Simulcast?

[Barnes9143]

I live in pittsburgh but work in westmoreland county. I am trying to decide between the sds100 or the bcd436hp. Does anyone have any advice? Ive also heard the bcd436 will work on simulcast. Does anyone use a 436 in allegheny county? Also do I need any of the ungrades? Any info helps. thanks

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi & welcome:
Actually it's quite the opposite from what you heard. The Uniden SDS100 & SDS200 are the only scanners designed to track simulcast systems. Search the forums and you'll uncover LOTS of discussion about simulcast distortion, so I'm not going to go into great detail about it here. Yes, the 436HP can in theory track it but if you want to track it without missing transmissions, spuddering or stuttering, get an SDS100. You won't regret it

 

[Barnes9143]

Hi & welcome:
Actually it's quite the opposite from what you heard. The Uniden SDS100 & SDS200 are the only scanners designed to track simulcast systems. Search the forums and you'll uncover LOTS of discussion about simulcast distortion, so I'm not going to go into great detail about it here. Yes, the 436HP can in theory track it but if you want to track it without missing transmissions, spuddering or stuttering, get an SDS100

Right but I’ve heard the 436 will do simulcast in some situations also. I’m just wondering if anyone in my area is using the 436 or 536 and if it is working just find and if I’ll need any of the upgrades

 

[KK4JUG]

All scanners will do simulcast in certain situations. You have to hold your mouth right for most of them, though. If you're in the right place at the right time it'll work but if you move, even a little bit, you can lose it. As mentioned above, the SDS scanners are the only ones designed to track simulcast signals.

 

[R8000]

Does anyone have any advice?

Buy a SDS series scanner or Unication pager.

It may not be the advice you want to hear, but it is what it is.

 

[u2brent]

You don't need any upgrades to get P25

 

[n3obl]

The whole ICORRS system is simulcast. I get hit and miss reception on BCD436/536 and 996P2 scanners. My SDS100 is remarkably better.

 

[trentbob]

So as you can see by the comments, the 436 might work sometimes. It's about location location location. You might get it to work very well in your house, in the corner of the extra bedroom, bouncing on one foot, wearing a tinfoil hat, if that's good enough for you then save a few bucks and get the 436, if you want a radio that works all the time pretty much anywhere you are, follow this advice in the thread. It's always your call.

 

[redbeard]

The new state P25 system has a big VHF simulcast in the area around the city. And to the north in Lawrence they are one big simulcast site for the county. My 436 won't receive it at all. As others have said, just get the SDS. (or a Unication if you're into it)

As far as upgrades, 'need' is a subjective term. Do you want to listen to DMR or NXDN? Then get the upgrades. If not, don't. Pittsburgh city services are all on DMR, but if you are only a fire/ems listener then you might not care.

 

[Barnes9143]

Thanks!!! I worked for public works for years, id like to drop in on them every once in a while

 

[jonwienke]

With any scanner but a SDS, simulcast reception will be problematic. I've done extensive head-to-head testing between the 436 and SDS100 with both scanners connected to the same rooftop antenna on my truck. On one side of a Wal-Mart parking lot, the 436 got nothing at all, while the SDS100 was constantly active. On the other side, they performed identically. So if the main public safety system in your area is simulcast, don't waste your time or money on anything other than a SDS.

A 436 would make sense as a second scanner, monitoring everything but simulcast. It's a great scanner, except for simulcast reception.

 

[timhir25]

I have a WS1098 and deal with simulcast here in Lake County, Ohio. The people here are right. It all depends if you can find
that sweet spot. If I have my scanner on the kitchen table it does not come in to good. All I have to do is move it onto the
table in front of my picture window in the living room, about 20 feet and it comes in really good. I guess that's the
sweet spot. Other then that it's the SDS100 or 200.
Tim

 

[timhir25]

One more thing. Since I don't have a SDS to sit next to my WS1098 to compare, I still could be missing stuff. I don't know.
I want to get one of the SDS's
Tim

 

[blackbelter]

I sold my 436 as it could not properly handle my local simulcast system . I use my G5 on the go and SDS 200 at base although the Unication power amp allows me to use the G5 as a base listening device as well .

 

[jonwienke]

One more thing. Since I don't have a SDS to sit next to my WS1098 to compare, I still could be missing stuff. I don't know.
I want to get one of the SDS's
Tim

This is the key right here. When you try to decode simulcast with a conventional receiver, you don't always get a garble to indicate that a transmission is in progress and you're not receiving it properly. Sometimes you get nothing at all, and have no way of knowing there was any traffic unless you have a radio designed for simulcast to compare.

 

[talviar]

Your mileage may vary with the 436, but it is not designed to handle simulcast on P25 trunking. It will be a constant battle to get it to work reliably for you.

Your best best is the SDS series or a Unication Pager. both handle Simulcast very well.

 

[EMTBob]

The SDS Series Or Unication G5 Are Your Best Bet. I Have A 396T, Pro 197, 996P2, G5 & SDS 100 The SDS 100 & G5 Smoke The Other Scanners. Been Living In Westmoreland For Many Years And In The Beginning The 396T Was All That. But As New Technology Comes Around The SDS And Unication As Of Now Are The Leaders. Spend The Extra $$$ You Won't Be Sorry.

 

[Barnes9143]

So I ended up getting the SDS with DMR upgrade. Im kinda kicking myself for it now. Theres only a few simulcasts in the area and there is hardly any activity. Actually ive never heard anything on them. I go to the analyze feature and i have great signal, just nothing to listen to. Im certain the BCD would have done just fine for me.

 

[talviar]

So I ended up getting the SDS with DMR upgrade. Im kinda kicking myself for it now. Theres only a few simulcasts in the area and there is hardly any activity. Actually ive never heard anything on them. I go to the analyze feature and i have great signal, just nothing to listen to. Im certain the BCD would have done just fine for me.

Um?? Really??

Westmoreland P25 system is a 2 site SIMULCAST coverage system. Each site is made up of a number of towers all transmitting on the same frequencies... Fayette is a 1 site SIMULCAST coverage system. Armstrong is a 1 site SIMULCAST, etc.... basically every county on ICORRS is running SIMULCAST.

And I am sure if I ran the traffic reports on the terminal at my office.... I am going to see thousands of transmissions for yesterday......

I am fully suspecting the programming in the scanner has issues.....

While the SDS is an excellent scanner.... it does take some intricate programming to make it function

 

[EMTBob]

So I ended up getting the SDS with DMR upgrade. Im kinda kicking myself for it now. Theres only a few simulcasts in the area and there is hardly any activity. Actually ive never heard anything on them. I go to the analyze feature and i have great signal, just nothing to listen to. Im certain the BCD would have done just fine for me.

You Have A Programming Issue Mine Never Is Not Busy.