[TrunkCom] Trunkcom Rules and FAQ
Tom Swisher
[email protected]
Fri, 15 Feb 2002 20:43:48 -0500
All;
It's time the FAQ file was posted again just as a reminder, so here it
is:
WELCOME TO TRUNKCOM
TRUNKCOM PURPOSE
1. The Trunkcom Mailing List was established in June 1997
by radio hobbyists interested in monitoring trunked radio
communications. Trunkcom provides its subscribers with a
forum for the exchange of information by reflecting e-mail
messages sent to the list to all subscribers to the list.
By remaining on the list, you agree to abide by the rules
as set forth by the list owner, and to abibe by the
Acceptable Use Policy of QSL.Net (which hosts QTH.Net) as
documented at http://www.qsl.net/aup.html.
2. The Trunkcom Mailing List was created to further the
free exchange of information concerning the hobby of
monitoring trunked radio communications and the discussion
of related trunked radio communications topics. Discussion
of other topics is considered "off topic." These "off
topic" messages are not within the scope of this list and
are not permitted.
3. The Trunkcom Mailing List is a non-membership group open
to all subscribers who have a genuine interest in the hobby
of monitoring trunked radio communications and as such does
not require dues. This list is provided as a public service
to the radio hobby community free of charge and is owned
and managed by the Trunkcom staff.
4. Information posted on this list may be re-posted with
credit on the World Wide Web site www.trunktracker.com
which is a clearinghouse of trunking related data and Trunk
Tracker questions and answers, tips, techniques, and more.
Information might also be posted on other regional web
pages by individual list members.
POSTING TO THE LIST
To send a message to the list send e-mail to:
[email protected]
Anonymous posts are not permitted on the Trunkcom list. All
posters are required to sign at least their first name to
each message that is posted to the list. No one likes to
reply to message senders as "hey you."
You are encouraged to include your location in your
messages, preferably after signature. Remember, this list
goes world-wide.
Prior to your first post we encourage new subscribers to
read the mail for a few days to become familiar with the
current traffic being passed on the list. We also highly
encourage new subscribers of the list to introduce
themselves in their first post. You might wish to include
some information about yourself, your equipment, and the
type of agencies you monitor. We find that intros foster
new friendships and facilitates the exchange of information
among subscribers of our list.
RULES OF CONDUCT
1. Trunkcom is provided at no cost to the list subscribers.
Behave as if you were in someone else's home. Offensive
language, "flames", and off-topic messages are not only
inappropriate but they use up bandwidth. Some subscribers
pay for access to the mailing list on a by-byte/message
basis. For that reason, V-Cards, MIME and binary
attachments of any type, flames, personal attacks,
off-topic posts and messages containing offensive
language are not to be posted to Trunkcom, and
html-formatted messages are not permitted.
2. Messages shall be non-commercial in nature and
appropriate to the topic of trunk radio system monitoring.
You may post personal "For Sale" items that are related to
the hobby of monitoring trunked radio communications. Such
postings will be limited to one message per item per
person. If you post a "For Sale" message and do not get any
replies, assume that no one is interested. Business "For
Sale" ads and other messages of a commercial nature are not
permitted.
When in doubt, ask the list administrator before you post.
3. List administrative matters shall be handled by a member
of the Trunkcom staff. Questions about the list, its rules
and subscriber behavior should be addressed only to staff
members in a private e-mail sent to: owner-
[email protected].
4. It is illegal to monitor cellular and cordless telephones
and pagers. The Administrators of Trunkcom will not tolerate
and absolutely prohibit ANY discussion of monitoring cellular
and cordless telephones or pagers, or any discussion of
modifying radios to monitor cellular and cordless telephones
or pagers, or the political ramifications of the laws pertaining
to the illegality of monitoring cellular and cordless telephones
or pagers, and your "Constitutional Rights" with regard to
your opinion of such laws.
The Trunkcom list is also not the appropriate forum for
debates about possible or pending legislative action of
any kind. A simple notification to the list regarding
pending legislative action is appropriate, but further
debate of the ramifications of the bill are not permitted.
There are other Lists and Usenet forums intended for the
debate of legislative action.
5. Off-hand "one-liner" comments about posts made by others
are not permitted. These only serve to unduly fill the
mailboxes of others with pointless messages and also causes
an unreasonable increase in the "noise-to-signal" ratio on
the List.
6. Non-adherence to these rules may result in removal from
the mailing list. Depending on the severity of the
infraction, a warning may or may not be given. The list
administrators reserve the right to remove anyone from the
list at their own discretion.
7. The cryptic, often-uninflected style of email writing
can result in messages being interpreted in much harsher
terms than the writer intended. All too often, this leads
to "flame wars" resulting in waste of computer resources,
hurt feelings, and a general disaffection. Biting criticism
and personal attacks are unfunny and unwanted. Remember,
there is a real person on the other end.
Be careful not to type your messages in all capital
letters. This is considered "shouting" and is unwelcome,
and intolerable. Likewise, typing a message all in lower-
case letters without any capitalization also looks bad and
un-caring.
Please keep "signature files" as short as possible, no more
than 3-4 lines maximum. Recently, signatures in excess of
20 lines have been seen on Trunkcom. This is an unnecessary
waste of bandwidth, and in view of the fact that some
subscribers have to pay for Internet access on the basis of
how much they download, it is unwelcome.
You are responsible for what you write. Finally, be aware
that it is a trivial job for "someone" to monitor
electronic mail or any discussion list. It is also
extremely easy to save any message and to forward it
electronically or repost to another list tomorrow or in 10
years.
When posting to the list, always keep in mind the
"Ten Commandments of E-Mail":
1. Thou shalt include a clear and specific subject line.
2. Thou shalt edit any quoted text down to the minimum
thou needest.
3. Thou shalt read thine own message thrice before thou
sendest it.
4. Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might react to
thy message.
5. Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy grammar.
6. Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam or USE ALL CAPS.
7. Thou shalt not forward any chain letter.
8. Thou shalt not use e-mail for any illegal or
unethical purpose.
9. Thou shalt not rely on the privacy of e-mail,
especially from work.
10. When in doubt, save thy message overnight and
reread it in the light of the dawn.
And, always remember the "Golden Rule" of E-Mail:
--That which thou findest hateful to receive,
sendest thou not unto others.
By remaining a subscriber to Trunkcom, you agree to abide
by these rules and guidelines. If you do not approve of any
of these rules and guidelines and feel that you can not
conduct yourself in support of them while using the
facilities provided by Trunkcom, you need to unsubscribe
from Trunkcom.
If for any reason you need to contact the Trunkcom
Administration Staff, you can send a private email to
[email protected]. Messages sent to that address will
reach all members of the Trunkcom Administration Staff.
=======================================================
TRUNKCOM FAQ
Q1 How do I unsubscribe from Trunkcom or Trunkcom-Digest?
A1 Go to http://mailman.qth.net/ and select TrunkCom from
the available lists, then follow the prompts.
If you are changing Internet Service Providers it is
your responsibility to unsubscribe your old email
address and subscribe the new address.
If you are having problems with your attempt to
unsubscribe and need assistance, you can send private
email to [email protected]. Messages sent
to that address go to all of the Trunkcom Administration
staff.
Q2 I've changed my mind, and I think I would rather have
the digest instead of individual messages. How do I
make the change?
A2 When you subscribed, you were sent an administrative
"Welcome to Trunkcom" message. This message contained
a web address similar to
mailman.qth.net/mailman/options/trunkcom/[email protected]
that will take you to your settings page. Simply go to
that link, log on and follow the prompts to change your
subscription options.
Q3 Why did a message that I posted to Trunkcom "bounce"?
A3 One of two things usually causes messages to bounce
back to the sender (Trunkcom Administration also
receives a copy of all bounced messages) instead of
being delivered to the list.
1- You have more than one email account, and you
tried to send the message from the wrong account.
You will have to log onto the correct account and
resend the message.
2- Your email program is not configured correctly.
The "From:" and "Reply To:" fields in your email
program configuration has to match the email
address that you are using for Trunkcom or
Trunkcom-Digest.
The Trunkcom Administrators do not repost bounced messages,
and routinely deletes bounced messages without reading them.
Q4 I suddenly stopped getting email from Trunkcom or
Trunkcom-Digest. What happened?
A4 Any one of several things could have caused your
address to be unsubscribed by Trunkcom Administration:
1. You are using an email service that places a
limit on the number of unread messages that can
be in your mailbox at any one time. If your
mailbox is full, any additional messages that
come in are bounced back to the sender which in
this case is the Administration Staff of
Trunkcom. We unsubscribe any email address that
generates mailbox full errors.
2. Your address will be unsubscribed if it generates
any kind of a "permanent fatal error". These kind
of errors occur if your ISP's server is
temporarily out service for any reason.
3. Any other problem that causes Trunkcom or
Trunkcom-Digest messages to bounce back as not
being deliverable.
4. You were away from your email account for some
reason and you are using a program such as
Microsoft Outlook that can generate an automatic
"I am temporarily out of my office" reply.
To start receiving Trunkcom or Trunkcom-Digest
messages again, you need to re-subscribe.
If you are going to be away from your email for
several days, please unsubscribe, and then
re-subscribe when you return. You can visit
http://mailman.qth.net to see the archives containing
messages that you missed.
Q5 Can my Trunk Tracker be modified to...?
A5 No. There is no way to modify the Trunk Tracker to do
anything that it was not designed to do. The exception
to this is the addition of an audio tap to permit use
of discriminator audio. The technical details of how
to do this are beyond the scope of this FAQ. (If you
need help with this, several people on the list will
be happy to point you in the right direction to get
the information you need.)
The Trunk Tracker scanners that are currently
(February, 2002) available from Uniden and Radio Shack
will trunk-track MA-COM/GE EDACS, Motorola Type I,
Type II and Type IIi/Hybrid systems in the VHF-Hi, 400,
500, 800 or 900 MHz bands. The Optocom and Optotrakker
from Opto Electronics, Trunktrac available from Scanner
Master, and some shareware/freeware computer programs
including Trunker and ETrunk can work with these systems
as well. Current Uniden TrunkTracker products other than
the BC780XLT will not track E.F. Johnson LTR or Multi-Net
systems, but the Radio Shack Pro-92 and Pro-2067 scanners
and the Optocom/Optotrakker products will track E.F.
Johnson LTR systems (but not Multi-Net).
Q6 Are there any secret keyboard tricks to make my Trunk
Tracker perform other undocumented functions?
A6 You can perform a reset to completely erase all of the
scanner's memory by pressing "2" and "9" while you
turn the power on. There are no other useful functions
that are available with "keyboard tricks".
Q7 What is the best antenna for use with my Trunk
Tracker?
A7 There is no one "best" antenna. An antenna that works
great for one person may be totally useless in other
locations. Obviously, any antenna that is tuned for
the frequency range that you are listening to would be
better than an "all-band" antenna.
Good antennas that are tuned for the 800 MHz band are
difficult to find. Many Trunk Tracker users have had
good luck using cellular telephone antennas either
with an adaptor that converts the cell phone antenna
connector for use with the BNC connector on the Trunk
Tracker, or by removing the original connector and
installing a BNC connector on the antenna. Some Trunk
Tracker users have also had good luck with amateur
radio antennas that include the 900 MHz band.
For mobile use, the best results are usually obtained
with a cellular phone antenna that has been modified
with a BNC connector for the scanner, either by using
the proper adapter or by soldering a new BNC connector
to the coax.
For home use, if you can install an outdoor antenna,
any antenna that is designed for 800 MHz reception
should provide good local reception. At 800 MHZ, don't
expect to receive good signals from more than 25-30
miles (depending on the geographic area). Use the
lowest loss rated coax you can get, and don't worry
about impedance matching. Most people have good luck
with 70-ohm (CATV) rated RG6 which can be found at
many places including discount department stores.
For apartment use, or if you have outdoor antenna
restrictions for your home, try a magnet-mount mobile
cellular phone antenna placed on a steel cookie pan or
automotive drip pan (like people put in the garage to
catch oil drips from the car) near a window. Again,
the antenna will have to be modified with the proper
connector.
Q8 What do I need to do to get my Trunk Tracker to...
A8 Before you post "How-to" questions to the list, PLEASE
Read The Manual Carefully! Then read it again; you'll
probably pick up on something you missed the first
time. When reading the manual the second time, have
your Trunk Tracker in front of you and follow the
manual's instructions, step by step. After you have
used the scanner for awhile, and think you know how
to use it, go back and re-read the manual. You will
almost certainly find an answer to something that has
been puzzling you since you started using the scanner.
Q9 What are these "Trunker" and "Etrunk" programs I keep
hearing about?
A9 "Trunker" and "Etrunk" are freeware computer programs
designed to permit advanced, detailed monitoring of
Motorola and Ericsson EDACS trunked radio systems. An
in-depth explanation of their features is beyond the
scope of this FAQ. Visit one of the various "Trunker"
and "Etrunk" sites on the World Wide Web for detailed
information on the features of these programs, and to
download them.
Q10 Is it legal to monitor my local police department's
in-car computers?
A10 There is no definitive answer to this question yet.
Monitoring of unencrypted ASCII data signals (Baudot,
ASCII, CW and what have you), *is* permitted by
Federal law, as long as:
1. It is not specifically prohibited, such as pagers
and digital cell phones;
2. It is not encrypted with the specific intention
of obscuring the meaning;
3. The protocol is not purposely withheld (such as
the Motorola iDen digital modulation protocol).
4. It is not released to any other persons, or;
5. it is not used for any business purposes.
However, Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) fall into a gray
area of legality for a variety of reasons, which are
beyond the scope of this FAQ. Therefore, though they
may *appear* to be legal to monitor, it is highly
advisable not to decode them for anything other than
personal entertainment. If you do it, don't use what
you receive for any purpose, don't release what you
receive to any other persons, and it's probably a good
idea not to tell anyone about it.
Q11 Is it legal to monitor Private Calls? Why won't my
Trunktracker do this?
A11 Yes, it is legal. Other than the BC780XLT, Trunktrackers
will not follow private calls.
Q12 Is it legal to monitor digital trunk systems such as
Motorola's ASTRO?
A12 Yes, it is legal. Many people confuse the terms
"digital" and "encryption". Many people also assume
that the digital trunk system was designed to keep
people from monitoring it. "Digital" is basically
another form of modulation. A digital radio system
works similar to the modem that your computer uses to
receive your email from Trunkcom and other sources.
"Modem" is an acronym for "Modulator Demodulator".
Your computer uses digital (binary) methods to do what
it does. For the data (your email) to be transmitted
across the internet (phone lines), the data needs to
be converted to an analog form that the phone lines
can handle. Therefore, the need for the Modem. A
digital radio system works in the opposite form. The
analog information (voice communications) that the
radios understand is converted to a digital format and
transmitted to the other radios, then is converted
back to analog by the receiving radio so that the user
can understand it. Digital radio transmissions require
less bandwidth which makes for more efficient use of
the radio spectrum. At this time, there are no
scanners available that can monitor digital systems.
However, Uniden has announced the impending (Fall 2002)
release of the handheld BC250D and base BC785D scanners
which will be fully APCO-25 capable.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Swisher, WA8PYR [email protected]
"Always do sober what you said you would do when drunk. That will
teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway
*** Central Ohio Radio & More - www.qsl.net/wa8pyr ***