Actions

Alberta First Responders' Radio Communication System (AFRRCS) Programming Information

From The RadioReference Wiki

Which Scanners Work With AFRRCS?

AFRRCS is an FDMA (Phase 1) system and is not simulcast at this time. Any scanner which can receive 700 MHz Project 25 trunking should be able to monitor it.

The following scanners have been tested for operation with this system.

Uniden BCD396T/BCD996T Decodes trunking. Talkgroup tracking works, but display of radio IDs not available in these models. 5th decimal place of 700 MHz frequencies (ie. 771.64375) is truncated (displayed as 771.6437 or 771.64370) - this does not affect performance. Scanner may not display RFSS and Site numbers with three digits (i.e. >99). This too does not affect performance.
BCD396XT/BCD996XT Decodes trunking, tracks talkgroups, displays radio IDs. 5th decimal place of 700 MHz frequencies (ie. 771.64375) is truncated (displayed as 771.6437 or 771.64370) - this does not affect performance. CC Dump performs as expected. Scanner may not display RFSS and Site numbers with three digits (i.e. >99). This too does not affect performance.
HomePatrol-1 Decodes trunking, tracks talkgroups, displays radio IDs. 5th decimal place of 700 MHz frequencies (ie. 771.64375) is truncated (displayed as 771.6437 or 771.64370) - this does not affect performance. CC decode in Analyze mode functions as expected. CC Dump (Raw Data Output) not yet tested. Scanner may not display RFSS and Site numbers with three digits (i.e. >99). This too does not affect performance.
BCD436HP/BCD536HP Decodes trunking, tracks talkgroups, displays radio IDs. 5th decimal place of 700 MHz frequencies (ie. 771.64375) is truncated (displayed as 771.6437 or 771.64370) - this does not affect performance. Analysis Mode and other CC inspection details not available at this time.
GRE PSR-500/600 Decodes trunking, tracks talkgroups, displays radio IDs. CC Dump functions as expected.
PSR-800 Decodes trunking, tracks talkgroups, displays radio IDs but requires settings be changed in EZ-Scan programming software. Ensure that all sites in AFRRCS configuration, under the "Site Options" tab, have "Trunking Tables" set to "Auto Fill". They default to "Standard" and the scanner will not track the system with the default settings. CC Dump performs as expected.
Important Note for GRE Scanner Users
GRE scanners such as the PSR-500, PSR-600, PSR-800, and the Radio Shack PRO-xxx counterparts, do not receive signals properly in the frequency range from 797 MHz to 805 MHz. If you have kept your firmware up to date, odds are good that your scanner will not allow you to key in frequencies in that range. Some GRE scanners do still allow you to key in frequencies from 797 to 805 MHz. The problem is that GRE scanners are highly susceptible to images (false duplicate signals) in that range. If you tune in to that range and are hearing any kind of active communications, the odds are extremely high that you are not receiving AFRRCS transmissions and are instead picking up images from the 800 MHz band (851-868.9875 MHz).
Radio Shack PRO-106 See PSR-500 above in the GRE section as these radios are functionally identical.
PRO-197 See PSR-600 above in the GRE section as these radios are functionally identical.
See the "Important Note" in the GRE section above.
Whistler WS1040 See PSR-500 above in the GRE section as these radios are functionally identical.
WS1065 See PSR-600 above in the GRE section as these radios are functionally identical.
See the "Important Note" in the GRE section above.
SDR#/Unitrunker/Virtual Audio Cable Rudimentary testing has been done where a signal derived from SDR Sharp, sent across Virtual Audio Cable, to Unitrunker with a "discriminator input" device configured to use VAC, results in a low to middle grade decode rate on Unitrunker, including determining the correct frequency, system, RFSS, and site.




Return to DB page: Alberta First Responders' Radio Communication System (AFRRCS)
Return to Wiki page: Alberta First Responders' Radio Communication System (AFRRCS)