Basic Simulcast Question

[Learner251]

This forum has helped me enormously. I am grateful for all of your input on so many topics.

I am torn between purchasing a BCD436HP and an SDS100. I live in Polk County, Oregon, where I will be doing the majority of my listening. If I am interpreting the information in the Radio Reference database correctly, simulcast will not be an issue for me in my area. I does appear that it could be an issue in or around Portland, but not in my location. Am I missing something?

If simulcast is indeed not an issue, are there any reasons that I may have overlooked that should compel me to go with the SDS100 over the 436?

THANK YOU in advance for your help!

 

[jbella]

An SDS100 will future proof you.

 

[iMONITOR]

This forum has helped me enormously. I am grateful for all of your input on so many topics.

I am torn between purchasing a BCD436HP and an SDS100. I live in Polk County, Oregon, where I will be doing the majority of my listening. If I am interpreting the information in the Radio Reference database correctly, simulcast will not be an issue for me in my area. I does appear that it could be an issue in or around Portland, but not in my location. Am I missing something?

If simulcast is indeed not an issue, are there any reasons that I may have overlooked that should compel me to go with the SDS100 over the 436?

THANK YOU in advance for your help!

Don't pay twice as much in anticipation for problems you may never have. If simulcast becomes an issue at some point you can always sell the 436 and still recover a considerable portion of your investment. Then buy the SDS100 if it is needed...or wait and see what might be newer and better when that times comes!

 

[KK4JUG]

Don't pay twice as much in anticipation for problems you may never have. If simulcast becomes an issue at some point you can always sell the 436 and still recover a considerable portion of your investment. Then buy the SDS100 if it is needed...or wait and see what might be newer and better when that times comes!

On the other hand, if you plan on traveling with the scanner, you will undoubtedly run in to simulcast.

 

[fredva]

I looked in the database and I believe you are correct - Polk County doesn't currently have any simulcast sites. What I don't know is if there are any plans to upgrade the county's current conventional frequencies to a simulcast trunking system. Hopefully, somebody from the area will jump in here and let you know if that is the case. If not, and if you don't intend to take the scanner out of the community, I would say either choice would be fine.

 

[kd7jfv]

The only Simulcast system is the City of Salem P25. Being out in Polk County, I HIGHLY doubt you will have problems at home receiving that system with a 436/536 as the odds of you receiving multiple sites is unlikely. That being said, my BCD436 and 536 do struggle a bit with the Salem simulcast system in town. Salem Police (encrypted), Salem Fire (un-encrypted), and public works use their system.

 

[radiotweester]

This forum has helped me enormously. I am grateful for all of your input on so many topics.

I am torn between purchasing a BCD436HP and an SDS100. I live in Polk County, Oregon, where I will be doing the majority of my listening. If I am interpreting the information in the Radio Reference database correctly, simulcast will not be an issue for me in my area. I does appear that it could be an issue in or around Portland, but not in my location. Am I missing something?

If simulcast is indeed not an issue, are there any reasons that I may have overlooked that should compel me to go with the SDS100 over the 436?

THANK YOU in advance for your help!

Simulcasts usually only become active when a real radio affiliates with that site/ There's lots of exceptions, but this is the normal. You could literally buy an ancient VHF-Hi scanner and you'd be good for all of Polk County Law and Fire, Marion Co Sheriff, ODOT, OSP, ODF and BLM.
There is Salem, but what kd7jfv said. I'm also Polk County located part of the year. I'm at about 1000' and I can get the Simulcast Goat Mt and E Clackamas TRS sites and one of the Portland, but they are quiet most of the time.

 

[Learner251]

To each of you who responded, THANK YOU!!! Very helpful information.

 

[jbella]

Simulcasts usually only become active when a real radio affiliates with that site/

There's a different name for that, I think it's Multicast. Used to her called SmartZone. And while those are simulcasting, the term simul generally refers to systems that are broadcasting every transmission.

 

[n7maq-1]

All of Polk counties channels are simulcast, but they are not trunked. The issues with the older non SDR scanners was they could not deal with the CQPSK modulation (used on simulcast P25, not C4FM) very well and the recovered audio was distorted. Keep in mind all surrounding counties also have some simulcast systems as well as the state system.

Jim

 

[Baker845]

Any one with Bcd-436hp having issues with Salem, Portland, Clackamas or washington counties simulcast systems ?

 

[KK4JUG]

The key to good simulcast reception is location and, believe it or not, even a couple of feet can make a difference. When someone says they have no trouble with s simulcast system with a 436, there's a good chance luck is involved. That luck may not carry over to a different simulcast system. Locally, I had no trouble with the system while the radio was in the living room. On the other hand, in the bedroom it was garbled. Proximity to one of the simulcast antennae can also make a difference.

If your radio is in a static location and reception is good, I would run with it.

 

[Fielder3]

I have a BC996p2 as a base radio and a Unication g5. Both work awesome for the Salem area and State radio project 800 system AND VHF. It depends on what you want to listen to in Polk County. (Salem PD is Dig encrypted now. They were one of the last major cities in Oregon to make that change.)