tac
165	0a5	D	FRES Ops 2	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 2	Fire-Talk
167	0a7	D	FRES Ops 3	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 3	Fire-Tac
49	031	D	HAZMAT	HAZMAT	Fire-Tac

For all tg's listed in Fire East, West and Central, there is only a small handful of those tg's actually in use.

 

[Ubbe]

I am not sure how long that scanner takes to scan all of those freqs

It does 70ch/s in conventional scan.

 

[k2hz]

In addition to possibly attempting to scan too many channels, the TRX squelch setting is touchy. If the squelch is set much beyond the point it just mutes noise with no signal it will tend to skip all except very strong signals when scanning.

 

[danc107]

In the scan list, Suffolk Fire, is there any differentiation between the fire dept divisions because it looks like you have all (339) Suffolk fire freqs in one list. I'm not saying it's your problem, but the scanner is scanning a ton of freqs that are well outside its reception area. I am not sure how long that scanner takes to scan all of those freqs but it will most likely result in missed comms. I would at least program the freqs in groups by Division so you can have your scanner not scan stuff that's too far away to receive.





Just to note, all of these are in use on the 800 side of the P25 system.

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
85	055	D	FRES Dispatch	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Dispatch	Fire Dispatch
161	0a1	D	FRES Command	FRES Command	Fire-Talk
20161	4ec1	D	FRES Command	FRES Command	Fire-Tac
163	0a3	D	FRES Ops 1	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 1	Fire-Tac
165	0a5	D	FRES Ops 2	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 2	Fire-Talk
167	0a7	D	FRES Ops 3	Fire/Rescue/Emergency Services - Ops 3	Fire-Tac
49	031	D	HAZMAT	HAZMAT	Fire-Tac

For all tg's listed in Fire East, West and Central, there is only a small handful of those tg's actually in use.

I did at one point have it separated but I still didnt hear much but ill try it again, what squelch should I use

 

[danc107]

In addition to possibly attempting to scan too many channels, the TRX squelch setting is touchy. If the squelch is set much beyond the point it just mutes noise with no signal it will tend to skip all except very strong signals when scanning.

What do you recommend

 

[k2hz]

What do you recommend

With it not scanning on an inactive CSQ channel turn the squelch control to just a little beyond the point where it mutes the noise. Then put it in scan mode and see what you hear. The TRX squelch circuit tends to stick open after a transmission if set too loose but will only open on very strong signals if set too tight.

From the manual:
Use the squelch function to optimize reception. When the squelch level is high, only stronger signals will pass through the squelch gate, and weaker signals may not be received. When the squelch level is low, the squelch gate will be open even when no signal is present, causing the scanner to scan slowly or to stop on Objects even when no transmission is present, playing noise only. The scanner works best when the squelch gate is set so that it is closed when no transmissions are present, but able to open when a desired transmission occurs. The ideal setting for the squelch level is between 9 and 11.

 

[Ubbe]

Squelch setting depends of the noise level where the antenna are. I have 9 for combined VHF+UHF scanning but if only UHF I use 8. VHF can be interfered more easily in TRX-2 than UHF. If you use a lower squelch setting it will open the squelch more easily and be almost like a Uniden scanner but it will not close squelch until you go up two steps in squelch level.

Sensitivity in a Uniden scanner and a TRX-2 are almost the same and Uniden has a squelch that open and close at almost the same signal level, but TRX-2 open squelch at a much higher signal level and close at a much lower signal level, which means that you can only use a high setting that in practical use will make the scanner not as sensitive as Unidens.

/Ubbe

 

[dave3825]

Good time to try it out is at 6 50 everynight as Islip Terrace does radio and pager test and East Islip follows at about 7 pm.

 

[danc107]

Welp im happy to report that turning the squelch up actually did help a lot. Im not hearing things like I used to on my bct15x! Hearing places from about 6 miles away clearly. Thanks all!