BC898T TV CH 8 Problem

[N9WP]

Thought I'd ask you guys about this. I've been a scanner listener for years and purchased the new BC898T this past weekend. I have 5 other scanners in the house (BC895XLT, BC245XLT, BC860XLT, BC210XLT, and a BC100XLT). This problem I am having does not exist on any of these other scanners.

The problem: The BC898T does a great job of trunking the Indianapolis MECA systems and Hamilton co EDACS system. My problem is with conventional frequencies. My local county uses simplex, a base to car frequency of 155.130 and the car to base freq of 154.890. On 154.840 I have a solid signal of the TV channel 8 video that bleeds over to my counties simplex frequencies along with other frequencies in that same area. I can clearly hear the audio from TV Channel 8 around 156.000 wiping those area freqs out too. I am located 15 to 20 miles away from the TV Channel 8 transmitter. I put the scanner in my truck to see if it was just localized and drove at least 5 miles in the opposite direction of the TV Channel 8 tower and the signal didn't change much. It is full scale on the S-meter and only dips a little bit when driving around buildings. None of my other scanners or ham gear have this problem. Is there a problem with my scanner? I do not want to purchase a filter, I'm looking at returning the scanner for another one if you guys think it's just this 1 scanner. It does this while connected to the stock antenna, the mobile antenna, and 2 scanner antenna's I have in the attic. If I disconnect all antenna's I don't receive it but I also can't receive anything else.

In the 2 meter ham band, I can pick out TV Channel 13's audio too...Isn't this suppost to be a tripple conversion scanner? The sensitivity is a tad better then my BC895XLT. If I open up the squelch on the BC895XLT I can't hear any of this stuff. On the BC898T, I can close the squelch all the way and it still bleeds through. Using the ATT just drops it a couple bars on the S-meter and makes it completely deaf listening to anything else.

Like I said, I just bought it Saturday so I could exchange it for another BC898T. Ideas? Suggestions? Is there something I could change? What's it doing???? Do you think I included enough details?? HAHA

Thanks
Brian, N9WP

[billsimpson771]

i am wondering if you have a cable leak in the area. did you try moving the radio out to the car and take it for a ride away fromyour house?

try listening to 145.25- its the video for cable channel 18 for most (not all) cable systems.

hope this helps bill simpson

[jim202]

Originally Posted by billsimpson771

i am wondering if you have a cable leak in the area. did you try moving the radio out to the car and take it for a ride away fromyour house?

try listening to 145.25- its the video for cable channel 18 for most (not all) cable systems.

hope this helps bill simpson

If the other scanners are not hearing the same problem, I would point the finger at the new scanner. If you did have a cble leak, all the scanners would be doing the same thing. Also the cable leakage would be only in a small coverage area of a couple hundred feet. Normally comes from a loose or corroded connection.

Take the scanner back and get something else.

Jim

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by jim202

If the other scanners are not hearing the same problem, I would point the finger at the new scanner. If you did have a cble leak, all the scanners would be doing the same thing. Also the cable leakage would be only in a small coverage area of a couple hundred feet. Normally comes from a loose or corroded connection.

Jim

It's also on the wrong frequency. As mentioned, CH 18 is 145.250 video carrier. CH 8 would be 180-186 MHz and CH 13 is 210-216 MHz.
Take the scanner back and get something else.

CHs 18-20 would cover 144 - 162 MHz. If it's a cable leak, you would hear those channels, not CH 8 or 13.

Joe M.

[N9WP]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm out in the country and probably 2+ miles from any cable lines. I drove around in the car several miles away from Indy where CH 8 is and still heard the problem. I have a friend that also purchased the same scanner and he has the same problem. I ended up sending it back and getting the 796. The 796 has the TV CH 8 video signal on 154.8 but it doesn't bleed off of that frequency so all is good. The 796 is a sweet radio. Like I said, I have the BC895XLT and there are no images of TV channels anywhere in the 150 - 160 mhz range. So my opinion is the BC898T is not an upgrade if you live within 40 miles of a TV CH 8 transmitter.