The Steuben County Public Safety Sys. is not digital. You can find the information here>>
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=317
That is not to say that they will not go digital in the future, however I dont beleive that that system will convert to the statewide SAFE-T system any time in the near future.
Yet, you mentioned that the frequencies that you programmed "did not take", that leads me to beleive that you may have an outdated scanner that is limited to 512Mhz, which would not accept a 800Mhz frequency. If not, then you should know that just because a system is digital, that would have no bearing on whether or not your scanner would program a 800Mhz frequency. It would accept it, however you would only hear a "buzzing" noise when listening to the transmission from a digital system, which the system in that area is not.
I should mention while I'm ranting that the state of Indiana is currently building the "SAFE-T" system that is statewide, and is also digital. The only thing you would miss by not having a digital scanner is the Indiana State Police, IDNR,as well as transmissions from surrounding counties (Lagrange, Noble, Dekalb) that will eventually move to that system. Noble County already has Talkgroups on that system but they havent completely abandoned their VHF High (148-174Mhz) frequencies yet. I still hear plenty of traffic on those frequencies. Again, this is only if you are interested in surrounding counties and ISP.
There are those in this hobby that swear by the Radio Shack Pro-96 like castiron mentioned, however I am a fan of the Uniden digital scanners so I would suggest, if you do decide invest in a digital scanner (around $500), to ask around in the forums before making a solid decision. The Uniden BC296D, and the RS Pro-96 are almost identical in price, yet the BC296D, I beleive, is built a little more solid, and it also provides a wider frequency range indicated below;
RS Pro-96: • Frequency coverage: 25-54, 108-136.9875, 137-174, 216.0025-225, 406-512, 806-960MHz (except cellular), 1240-1300MHz
Uniden BC296D:
AM 25.0000- 27.9950 MHz
FM 28.0000- 53.9900 MHz
WFM 54.0000- 71.9500 MHz
FM 72.0000- 75.9950 MHz
WFM 76.0000- 87.9500 MHz
AM 108.0000- 136.9750 MHz
FM 137.0000- 161.9950 MHz
FM 162.0000- 173.9875 MHz
WFM 174.0000- 215.9500 MHz
FM 216.0000- 224.9950 MHz
AM 225.0000- 399.9500 MHz
NFM 400.0000- 512.0000 MHz
NFM 806.0000- 823.9875 MHz
NFM 849.0125- 868.9875 MHz
NFM 894.0125- 956.0000 MHz
NFM 1240.0000-1300.0000 MHz
The fact that you do not need a digital scanner in that area (exept for ISP, IDNR, and surrounding counties eventually), you may want to check out the local Rat Shack and see if they have a Trunking scanner for a little less. I just bought a Pro-95 in August for a trip I took my family on to Destin, FL. I bought that for $150 and it worked great for what I needed it for, and would serve you well in that area as well.
Sorry to be so long winded, however I hope this helps..........
