Upper Eastern Shore Consortium

[baydog]

I'm in AA County (Severna Park). I've imported this system into my new 396, but I'm not hearing any traffic. I have 151.0850 in my Pro 97 but when I hear a dispatch on the Pro 97, I don't get anything on the TRS on the 396.

Have I set something up incorrectly or........?

Thanks

David

 

[TinEar]

I'm in AA County (Severna Park). I've imported this system into my new 396, but I'm not hearing any traffic. I have 151.0850 in my Pro 97 but when I hear a dispatch on the Pro 97, I don't get anything on the TRS on the 396.

Have I set something up incorrectly or........?

Thanks

David

I don't hear the TRS from here in Glen Burnie anymore either. A couple of years ago I could copy it fairly well with just the whip on the back of the scanner. Now I can't hear it (other than occasionally with broken transmissions) even with an outdoor antenna.

 

[Llwellyn]

I've never been able to pick up UMESC either, at either of the residences I've lived in in Brooklyn and Brooklyn Park. I would think being close to the bay in SP and BP we might have a chance of picking something up, but I guess they just don't have any towers close enough to the water on their side of the shore.

I always find it amusing that you can run an as-the-crow-flies for some place like Rock Hall and it's about 10 miles away, but it takes you 80 miles to drive it.

 

[troymail]

I've picked it up in Annapolis near AA Medical Center but not very well. On occasion, if I go to the 2nd floor of my house and put the radio directly on the window, I can sometimes listen.

 

[organized_mayhem]

If conditions are right I can pick it up here in North East. Some days I hear it but more often than not I don't. The inlaws live in Queen Annes county so I wish I could hear it more.

 

[baydog]

The way the VHF dispatch booms in here, I would have thought the TRS would be easily received.

 

[boatbod]

I live almost next door to the UESC tower in Trappe, so I don't have a problem receiving that. Whats more interesting however, is that from the same location I get pretty good copy on the Anne Arundel TRS system using a PRO-96 and RS "800mhz" ducky. Of course, there isn't much between me and Annapolis - just a few trees and rather a lot of open water.

Severna Park might be a problem because you've got a lot more buildings and somewhat hilly terrain blocking the signals from the eastern shore towers.

 

[doctordave]

You are likely to pull in the UESC with one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Y8009EL-301111-...ryZ20380QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I bought several & have been fairly impressed - especially for the price - I found them on ebay for $38 each a while back.

 

[TinEar]

Dave, I can't pick them up anymore even with my co-phased pair of 7-element Yagis. There has been a definite signal change of some sort over the past couple of years. I won't even try to guess what it is but the bottom line is the same - I can't hear them with directional 16 db antennas and I used to hear them with the radio whip. C'est la vie.

 

[doctordave]

Wow, Al, that's really quite a reduction! Funny you should note that, because 2 years back, I could actually get them in Northern Balt Co with just a whip. No more, however. I'd presumed that some local factors in my neck of the woods were at play, but it sounds more like an issue on the QACO end.

 

[tolley]

I live in Dorchester County and drive to Bowie everyday and yes even on top of the Bay Bridge the UESC is hard to receive and you have complete line of site to the tower in Stevensville. I'm guessing the antennas are pointed in a N/S direction so not to interfere with systems on the Western Shore. As soon as you get onto the shore the reception is clear is a bell. There is a dead spot on Route 50 heading west as soon as you get off of the Kent Narrows bridge and I suspect this is due to the heavy pine tree cover. I live 6 miles from the tower in Federalsburg so I have no problem receiving the system at home. In Cambridge, there is dead spot on Route 50 by McDonalds due to the Delmarva Power and Light system behind McDonalds. I can pick up the system well into Delaware near Seaford and as far south as Salisbury.

 

[troymail]

That's the thing about these newer TRS - particularly the digital systems... they seem to have them so "tweaked" that the power output can be kept very low as to avoid interfering with other systems (allows frequency reuse also). It's not like the old days when a frequency belong to a jurisdiction and they had to use fairly high power to cover the entire county, etc.

 

[organized_mayhem]

That's the thing about these newer TRS - particularly the digital systems... they seem to have them so "tweaked" that the power output can be kept very low as to avoid interfering with other systems (allows frequency reuse also). It's not like the old days when a frequency belong to a jurisdiction and they had to use fairly high power to cover the entire county, etc.

Someone should tell that to Cecil County

 

[baydog]

Thanks for the info.Tolley andd Troymail. The power issue is probably why I receive QA and Talbot VHF disptach so well off the Stevensville tower. I am copying Sussex County, DE VHF simulcasts this AM.

We'll be driving to Rehoboth Thursday evening so I'll listen for the UESC once we cross the bridge.

Same topic, different system.
I'm getting little if any activity on the Howard County Fire/EMS TRS. Another power/antenna issue as mentioned inthe two previous posts?

 

[troymail]

If they techs know what they're doing and the jurisdiction is willing to pay for the system (with the latter probably the bigger problem), the more "current" the system is, the harder it's going to be listening from a distance on a regular basis.

Anne Arundel County has been "going to" digital since about the time th Uniden BC-250 came out (I lost track but that has to be 3-4 years ago now). The major stumbling block is getting a sufficient number of towers built across the county to support the system without leaving gaps or dead-spots. If I recall, the county "planned for" a whole system but only funded part of it (half maybe?) seemingly with hopes to fund it piece-meal over future years.

You want enough power to cover your jurisdiction... if you don't spend enough for the towers and equipment, the signal has to be stronger for coverage.

Perhaps Cecil is trying to get off cheap...

 

[tolley]

I would imagine the Howard County system has the same issues as UESC in that power and antenna directionality has been tweaked to not interfere with other neighboring sysems. Their VHF channel 154.25 comes in real clear on the shore. It is so strong that if you are listening to Kent County MD channel 3 154.2425 it will override it and cancel it out. Dorchester had the same issue last year when a tower on Taylor's Island was installed for our trunked system. The antennas had to be turned so it would not interfere with Fairfax County,VA. Dorchester shares five of the same 800 mhz frequencies as Fairfax. In the summertime the Dorchester system will be overtaken by the Newport News, VA trunk system if you are on Hooper's Island when weather conditions are right. There have been times when our radios could not operate because the ducting was so strong and it "knocked" our radios offline. The Taylor's Island tower has helped to alleviate the problem some but there are still times when Newport News comes in real strong up here.

 

[organized_mayhem]

Did something change with this system? When I could pick it up, I would only get 1 bar on the signal meter. Today it is coming in a solid 3 with the occasional 4. Great improvement, I hope it stays this way.

 

[organized_mayhem]

Think I spoke too soon. I'm loosing it. Guess radio conditions were good this morning.