Trying to get back into the hobby.

[Freezer404]

So i've been out of the scanner hobby for about for about 15 years now and would like to get back into it. My question is, can anyone tell me what radio system is now in use in greene county missouri for public safety (police, fire, ect..) and what type of scanner i should start looking for? The last i knew it was a motorola type 2 trunked system, but then they done some upgrades (i think they went digital) and neither of my scanners would pick up the system anymore. After that i just got out of it all together. I'd really like to start listening again but at this point not sure where to start. any help would really be appreciated, thanks!

 

[trap5858]

Welcome back and welcome to RadioReference. First thing is go to the database and look up your state and county. Everything you need will be there. Many law enforcement departments are encrypted meaning you can’t listen to them no matter what. If there is an E in the type of emission column that means full time encrypted.

Most fire and ems is still in the clear. Another thing that can be a problem is simulcast distortion that takes place in many trunked systems. The only scanners currently on the market that were specifically designed to work around this are the Uniden SDS 100 (handheld) and the SDS 200 desktop/mobile. They are the Cadillac of scanners.

Take some time to look through the Uniden forum.

Lots of folks on this site ready, willing and able to help

 

[trainerman]

Look into a Uniden Home Patrol 2. It'll do all you need. Very simple too.

 

[Freezer404]

So did greene county go encrypted? If so, i cant listen to anything anyway, correct?
Also, i used to be able to find all of the trunk frequencies and talk groups here on radio reference, are they not here anymore or am i just not looking in the right spot.

 

[VASCAR2]

Looking at the Data base it looks like most Greene County MOSWIN TG’s are in the clear and only a few LE tactical channels are encrypted. The real issue is Greene County is using a 700/800 MHz simulcast system with seven sites. The recommendation is to use a Uniden SDS 100 hand held or SDS 200 desk top scanner which are designed to receive simulcast transmissions. Trying to use any other scanner will be hampered by location as to whether it will receive good with a simulcast system. Here is a link to a thread discussing the MOSWIN system in Greene County.

Springfield, MO Uniden BCD436HP Users

Springfield, MO Uniden BCD436HP Users! How is your performance in Springfield, MO with the Uniden BCD436HP?

forums.radioreference.com

 

[hiegtx]

Look into a Uniden Home Patrol 2. It'll do all you need. Very simple too.

I have my doubts about that. Looking at MOSWIN, I see this comment for Greene County:


Map for the Greene County Simulcast 800:


While the HP-2 is an easy to use scanner, with a nice, large, readable display, dealing with Simulcast is not one of its strong points. If the OP lives very close to one of the transmit towers, it may work. Otherwise, I suspect that simulcast may be an impediment to listening to the system.

More on Simulcast in the Wiki:
Simulcast digital distortion - The RadioReference Wiki

Looking at the Data base it looks like most Greene County MOSWIN TG’s are in the clear and only a few LE tactical channels are encrypted. The real issue is Greene County is using a 700/800 MHz simulcast system with seven sites. The recommendation is to use a Uniden SDS 100 hand held or SDS 200 desk top scanner which are designed to receive simulcast transmissions. Trying to use any other scanner will be hampered by location as to whether it will receive good with a simulcast system. Here is a link to a thread discussing the MOSWIN system in Greene County.

Springfield, MO Uniden BCD436HP Users

Springfield, MO Uniden BCD436HP Users! How is your performance in Springfield, MO with the Uniden BCD436HP?

forums.radioreference.com

Simulcast issues can be extremely location specific. If the OP wants to try either an HP-2, or either of the x36HP scanners, be sure to purchase from a dealer that allows returns without a large penalty.

 

[west-pac]

For all of those who have replied to this thread, have you answered any of the OP questions? I keep seeing "look in the database" repeated, yet no one has told the OP HOW to do that; even after the OP said they can't find the db on the website. I see posts randomly talking about if your county has simulcast you'll need an SDS, or 'get ac home patrol 2, it'll do everything you need'... without even knowing what the OP needs are...🤷‍♂️

Imagine if your 5 year old child asked this question, would they understand what you said and meant?

You people who answered are all over the map with information, but nobody is putting all of those pieces together to explain it to the OP from start to finish.

 

[just1bob]

Well put west-pac…just saying. By the way my Home Patrol works pretty darn good here in Sw Michigan.
I can’t help out much more with op problems, but hp2 is nice.

 

[0hNiner]

From one Greene County "newbie" to another, here's my feedback/experience getting back into the hobby.

I too was out of the hobby for a while and, when I got back in a few years ago, decided the BCD436HP was the right radio for me at the time . This was also my introduction to Sentinel software - which comes free with the radio.

There's tons of information regarding Sentinel software on this forum, YouTube, etc., so I won't go into a lot of "how to" detail here but, in summary, it loads on your computer and connects to the Radio Reference database when opened. For a newbie, it has a nice, easy to use, interface for locating, organizing, and downloading to your scanner, the systems you want to listen to using what's called Favorites Lists. It also does a nice job (again, for the novice user) of taking some of the guess work out of how to config your scanner by doing much of it for you. Of course, as you learn more, you can tweak settings to suit your own needs.

As far what scanner for Greene Co? I started with the 436, which I still have, and it's a great scanner. When Greene County migrated to P25 (MOSWIN), and I got a bit more familiar with the 436, I did notice some minor simulcast issues. Based primarily on what I learned from this forum, I took the plunge and got he SDS 200 (also comes with free Sentinel) and absolutely love it. Comparing the 436 and SDS 200 side by side I did determine the SDS did a better job than the 436 in my area. But, again, both are excellent units and Sentinel makes it easy to get either one up and running quickly for someone "re-learning" the hobby.

Hope this helps.

BTW - only a few Tac channels are encrypted and this point in GC. Most other public safety is still in the clear.