Not receiving Metro Nashville PD (P25) or TACN - TRX-2

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theTastyCat

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Hey all - brand-new TRX-2 user here. Got Cheatham County SO working on NXDN (though still missing lots of transmissions and losing parts of some transmissions, but at least it's sort of working). Having almost zero luck with Metro's P25 system and TACN - I'm in Joelton less than a mile over the Davidson County line, so the Joelton TACN repeater should be working great for me.

Is there anything I need to be tweaking to receive P25 or TACN?

Yesterday when I first started playing with it I'd get one or two odd transmission from both THP on TACN and Metro, but it was a few words every few minutes and no more, so something's odd here.

I'm happy to upload anything from EZScan if that would be helpful!

Sure appreciate any assistance!
 

bg_nashville

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Hey all - brand-new TRX-2 user here. Got Cheatham County SO working on NXDN (though still missing lots of transmissions and losing parts of some transmissions, but at least it's sort of working). Having almost zero luck with Metro's P25 system and TACN - I'm in Joelton less than a mile over the Davidson County line, so the Joelton TACN repeater should be working great for me.

Is there anything I need to be tweaking to receive P25 or TACN?

Yesterday when I first started playing with it I'd get one or two odd transmission from both THP on TACN and Metro, but it was a few words every few minutes and no more, so something's odd here.

I'm happy to upload anything from EZScan if that would be helpful!

Sure appreciate any assistance!

I gave up trying to get my TRX-1 to receive the Metro P25 system. The TRX series can't handle the simulcast system.

Program the TACN sites as separate systems.

I am also missing transmissons on the TDHS D7 NXDN system. Based on the Whistler forum threads it looks like they haven't worked out all the bugs yet.
 

theTastyCat

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Thanks for the reply, BG. Man, that's a bummer - seems like P25 ought to be no big deal for the newest of the new radios.

So for TACN, say I've got four repeaters nearby - I should program all the THP talkgroups that I want on one of the repeaters in a scanlist, then program them all with a different repeater into another scanlist, and so on?

Sorry for all the questions but I'll be delighted to get this working - there is literally a TACN repeater in my town and I've had *zero* traffic today - so would love to be getting some!
 

ButchGone

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Thanks for the reply, BG. Man, that's a bummer - seems like P25 ought to be no big deal for the newest of the new radios.

The Whistler brand of radios, formerly GRE, do not decode P25 simulcast systems well at all. I've tried a couple and no dice in southeast Tennessee. The Uniden 436 & 536 radios decode simulcast p25 the best, especially with the recent firmware upgrade. They also offer manual digital adjustments that work very well.They're not 100%, but work well enough and I have no problems monitoring Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta area simulcast systems. You might want to send that TRX back and exchange for a 436 or 536.
BG..
 

theTastyCat

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No kidding - sad to hear. I think I'll throw up a line in the Whistler forums and see if anybody's figured out how to tweak P25 at all.
 

buddrousa

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The last time I checked the NASHVILLE SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST.
SIMULCAST IS THE EXACT SAME FREQUENCY TRANSMITTING ON MULTIPLE TOWERS AT THE SAME TIME. THE TACN SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST EITHER. I worked both the NASHVILLE SYSTEM AND THE TACN SYSTEM THIS SUMMER WITH NO PROBLEMS
 

theTastyCat

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Buddro, I am super happy to hear that. So far I am 0/3 on trying to monitor systems and my TRX-2 is a paperweight...any tips on how to best monitor TACN? Right now I'm getting very few transmission from THP and HELP - I'm absolutely sure I'm missing most traffic.

Thx Buddro!
 

buddrousa

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I hear the D3 THP traffic when one of the cars is close to the River and hit the Paris or Gleason SIte in West Tn I did this with my Whistler built PRO668 and my Uniden 436 both. I have imported all the info from the database for my TRX's
#1 you have your system entered.
#2 you have you sites entered and the frequencies entered for each site
#3 you have the talk groups entered for what you want to hear (just for fun turn on wild card)
#4 you have this site set to a scanlist
#5 you sent the data to the scanner
#6 you have the scanlist turned on
 

wxwarn285

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The last time I checked the NASHVILLE SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST.
SIMULCAST IS THE EXACT SAME FREQUENCY TRANSMITTING ON MULTIPLE TOWERS AT THE SAME TIME. THE TACN SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST EITHER. I worked both the NASHVILLE SYSTEM AND THE TACN SYSTEM THIS SUMMER WITH NO PROBLEMS

The Nashville Metro P25 system IS simulcast, several sites with one control frequency active.
 

theTastyCat

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Hmm. Wx, do you have any luck monitoring the system? By any chance with a TRX?

Guessing by your handle you're Skywarn too - greetings brother!
 

wxwarn285

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Hmm. Wx, do you have any luck monitoring the system? By any chance with a TRX?

Guessing by your handle you're Skywarn too - greetings brother!
I use the RS pro197 and have very minimal issue monitoring the MN P25 system on a clear day (issues, multipath timing from the simulcast) when it is rainy, stomy the simulcast is really bad. I monitor when mobile.

No issue with monitoring TACN once I got it programmed properly.

Been skywarn since 2005.

From what I am hearing and seeing, the TRXs have major issues and I would suggest switching to Uniden if you can.

73's and good luck.

Sent from my Z936L using Tapatalk
 

theTastyCat

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Update - in a fit of desperation, I did a preferred library import of the closest three TACN sites and added a bunch of talkgroups - and it works. NO idea how - unless it so happens that the closest two sites to me are down and I'm actually getting all traffic from the third. Who knows! So it does work :)
 

bg_nashville

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The last time I checked the NASHVILLE SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST.
SIMULCAST IS THE EXACT SAME FREQUENCY TRANSMITTING ON MULTIPLE TOWERS AT THE SAME TIME. THE TACN SYSTEM IS NOT SIMULCAST EITHER. I worked both the NASHVILLE SYSTEM AND THE TACN SYSTEM THIS SUMMER WITH NO PROBLEMS

Metro Nashville system is simulcast with somewhere around 7 or 8 sites.
 

theTastyCat

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Wow - if anybody's in the area and capable of decoding the system, I for one would be extremely grateful!
 

ButchGone

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Wow - if anybody's in the area and capable of decoding the system, I for one would be extremely grateful!

Well, I won't be in Nashville. If the TRX has manual digital adjustments, try them. If still no luck, return theTRX and get a 436 or 536. Yes you might have to pay a restock fee, but it's a lot less than the money you paid for what sounds like a brick. I would venture the TRX works well with non simulcast sites? Good luck with whatever you decide!
BG..
 

theTastyCat

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Hey Butch - having much better luck today thanks to the help of several good people here. I think part of the problem of receiving Metro P25 is that I'm using the stock antenna indoors; when I actually pick the unit up and raise it in the room, I get less Donald-Ducking. This is my first experience with digital radio - so used to how analog bad signals sound like that I really didn't consider reception at first. Have a good mobile antenna arriving tomorrow so I'll get this put in the truck and have a go. I have got TACN coming in pretty well - may have been having a site issue. Will keep playing with it!
 
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