Settings for local listening

mnrick · Sep 11, 2015

I have a Pro-652 and I used Win-500 to program it. I live in Bloomington and I am trying to primarily listen to systems that run off of the W Hennepin towers (Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina/Richfield & Hennepin County).

Since purchasing the scanner last November I have continuously had reception issues and I am wondering if I have it programmed correctly.

There are various selections like "Multi Site", "AGC", "SuperTrack", "NFM", and "Boost".

For local listening in this area what should I be doing with those settings?

What I am experiencing with ARMER is broken transmissions or sometimes I will go quite awhile without hearing anything at all, I think it is just not receiving for some reason.

I am in a 2nd floor apartment using the stock antenna and there is no way for me to have a outdoor antenna.

retiredmich · Sep 11, 2015

Instead of stock antenna get one of these, it will help get a better reception.
RadioShack 800 MHz Portable BNC Antenna

mnrick · Sep 11, 2015

OK, I will look into that.

johnmoe1 · Sep 11, 2015

mnrick said:
I have a Pro-652 and I used Win-500 to program it. I live in Bloomington and I am trying to primarily listen to systems that run off of the W Hennepin towers (Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina/Richfield & Hennepin County).

Have you tried Hennepin East? I think all of the cities you mentioned will be found more often on East.

stmills · Sep 11, 2015

You should have better results using Hennepin East 2-001 tower cc 852.3625 the have towers North of 494 on hw169, Near MOA, at the Hennepin Truck 80th St if I remember correctly, at MSP international. All the departments you listed are on Hennepin East.

mnrick · Sep 12, 2015

OK, I can try that also. It was my understanding that the Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina/Richfield systems all used Hennepin West as their "home".

Who uses Hennepin West as their home?

My scan lists are broken down into:

Bloomington
Eden Prairie
Edina/Richfield
St. Louis Park
Hennepin County
Hennepin Suburbs (all the local C2C and Fire ops channels)
Minnetonka
Minneapolis
Airport
Dakota County
State Patrol
Interop
Medics
Scott County
Carver County
State of MN (DNR, FIRST, BCA and more)
Washington Co
Anoka Co
Ramsey Co

I am located a few miles south of 494 and a few blocks east of 169,

mnrick · Sep 13, 2015

Is this similar to what I should be getting for my Pro 652 scanner? I want to order the right antenna.

http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-20...7&sr=1-3&keywords=radio+shack+scanner+antenna

stmills · Sep 13, 2015

I am unaware of any Main that is Home on Hennepin West.
Most of the Agencies you want to hear are on Hennepin East, Washington County is not on Hennepin East, The best bet for this is probably Either Ramsey or Dakota County systems.

I tried the pictured antenna a number of years ago on a Pro96 scanner and noticed no real improvement at my location, but I have heard other have had better results.

mnrick · Sep 14, 2015

I did check my programming and I did have everything in Hennepin County on Hennepin East. I am able to get Washington County pretty good on Dakota, it comes in better than Hennepin does for me.

I cannot get the Ramsey towers at all but I am able to get them sporadically on Hennepin East, Same as I cannot get Minneapolis N-S but I can get sporadic transmissions from them on Hennepin E.

I tried different things and just do not get good reception on any Hennepin County at all. The only sure thing for me is Bloomington Fire on their VHF.

I am ready to try another antenna, Retiredmich recommended the radio shack BNC antenna, I assume this is the one he is talking about. Maybe this will improve my reception.

Amazon.com: 800MHz Scanner Antenna: Electronics

ofd8001 · Sep 14, 2015

The Minnesota ARMER system is a fairly robust network of many sites. Given the ability of user radios to affiliate with the different sub-systems as they travel into other areas, no one sub-system/site has a very large coverage footprint.

When I visit the Twin Cities I stay near the Mall of America. Hearing the Minneapolis NS site can be challenging for a stock antenna. I get Bloomington and other Hennepin units just fine on Hennepin East.

To "bring in" other areas (Ramsey, Minneapolis NS, Anoka, etc.) you might need an outside antenna.

Something to check - if you scanner has a signal strength meter, are you showing signal on the Hennepin East site? If so, you may have a completely different issue, that being simulcast distortion. That's where your scanner "hears" two different sites, such as the site near Fort Snelling and the Hennepin truck barn on 80th (I think). The scanner has trouble decoding these multiple incoming signals and that manifests itself either in garabled audio or no audio at all.

mnrick · Sep 15, 2015

It does have a signal meter, I just have to figure out how to get it to show in the display. I remember it being there but I must have turned it off somehow.

I went out of my way to a Radio Shack yesterday and they did not stock that antenna. They offered to order it for me, I said I'd just order it myself and save all the driving. I got home and I can find the antenna on their site but not a way to order it.

ofd8001 · Sep 15, 2015

You could see if ScannerMaster has something of interest to you.

NDRADIONUT · Sep 15, 2015

Amazon.com prob has the exact one you want...

NDRADIONUT · Sep 15, 2015

This thread has a lot of discussion of simulcast reception issues....

http://forums.radioreference.com/mi...orum/317277-wright-county-mn-programming.html

mnrick · Sep 15, 2015

I got the antenna today, had to go over to a RS in the East metro area to get it. As far as I can tell so far it is not making any difference, I am still getting broken up transmissions or it seems like they are talking, it stops on a channel but I am not hearing anything.

This happens whether the ATT is on or off.

My signal strength is showing weak, I am getting one bar. I do not know if it is my location or the building that I live in? It is weak for Hennepin, Dakota and even Scott which I am right across the river from.

stmills · Sep 16, 2015

How many stories is your building, and what side are you on? Since you are receiving Dakota well and Hennepin East is a problem it seems most likely you are getting the simulcast overload problem.

mnrick · Sep 16, 2015

I am in a 3 story building and I am on the 2nd floor. My windows face south.

stmills · Sep 16, 2015

The south facing makes sense for decent Dakota County reception, Do you get good coverage from the Scott/Carver system ? Looking at a tower map I suspect your Hennepin East reception is from the Shakopee tower which is located at 13751 Zumbro Rd and transmits to the Northeast- towards you but at a greater distance away than Dakota and Scott towers.

NDRADIONUT · Sep 16, 2015

Mnrick - Here is another long thread on multipath crap I ran across that you may or may not want to read through....

http://forums.radioreference.com/pr...898-p25-simulcast-multipath-interference.html

mnrick · Sep 16, 2015

OK, I got a understand of what the problem could be, it was well explained in the Wright County thread started by another user who was having problems that sound similar to what I am having.

I just want to know what to do about it. Most everything I am getting is 1 or no bars, I am just not doing good in this location.

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