Listening to far distance systems

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KI5IRE

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Not sure how many of you are in North Texas, in DFW or in Northeast Tarrant such as myself, but I was wondering, what's the farthest system you've heard from your home in this area? I have programmed both Parker County's P25 and LTR systems, hoping I'll be able to hear some transmissions here at home in Hurst. I also programmed some analog systems like Rendon, Everman, Haslet, Saginaw, Eagle Mountain, Lake Worth, some of those I've actually heard. I've tried to get Denton Co. down here, but no luck yet. I also programmed Wise hoping to hear some too.

Just curious to what y'all have heard, if I am just not hearing some things others are.Any suggestions of other places to try here as well? I have most of the FWRRS as well as Hurst programmed, and that's what I primarily listen to.
 

hiegtx

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Not sure how many of you are in North Texas, in DFW or in Northeast Tarrant such as myself, but I was wondering, what's the farthest system you've heard from your home in this area? I have programmed both Parker County's P25 and LTR systems, hoping I'll be able to hear some transmissions here at home in Hurst. I also programmed some analog systems like Rendon, Everman, Haslet, Saginaw, Eagle Mountain, Lake Worth, some of those I've actually heard. I've tried to get Denton Co. down here, but no luck yet. I also programmed Wise hoping to hear some too.

Just curious to what y'all have heard, if I am just not hearing some things others are.Any suggestions of other places to try here as well? I have most of the FWRRS as well as Hurst programmed, and that's what I primarily listen to.
Chase,
As far as I know, Parker County no longer uses the LTR system. I cannot hear the Parker COunty P25 system from home, but often monitor it when headed west, out to Stephens County visiting friends. Generally, whien mobile, I can only hear Parker when about halfway across Tarrant County, coming or going. Much any distance east of that line, I can no longer hear it. On the other hand, I can hear the Parker County system in Eastland or Stephens County, even partway into Callahan County along I 20.

If you are in Northeast Tarrant County, you should be able to pick up the Denton P25 system, unless you're too near a cell site, or perhaps one of the FWRRS towers causing the scanner to desense. I can hear it from home on an external antenna on my 536HP, though not on the handhelds.

As far as distant receptions, there would be a dividing line between what you can usually hear, versus the freaks of nature caused by atmospheric conditions, resulting in abnormally distant signals coming in.

For systems that I can currently hear regularly, probably he farthest from my residence in Dallas is Navarro County. That's on the 536HP & a rooftop antenna.
 

28056

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Mesquite TX
A few years ago I was programming an unused scanner I was selling to a guy at work in Terrell (Kaufman County) and I was able to listen to the fort worth trunked system for a little bit. That was inside a metal warehouse. It was mostly quite readable with only about 10% of the transmissions being covered with static.
 

jason51

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I am NW of Ft Worth. Here lately, I have been hearing Austin FD tone out on VHF, occasionally I hear Nacogdoches FD vhf, Down towards Houston sometimes, hear a bunch of distant things on the UHF med channels including Williamson CO tone. CHP from time to time on 39.400. Baltimore county on 46.460. All from a scanner antenna mounted on a 5 ft mast on top of roof.
I normally scan Austin FD vhf, if I hear them, that means the band is open and it's all long distance fun from there searching VHF band and UHF med channels. Normally, this all occurs from 10pm to 2 am timeframe for some reason. Especially when a cold or arctic front is approaching the DFW area!
I have also found that a Unden BCD 436/536 is best for receiving VHF skip.
 

AggieCon

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I can receive Denton County P25 well into Grayson County. And it always sounds great a couple miles south of the Tarrant County line (I haven't tested it to the south -- traffic concerns mandate that I switch to the relevant systems).

As far as distance goes, does picking up traffic unknowingly repeated by local systems count?
 
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