BCD536HP

[W2NTV]

hello.... I live in the Dutchess county area of NY...and in a few years Albany Capital District
wondering if anyone in this forum lives in the area and owns a BCD536HP or a SDS200... I have questions on how the work... simulcasting interference is a concern I have...

TU
Scott
W2NTV

 

[k2hz]

There have been many posts on here about the performance of those scanners in general, not specific to your area.

In my experience with the BCD536HP it is an excellent scanner in all respects except it is not designed to, and can not, handle P25 simulcast distortion. So YMMV depending on the amount of distortion present on the signal at a specific location. It is excellent on all other digital modes.

The SDS100/200 are based on an SDR chip which is excellent in decoding P25 signals with multipath or simulcast distortion. But the SDR design is inherently subject to desense, intermod and spurious responses. So works great if there are no strong in-band signals at your location other than the system you want to monitor. But if you are in a high RF area there will be many issues that have been extensively discussed on here. Another case of YMMV depending on the environment it is operated in.

 

[dave3825]

And ymmv definitely applies. My 436 works flawlessly at and around my house, but 2 miles to the east, no bueno.

 

[k2hz]

Also, as has been often discussed on here the Unication "G" series units give excellent performance on P25 simulcast reception and have excellent RF performance but they are not a traditional scanner with all bands, modes etc.. They are designed primarily for first responders that want reliable monitoring. Those I know who that have one are very happy with it. Any presently available "scanner" has some issues so it is a trade off of what may work in a particular situation.

 

[Homer_LCPDFR]

Currently running a 536HP and 436HP in Dutchess, and I've run both in Albany as well.

As for Dutchess I'm on the wrong end of the County to offer any real input, but I do have to ask what you're looking to pick up. Simulcast distortion is by and large a P25 issue, and the only P25 simulcast I can think of in the area would be Orange County, Rockland County (both of which seem pretty hard to receive from Unionvale), and Connecticut's system.

In Albany, I had absolutely no issues in the Guilderland area. I don't think I can recall any distortion on the 436 or the 536 (unlike other systems, such as Monroe/Ontario where I fight distortion whenever I'm in the area). If you do want to go the traditional scanner route, the 536 should work fine.

 

[bob550]

Location is the critical factor in receiving Simulcast. I'm in Glenmont, Albany County, and have some trouble with the Albany County System with my 536, but nothing that would stop any transmissions from being intelligble. However, my reception of the Renesselaer System with the 536 is impossible from my location. I alternately use a roof-mounted discone or a RS 800MHz antenna mounted on my shack window for the 536, but neither has a clear advantage. That said, my Unication G5 handles either system without fail.

 

[DaveNF2G]

The problem with receiving Rensselaer County from Albany County isn't necessarily a simulcast issue per se. It's likely being blocked by the plethora of powerful simulcast sites for Albany County's system.