Heat Pumps and Electric Heating - outside unit off when AUX on

General question - is there ever a time when my aux strips are activated that my outside unit wouldn't be on? I've been having problems with my brand new Trane system so I am a little hypersensitive to things right now. The stat is on the heat setting, outside temp is about 30 so it isn't too surpising that the aux strips are on, but if they are there just to supplement the heat pump, why would they ever be activated without the outdoor unit on?

Thanks in advance!

aux heatusualy comes on when room temp is 2deg lower than set temp, heat pump cant keepup and during defrost.
in defrost the condnser fan stops but the compresser still runs

I guess to simplify, my aux strips are running constantly and my outdoor unit fan never comes on. And I have not heard it kick into defrost mode. So I was just trying to figure out if there was ever a time the aux strips should be on when the fan on the outside unit is not running. When it kicks into defrost mode, the room should be up to temp and the strips not running, right?

I was out of town this weekend - the wife said she heard the outdoor unit try and kick on Saturday morning - it ran for about 2 minutes and cut off - then it tried to cut on again, and it cut back off after about 2 minutes. This was as she drifted in and out of sleep so she wasn't sure the timing between the events. This sounds like what was happening when out TXV on the outdoor unit went out.

What kind of t-stat is used to control this?

some t-stat has remote outdoor sensor, and it may be set to high to lock out?

It is a Braeburn digital thermostat - not sure if it has a lockout or not.

Never heard of this brand.

Check your t-stat install manual to see if there is a lock out set up.