Uniden Programming Advice

[wv_mountaineer]

BCD396XT advice needed....

Okay, here goes. Does it really matter if you put all of the tower "sites" frequencies within one site name? I mean, I have the Ohio Turnpike programed from east to west under one site name "Ohio Towers". I only put in the control channel for each tower that I would be running across as I was moving along. That would be about 15 or so frequencies. The way I have it seems good to me, however is this the way I should be programming them in? Or should I give each tower "site" it's own name and include all of the frequencies that are listed for said tower. I just want to get the most out of my listening and don't want to just so called "Half A*S it"!

 

[hiegtx]

BCD396XT advice needed....

Okay, here goes. Does it really matter if you put all of the tower "sites" frequencies within one site name? I mean, I have the Ohio Turnpike programed from east to west under one site name "Ohio Towers". I only put in the control channel for each tower that I would be running across as I was moving along. That would be about 15 or so frequencies. The way I have it seems good to me, however is this the way I should be programming them in? Or should I give each tower "site" it's own name and include all of the frequencies that are listed for said tower. I just want to get the most out of my listening and don't want to just so called "Half A*S it"!

You probably should put each one in separate sites. The Uniden scanners tend to go 'back' to the last control channel found, not the strongest, and won't check the rest of them in the system before moving on. Once that "last" control channel is, once & for all, out of range, no signal at all, only then will the scanner see if the next one in line has a signal. So you may not only be getting a strong control channel, also you might not be getting the one for that zone, if it runs across an adjacent one (even though it's weaker) first.

You could probably "double up" sites that are way too far apart (say 75-80 miles) for more than one of the controls to be received at the same time. That's assuming the control channel frequencies are not being re-used/recycled between more than one site.

 

[wv_mountaineer]

I did not know that "Uniden scanners tend to go 'back' to the last control channel found, not the strongest, and won't check the rest of them in the system before moving on". So this would be the reason for missing radio traffic as I travel. I have noticed that I will come across a trooper with a car pulled over and I just thought that I may have been out of range when he was using his radio. Now I think it stands to reason to me that I didn't and most likely couldn't hear the transmission because my scanner was staying with a frequency "tower site" that I had already passed instead of looking for one that I am coming upon. Does that sound about right to anyone but me? If so I think I got it and now I better rethink my programming of sites!

 

[werinshades]

Not sure if this is the same, but I monitor two sites on the Illinois Starcom system, and put both known active control channels in the same site. If it drops one of the control channels, it goes right to the next one I have programmed. This should work the same i'd assume for you.If for some reason it drops that control channel, it would search for the next one. The issue you may be having, is that the second control channel frequency and the trooper you mentioned, may not be associated with that site's frequency, so you may not hear anything. In my scenario, the two sites carry identical traffic.

 

[hiegtx]

Not sure if this is the same, but I monitor two sites on the Illinois Starcom system, and put both known active control channels in the same site. If it drops one of the control channels, it goes right to the next one I have programmed. This should work the same i'd assume for you.If for some reason it drops that control channel, it would search for the next one. The issue you may be having, is that the second control channel frequency and the trooper you mentioned, may not be associated with that site's frequency, so you may not hear anything. In my scenario, the two sites carry identical traffic.

From what I've read in the past, you're seeing the same behavior, as I understand it (could always be wrong, it happens). As long as the first channel found is receiveable, that's the only CC checked in that system. It will use that frequency, then move on to the next system. Once it "drops" the first site, and can no longer get it at all, it will see if another control channel frequency can be received. In your case, since both of the sites apparently carry the same traffic/talkgroups, it does not matter anyway. In mountaineer's case, where the sites would be part of a cross-state trip, I suspect there would be different traffic, i.e. changing state police districts/troops, however they are designated in Ohio.

At this point, there are no large multi-site systems in my area similar to StarCom or the other statewide/large regional systems. The closest to that model, for now, is the ETMC system, which covers much of the area east of DFW metro. The only site on that system within range for me is one in Ellis County, just to my south. There is also the four site Parker County P25 system, too far to hear from home, but I scan it when I travel west on weekend trips, usually about once a month.