Low Audio Levels..Annoying.

I've been a little annoyed with listening to the scanner for the past year or so. I've tried everything I could. AGC levels, volume offsets, narrowband, FM, etc.

It seems like several local emergency service users have a very low volume level. The squelch tail is very loud but the voice is extremely low. I can't make anything out without blowing my ear drum out at the end of their transmission. How in the world does dispatch copy anything?

Don't get me started on the EMS. They have an unholy loud fire tone out. But then the dispatcher has a voice of a mouse! How does anyone understand this?

Is it a quiet speaker? Are they talking too far away from the mic? Is it something else? How does anyone hear them?

Any tips? I'm frustrated with the situation.

pinballwiz86 said:

... The squelch tail is very loud but the voice is extremely low. I can't make anything out without blowing my ear drum out at the end of their transmission. ...
Any tips? I'm frustrated with the situation.

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If you are monitoring a conventional channel which uses CTCSS or DCS, program the appropriate CTCSS or DCS code into your scanner. That usually eliminates the squelch tail noise burst at the end of each transmission.

As you probably know, the BCT15X and other models include a feature which lets you boost the volume on selected channels. I've had to use that feature on channels where the audio level is lower than the other channels I scan.

parnass said:

As you probably know, the BCT15X and other models include a feature which lets you boost the volume on selected channels. I've had to use that feature on channels where the audio level is lower than the other channels I scan.

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Yes, I tried increasing the volume. But it also increases the fire tone out to ungodly levels and increases the "repeater courtesy tone of the cops" to ungodly levels as well. It's frustrating.

I shall try the CTCSS trick and see if that does anything. The only problem is that doing that will slow down the scanning a little bit.

Thanks for the advice.


-----update- No, using the CTCSS doesn't eliminate any squelch tail noise at the end of the transmission. Thanks anyway.

Programming a CTCSS or DCS code should eliminate a squelch tail on a radio, except that's something else that Uniden still can't get right. Make sure your channels are programmed as NFM vs FM also.

Ditto on the FM/NFM. But, if the tones are high on the TX, they will be high on the RX. Some have the tones set at FM levels even though they are using NFM voice levels. That makes the tones much more loud than the voice.

Tone outs are loud for a reason...

I have an older Uniden BC92XLT that has a loud squelch tail if I have the squelch set too low. Try turning the squelch knob.