txWARN

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just got a new scanner...
homepatrol 1
downloaded the software and upgraded the firmware and the programming.
first 2 days i was getting in longview tx PD and tx DPS on tx WARN.. now nothing I passed a LPD officer today and he was on the mic and my scanner was doing nothing on txWARN... how often does tx WARN need to be updated? also Tyler PD is on tx WARN but I am still getting them in .. weird i figured they all would change at the same time but i guess not...
sorry I'm new to this .. but does anyone know how often i just update my programming or is there a schedule?

thanks in advance ..
JD
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
20
does anyone know if txwarn has just changed or updated ...seems like nothing but ded air and i was getting everything a few days ago.. just re installed new database that is from june 1st on my home patrol and still nothing.. just wondering if anyone else is having this problem.. i am still getting old analog county chatter but nothing else in the digital trucking systems
 

hiegtx

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Joined
May 8, 2004
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11,169
Location
Dallas, TX
just got a new scanner...
homepatrol 1
downloaded the software and upgraded the firmware and the programming.
first 2 days i was getting in longview tx PD and tx DPS on tx WARN.. now nothing I passed a LPD officer today and he was on the mic and my scanner was doing nothing on txWARN... how often does tx WARN need to be updated? also Tyler PD is on tx WARN but I am still getting them in .. weird i figured they all would change at the same time but i guess not...
sorry I'm new to this .. but does anyone know how often i just update my programming or is there a schedule?

thanks in advance ..
JD
Hi JD

Database updates are done on Monday, using any changes as of the previous Sunday. Actual cut-off time (on Sunday) is not set in stonee, as the updates, from what I understand, are pulled on a state by state basis, in alphabetical order, then combined into the update that is made available in Sentinel on Monday. Occasionally, a system issue will push that off schedule, but Monday is the normal day.

I have not noticed any recent updates for Longview. I monitor the Kaufman site from my home in Dallas, and will hear mostly ETMC traffic, with occasional DPS or Tyler/Smith County units if they get far enough west.

I do see several encrypted talkgroups listed for Longview PD in the database. Those are flagged with an "E" in the mode column. If he was using an encrypted channel, the scanner will ignore and skip over it. Other than that, make sure that you have all the related service types enabled for Law Enforcement (Law Dispatch, Law Tac, Law Talk, Multi-Dispatch, etc).

Of course, the other possibility is that there may be one or more talkgroups that have not been submitted and entered in the database. To find those, you can reset TxWARN P25 to be scanned in ID Search mode. That will pick up any talkgroups that are not in your favorites list and that are not "avoided" (locked out). However, if you do that, and don;t have all the public works and other agency talkgroups entered (but Avoided), you'll be hearing the garbage trucks and water dept.

If you're using the original antenna, you'll find that your reception will improve a great deal (on that trunked system) with an antenna such as the Radio Shack 800MHz one. That's what I'm currently using, though it does require an adapter. Another antenna that works well is the SRH789. That's the version that will go onto your scanner, no adapter needed. It has a pivot base, so that you can attach it to the side, yet still have the antenna vertical.
 
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Jun 4, 2014
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thanks steve!
i do know i need to get an antenna.. i went to radio shack here in logview last night and looked at them but they didnt have an adapter so i left empty handed...
what antenna do you recomend most for this model scanner?
 

hiegtx

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Joined
May 8, 2004
Messages
11,169
Location
Dallas, TX
thanks steve!
i do know i need to get an antenna.. i went to radio shack here in logview last night and looked at them but they didnt have an adapter so i left empty handed...
what antenna do you recomend most for this model scanner?
JD,
At home, I mostly use the Radio Shack 800MHz antenna, which, as noted above, requires an adapter. See this post for what that looks like. The SMA->BNC adapter that I use, I ordered from Universal Radio, though it's available elsewhere. Link is in that post. This adapter is a flat black, and screws down flush to the scanner. You'd also need the BNC right-angle adapter. That is available at Radio Shack. I was using my HP-1 on a rooftop antenna, but moved that antenna feed to my 536HP.

The SRH789, which I mentioned above, does not need an SMA to BNC adapter (the RH789 is the BNC mount). That's what I had on my HP-1 when I spent a month in the hospital last summer. It's a telescoping antenna that you can adjust depending on what frequency range is your target. (There's a chart on the antenna itself for that purpose.) The R/S 800 works very well for the 700-800MHz trunked systems, like TxWARN. It also does well on Uhf frequencies. While it's not as good on Vhf-high, I can still hear a number of the agencies that still use it for a decent range.
 
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