Ws1040 programming help

[Ws10402020]

Good day everyone. I'm new to the scanner world and I need some help. My wife got a ws1040 for Xmas and I have been trying since then to program it. I have used win 500 and PSREDIT for programming and end up with the same out come every time. It says it's scanning and I get nothing. I have entered a conventional freq, which it recieves, so I know the scanner works. None of the digital trunked systems are comming through. I'm sure there is a box left unchecked somewhere in the system that I can't find or don't understand its significance. I hoped the software would magically solve the problem but NOT. My son is a sheriffs deputy and has his radio here all the time and its constant chatter. ANY help will be greatly appreciated

 

[ka3jjz]

Hi WS- welcome.

This article from our wiki (links are always in blue) will help get you off the ground. Not only does it have links to how to understand trunking, but there's an Easier to Read manual for that radio, along with user guides for Win500....

Getting Started with your GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanner - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

It would greatly help if we knew where you are (county/state is fine)? That way folks from your neck of the woods can jump in to help. One of them may be able to get you a programming file - that is sometimes the fastest way to learn. Just make a copy of this and start learning.

Mike

 

[Ws10402020]

Thanks for your reply. I have read those great manuals and tried 2 software programs and manual programming. I apparently just don't get it!! I'm I'm la plata county, city of Durango, Colorado.

 

[tvengr]

What is your city, county, and state, and what do you want to monitor? If you attach your WIN500 programming file, I will check it for any problems. You will have to send it to a compressed (zipped) folder to be able to attach it.

 

[Ws10402020]

Here is the most basic file I created. Only contains local police,SO, and fire. There are more that I would like to follow but I didn't want to complicate things any more than it is. Thanks for your help...

 

[tvengr]

There are 5 sites in LaPlata Co. I see that you are using only the Missionary Ridge site. You could put in the control channel and alternate frequencies for all 5 sites and set multi-site to roam. That would find the best site for you, unless you have it set to that site for a reason. You have 2 identical systems with the same sites and talkgroups. You only need 1 system and delete the second set of talkgroups. The reason you don't receive anything is that none of the talkgroups is assigned to a scan list. That column is empty. Every talkgroup must be assigned to both a trunk system and a scan list.

 

[tvengr]

Correction: There are 6 sites in LaPlata County.

 

[Ws10402020]

thanks tvenger for your analysis. I assumed the software would assign the talk groups to the selected systems. Guess not, I will have to dig into the program and see where I can do all the above. I really appreciate your valuable time to help out a newbi. What the heck am I missing when I make a file?

 

[tvengr]

Here is a completed file so that you will be able to see how to enter the information. If you have any questions, please let me know. I uploaded your file to my Pro-197 and then downloaded it into my ARC500 software to troubleshoot it. I do all of my programming in ARC500 and find it very easy to use. It's a lot easier to see all of the trunked system and scan list information. I have the control channel and alternate frequencies for all 6 La Plata Co sites in the system and Multi-Site set to Roam. It will find the best site as you move around the county. I uploaded my ARC500 file into the scanner and them downloaded it into WIN500 to convert the file. I appreciate the first responders putting their lives on the line for us and enjoy being able to help them and their families. Please relay that to your son. Thank you! Scan lists as follows:

Press the numbers 1 thru 0 on the keypad to toggle the corresponding scan lists 1 thru 10 on and off. For scan lists 11 thru 20, press the FUNC button first and then 1 thru 0. The La Plata Sheriff talkgroups are in the Favorites scan list. if you press the FAV button on the scanner, it will scan only the La Plata Co Sheriff talkgroups. To return to the normal scan lists, press SCAN. Save the attached zipped file to your computer and extract. Open the extracted file with WIN500 and Upload to Scanner.

 

[Spitfire8520]

I assumed the software would assign the talk groups to the selected systems. Guess not, I will have to dig into the program and see where I can do all the above. I really appreciate your valuable time to help out a newbi. What the heck am I missing when I make a file?

Your programming file is really close to being complete. What is missing is that you need to assign your talkgroups to a scan list, otherwise it will think that you don't want to scan any talkgroups. You can assign scan lists by selecting individual (or multiple) talkgroups and then checking the "Scan Lists" boxes on the right side. Assigning it to the scan list means that it will then scan the system for that talkgroup when that scan list is turned on.

Regarding Multi-Site mode, I would suggest possibly using the stationary mode if you plan on programming additional sites and your goal is to receive as much as possible. Roam forces the scanner to lock onto the "best site" based on decode rate, but that site might not have the talkgroup you are wanting to hear. Stationary forces the scanner to check all control channels programmed, and therefore all sites for a talkgroup. If you would like to learn about the technical reason for this, you should check out the Trunking Basics - Affiliation article on the wiki. I would definitely suggest adding Smelter Mountain if your goal is to anything in the Durango area.

 

[tvengr]

Smelter Mountain and the other 5 sites are in the frequency list. Changing Multi-Site to Stationary would check to see which sites are within range and use them. Spitfire8520 I appreciate your input since you are in Colorado. Should Check All Control Channels be turned on? I don't fully understand the use of that setting. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

 

[Spitfire8520]

Should Check All Control Channels be turned on? I don't fully understand the use of that setting. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

When it is on, it will check all control channels that break the squelch every time it stops on the system while scanning. This means that it may stop on a system for several seconds while it checks all the control channels for activity. This is how Uniden handles multi-site systems and can sometimes delay checking other systems and conventional frequencies if there are a lot of sites programmed. When it is off, it will check one control channel that breaks the squelch in order of the frequencies list every time it stops on the system while scanning. It would take however long to check the one control channel and then return to scanning everything else programmed. It doesn't really impact much if one is only scanning a single system.

 

[tvengr]

Thank you! If you are scanning a single system, is it best to have it on or off?

 

[Ws10402020]

OMG my scanner speaks!!!!!!!!! I have spent the last hour studying your file . I now know where I went wrong and understand the entire system a lot better. Thanks for being a teacher. Once again thanks for your valuable time in helping me out. I had the box to the scanner sitting here ready to send it back after many hours of spinning my wheels. My wife sends you virtual cookies because I have a smile on my face. I will add other talk groups for wildfire and others in my area, I also believe that the whistler ws1040 is not for a newbi

 

[tvengr]

Glad to hear it's making noise. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If you saw Spitfire8520's suggestion, you might try changing the Multi-Site setting to Stationary. It would monitor more sites and possibly give you better coverage of the county.

 

[Ws10402020]

Our son spent a year in Iraq and his mother was unable to keep track of him. Since his return to the states she enjoys hearing his voice on the scanner. Thanks for adding to her comfort. Thanks for your support. I will make the suggested changes and see what happens, I can see 3 of the towers from my house, so we will see what happens

 

[Spitfire8520]

Thank you! If you are scanning a single system, is it best to have it on or off?

It likely doesn't matter either way. It should just sit on the single system and rotate through the control channels.

 

[tvengr]

It likely doesn't matter either way. It should just sit on the single system and rotate through the control channels.

Thank you for that info!