Pro-651: Not receiving entire conversation

fredscanner · Jul 15, 2016

I'm new to digital/trunking scanners having just bought a PRO-651 about a week ago. I have had a Uniden BC72XLT for more than a decade but it was time to come into the modern age LOL. I've got two problems with the PRO-651 that I'm hoping someone might provide some tips on how to fix.

- The PRO-651 misses parts of the conversation
Sitting in a parking lot tonight in the middle of town with both the PRO-651 and the BC72XLT. The PRO-651 would "miss" parts of the transmission. For example the dispatcher would start to talk then suddenly silence for a few seconds and then I would hear the end of the transmission. Meanwhile the BC72XLT picked up the dispatcher's entire transmission. Is there a setting I should tweak or could this be a problem with the antenna?

- The quality of the audio on the PRO-651 is sometimes lacking. It can be difficult to understand what people are saying. On the BC72XLT the same transmission is nice and clear.

I have verified the PRO-651 is running the most current firmware. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

gewecke · Jul 15, 2016

First, where are you? what system are you trying to listen to? Tell us more about what you're trying to hear? That info will help us determine what to advise. :wink: 73, n9zas

gewecke · Jul 15, 2016

Make sure you don't have weather alert active, also are you trying to hear a P25 digital trunking sytem or conventional fm ? 73, n9zas

fredscanner · Jul 15, 2016

More details: I am located in the Solon, Ohio area. I have been testing the PRO-651 with P25 trunking system since that is what I primarily bought it for. Solon FD and PD are both on the Ohio MARCS-IP P25 trunking system. The PD is still simulcast on conventional which is how I am comparing reception between the PRO-651 and BC72XLT.

Both the PRO-651 and BC72XLT use their original antennas that came with the scanners. Never had a problem with reception or audio quality on the BC72XLT even while driving. The PRO-651 seems to have more of the problems I mentioned in the original post when I am driving, but even when stationary those problems still happen a lot. I just read two posts on the Radio Shack web site which highly recommended a different antenna for the PRO-651 so I might give that a try.

I haven't done anything with the weather settings so I believe they are off. Let me know if you need any more information.

Redneck0410 · Jul 15, 2016

First off, congrats on the purchase of your 651. Now, a bit of bad news... Cuyahoga County's site on the MARCS system is a multi-site simulcast system, which for your scanner, means it is hearing traffic from multiple towers at the same time which causes front-end overload and intermod. How can you possibly fix this? Depending on how your scanner is set, you can try turning the threshold settings to hi 99, low 99 and that might help. Different antenna might help, it might not. Since you use it mobile in your vehicle, I would recommend an external antenna. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

marksmith · Jul 15, 2016

If the cut out of audio on the 651 is on conventional channels, when your other radio is not doing this, then simulcast distortion is not that problem, but it will be an issue with the one system you mention.

The conventional reception issue sounds like priority is turned on and it is interrupting reception to check some other channel. Weather and normal priority need to be turned off.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

FallenAnjel · Oct 29, 2017

I am on Long Island in Brookhaven Township and I notice conversations are often often cut off. The Suffolk county police is Motorola Hybrid typeI/II I believe and the fire departments are in the 400's. An example would be , Suffolk Fire Rescue will dispatch two calls to rocky point. "first alarm Adult female injuries from a fall, 123 main street. Second alarm......" then you get a click like the mic was released and that's it... nothing. it's like they didn't want to tell us the second alarm. yet the FD heard it. I also notice dispatchers often sound like their mumbling, It almost pisses me off! lol. I listen to the scanner for a reason and it sounds like they're having a contest to see who can give out a call the fastest and it's annoying. So maybe it's not them and it's just the scanner. IDK..

For PD I notice (and sometimes FD..). someone will ask a question, the mic will key up then off. no answer. did they actually answer and by the time the transmission gets to my scanner I missed it? or what? they're obviously answering because then the other person will acknowledge.

I don't get it.

troymail · Oct 29, 2017

FallenAnjel said:
I am on Long Island in Brookhaven Township and I notice conversations are often often cut off. The Suffolk county police is Motorola Hybrid typeI/II I believe and the fire departments are in the 400's. An example would be , Suffolk Fire Rescue will dispatch two calls to rocky point. "first alarm Adult female injuries from a fall, 123 main street. Second alarm......" then you get a click like the mic was released and that's it... nothing. it's like they didn't want to tell us the second alarm. yet the FD heard it. I also notice dispatchers often sound like their mumbling, It almost pisses me off! lol. I listen to the scanner for a reason and it sounds like they're having a contest to see who can give out a call the fastest and it's annoying. So maybe it's not them and it's just the scanner. IDK..

For PD I notice (and sometimes FD..). someone will ask a question, the mic will key up then off. no answer. did they actually answer and by the time the transmission gets to my scanner I missed it? or what? they're obviously answering because then the other person will acknowledge.

I don't get it.

Is it possible that the carrier is dropped (dispatcher unkeys the mic for a moment)? Does your scanner "move on" to find other activity and while it is scanning, the dispatcher returns and completes their announcement? What happens if you hold on a channel?

Depending upon your radio and the system being monitored, sometimes your radio (scanner) will miss very short messages (I see this alot in my usage - particularly with P25 digital and Uniden scanners).

As for mumbling - it seems these days - particularly with dispatching - that the verbal dispatches are not all that important. In many places, there are data terminals in vehicles, text pagers, station printouts, etc. In my area they talk so fast (and my ear is still adjusting to accents - I'm not originally from this area), I don't catch most of what they say on dispatch. However, I know the responders receive their dispatches by other means and the verbal just seems like a backup and/or for others who might be in the area.

Pro-651: Not receiving entire conversation

fredscanner

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gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good

fredscanner

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Redneck0410

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marksmith

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FallenAnjel

Member

troymail

Silent Key

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