kasparek
Member
Will a PSR-500 work on a simulcast system here in Michigan if you adjust the STATIONARY and ROAM settings?
If so, what’s the ideal setting?
If so, what’s the ideal setting?
PSR-500 on Simulcast
- Thread starter kasparek
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Here is his other post Simulcast Systems
Roam stationary works if there are multiple towers and are using different frequencies, simulcast does not as they use the same frequencies.
Roam stationary works if there are multiple towers and are using different frequencies, simulcast does not as they use the same frequencies.
ScannerSK
Member
STATIONARY and ROAM settings only adjust which control channel the scanner should use and not how well the scanner decodes. If simulcast and non-simulcast channels are both entered a PSR-500 scanner will tend to lock onto the non-simulcast channels over time as they are more consistent in signal strength while simulcast channels vary in signal strength at any given time (due to multipath distortion).
Uniden scanners are less prone to interference and decode a little better on weaker signals than GRE scanners so tend to work slightly better. On simulcast systems, you basically are trying to get a good signal from one tower while avoiding reception of the other towers on the same control channel. So, a directional antenna works or sometimes just laying the scanner down flat or setting it next to a metal object that blocks signals from other directions. Simulcast systems are tough for any handheld except the more professional units.
I use both PSR-500/600's (phase one only scanners) and a Uniden Trunk Tracker IV {update a BCD396XT} (phase one only scanner) on our simulcast system in Weld, Colorado. Some days are worse than others for reception and I almost have to use the Uniden Trunk Tracker. I have also used the more expensive Uniden BCD436HP and SDS100 scanners however found no real improvement over the simple Trunk Tracker IV on our system when testing side by side and driving around the county.
Uniden scanners are less prone to interference and decode a little better on weaker signals than GRE scanners so tend to work slightly better. On simulcast systems, you basically are trying to get a good signal from one tower while avoiding reception of the other towers on the same control channel. So, a directional antenna works or sometimes just laying the scanner down flat or setting it next to a metal object that blocks signals from other directions. Simulcast systems are tough for any handheld except the more professional units.
I use both PSR-500/600's (phase one only scanners) and a Uniden Trunk Tracker IV {update a BCD396XT} (phase one only scanner) on our simulcast system in Weld, Colorado. Some days are worse than others for reception and I almost have to use the Uniden Trunk Tracker. I have also used the more expensive Uniden BCD436HP and SDS100 scanners however found no real improvement over the simple Trunk Tracker IV on our system when testing side by side and driving around the county.
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doctordialtone
Member
FYI, the Trunk Tracker IV is a series of scanners - not a model.
TrunkTracker IV - The RadioReference Wiki
ScannerSK
Member
My PSR600 is useless if I take it into Saginaw. From far away with a yagi I receive it pretty well.
GTO_04
Member
If you are closer to one tower than the other towers in a simulcast system, you "may" be able to get by with the PSR500. Otherwise you will probably have simulcast reception problems.
GTO_04
GTO_04
I'll second this. I live outside a county which is loaded with simulcast sites and can generally receive reasonably well with the PSR500, but it's definitely dependent on where I place the radio. Since my PSR600 is on an attic antenna it's not very good on the simulcast stuff.
The PSR500/PSR600 work flawlessly on the stand-alone sites near me, so I usually use them to monitor those sites, and reserve the SDS100 and SDS200 for monitoring the simulcast sites.
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