BCD996p2 Programing Problem

[KD7JVRinAZ]

I just go my 996p2 Tuesday afternoon. I live at Scottsdale RD/Osborn right across the street from Scottsdale/Osborn hosp. I cant seem to get Mesa PD, Phx PD, Tempe PD or Phx FD. Occasionally I get PPD-200A. I can get Scottsdale, MCSO, and all the conv freqs just fine. I guess I'm not programming it right. It shows a full signal on each tower, Nothing on ID search. Can anyone help me. I'm using a 25' high discone antenna. I have not done the DMR key yet.

 

[Disk4mat]

Are you using software to program the scanner such as freescan or proscan? Or manually entering data? First thing I would check is the system type for each system.

The sites arent locked because you are seeing them along with the signal strength. But if groups of TGID's are locked out that would prevent ID Search from getting hits on those ID's.

Possibly the P25 Threshold is not set to Auto? Ive never tried taking it off of auto because its a global setting, so I cant say how big an impact that would be on different systems. Just a thought.

I get the Mesa Simulcast from the Topaz system. I only get two of the sites because of where Im located.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2082

The other system where I get allot from is Regional Wireless system
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2508

Allot of simulcast, pd, fd etc.... In ID Search mode you should be getting ample hits. Ive only had my 996p2 for about a month and Im still pretty new to scanning. Just thought I would try to get you started in some direction and hopefully someone else will chime in with more experience and ideas.

 

[doctordialtone]

guess I'm not programming it right.

Here are the correct programming steps:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Conventional frequencies please follow these steps:

1. Press Menu button
2. Highlight Program System, Press E
3. Highlight New System, Press E
4. Highlight Conventional, Press E
5. Confirm by pressing E
6. Highlight Edit Group, Press E
7. Highlight New Group, Press E
8. Highlight Edit Channel, Press E
9. Highlight New Channel, Press E
10. Enter your Frequency, Press E
11. To enter more frequencies, Highlight New Channel, Press E

For P25 (Standard Trunk), Motorolla, Edacs, LTR:

1. Press Menu
2. Highlight Program System, Press E
3. Highlight New System, Press E
4. Highlight the system you need Conventional, P25, Motorolla, Edacs, LTR, Press E
5. If P25 (Standard Trunk), EDACS, or Motorolla please follow the steps below:
6. Highlight Edit Site, Press E
7. Highlight New Site, Press E
8. Highlight Set Frequencies, Press E
9. Highlight New Frequency, Press E
10. Type in Primary and Alternate Frequencies (red and blue frequencies on RadioReference) Press E
11. Highlight New Frequency to enter more, Press E

Once you have entered all of your frequencies and want to enter DEC/TGID:

12. Press Menu 4 times.
13. Highlight Edit Group, Press E
14. Highlight New Group, Press E
15. Highlight Edit Channel, Press E
16. Highlight New Channel, Press E
17. Enter in the DEC/TGID, Press E
18. To enter more DEC/TGID Highlight New Channel, Press E

Once you have finished entering the DEC/TGID

19. Press Menu 4 Times
20. Highlight Edit Sys Option, Press E
21. Highlight ID Scan/Search, Press E
22. Press E on ID Scan if using TGID's and ID Search if just using only Frequencies.

For P25 One Frequency Trunk:

1. Press Menu
2. Highlight Program System, Press E
3. Highlight New System, Press E
4. Highlight P25, Press E
5. Highlight One Freq Trunk, Press E
6. Highlight Edit Site, Press E
7. Highlight New Site, Press E
8. Highlight Set Frequencies, Press E
9. Highlight New Frequency, Press E10. Enter the Frequency, Press E
11. Highlight New Frequency, Press E
12. Once you have all the Frequencies entered you can Press Scan

When you're finished press scan.

 

[KB7MIB]

One other possible problem: the simulcast systems themselves are not friendly to many scanners, because you are receiving the same data from 2 or more sites at almost the same time, and because they are ever so slightly out of phase/sync, by 100'ths of a second, the signals cancel each other out.

It's basically multipath interference.

My GRE PSR-500 sucks on the simulcast sites. But works fine on the IR high sites, such as Thompson Peak that carries Phoenix PD 200A, and Scottsdale PD A2 North. Or the White Tanks site which carries Peoria PD's A-1 and Surprise PD 1.

The Uniden SDS-100 handheld and SDS-200 base/mobile are better at dealing with this. I can listen to any of the simulcast sites with my SDS-100.

You can try using a 700 MHz directional antenna, and play around with what direction to point it in, to null out all but one simulcast site. That may help you.

Good luck.

John
Peoria

 

[KD7JVRinAZ]

One other possible problem: the simulcast systems themselves are not friendly to many scanners, because you are receiving the same data from 2 or more sites at almost the same time, and because they are ever so slightly out of phase/sync, by 100'ths of a second, the signals cancel each other out.

It's basically multipath interference.

My GRE PSR-500 sucks on the simulcast sites. But works fine on the IR high sites, such as Thompson Peak that carries Phoenix PD 200A, and Scottsdale PD A2 North. Or the White Tanks site which carries Peoria PD's A-1 and Surprise PD 1.

The Uniden SDS-100 handheld and SDS-200 base/mobile are better at dealing with this. I can listen to any of the simulcast sites with my SDS-100.

You can try using a 700 MHz directional antenna, and play around with what direction to point it in, to null out all but one simulcast site. That may help you.

Good luck.

John
Peoria

Yes, my PSR-500 sucked on simulcast but sounds alot better on my 996. I am very impressed with it so far. I think it has much better sensitivity than my PSR-500, for example, On Gila SO & Tonto NF I am able to receive frequencies I never could before. It also has a MUCH better front end. Does Mesa use any other Topaz sites or just Mesa Simulcast? I've determined that I am in a very 10-1 location, my discone antenna is partially obstructed by a block wall. I intend on raising it. I've also thought about putting an 800 MHz pointed toward Mesa. Also, can you tell me what "IR" means? And can you tell me what is meant by Thompson Peak or South Mountain "high"?

 

[KD7JVRinAZ]

800 MHz yagi.

 

[KB7MIB]

This is the TOPAZ RWC system:

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2082

Most communications on the Thompson Peak and Shaw Butte IR High sites will be encrypted police, or the dispatch-only side of the fire department, with the exception of the patches from the B-deck VHF-High channels. If you want to hear the unencrypted police communications or both sides of the C-deck fire/EMS ops, you'll have to listen to the Mesa simulcast system.

The IR High sites are the stand-alone intellirepeaters located on select mountain tops, intended to help with coverage into areas the simulcast systems don't cover.

John
Peoria

 

[Astrak]

For Mesa PD you'll need to monitor Mesa simulcast, for Phoenix PD you'll need to monitor simulcast A, for Tempe PD you'll need to monitor simulcast F, for Phoenix FD simulcast B. My guess is you're heading Phoenix PD 200 because the scanner is scanning all simulcast when you really only want it to monitor simulcast A to receive all Phoenix PD. Unfortunately the only scanners that will likely receive everything you want to hear right now is the SDS100/200.

 

[KB7MIB]

Much of Phoenix FD's K-decks can be heard on Simulcasts C (Chandler), F (Tempe), and H (Scottsdale) in addition to Simulcast B in Phoenix. You may not hear K-6 or K-9 on simulcasts C/F/H, since they're West Valley centric TG's, but you will hear K-1, K-2, K-7, & K-8, and most of the K-10+ TG's.

Phoenix PD 200A is most likely being heard off the Thompson Peak IR High site, and/or Simulcast H, especially if he downloaded the entire RWC system.

John
Peoria

 

[Azgunguy]

I live up towards scottsdale and Shea. I have a 996P2 but got pretty fed up with it and got the SDS100 and eventually the SDS200. I know $650 is a lot to cough up for a scanner but it’s a thought. Otherwise with the 996p2 if I turned the p25 decode (i believe that’s what it is) to 7 from AUTO I picked everything up easier.

 

[AzTac]

It's been my experience (from Beat 17 in Scottsdale) that programming in the "High" sites and "IR" sites only create problems. Try programming ONLY the simulcast sites on both the RWC and TOPAZ systems.

Note that I do not use the 996p2, but I found this technique works very well for the HP1, SDS200, and the Unication G4 (that far exceeds all others performance) using only their stock antennas.

 

[KD7JVRinAZ]

For Mesa PD you'll need to monitor Mesa simulcast, for Phoenix PD you'll need to monitor simulcast A, for Tempe PD you'll need to monitor simulcast F, for Phoenix FD simulcast B. My guess is you're heading Phoenix PD 200 because the scanner is scanning all simulcast when you really only want it to monitor simulcast A to receive all Phoenix PD. Unfortunately the only scanners that will likely receive everything you want to hear right now is the SDS100/200.

Not true because I'm hearing Mesa PD on Mesa Simulcast, G Deck on Scottsdale Simulcast H & Scottsdale PD and Most of PhxFire on Simulcast H, now that I've learned to program it correctly. Sounds much better than my PSR-500.

 

[Astrak]

Not true because I'm hearing Mesa PD on Mesa Simulcast, G Deck on Scottsdale Simulcast H & Scottsdale PD and Most of PhxFire on Simulcast H, now that I've learned to program it correctly. Sounds much better than my PSR-500.

What's not true about what I posted?

 

[AzTac]

Did anyone else find this OP (Original Poster) a little off putting?? The OP asks for help, people respond, and get no appreciation or even acknowledgement from the OP. Then when the OP gets his problem figured out he writes a snippy reply to one of the posters who tried to help him. Maybe it's just me, but KD7JV is not likely to get much help from me in the future. Sorry for my pettiness, but sometimes inconsiderate behavior just needs to be called out.