Standard P25 Trunked Systems

To determine whether the information on this page applies to your scanner, see the tags at the bottom of the page.

This section deals with standard Project 25 or P25 systems. Click here for information on P25 one-frequency systems. Below is an example of a standard P25 system from RadioReference:

• Here is a conceptual layout diagram of a basic P25 system. (Click here for a legend of the diagram.)
• For more information on P25 systems and how they work, see the Project 25 page at Radio Reference's Wiki.

Programming a P25 System

To program a P25 system, you'll need to program the required elements in following order:

Create a system

1. Go to the Program System menu and choose New System .
2. The scanner will prompt you for the System Type. Select P25 .
3. The scanner will prompt you for the sub-type. Select Standard trunk .
4. When the scanner prompts you confirm, tap YES .
5. The scanner creates the system with a default name. Select Edit Name if you want to change it.
6. If you need to change any of the system properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

System properties

All of these options can be found under your scanner's Program System menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
None
Recommended
Name	Edit Name
Number tag	Set Number Tag
Optional
Automatic Gain Control (AGC)	Set Audio AGC
Record	Set Record (BCD996XT Only)
Delay time	Set Delay Time
ID format	Set ID Format (DEC/HEX)
ID scan/search	ID Scan/Search
Priority ID scan	Priority ID scan
Available operations
Copy a system	Copy System
Delete a system	Delete System
Review locked-out IDs	Rvw ID:Srch L/O
Clear all locked-out IDs	Clr All L/O IDs

Create at least 1 site

All systems must contain at least 1 site.

1. On the Program System menu, select the system you just created.
2. Go to the Edit Site menu and select New Site .
3. If you need to change any of the site properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.
   (Note: If you have multiple Sites for your county, you will need to add multiple Sites. See Standard P25 System example image above. You will notice that Travis County is listed for seven different Sites. This means you will want to enter seven different Sites. You may also want to enter surrounding counties, depending on your location.)

Site properties

All of these options can be found under your scanner's Edit Site menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
None
Recommended
Band plan	Edit Band Plan
Name	Edit Name
Quick key	Set Quick Key
Optional
Attenuator	Set Attenuator
Hold time	Set Hold Time
Location information	Set LocationInfo
Lockout	Set Lockout
Startup key	Set Startup Key
Available operations
Delete a site	Delete Site

Create at least 1 frequency in each site

All sites must contain at least 1 frequency.

1. On the Edit Site menu, select the site you just created.
2. Go to the Set Frequencies sub-menu and select New Frequency .
3. Enter at least 1 frequency for this site. (Note: Enter any RED & BLUE System Frequencies listed for that particular Site. If you have multiple Sites for your county, be sure to enter the correct RED & BLUE System Frequencies listed for each Site. See Standard P25 System example image above.)
4. If you need to change any of the frequency properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

Frequency properties

All of these options can be found by selecting the frequency under the Set Frequencies sub-menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option Name
Required
None
Recommended
None
Optional
Lockout	Set Lockout
Available Operations
Delete a frequency	Delete Frequency

Programming a system for Scanning

Once you create the system and at least 1 site, you can Search the system with no problems. However, if you want to Scan the system, you'll need to program the required elements in following order (click here for information on using the menu):

Create a channel group

Each P25 system can contain up to 20 channel groups.

1. On the Program System menu, select the system you just created.
2. Go to the Edit Group menu and select New Group .
3. If you need to change any of the channel group properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

Channel group properties

All of these options can be found by selecting the group name under your scanner's Edit Group menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
None
Recommended
Name	Edit Name
Quick key	Set Quick Key
Optional
Location information	Set LocationInfo
Lockout	Set Lockout
Available operations
Delete a group	Delete Group

Create a channel in a group

Each trunked system can contain up to 500 channels in each group.

1. On the Edit Group menu, select the channel group you just created.
2. Go to the Edit Channel menu and select New Channel .
3. Input the Talk Group ID (TGID) for this channel. (Note: You will enter the required DEC numbers that apply to the agencies that you wish to monitor. See example image below.)
4. If you need to change any of the channel properties, you can do that now. Unless a property is Required , you can operate the system without changing the default settings.

Standard P25 System

Channel properties

All of these options can be found by selecting the channel name your scanner's Edit Channel menu. If necessary, the sub-menu and option name on each scanner are listed beside the property.

Property	Option name
Required
TGID	Edit Talk Group ID
Recommended
Name	Edit Name
Number tag	Set Number Tag
Optional
Alert	Set Alert
Record	BCD996XT only:Set Record
Priority	Set Priority
Volume Offset	Volume Offset
Available operations
Copy a channel	Copy Channel
Delete a channel	Delete Channel

The information on this page applies to the following scanner(s): BCD996XT BCD396XT Users Guide