UCAN database updates

[N7OLQ]

I made a number of changes to the UCAN system today. My strategy is to first get the site numbers and names corrected and then get all the frequency info corrected and finally get the talkgroups cleaned up.

Most of the site numbers and names are now correct. Duplicate sites have been deleted (eg Nelson vs. Magna). Two new sites converted from SL County in the Cottonwood canyons are now on UCAN, so those have been added, but I don't know if all the same frequencies are in place (they probably are)

Generally the names I use are either the names in the FCC database or what the UCAN radio technicians call them. There are still a few unknowns. I don't know what site number Logan Peak is and I don't know where site 34 is located (around Richfield, I think).

I've updated many of the frequencies. Frequencies in the UCAN system are hard to keep updated since they make a lot of changes. Most of the sites that have a red (data) and blue (alternate data) frequency are pretty close to current. I don't ever expect to have the frequency list perfect since it is a moving target. Most trunktrackers have "Control Channel Only" modes now, so the data channel is the most important.

The talkgroups will take some time to sift through so be patient. I'll probably try to do one city or agency at a time. I'm always interested in talkgroup submissions & corrections as well as site information in the extreme parts of the state (way down South, out West & East)

Thanks,
Brett - N7OLQ

 

[Murphy131]

I recently purchased a pro-95 Scanner and I love it. I am very new to scanners as a matter of fact this is the first one I have used. I can pick up tons of traffic on the freq. Posted on various websites. However because I am so new to this I really don’t think I am utilizing my scanner to its potential. I don’t know anything about trunking, spacing, or talkgroups. A lot of the terminology is lost to me. I have a difficult time understanding the darn manual, let alone a web page full of freq./talkgroups info. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can educate myself?

 

[N7OLQ]

Basic trunking concepts

Here is a brief tutorial that might help. You can always do a google search on "Trunking tutorial" or similar.
http://www.strongsignals.net/access/content/new_user.html#SEC12

Here is my brief attempt to explain it. The concepts are simple but hard to explain...

A trunked system is very much like the way our phone system works. There are a lot more people with phones than there are wires to connect everyone together. The assuption is that only a fraction of the people will use the phone at any one time (that is why durring disasters, your phone often will not work even though there is nothing wrong with it). A phone number is like the talkgroup ID, and the wire network that brings in the voice call is similar to the voice frequency in a trunked system. The control channel of a trunked system is like that phone switching computer. If someone wants to call you on the phone, computers assign the wire path to get to your house and ring your number.

In a trunked system, all the radios default to monitoring the control channel and listen to the commands that are being sent out. if someone wants to call you (or your whole department) they key up their radio on the same talkgroup you are on and a computer sends a signal to all radios tuned to that talkgroup to switch from the control frequency to a voice frequency. After the voice repeater drops the radios go back to the control channel and wait. The next key-up might get assinged to a different voice repeater - so the conversations hop around on a set number of frequencies (usually between 4 and 29).

The way to scan these hopping conversations is to use a trunktracking scanner that can listen and decode the control channel commands just like the Motorola radios can. You must program your scanner in Motorola trunking mode in order for it to decode the control channel (also called the data channel). In scan mode, your scanner will listen to the control channel and go through all the talkgroup IDs that are currently active and compare them to your list of programmed IDs. If it finds a match it will send your scanner to the frequency where the talkgroup is taking place and display the ID or text label you programmed for that ID.

So you must enter at least the control channel into the scanner memory and make sure it is set for motorola trunking. With your Pro-95 you don't need to even enter the other voice frequencies, since the control channel tells the scanner what frequency the conversation is on. To keep it simple, if you use the Open/search mode, you don't even have to program in any talkgroups, the scanner will just follow everything. Once you figure things out, you can start programming talkgroups into the lists so you can follow just the agencies you want to hear.

I could go on, but that is the general idea. I hope that helps. It is challenging, but adds a whole new dimension to scanning.

Brett - N7OLQ

 

[northzone]

For general info on trunking and radio systems:
http://www.northwestradio.com/interceptnw/101.htm

 

[boonez]

With the recent updates on the rr database, who do we send suggestions to for updates. There are a couple more that need to be added.

 

[FPO703]

There's a button on the top right corner that says 'Submit Changes'

Hit that and go from there,

 

[boonez]

Frequency Change

Has thre been a change with the frequency from the old frequency for Salt Lake County of 868.1125 to 868.5500, because Yesterday it went dead and then i switched channels and everything is working fine again. Can we get a frequency update on the UCAN database.

 

[N7OLQ]

I'm not aware of any changes. On rare occasions, the SLC site will swtich to the alternate data channel of 868.0875. You tuned the Nelson peak site 868.550 which also carries lots of SL valley traffic. The Nelson site is not capable of carrying all the SL valley traffic by itself.