Jackson Police Main Dispatch Chanel Reduced?

[i5adam8]

I was wondering if anyone else has noticed a very significant change in the JPD. Main Dispatch chanel signal in the last couple of days?I live out in the Stockbridge-Munith area and I have always been able to recieve the JPD. Ch-1 almost perfect,even on my old hand held portable scanner inside every room in the house.A couple of days ago,it went silent.So after a few days of waiting,I went into the City just to see if they were operating on Chanel-2.(To my surprise)They were on the main chanel,operating as normal,except the signal was terrible!I had to be within about a mile of the City limits just to here them at all!I don't understand this because I have always been able to hear them(Even when I lived north of Stockbridge).Now I can't even hear them out in the southern part of Henrietta Township.I have tried to moniter them on 2 seperate portables(Rs-pro-96,and an older Uniden model)I also tried with 5 seperate base scanners(all Radio Shack and,Uniden)and even with the base Units( and,2 different outdoor Antenna's) the best I get is some faint static when they transmit.Has anyone else noticed this,or have any answers?

[wrr]

I'll check tonight. I'm about a mile north of Stockbridge. I usually only monitor Jackson Co. on my Pro96.

[1002]

This is nothing new........I've noticed that for quite awhile. JPD doesn't use a lot of power to cover just the city. It is not unusual to have poor reception or none at all. Good conditions allow reception in the outlying areas.

[Thunderbolt]

I asked a person that I know who lives near the Jackson Community College. and she also reports a major drop in signal quality from Jackson PD. They are using a 3/5 dB gain antenna fed with LMR 400. In the past, Jackson PD came in loud and clear on any handheld this person uses, but now all she receives is static. Even with the outdoor antenna the signal is very weak but readable.

Sounds like their transmitter has some serious issues or JPD might be broadcasting from their backup site?

73's

Ron

[wrr]

Last night on my Pro96 (no external antenna), occasionally the main 911 channel broke squelch.

Comms on the car-to-car frequency 460.500 came in loud and clear.

[Thunderbolt]

Do they still use 460.250? I use to be able to hear Jackson on that freq very nicely when their was a band opening. Likewise, 460.150 was equally as strong. However, I have yet to hear anything on 460.500 MHz from Jackson County, but I did receive Chicago once several years ago.

73's

Ron

[N8DRC]

I have also noticed a big drop in signal on the JPD main dispatch 460.150 for most of this week I am 9 miles east of the city and always have had no problems with it till this week, must be something on the dispatch end..

[N8DRC]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt

Do they still use 460.250? I use to be able to hear Jackson on that freq very nicely when their was a band opening. Likewise, 460.150 was equally as strong. However, I have yet to hear anything on 460.500 MHz from Jackson County, but I did receive Chicago once several years ago.

73's

Ron

Yes Ron they use 460.250 as the LEIN channel hear it all the time, I have never heard any traffic on 460.500 from JPD though..

[i5adam8]

As far as I know,Lansing Police Department uses 460.500 for their South precinct Dispatch,but I don't think I have ever heard any JPD.traffic on that freqency.

[wrr]

Heh, I don't monitor Lansing, and thought I was getting Jackson car-to-car on a handheld with a stock duck in Stockbridge.

Nevermind

[i5adam8]

Their were times in the summer when the skip was really strong late at night,that I heard Lansing police freqencies comming over the Jackson police main channel 460.150.on my Rs handheld,Maybe the same thing was happening on your scanner due to where you were at(halfway between the two Cities).I remember back this summer in June and,July on really clear nights, I was hearing Radio traffic from lansing Police 460.200,and 460.500 bleeding over on JPD.460.150.

[johnvassel]

In the move towards their edacs system, 460.150 was given to Grand Ledge Fire in exchange for I believe 460.600.
I've not heard anyone but Grand Ledge on that frequency since (in the GL area)

john

[i5adam8]

Hey thanks for the input guys,and if anyone finds out anything new about what's going on with 460.150 keep me posted.

[N8DRC]

I would say that something has went bad or has changed on the dispatch 460.150, I live only a few miles from the city have been monitioring it for many years now and have never seen anything like this before, there is a big difference in the signal output as of last week..

[i5adam8]

I wonder if the signal loss was done on purpose,as John said - 460.150 was given to Grand Ledge Fire,so I don't know,but maybe it's possible that they reduced the signal to avoid interferance with Grand Ledge? Or would Grand Ledge be far enough away,that their would not be any problems with JPD.transmitting at the normal-full stregnth signal that they were using prior to last week?

[N8DRC]

Signal is alot stronger today, sounds like its back to normal so far..

[i5adam8]

Yes I have noticed a big difference since my last post,I can hear them perfectly again.As of Saturday evening,everything seemed to back up to normal strength.