Common Trunking Programming Questions

• ''On the trunking talk group display, I see DEC and HEX, which one do I use?''
  • For Motorola and Project-25 (APCO-25) systems, all trunk tracking scanners accept what is known as the Uniden Decimal format, that is the DEC number you see in the talk group display. The HEX number is the actual Motorola Talk Group equivalent of that number as a hexadecimal and is not used in programming scanners. There is a correlation between the two, but this correlation is different depending on the system being looked at. Some systems use a different format all together such as the LTR systems (system-home repeater-talk group) x-xx-xxx format or the EDACS AFS (Agency – Fleet – Sub-fleet)

• ''On the trunking talk group display, what is the mode mean?''
  • Each talk group in a trunking radio system may broadcast in many modes, the mode most often found for a particular talk group is displayed in this column. If you mouse over the column heading you will see the various codes used in the column and what they mean.

• ''On the trunking system I am trying to program, some of the frequencies listed are red or blue and have an asterisk next to them, what does that mean?''
  • The red and blue frequencies are those identified as the control channel (CCh (in red)) or alternates (in blue).
  • Now comes the confusion, if the system you are looking at is a Motorola or a Project-25 system and your scanner is capable of Control Channel Only trunk tracking then you really need to only program the CCh and alternates for it to work.
  • If you are programming an EDACS or LTR system, then you must use all of the frequencies listed and put them in the correct order and in the correct position in your scanner. Some scanners ask for the LCN (Logical Channel Number) when programming these systems and others rely on you placing them in the correct bank position on your own.
    • If you look carefully at the frequency display you will see these types of systems have a small number to the left of the frequency, which is the LCN of that frequency. For example, if you were programming an EDACS system in bank 2 of a Pro-97 scanner, then you would put the frequency for LCN 1 in bank position 201, LCN 2 in position 202, and so on.
  • Note, in both EDACS and LTR systems, not all positions may be filled and there is no rule about skipping slots, so a site may start on LCN 4, which you program (again using the above example) in bank position 204, and go on from there. If you are told to start at bank position 1 in a bank, that is only correct if there is an LCN 1.

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