Not UnderStanding RadioRef.com

[Iknox]

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=38

Ok it gives me a feqs list but what tags go to what freq ???????

[edweird]

There's no direct coorelation between a frequency and a particular user on a trunked system. Imagine a business with a switchboard for their telephone system. There's 100 extensions inside the business. x0 is always the operator, x100 is shipping, and x110 is human resources and so on. Also imagine that there's 12 outside telephone lines that come into the switchboard for making calls outside the business. When someone inside the business picks up the phone and dials 9 + a number to call outside, they get assigned to one of the outside lines if one is available. They don't always get the same line. The switchboard doesn't need an outside line for every extension. A trunked system works in a similar fashion. There's many talkgroups that share much less frequencies.

That's a trunked system on the web page you linked.

1st you program the system frequenices into the scanner. During this programming you use a method that identifies this as a trunked system, of the Motorola variety.

After the system freqs are programmed correctly, you can then enter the trunk group ID's (sometimes called talkgroups) that you want to listen to. Depending on your particular scanner, you may enter these ID's in DEC or HEX or notation. When you enter the ID in, you can also put some characters into an alpha tag as a description if your particular scanenr supports it. Look at the Desc field next to the talkgroup for an idea of what to enter.

Ed

[Iknox]

thanks for the info im still having problems find pct.4 for harris county i have a much better understanding now thank u

[edweird]

I don't know how the precincts and zones are laid out there. I tend to just program in the system and all the trunkgroups that interest me, and then let the scanner scan everything. When something comes up with an alpha tag I know what it is, and when something doesn't, I know it's not a PD or FD talkgroup, and I may lock it out.

The constables appear to be organized by precintcs. Here's what was listed for #4

11376 2c7 Harris County Constables Pct 4 - Dispatch-1
11408 2c9 Harris County Constables Pct 4 - Dispatch-2
11440 2cb Harris County Constables Pct 4 - East
11472 2cd Harris County Constables Pct 4 - Warrants

So you'd hear a lot of traffic on the first two talkgroups, as calls come in and things happen. I'm not sure about how they'd use the East talkgroup, but the last one is probably where they'd run license, registration and other checks. They do this to keep the other channels less busy. I probably wouldn't normally listen to the last one.(boring)

Harris County SO looks like they are using districts? You might be able to find a map on the internet somewhere.

One thing I have done to figure out zones and what not is to monitor a single talkgroup and log the unit numbers and the addresses they were dispatched to. After a few hours you can plot the data points on a map and see if there's a coorelation.

Ed

[Iknox]

http://www.hcso.hctx.net/Patrol/District1/

im in Dis.1 SO pct 4 patrols this area thanks for the great info let me ask u sumthin so i can use anyone these freq's radio Ref gives me and just program the ID ???

[edweird]

Some radios only require you to program in the freq used for the control channel in your area, and they can track the system if it's a Motorola system. Others require you to program all of the freqs for Motorola. If it's a MA/COM EDACS system, you always have to program the freqs in the LCN order.

For you, try programing into one bank, all the freqs listed for the Tomball site. I think that's the one closest to your district. Read the manual for how to program a trucked system, and speciffically a Moto Type II system. You should hear a non-voice sound on either 867.9875 or 868.9500 which are listed as the control channels.

If you do that right, you should then be able to scan or search that bank and hear everything going on, and see the trunk ID's. Then program in some specific trunk ID's for that system.

Both of my trunked scanners are from Radioshack. An old Pro90 made by Uniden and a new Pro97 made by GRE. I'm not familiar with the specific steps to program the newer Unidens, but you might be able to find someone willing to meet you locally that is, if you post in the Texas forum on RR.com

Ed