As the title says, my BCD325P2 will get 5 bars in a location, so I put the scanner there and I hear a few calls then after a while the bars are blinking but staying at 5 bars. I don't know what this means, and if it means I need to fix something. What do I need to fix? I know if the bars are low like 1-2 I am not getting good reception, and what's weird is I will move my scanner and the bars will stop blinking and I will start receiving calls again.
BCD325P2 Connection Bars Blinking (What does that mean?)
- Thread starter ForeverAMonk
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ka3aaa
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the bars are the signal strength that the scanner is recieving which may flucuate from time to time. Do your self and install an outside antenna and you will not need to worry about where you park your scanner. It is possable to recieve a signal with only one or two bars showing and copy all the transmissions provided you have a good outdoor antenna. The antenna is what makes the scanner work.
I don't have the exact same model scanner you have, but with Uniden, it sounds like you are just scanning multiple trunk radio sites. It is completely normal for the signal strength bars to do what you described and it doesn't indicate a problem if I understand your question right.
On my primary radio system I listen to here in the Fort Worth area, there are multiple towers and the scanner, on a trunk radio system, will scan each of these sites when it is scanning looking for radio traffic on the channel that you are on. Sometimes you might have a tower that is further off and maybe only displays one bar on the SS meter and then as a scanner continues looking at the other transmitter sites you might have another closer site that pegs out at 5 bars. The reason it's flashing is because it is going back and forth between the different sites and data channels for those sites checking for any radio traffic on the different sites.
You can hold on just one site if you want to. In your manual look up "Site Hold" to learn how to do that if you want to. Just be sure that the traffic you were wanting to here is going to be on that site that you are holding on or maybe getting the strongest signal strength on it. And even on some scanners, it may still flash if you're just holding on one site. It's checking the data channel if this is happening.
There should be some text on your display showing you the different sites or tower names that it is scanning or checking at the time. And of course when somebody talks and the scanners stops scanning, the site or tower named will quit changing until the radio start scanning again. But even if you stop on a talk group or channel, once the traffic is over it will still continue to search the different sites you have programmed in for any radio traffic on those.
Like I said, this is all normal and this is what it is supposed to do. I hope this is helpful and makes sense.
Brian (COMMSCAN)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
On my primary radio system I listen to here in the Fort Worth area, there are multiple towers and the scanner, on a trunk radio system, will scan each of these sites when it is scanning looking for radio traffic on the channel that you are on. Sometimes you might have a tower that is further off and maybe only displays one bar on the SS meter and then as a scanner continues looking at the other transmitter sites you might have another closer site that pegs out at 5 bars. The reason it's flashing is because it is going back and forth between the different sites and data channels for those sites checking for any radio traffic on the different sites.
You can hold on just one site if you want to. In your manual look up "Site Hold" to learn how to do that if you want to. Just be sure that the traffic you were wanting to here is going to be on that site that you are holding on or maybe getting the strongest signal strength on it. And even on some scanners, it may still flash if you're just holding on one site. It's checking the data channel if this is happening.
There should be some text on your display showing you the different sites or tower names that it is scanning or checking at the time. And of course when somebody talks and the scanners stops scanning, the site or tower named will quit changing until the radio start scanning again. But even if you stop on a talk group or channel, once the traffic is over it will still continue to search the different sites you have programmed in for any radio traffic on those.
Like I said, this is all normal and this is what it is supposed to do. I hope this is helpful and makes sense.
Brian (COMMSCAN)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Which system are you tying to receive?
Based on the location you entered on your profile, your home county appears to be Fairfax. For Fairfax County, the county's P25 Phase II system appears to be a simulcast system. It's not tagged as Simulcast in the database, but looking at the site locations used (see map) multiple locations are in use. You say you are receiving a strong signal (five bars), but not hearing anything to speak of. That's one side effect of Simulcast Distortion, indicating a good signal, but not actually hearing much, if anything. Also, you say that you can move the scanner and then you start hearing radio traffic. That's another sign of simulcast. Read the linked article (click on Simulcast Distortion above) to get more information. What's happening is hat you are receiving signals from more than one tower, which are at various distances from your location. All of them are transmitting the same thing on the same frequencies. But those signals arrive at your scanner at scattered intervals, and the scanner cannot properly decode what it's receiving.
Moving the scanner a foot or two in one direction or another may help to reduce the distortion. You may find a sweet spot where you can receive voice calls. Another tactic is to use a directional antenna and aim it at ome single tower, so that it is the only one the scanner hears. Some people have gotten results by using less of an antenna, even using only a paper click, so that only the strongest signal (from one site) is all the scanner has to process. You can also take a drive to one of the closest towers. From near the site itself, the signal may be strong enough to override the other simulcast site signals so that you get clear reception.
I think he's talking more about the signal strength indicator on the display than the actual reception in the original post. It's normal for the signal strength indicator to flash on the screen. This is just a sign that the radio is checking different sites and receiving different control channels on each site with how strong or how many bars are being displayed on the screen. At least that's what I got from the original message.
The other topics that were talked about in replies are also true. And if some of those play a in what was being asked, another thing that will help you receive a specific, single site where you might be addressing an issue of one signal being clear, the next being broken and this resulting in the issue with each other and being synced, and of course distance from the tower will affect how long it takes to get to the signal even if it is microseconds, if you do want to try to get just one site you can also try to use the worst antenna you may have to try and not receive other sites. I had to do this on my BCD436HP. It was really frustrating and of course it doesn't help you if your mobile.
If it is a simulcast issue, then what you really need to receive things correctly and for the most part clearly is the Uniden SDS100 scanner. Another scanner manufacturer named Whistler is also coming out with a new radio soon that supposedly addresses the same issue. That's a whole different topic and issue than just wondering about the flashing signal strength bars on your screen though.
There are really only two radios currently that address the simulcast issue and are available for purchase at a reasonable price. It's the Uniden SDS100 scanner and then the Unication G5 and / or pager which acts more like a real radio and not so much like a scanner. It will lack the functions and features the scanner has but it also does a lot better job on simulcast radio systems and is built more like a real radio and will receive much better then a wideband scanner can.
I don't think the Whistler scanner has been released yet and I've had no experience with their products yet.
I did two short videos, the first with the SDS100 scanner and the second the Unication G5 pager which many of us use as a scanner. In the upper right corner of the screen on the SDS100 scanner you will see the signal strength meter or bars stay solid whenever there's a transmission and then as the radio goes back into scanning you see the bars drop off the screen and come back on as it scans and receives we control channel or data channel. That's it receiving the data Channel and I believe this is what the original post was about. In the second video example, you will see that the signal strength bars do not flash but that's because you only program one site in to monitor at a time for the radio to work properly and like you need it to work. You can program multiple sites but it's going to lock in on the strongest signal and stay on that site only. So if you need it to scan multiple sites like the scanner will do, you're kind of out of luck.
It is normal on the Uniden scanner for the signal strength meter to flash and show the signal strength of the data channel that it is currently receiving as the scanner checks all of the programmed sites or towers on the radio system.
I know this may sound confusing but once you get a understanding of it it is not anything very difficult. It will make perfect sense. I've been up to Fairfax, Virginia but not in about 4 years and it was before they have the radios that are available today 2 help with these simulcast systems which are multiple Towers that are in sync broadcasting the transmission or signal simultaneously. Unfortunately the 325 P2 was not made for simulcast systems even though you can still use it on the systems but you will likely miss some traffic. Just like the previous post was explaining. And you may also have some issues with getting a clean signal and then the reply maybe choppy or not very good. Everybody is moving towards the simulcast scanners in production I believe because it seems that so much of the country has started using this type of trunk radio system.'
Good luck on you're scanning, and if it's just the signal strength meter you were wondering about, I wouldn't worry about that because it's just checking different sites, and that's why it's flashing, as the radio scans multiple sites. That is completely normal for the Uniden scanners.
Example 1 Uniden SDS100 signal strength meter:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ygUiASCTL7av5Fak6
Example 2 unication G5 pager signal strength meter on one site only:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4PBGMZV5u8estTnw6
Brian (COMMSCAN)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
The other topics that were talked about in replies are also true. And if some of those play a in what was being asked, another thing that will help you receive a specific, single site where you might be addressing an issue of one signal being clear, the next being broken and this resulting in the issue with each other and being synced, and of course distance from the tower will affect how long it takes to get to the signal even if it is microseconds, if you do want to try to get just one site you can also try to use the worst antenna you may have to try and not receive other sites. I had to do this on my BCD436HP. It was really frustrating and of course it doesn't help you if your mobile.
If it is a simulcast issue, then what you really need to receive things correctly and for the most part clearly is the Uniden SDS100 scanner. Another scanner manufacturer named Whistler is also coming out with a new radio soon that supposedly addresses the same issue. That's a whole different topic and issue than just wondering about the flashing signal strength bars on your screen though.
There are really only two radios currently that address the simulcast issue and are available for purchase at a reasonable price. It's the Uniden SDS100 scanner and then the Unication G5 and / or pager which acts more like a real radio and not so much like a scanner. It will lack the functions and features the scanner has but it also does a lot better job on simulcast radio systems and is built more like a real radio and will receive much better then a wideband scanner can.
I don't think the Whistler scanner has been released yet and I've had no experience with their products yet.
I did two short videos, the first with the SDS100 scanner and the second the Unication G5 pager which many of us use as a scanner. In the upper right corner of the screen on the SDS100 scanner you will see the signal strength meter or bars stay solid whenever there's a transmission and then as the radio goes back into scanning you see the bars drop off the screen and come back on as it scans and receives we control channel or data channel. That's it receiving the data Channel and I believe this is what the original post was about. In the second video example, you will see that the signal strength bars do not flash but that's because you only program one site in to monitor at a time for the radio to work properly and like you need it to work. You can program multiple sites but it's going to lock in on the strongest signal and stay on that site only. So if you need it to scan multiple sites like the scanner will do, you're kind of out of luck.
It is normal on the Uniden scanner for the signal strength meter to flash and show the signal strength of the data channel that it is currently receiving as the scanner checks all of the programmed sites or towers on the radio system.
I know this may sound confusing but once you get a understanding of it it is not anything very difficult. It will make perfect sense. I've been up to Fairfax, Virginia but not in about 4 years and it was before they have the radios that are available today 2 help with these simulcast systems which are multiple Towers that are in sync broadcasting the transmission or signal simultaneously. Unfortunately the 325 P2 was not made for simulcast systems even though you can still use it on the systems but you will likely miss some traffic. Just like the previous post was explaining. And you may also have some issues with getting a clean signal and then the reply maybe choppy or not very good. Everybody is moving towards the simulcast scanners in production I believe because it seems that so much of the country has started using this type of trunk radio system.'
Good luck on you're scanning, and if it's just the signal strength meter you were wondering about, I wouldn't worry about that because it's just checking different sites, and that's why it's flashing, as the radio scans multiple sites. That is completely normal for the Uniden scanners.
Example 1 Uniden SDS100 signal strength meter:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ygUiASCTL7av5Fak6
Example 2 unication G5 pager signal strength meter on one site only:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4PBGMZV5u8estTnw6
Brian (COMMSCAN)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
For the system in question , if I am correct that it is the Fairfax Phase II, there is only one "site", which is simulcast. Now, if he is talking about the statewide system, then yes, he could be getting various signal indications from the different transmit sites. I saw the comment about the varying signal strength, but his last comment was about the fact that if he moved the scanner a little, he would start hearing calls, and the signal meter stabilized. That's why I suspect simulcast is part of the problems. I have the 325P2, and use it here in the DFW Metro area. But where I specifically live, I don't have simulcast problems. At least, not yet. I suspect that may change when Dallas (city & county) activate their P25 Phase II system, which is currently in the construction stage.
The Whistler 'simulcast fighter' scanners, TRX100 & TRX200, are due out first quarter of next year. Whether they will be a substantial improvement or not remains to be seen.
The Whistler 'simulcast fighter' scanners, TRX100 & TRX200, are due out first quarter of next year. Whether they will be a substantial improvement or not remains to be seen.
Far as signal bars "blinking" you have the digital system scanning and showing the 5 bars since even without voice there is a signal being sent by the control channel , hence the signal bars even though no voice. If your also scanning non digital analog you wont see the signal bars only until someone starts talking on the frequencies. So the radio is getting a signal always on digital then not on analog , signal bars blinking on-off, this is normal!
Not unusual for signals to vary a few bars especially using the rubber duc antenna and moving around. Since its simulcast your Uniden 325p2 does fairly well with simulcast but your mileage will vary depends on where your situated and where the towers are. Getting as suggested an outside antenna would defeat the purpose of a 'portable' also you would get so much signal and more towers and would increase the magnitude of simulcast issues.
Not unusual for signals to vary a few bars especially using the rubber duc antenna and moving around. Since its simulcast your Uniden 325p2 does fairly well with simulcast but your mileage will vary depends on where your situated and where the towers are. Getting as suggested an outside antenna would defeat the purpose of a 'portable' also you would get so much signal and more towers and would increase the magnitude of simulcast issues.
Yeah I'm over here on the northwest Tarrant County side of things and the simulcast issue has been giving me headaches since they started it. Just about six weeks ago, and after getting the SDS100 as soon as it was released and noticing a huge Improvement, I've started having issues again. This time I don't think it's the scanner or its capability but I think the Fort Worth system is being worked on or at least updated or sites repaired. Over the last week that seems to have improved again but for about 5 weeks it had gotten worse than it ever had been before. It didn't matter if I was using an antenna on my mast or just what antenna I used. I had talked with Uniden and was getting ready to send my radio back in when the G5 came and I was noticing similar issues but just not as bad. I constantly see the S meter on Fort Worth site 2 going up and down during transmissions and even just holding on the site was no traffic at the time. I'm hoping it's the radio system because I sure don't want to have to fool with sending a radio back
I could tell it was a huge difference though between the BCD436HP and SDS100 when it came to working on the simulcast system. The software-defined radio does a much better job. It can be a real hassle trying to figure out reception issues and the causes nowadays Brian (COMMSCAN)
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