Portage County MARCS Aurora PD/Fire Question

[amanaman1]

Ok, so I’m trying to understand something:

I live in Rootstown in Portage County and neither my SDS200 nor SDS100 will receive Aurora PD/Fire via the Portage County MARCS sites (with either a roof mounted discone or indoor antenna). Correct service types are enabled and proper control channels are entered. But, my older Whistler 1065 will receive the Aurora TG’s perfectly via Portage County sites (even with a cheap indoor telescoping antenna).

I CAN however, receive Aurora PD/Fire on the SDS200/100 via a Summit county MARCS site.

Why can’t the SDS200/100 receive Aurora via the Portage county sites but the Whistler can? I am happy I figured out a work-around using the Summit County site but just puzzled. All other Portage County TG's receive fine.

 

[wmlovell]

For the most part Aurora affiliates with Geauga, Summit & Cuyahoga sites being closer. Sometimes they will affiliate with Shalersville (or Kent if the cops are at court) but not consistently. That may be a part of it.

 

[amanaman1]

For the most part Aurora affiliates with Geauga, Summit & Cuyahoga sites being closer. Sometimes they will affiliate with Shalersville (or Kent if the cops are at court) but not consistently. That may be a part of it.

Well that would make sense except that with my radios side by side, I am able to receive Aurora via the Portage county sites on my WS1065 but not on the SDS200/100 unless via Summit county site. I dunno....

 

[rcid1971]

Dumb question, but for the SDS series, is it necessary to load the P25 Channel ID Tables and spacing?

I drove around with one SDS100 isolated on the Summit simulcast, and one SDS100 scanning Shalersville, Kent and Neomed.

Of course during that time period I heard no Aurora traffic, but I did hear Streetsboro on Shalersville & Summit simultaneously.

 

[amanaman1]

Dumb question, but for the SDS series, is it necessary to load the P25 Channel ID Tables and spacing?

I drove around with one SDS100 isolated on the Summit simulcast, and one SDS100 scanning Shalersville, Kent and Neomed.

Of course during that time period I heard no Aurora traffic, but I did hear Streetsboro on Shalersville & Summit simultaneously.

I just have the three Portage County sites and the Summit site 858.51250 (for Aurora PD/Fire) in my fav list for Portage County and now I receive all portage county including Aurora in my Portage county fav list. (I don't do anything with tables or spacing). I have other Fav lists dedicated just to the rest of Summit County.

 

[rcid1971]

I just have the three Portage County sites and the Summit site 858.51250 (for Aurora PD/Fire) in my fav list for Portage County and now I receive all portage county including Aurora in my Portage county fav list. (I don't do anything with tables or spacing). I have other Fav lists dedicated just to the rest of Summit County.

With each Portage site control frequencies entered separately in different sites?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, do you have all three different towers control frequencies within one "site" on the SDS100?
I believe it's only going to go to the one with the best RSSI, if I'm not mistaken. Or is it just what's downloaded from the database and each site is entered into your SDS100 separately?

 

[amanaman1]

Yes, I have the three Portage County control frequencies in one site and the Summit one in a second site all within my Portage County favorite list. That way it will still scan the summit freq (for Aurora only), otherwise if all four are in the same site it will just stay on the strongest RSSI (usually a portage county one) and it'll never scan the summit freq. and I'll miss Aurora.

 

[rcid1971]

But Portage isn’t simulcast yet.

They’re still individual sites. Try that?

I can confirm I’ve heard Aurora Fire on the Shalersville site this morning.

 

[tvengr]

Sites are programmed differently on the WS1065 and the SDS100/200. On the WS1065, you can enter the control channel frequencies for all three sites in Portage County into the same list. If Multi-Site is set to Stationary, all three sites will be scanned. On the SDS100/200, the control channel frequencies for each site must be programmed into a separate site. If all are in the same site, the first detected control channel frequency will be used and you are stuck on that site until there is a loss of signal. Which frequency is detected first can be determined by the direction of scanning.

 

[amanaman1]

But Portage isn’t simulcast yet.

They’re still individual sites. Try that?

I can confirm I’ve heard Aurora Fire on the Shalersville site this morning.

Right, they are not simulcast and I did have each portage county control frequency in its own site initially but for whatever reason, I just can't receive Aurora on the SDS200 except via the summit county site. Unless they weren't on the shalersville site the last few days for some reason? I dunno....

 

[amanaman1]

Sites are programmed differently on the WS1065 and the SDS100/200. On the WS1065, you can enter the control channel frequencies for all three sites in Portage County into the same list. If Multi-Site is set to Stationary, all three sites will be scanned. On the SDS100/200, the control channel frequencies for each site must be programmed into a separate site. If all are in the same site, the first detected control channel frequency will be used and you are stuck on that site until there is a loss of signal. Which frequency is detected first can be determined by the direction of scanning.

RIGHT, and I did have all three portage county frequencies in their own sites initially, but even side by side at the same time, the SDS200 wouldn't receive Aurora (via portage sites) when the WS1065 would. Don't know why. I will try removing the summit site and put the portage freqs back into individual sites just to see if anything is different today, but the last few days I just couldn't receive Aurora on the SDS via portage sites.

 

[tvengr]

What is your squelch setting? Normally, it is 2. Try opening the squelch and see what happens. The Shalersville site is about 14 miles from Rootstown.

 

[amanaman1]

What is your squelch setting? Normally, it is 2. Try opening the squelch and see what happens. The Shalersville site is about 14 miles from Rootstown.

Squelch is normally at 2, no difference at 0.

I put the Portage freqs back into their own individual sites and removed the summit site just to check it all again. It's definitive: Neither my SDS100 nor the SDS200 will receive Aurora on the portage county sites (specifically Shalersville 20) with any antenna I have from my house but the Whistler does, all day long, with a cheap telescoping antenna no less. ???

For whatever reason I think it's just a range thing with the SDS units, although 14 miles isn't that far and the Whistler picks it up fine. With the SDS units, the RSSI on tower 20 is around -115 whereas 59 and 69 are around -60 to-80ish. With the Whistler, tower 20 comes in at 99%, as do both 59 and 69.

I'll have to see if my SDS100 will pick up Aurora on the Shalersville 20 site next time I'm mobile but at least I have the summit county work-around in the mean time.

Weird.

 

[amanaman1]

Ok, just a follow up: Turns out tonight for the first time in three days, I was indeed getting Aurora via the Portage sites on the SDS200 from my house, albeit intermittently (squelch on 2 or 0 made no difference). I think it literally does depend on which way the wind is blowing! Still not sure why the SDS radios are so much more finicky than my Whistlers with the same towers (particularly on the Shalersville site) but it is what it is. All appears well.

 

[rcid1971]

Glad you're getting signal.

Goes back to post #2 with lack of radios affiliating with each site.

 

[amanaman1]

But how can it be lack of radios affiliating with the Portage county sites when my Whistler picks up Aurora all day long on the portage county sites when the SDS will not?

 

[tvengr]

But how can it be lack of radios affiliating with the Portage county sites when my Whistler picks up Aurora all day long on the portage county sites when the SDS will not?

Can you please attach both your WS1065 programming file and your SDS favorites list so that I can take a look at them?

 

[Nasby]

But how can it be lack of radios affiliating with the Portage county sites when my Whistler picks up Aurora all day long on the portage county sites when the SDS will not?

Seems like a programming issue. The SDS units usually outperform the Whistler models on 700 / 800 mhz..... VHF not so much.

 

[rcid1971]

Seems like a programming issue. The SDS units usually outperform the Whistler models on 700 / 800 mhz..... VHF not so much.

Agreed on programming, but I thank the OP as this motivated me to isolate Kent, Neomed and Shalersville, and I was amazed at what I heard when I dialed off the simulcasts for a day.

 

[amanaman1]

Can you please attach both your WS1065 programming file and your SDS favorites list so that I can take a look at them?

Here is a dropbox link to the SDS folder. The SDS200 fav list in question is "Portage Marcs 2." Not sure how to get the info for the Whistler as I programmed that one manually.

BCDx36HP