Another Austin area question

[Wes]

Is anyone else in the Austin area monitoring the regional system with a GRE PSR-800? I'd like to compare my reception with a GRE PSR-500 to see if it's my scanner or just the system that doesn't seem to be coming through clearly all the time.

[chikin]

I've been having the same feelings lately with my Uniden HomePatrol-1. It feels to me like the system's been coming in really badly for me lately. Austin's never worked that well for me on any of my other previous scanners (296D, 796D) and my understanding is that the CQPSK modulation on the simulcast towers makes the data a bit more difficult to decode. It's also sensitive to location within the city too.

[texasemt13]

Guys, y'all can search through the threads here in the Texas Forum, but basically this new generation of receivers is sensitive to overloading (too much signal if you can believe it).

If you're real close to the site you're trying to monitor, try attenuation or try a less efficient antenna.

Explain your symptoms a little, and we can try to help,

Welcome to RadioReference.

[Unitrunker]

Location and placement make a big difference for me. Inside, carrying the radio on my hip seems to work better (which is a bit annoying - I'd rather leave it sitting on the desk). In the car, placing the radio near the dash helps. Sometimes moving a few feet makes a big difference. In some buildings and near some types of equipment, the radio goes deaf. That's true for '500, the '800 and the HP1.