2 identical scanners not behaving the same

[hcooper]

did some searching but I haven't seen anything that provides a good answer.

I have two BC245T scanners programmed using Freescan. One of the scanners is using a "mobile" antenna...one of those stubby on the glass ones. The other is using a Remtronix 800MHz duck. Independently they both scan fine, they both scan and lock onto IDs. Some additional data on the setup is I am not enabling the Motorola status bit, I am using the Motorola end code. This is a Moto Type II system. No attenuation, and the control channel only is not enabled. Both scanners have an identical load. There are 55 TGID programmed into it.

Sitting side by side, one of the scanners will pick up a conversation and be locked onto it, while the other is just scanning (ID scan) and even tho the activity is there for well over 10 seconds, the other scanner will not pick it up. Simply misses it. But not always. Sometimes, perhaps most the time, both scanners pick up the talk group. I may have something set up wrong? But unlike the old days of VHF/UHF where it did take time to scan thru all the frequencies and you could miss things, I thought that trunking was listening to the control channels and if a TGID was in the list, it would lock onto it.

I've swapped antennas and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Thoughts?

 

[wtp]

7202	002 (2)	Davis County Simulcast	Davis, UT	852.200	852.225	852.450	852.475	852.8125a	852.8375c	853.150
				853.175	853.600	853.850	854.4875
7202	009 (9)	Francis Peak	Davis, UT	851.225	851.4875	851.825	852.5625	853.3125	853.675a	853.825c
				854.2125	854.3625
7202	010 (A)	Davis County Landfill	Davis, UT	851.0625a	851.2875	851.4625	852.7875	853.050	853.775c

i would guess you have the simulcast system running, much has been written about how many radios have a hard time recieving a simulcast system. even if the radios are next to each other.

 

[ofd8001]

It's the same reason why you should try on a pair of shoes before you buy them. Any number of things can make a difference how the shoes fit or the scanner receives. Did one get bumped some where along the line causing a wee bit of a loose antenna connection, is there a little extra solder somewhere making the slightest difference, could a factory worker have dripped a little perspiration in one causing a slight difference in performance?

And then is there something in the scanning environment causing de-sense for one, but the other is just a little farther away?

I could be writing all night long on "what could be".

 

[hill]

It kind of looks like this system may have been rebanded sometime years ago. The frequencies before the rebanding would have been 15 MHz higher.

Going forward this scanner is over 20 years old and won't handle rebanded systems, so would guess you are missing transmission

 

[tvengr]

You will have problems trunk tracking all 3 of the Davis County sites. The sites are using rebanded frequencies and the 245 does not support rebanding.

From the BC245XLT Wiki:
Can be updated to support Rebanding? NO

Which Scanners will Stop Working?
This is a partial list of scanners that are expected to 'stop working (will not Trunk Track) on a 800mhz rebanded Motorola analog (3600 bps control channel) systems where one or more of the frequencies has a zero in the 4th decimal position:

Uniden Scanners

BC235XLT BC245XLT

BC250D BC780XLT

BC785D BC895XLT

 

[JoeBearcat]

I suspect he meant BC246T, however. And it is most likely a simulcast issue. Test them split from a single antenna.

 

[tvengr]

I have two BC245T scanners programmed using Freescan.

I suspect he meant BC246T

Looks like you are correct. FreeSCAN does not support the BC245XLT, but does support the BC246T.

 

[hcooper]

I'll go in and look at the simulcast issue. Its a stopgap, and its more of an annoyance if anything else. I was actually just looking at how each of the antennas were working in comparison (the original duck was broken) so I was liking the new Remtronix one. Stopgap because I found out a month or so back that the state is going with yet another new system from L3-Harris and I believe its P25 and this (and my other radios) do not support this. Well at least I have a bit of time before having to purchase new radios.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[buddrousa]

And if the new system is SIMULCAST you may have the same problem unless you buy a scanner/receiver that supports SIMULCAST. I base this comment on the fact you may be suffering from SIMULCAST at your site now and DIGITAL Signals should make the problem worse.

 

[es93546]

I saw this thread title and could not think of kids. In that case you just speak to one of them and ask them, "now I want you to handle this more like your older brother does. Ask him or learn from watching him." Followed by "I love you Erin, just like I do John, I might send him your way next, when he has a problem, is that OK?" Well that isn't helpful for figuring out the mysteries of RF devices is it? Those kid years are long behind me anyway.

It's similar to a lot of product manuals that come with things I buy, such as the BCD325P2 sitting on my desk, even though I bought the so called "Easier to Read" manual with the radio. Oh, and the kids didn't come with ANY manual so everything else should be easier!

 

[hcooper]

Just to followup, after a few days of listening using both scanners side by side, where I put in only the control channels in both. It would appear that they track each other about 95% of time, meaning now and then one radio will pick up the call, but the other may take a second or so to lock into it. But no longer is one receiving while the other seems to be deaf. I also took out the control channels for the simulcast locations. The one site essentially covers the entire county, the other is nearly as good. I'm also liking the remtronix duck.

Thanks to everyone that offered suggetions.