Scanner Needed For Chesapeake

My old BCD396T just can't seem to deal with Chesapeake City's P-25 system. I've updated the firmware and lowered the threshold setting, but the audio is still clipped and garbled, especially driving around the city.

Can anyone recommend a newer scanner that works well with Chesapeake's P-25 system? I live in the Great Bridge area.

Sounds like you are experiencing the Simulcast issues, many folks have with any scanner and P25 Simulcast systems.

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=8865
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?fccCallsign=WQXB779

The only solutions are:
Experiment - smaller antenna, move the radio an inch of two at a time for best signal,
get a beam and aim at each of the tower sites [nearest is not always best] and keep experimenting

Larry51 said:

My old BCD396T just can't seem to deal with Chesapeake City's P-25 system. I've updated the firmware and lowered the threshold setting, but the audio is still clipped and garbled, especially driving around the city.

Can anyone recommend a newer scanner that works well with Chesapeake's P-25 system? I live in the Great Bridge area.

Click to expand...

Thanks Bill!

I've switched to a smaller/cheaper antenna, and it did wonders for me on the simulcast systems I monitor. I'm thinking about finding an attenuator to add inline too.


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Thanks KI4SXZ. I spoke to a rep at Scanner Master and he also recommended finding a way to "degrade" the scanner's antenna performance in order to only receive the closest transmitter site.

In an earlier reply, Bill sent me a link showing where the city's towers are located, so I'm going to do some experimenting.

Thanks to you both.

I went through a long list of trial and error and was able to make it work sometimes, but it was so touchy I finally gave up and bought one of those Unication radios.

It makes for a pretty expensive "scanner" which doesn't have all the features of a Uniden/Whislter scanner, but it does not have the simulcast issues that our other scanners have. It receives Chesapeake PD 100% of the time. It is frustrating that other scanners can't deal with this issue better than they do.