Missouri Troop C

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TGP

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I want to monitor troop C in Forestall Mo.
Entered in St. Charles (simulcast) Co. control channel and nothing.

When in St Louis I can hear it fine using the North StL control channel.(800.xxx)

Now After reading more I see 152.xxx control channel (VHF) for Warren Co.
Is this what I need?
Thanks
Tom
 

scanman1958

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Sounds like you are trying to use the St Charles SLATER system. MO highway patrol is on MOSWIN. You can program about 4 sites around the St Louis area and hear Troop C very well.
 

scanman1958

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BTW Right now I don't have easy access to MOSWIN sites (list). There should be a site with Weldon Spring as the city for St Charles County. Give that a try.
 

TGP

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Thanks.
I have St Louis City (North) 853.6375 And Troop C works very well until I get to forestall Then nothing.
Although some of my other radios with the 700/800 ant works.
I'm waiting for another Ant. to try on this radio but I was seeing VHF 169.7750 control channels for warren county, out that way and was wondering if that's what I should use?
I want to leave this radio out there with a friend.

Also maybe St Charles Co Simulcast 769.756250 ?

Thanks
Tom
 

TGP

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Ok
I do see a Weldon Spring Control channel 152.660
So out there Weldon spring and Warren use VHF control Channels, which I'm not used to.
Everything here (StarCom) and STL city use 700/800.
Just wanted to be sure of CC before I drive out there to reprogram his radio.
Thanks
Tom
 

scanman1958

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Yes, program that site into your scanner along with the city north site and when you get out in St Charles you should be able to hear them great, Once you get out past parts of north city (maybe around hw 70 and Lucas & Hunt) you will lose the signal from the city's north tower. That's why there are so many sites/towers for systems like MOSWIN and StarCom. That way they cover the entire state. You may also want to program the Lincoln and Warren county sites just in case you are in a fringe area. Good luck and let us know if it works.
 

scanman1958

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BTW you don't necessarily need to reprogram the scanner just add the new sites into your scanner. Each system can be programmed with 100's (I think) sites.
 

TGP

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Thanks!
I understand what your saying.
Reprogram was not the best word choice.
I will add the Weldon and Warren control channel Freq. to the system in place
STL N tower is already in there.

As soon as I get out there I will update.
Tom
 

TGP

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Ok
I talked my buddy through entering Weldon spring 152.6600c and 154.695a and also Warrenton 169.775c and 154.7625a over the land line, and still nothing.
He thinks it's his steel building? He's in Foristell Mo.

BCD996xt with rubber RS 800 Ant.
I told him try the original telescope Ant. and still nothing.
Told him I be out soon incase he entered it wrong.

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Tom
 

scanman1958

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If he lives in a true metal building have him go outside, a pretty goid distance from the house.to see what happens. My sister lives in a house with metal siding and reception is terrible. I take my scanner out to her back yard.and for the most part reception returns. Not perfect but much better. And you may be correct that the radio is programmed wrong. Good luck.
 

TGP

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Thanks. Will Do.
The radio worked fine when here in IL monitoring troop c metro using St Louis North
800mhz tower.
When he took it to Foristell it quit. Shows NFM in display.
He added the above mentioned VHF control channel and nothing.

When I get out there to check I'm taking a outside ant. to try also.
Thanks again,
Tom
 

TGP

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No.
I need to get a outside Ant. up and go from there.
I have Weldon springs Control channel's and Warren Mo. Channel's programed and nothing.
Unless I'm not using the correct CC?
Thanks for asking.
I will follow up. just not sure when.
Tom
 

TGP

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Ok it's been awhile and have not had much luck.

Re-cap
Wanting to hear MoSwin Highway patrol troop C in Forestall Mo.
Radio works fine in St Louis with 855.6375 control channel.
Drive to Forestall and it goes deaf.

Have entered Warrenton 169.775 control and nothing
Have entered Weldon Spring 152.660 Nothing.

I see St. Charles, MO with 700.mhz CC
Should I try those?

Thanks
Tom
 

kruser

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Try the New Hope site as well. 169.6625 is New Hope's control channel. It is located near your area and has decent coverage.

169.7750 is Warrenton
152.6600 is Weldon Spring
152.6000 is Imperial (may be to far south)
169.6625 is New Hope

Both Weldon Spring and Imperial use frequencies allocated in the VHF paging band. If you have paging transmitters near you, chances are good that you may be experiencing desense of your radios front end from a very popular paging frequency of 152.240 that is in wide use in our area.
If you have any hospitals near your area, it is almost a guarantee that 152.2400 will be in use with a powerful paging signal.
Some of the VHF Moswin sites also use voice channels that fall within the paging bands. If your signal levels are weak for these voice channels, the paging signal could be causing desense just as they do for the control channels.
If you know the VHF sites FCC call sign, try searching the FCC general menu reports. Your search will not return many results because paging band frequencies are not licensed like standard frequencies.
If your search does return results, it will only contain frequencies that do not fall within the paging bands. This can make searching for Moswin sites a challenge as the data is simply not there to search for.
There is another search called CAPRAD that can be used to search for the users of a given "paging market area".
Paging areas of coverage are broken down into what are called "Paging Market Area". You will see areas like BEA69 for example. Using CAPRAD, one can explore the authorized users of those market areas.

Same rules apply when they reallocate federal frequencies and allow Moswin use. An FCC search is almost useless.


It probably is the steel building as one of the sites you tried should offer a very good signal out that way. You may as well be living inside a faraday cage! About all you can do is get an antenna outdoors from the steel building or try and find a window on the side of the building that faces one of the VHF sites you have been trying. That can be hit and miss though but is worth a shot if you really don't want to put up an outdoor antenna.
If you can, program all the VHF sites into the scanner you are trying and then take it outdoors and see if and of the VHF sites come to life.
If reception is being blocked by the steel building, chances are good that you will start picking up signal rather fast after moving the radio and its antenna outdoors.

If this is a portable, the test is easy but if it is a base/mobile scanner, you may need to run an extension cord to power the radio while outdoors.

Also, if 855.6375 works but none of the VHF site frequencies do, try adding the VHF sites control channels to the same favorite list that contains 855.6375. You know that favorite list works so adding VHF frequencies to the 800 MHz frequency will be a valid test to make sure something is not wrong in programming.
You can always avoid 855.6375 if you get one of the VHF control channels to work.

For Moswin, you generally want one of the VHF sites. The STL City site on 855.6375 is just that, the city of St Louis site and won't have decent coverage outside of the city limits nor will it carry as much Troop C traffic as say Imperial or Weldon Spring.

There are some 700 MHz sites popping up across the state on Moswin.
Presumably to fill in coverage gaps.
I've not had the luxury to be within range of any of the new 700 MHz sites yet to see what radios or users are affiliating with them.
At the rate the state seems to be adding 700 MHz sites, it probably won't be long before I can hear a 700 MHz site!


Ok it's been awhile and have not had much luck.

Re-cap
Wanting to hear MoSwin Highway patrol troop C in Forestall Mo.
Radio works fine in St Louis with 855.6375 control channel.
Drive to Forestall and it goes deaf.

Have entered Warrenton 169.775 control and nothing
Have entered Weldon Spring 152.660 Nothing.

I see St. Charles, MO with 700.mhz CC
Should I try those?

Thanks
Tom
 

pinballwiz86

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If this is a portable, the test is easy but if it is a base/mobile scanner, you may need to run an extension cord to power the radio while outdoors.

The 996XT came with a cigarette lighter plug. You can use that to test the radio outdoors.
 

scanman1958

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Each time you add a control channel, are you doing it as a new 'site'? We can't seem to figure out why you can't hear anything in St Charles area. It has to be something simple. I am willing to meet up with you at a public place and take a look. You can PM me and I will read it tonight or in the morning.
 

TGP

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I just add the control channels to the same site that works well in St Louis.

My brother has been out there in his truck with a 996t and he carries a SDS1000 same thing happens.
Work great in downtown nothing there.

Another truck with a 996t works fine out and back and I'm not sure I ever put vhf in that radio.
Both trucks use a 700/800 MHz roof ant.

I appreciate the offer of a meet, however due to time constraints right now that will be hard to
Schedule.
Will certainty keep it in mind.

I did.t think adding the vhf to the same system with 800xxx would be a problem for the radio.
Should just lock onto which ever.
Thanks
Tom
 

scanman1958

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Mixing the two should not cause a problem. As a matter of fact the VHF freqs should receive easier. Just my opinion. Good luck.
 

kruser

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Mixing the two should not cause a problem. As a matter of fact the VHF freqs should receive easier. Just my opinion. Good luck.

My thoughts exactly.

I'd avoid or lockout 855.6375 when the signal grows weak. This should let the radio try the VHF control channels only that you should have programmed in already.
Short of having a damaged front end in the radio or living down in a very deep hole, there is really no reason this should not work.
I've seen some places where reception is darn near impossible but it is rare with the way Moswin VHF sites are placed.
Make sure you are in ID Search mode until you get things working.

An external or magnet mount antenna on the radio you are having issues with may help. If you can hook the antenna from the truck with the working radio to yours would also prove if your radio and programming are okay. Some radios just have very poorly tuned or damaged front ends and they will only work on very strong signals. It's usually all or none though.

I'm sure you have checked that the attenuator is off or disabled and the mode for the VHF frequencies you are inputting is set to NFM or Auto with the default step size. If the step size is wrong, the radio will probably round the frequency slightly when you enter it. One of your earlier posts does indicate NFM so the Mode is probably okay.

Can you scan through the seven NOAA WX frequencies and see if any of them give you a signal. 162.55 should be good and strong out there with 162.45 or 162.425 not far behind if 162.55 is weak.
NOAA recently realigned one of the transmitters on 162.450 to 162.425 so you have a better chance of a decent signal from one of the three NOAA channels in that area.

Good Luck
 
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