What's the best scanner to monitor Pickens county? Been thinking about getting another one only thing that's holding me back on digital is the programming of one. I have a whistler and all was well till they all recently switched over. Really enjoyed listening to a scanner around here, Now all is quite on.
What scanner for Pickens County?
- Thread starter Bgolf
- Start date
Since Pickens County is now using a NXDN trunked system for their primary public safety communications, your choice of a compatible traditional scanner is somewhat limited. A list of scanners that support NXDN is listed here: Category:Digital Scanners with NXDN - The RadioReference Wiki
Without a doubt, programming a trunked system with lots of talkgroups into a scanner is more complicated than conventional channels. But lots of people do it, and there are many online resources to help. Any of the scanners you buy will support programming by computer, which can make the process much easier. There are other options for monitoring that don't involve a traditional scanner, but those have their own steep learning curves.
Good luck on your choice.
Without a doubt, programming a trunked system with lots of talkgroups into a scanner is more complicated than conventional channels. But lots of people do it, and there are many online resources to help. Any of the scanners you buy will support programming by computer, which can make the process much easier. There are other options for monitoring that don't involve a traditional scanner, but those have their own steep learning curves.
Good luck on your choice.
I got the uniden BCD436HP. and bought the nxdn upgrade it’s a good scanner
What about just putting in a zip code then locking out what I don't want, Does that work?
How hard was it to program?
That is possible with most of these scanners. This will load a lot of objects that you don't want, but as you point out, you can lock out/avoid those things and eventually get it like you want it.
Do I need trunking for Pickens county? Thanks for the replies Btw!
I am going to break the forum by saying this and I know it is not completely portable. But a cheap NUC computer with DSD+FL will blow the socks off any scanner.
Intel NUC Mini PC NUC7i5BNH i5-7260U 2.20GHz 8GB RAM / 500GB SSD Windows 10 Pro | eBay This with one dongle for 30 bucks and fastlane for life 25 bucks. plus you have a spare PC.
I would recommend you use a computer and program with arc536 by butel its not as simply and the old analogs it’s going to be a learning curve but the arc software will help you immensely.
Ok I still trying to decide whether to get one or not, and if I need trunking for Pickens county? Still looking at the new bcd160n
Yes you need trucking for Pickens. The Bcd160n will not work because it does not have trunking.
What's the next cheapest one with Trunking? I don't want to put a pile of money in one and then have trouble getting it programmed
To be clear, the 160n and 260n will "work" to decode NXDN voice, but you'll just be scanning voice channels. You won't know which channel (talkgroup) is active, or be able to lock-out or only program certain talkgroups to be decoded. You'll likely hear a lot that you're not interested in hearing (including encrypted transmissions) with no way to avoid them.
Can you help me understand what you mean by "Talkgroup"? Is that like labeling a bank with say "Pickens county sheriff" with all the freqs for them?
Trunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki
Talkgroup - The RadioReference Wiki
Expect to spend an upwards of $400-500+ for a scanner that does proper NXDN trunking. A Uniden BCD325p2 + $50.00 NXDN upgrade if bought directly from Uniden can run you about $450.00. Third party retailers will upsell paid upgrades so you'll end up spending much more. If you scour the classifieds section you may be able to find a unit with or without NXDN paid upgrade for cheaper than $400 if you're lucky. Alternatively you can acquire an SDRPlay for a bit cheaper. Only drawback is you'll need a computer or a pi & SDR trunking software like SDRTrunk (significant learning curve) to drive it
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tvengr
Well Known Member
Be aware that the BCD160DN does not do trunk tracking. It is for conventional frequencies only.
How do I get the NXDN upgrade on the BCD325P2? It says the scanner is already $449, Does it already come with the NXDN upgrade when purchased on their website? Not sure yet if that's the one I will get. Just wondering about the upgradeTrunking Basics - The RadioReference Wiki
wiki.radioreference.com
Talkgroup - The RadioReference Wiki
Expect to spend an upwards of $400-500+ for a scanner that does proper NXDN trunking. A Uniden BCD325p2 + $50.00 NXDN upgrade if bought directly from Uniden can run you about $450.00. Third party retailers will upsell paid upgrades so you'll end up spending much more. If you scour the classifieds section you may be able to find a unit with or without NXDN paid upgrade for cheaper than $400 if you're lucky. Alternatively you can acquire an SDRPlay for a bit cheaper. Only drawback is you'll need a computer or a pi & SDR trunking software like SDRTrunk (significant learning curve) to drive it
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