Wichita/Sedgwick County Scrambled?

[rkm6460]

Our feed has been spotty since the conversion but we were picking up some traffic...bit of a dead spot I think. However, lately all we are getting is the highway patrol, and I heard a rumor that Wichita/Sedgwick County has now scrambled their signal. Can anyone confirm? I didn't see any other posts regarding this issue, so sorry if this is a duplication.

 

[I_am_Alpha1]

Sedgwick County is NOT encrypted. There are several issues going on. Some claim the new Cassidian system doesn't cover the county like it was supposed to. Another problem deals with simulcast--where all 10 towers broadcast the exact same signal at the exact same time--thus your radio receives them a micro-second apart and gets confused and can't decode. Also the inability of Uniden to decode P25 has been brought up--which I can confirm (I monitor a single frequency P25 phase 1 system and my Uniden scanners can't decode it sometimes).

People have tried several things, some with success, most with no improvement. Rolling back firmware, different types of antennas, physical location in the county, physical location in the house--just to name a few.

I have 4 scanners and they are all different when it comes to reception. My HP-1 is the worst. My 436 was pretty much useless until I changed the antenna to an old VHF scanner antenna I found--turns out it also helped my 536 receive better. Wish I could remember where I got them from--it was about 10 years ago. Some people in Park City have tried external antennas to include Yagis with no success. Just keep trying different locations and antennas.

 

[rkm6460]

So you are still receiving I take it? We bought an HP-1 after the conversion went live. It has picked up partial traffic but not near like our old analog RS scanner. Seems strange that it has gone completely silent, so I may run some updates just to see if that does anything to help.

 

[I_am_Alpha1]

Yes, I still hear them. I hear all the shootings and assaults that never make the news. HP-1 is the worst. My 436 & 536 perform much better. I don't know about the HP-2, not sure if anyone around here has one. People in other states claim some RS scanners perform better and they are hopeful of the Whistler units.

Try playing with different firmware on the HP-1, particularly the older ones. Some people claim the P25 settings can be tweeked for better decoding, but I've never had any improvement. Also try moving it to different locations in your house--the idea is to block 9 of the 10 transmitters. My 436 sits in the living room not far from a window where it can see one transmitter while the rest of the house blocks the other 9. I've tried different antennas on the HP-1 with no luck. People in Park City claim it's a dead zone and they can't get a signal on any scanner.

What I find really strange is there is a TG in Derby that the HP-1 will receive, but the 436 and 536 won't. Thus the Uniden decoding problems.

 

[rkm6460]

I bought a replacement telescoping antenna just to give it a shot. I am pleased to say we are actually picking some stuff up! Still playing with range, finding just the right spot on the telescoping antenna, but even now we are picking up way more than we have in the past year. This is what I bought for my HP1: Telescoping All-Band Scanner Antenna with Right-Angle SMA Connector

 

[121940kz]

I have had decent luck with a homemade 850MHz yagi placed under my couch. Sounds weird but seemed to do a decent job in blocking some towers out. I use a GRE PSR 500. Another thing that seemed to make a difference was turning my squelch all the way up. I know digital doesn't use it but something inside the scanner worked better when I cranked it all the way.

I primarily scan the Wichita fire and EMS channels. I get tired of hearing people get pulled over and domestic issues all the time

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