Andrews County now digital????

[EMT911]

While driving thru Andrews, TX (City and County) last week, I noticed that 155.67 now seems to have nothing but digital on it. Before it was all analog FM. My Pro96 is set in the Digital + FM mode, but it only spat out digital noise, no recovered audio.

Couple of questions here: 1. Does anyone have any information on what they went to? 2. If it is APCO 25, are there different bitrates for APCO 25? I looked in the manual for the PRO96 and there is no mention of different bitrate capability or how one would reset the bitrate to decode other than whatever comes standard in the scanner (presumed to be 9600 BPS).

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by EMT911

While driving thru Andrews, TX (City and County) last week, I noticed that 155.67 now seems to have nothing but digital on it. Before it was all analog FM. My Pro96 is set in the Digital + FM mode, but it only spat out digital noise, no recovered audio.

Couple of questions here: 1. Does anyone have any information on what they went to? 2. If it is APCO 25, are there different bitrates for APCO 25? I looked in the manual for the PRO96 and there is no mention of different bitrate capability or how one would reset the bitrate to decode other than whatever comes standard in the scanner (presumed to be 9600 BPS).

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

It's been ages since I've been out there, so all I've got to go on is what the database shows.

Andrews is currently listed as P25, with a NAC of 002. (I realize your Pro-96 won't do NAC's; neither does my 396T. That's one of several reasons I added the PSR-500, & later the 396XTs.) They're also licensed to use a narrower emission, 8khz or 11khz, as opposed to the older 20khz bandwidth. As long as you don't still have the old PL or DCS code entered, you should be able to hear them. (You do hear Texas DPS, right?). There's no need to set bitrates on the conventional P25 frequencies.

On the other hand, could what you're calling "digital noise" really be encryption? The database does not show that, but it could be, and simply has not been submitted as such yet. Maybe a recent change?

[EMT911]

Thanks for the reply. You are right. The 96 does not do NAC's. I do have the PL search on for that channel. I will turn it off before going down there again to see if that will result in the DSP in the scanner being able to resolve the digital stream into intelligible audio. This sounds like digital, not encryption. I have heard Motorola's DVP and DES encryption and this sounds different.

I appreciate your response. I will let you know what I find.

EMT911

[EMT911]

Steve, to answer your question about TX DPS, I have some of their frequencies for the adjacent TX area programmed into this scanner. However, since it is using the rubber duck antenna and I am 30 or more miles West of those counties, I haven't heard them either. Not to say I couldn't if I were in the areas they frequent, but so far, no. Thanks for your question. It sets me to thinking some more. (I hate it when that happens!!!!).

[EMT911]

Success. Turning off the PL decode function made the difference. It now resolved Andrews SO and PD into audio. Thanks to those who responded.

[TexScan780D]

Andrews County is P25 and on the same frequency 155.670 as they have been for years, good news not encrypted.

[EMT911]

Yeah, after I went thru there again recently, I found that out. It was just an incorrect setting on my PRO-96 that presented the signals as digital noise instead of resolving it into intelligible speech. LIve and learn, I guess. Now, on to entering all the DPS frequencies and making sure the subaudible tone is OFF so the same thing doesn't happen with them.

[TexScan780D]

EMT911 would you happen to know what happen to the live audio from Hobbs?

[EMT911]

Yes I do. The sponsor removed it because our local dirtbag criminal population got wind of it and used it to break the law. So, no more.