Uniden BCD996P2 CQPSK

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W9WTC

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I'm totally disappointed with the New BCD996P2 scanners as I just purchased 2 of them. After setting one up for the new DaneCom system, doing a firmware upgrade, and doing tweaking I've read that Uniden scanners do not have the required CQPSK to decode DaneCom P25 Phase II Simulcast. Sure these scanners pick up the simulcast but it's garbled, and hit and miss.

I may be amiss but have read that the problem may be associated with the scanners not having the CQPSK for decoding. Is this a chip or can Uniden cure this by a firmware update?

So far I'm really frustrated and unhappy that these scanners don't work as advertised after spending $600.00 some dollars.

My question to Uniden is do you ever plan on curing this issue or did I purchase another boat anchor? Also can Uniden cure this by a firmware rewrite or software upgrade or is it a separate chip?
 

RoninJoliet

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I'm sorry to hear that, I have the 996P2 and the 325P2 and down here in IL on the Digital Starcom 700/800 system both perform perfect with out any adjustments using good coax and small attic antennas.....
 

TomTN

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The BCD996P2 is not "advertised" to perform well on Simulcast systems. If you, like I, are in an area that suffers from this issue then the solution is yours to solve, not Uniden's. There is NO *scanner* available from any manufacturer that does simulcast well on its own although the 436/536 generally do better than the 996/996P2. None of the current production scanners have the hardware necessary for proper simulcast decode. There are high dollar commercial radios that do work well.

Those scanners can perform well in a simulcast environment by the use of special antennas. What you must do is to get a very directional antenna and fine tune it to receive only one transmit site. Plan to spend some money and time to do it right.
 

W9WTC

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The BCD996P2 is not "advertised" to perform well on Simulcast systems. If you, like I, are in an area that suffers from this issue then the solution is yours to solve, not Uniden's. There is NO *scanner* available from any manufacturer that does simulcast well on its own although the 436/536 generally do better than the 996/996P2. None of the current production scanners have the hardware necessary for proper simulcast decode. There are high dollar commercial radios that do work well.

Those scanners can perform well in a simulcast environment by the use of special antennas. What you must do is to get a very directional antenna and fine tune it to receive only one transmit site. Plan to spend some money and time to do it right.

Thanks for your reply. However, in reading in several forums there are others that are also unhappy that they do not decode the simulcast properly. A lot have referenced what I mentioned here. I've had Uniden scanners for decades and usually have liked the way they preform until trying to use one in the DaneCom simulcast situation. In my opinion scanner manufacturers should reference that the scanners are not the best in simulcast situations or at least get the word out until some manufacturer fixes the simulcast problem. It's amazing how Fire, Law Enforcement, and EMS has no problem with base stations, portables, and mobile units. You would think some scanner manufacture would have solved this already for scanners too. The one that does will make $$$$$$$$$.

So you mentioned high$ commercial radios that work well. If you know could you please enlighten me on which specific commercial programmable scanning radios are offered to the general public so they could be programmed to scan local simulcast trunks. The key word on these is scan trunks as I know there are some out there that can be programmed for one bank but then you'd have to reprogram it for other trunks. Most dealers won't sell these radios unless you are fire, law enforcement, or EMS for very obvious reasons.

I would like to see who sell's these and do some further research as maybe that's the way to go. If you have specific commercial radio information that will scan various trunks I'd appreciate some information.

Thanks for your comments as I am researching various yagi's to possibly purchase and try fine tuning this scanner to see if I can get it to work off one tower. I'm retired, it's winter and cold, so I have the time in my HAM Shack which happens to have a fireplace in it to keep me warm and try to work out this issue.

Thanks I appreciate your comments and look forward to information on commercial programmable simulcast scanning radios for sale to general public.

Thanks and happy holidays and stay warm :)
 

W9WTC

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I'm sorry to hear that, I have the 996P2 and the 325P2 and down here in IL on the Digital Starcom 700/800 system both perform perfect with out any adjustments using good coax and small attic antennas.....

AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!! You're one of the lucky ones if the system is a true phase 2 simulcast frequency. I too have good coax and used to use a cone antenna in the attic. But my problem with simulcast in a nutshell is that all towers simultaneously rebroadcast the signal and scanners can't decode multiple signals at the same time. Unless you're in a "perfect" area that you're just receiving a signal from one tower. Glad to hear you're have good luck. P.S. don't move your antenna. I'm researching yagi antennas to try and isolate the signal from one tower which may help me but won't know until I try.

Stay warm and happy holidays. :)
 

TomTN

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There are ways to make Motorola radios work and they can be purchased through eBay and elsewhere. Instructions can be found on the web but programming these is best left to those experienced with Motorola as incorrect programming can harm the original system and result in a bricked radio.

An easier method is the new Unication G4 / G5 pager originally designed for firefighters using P25. There is an entire forum on RR dedicated to this radio. Currently there are a few issues being worked out but it is considered to be the best solution to the simulcast issue at this time. As of today it only does Phase 1 systems but a paid upgrade to Phase 2 has been promised.

Unication Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums
 

W9WTC

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There are ways to make Motorola radios work and they can be purchased through eBay and elsewhere. Instructions can be found on the web but programming these is best left to those experienced with Motorola as incorrect programming can harm the original system and result in a bricked radio.

An easier method is the new Unication G4 / G5 pager originally designed for firefighters using P25. There is an entire forum on RR dedicated to this radio. Currently there are a few issues being worked out but it is considered to be the best solution to the simulcast issue at this time. As of today it only does Phase 1 systems but a paid upgrade to Phase 2 has been promised.

Unication Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums

Thanks, I did look at the G5 and did a lot of research on those too through the various forums. I also saw the promises with P2 and will wait to see exactly what happens. I have a dealer about 30 minutes from me. I believe one of the downfalls is it is also isolated to one trunking system at a time so you would need to reprogram unless specifically using it on one system, which may be an option too. I think Unication is on the right track and I'm watching them as they evolve.

The problem with Motorola is their programing software is propitiatory. I've experienced this with some older Motorola's Maratracs that I converted to HAM use.

Thanks and stay warm.
 

KR3LC

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Regular simulcast and then there is LSM

I see some general statements that scanners don't do well with simulcast systems. My county and surrounding jurisdictions have been using simulcast systems for a long time now, from analog trunked systems to P25 Phase 1 and now P25 Phase 2 and except for some of the very latest P25 systems, the scanners have always worked well enough on simulcast systems. It is the new variety of simulcast called LSM, or Linear SImulcast Modulation, that I am lead to believe is the problem and not all types of simulcast systems use this technique. But it is becoming very common. I think this is proprietary to Motorola.
 

TomTN

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The Unication pagers will only scan one system at a time but simply changing the channel dial can select a different system. Many talkgroups can be programmed per position. Since this is a Uniden forum, I'll refer more details to the Unication forum.

As to the original question, I am successfully using two BCD536HP scanners on an LSM system using a Yaga in the attic, LMR400, and a Stridesberg Multicoupler. Your 996's should work with a similar arrangement.
 
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