Trouble getting clear audio Fairfax/Arlington

[scotta3234]

Hello all,

I used to listen to several agencies here in Fairfax county, VA. About a year or so ago, I noticed that many of the agencies became increasingly, "garbled" though you could clearly hear certain parts. I was wondering if anyone had some advice of items I can check. Below you'll find a reference as to what I'm using, doing, listening to. Is it just a signal strength issue. I used to have no problems.

My scanner: pro-96 handheld with (800Mhz 7" GRE antenna)

Programming: via ARC96 (BuTel software) with radioreference.com import.

County System: P25

Distance from transmitting station: ~5-8 miles (estimating, but I'm in FFX city which is in the middle of the county and I believe I know where most of that is coming from.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[fredva]

There are some threads in this forum related to what you are experiencing, such as http://forums.radioreference.com/vi...m/258762-fairfax-public-safety-arlington.html.

The problem is digital simulcast distortion, which basically means that a given radio transmission is coming from several different radio towers using the same frequency. More or less, the radio transmission is interfering with itself because it is coming from two or more locations. There are a few things you can try, such as moving your scanner around in the home or using a directional antenna to focus on the signal from one tower. I'd recommend searching this site on the topic.

I should mention that the multi-thousand dollar two-way radios on a digital simulcast system handle the issue better than most scanners, generally. Uniden has recently released some firmware for its latest scanners to help deal with the issue, reportedly with mixed results.

 

[scotta3234]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll do some research, but I haven't found much yet on the topic. I'll probably end up trying a directional antenna in addition to what else I find out. Any other advice would be helpful. I'd even consider purchasing a new scanner if it worked. It's just a shame becuase monitoring this area was fantastic, and now it's almost impossible with my handheld.

 

[bep]

I started this thread and it helped me.

http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/260491-197-suggestions-digital-reception.html

 

[W2NJS]

Just a thought: You might wish to try an antenna that is shorter/smaller/less sensitive than the one you're now using. The idea would be to lessen the strength of the weaker signals you're picking up. It might work well if you're really close to one of the transmit locations from which you can derive a very strong signal with little or no antenna. I know it sounds strange but i think it's worth a try.

 

[cpetraglia]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll do some research, but I haven't found much yet on the topic. I'll probably end up trying a directional antenna in addition to what else I find out. Any other advice would be helpful. I'd even consider purchasing a new scanner if it worked. It's just a shame becuase monitoring this area was fantastic, and now it's almost impossible with my handheld.

I am in the same area as you. I tried many things before I hit gold. I am using a directional yagi and pointing it at the West Ox transmitter. I also had to go 30 feet above ground before it finally gets good to near perfect reception. I have tried pointing at all the other towers and find myself back to the West Ox location. I should mention I use a mast mounted pre-amp and LMR400 cable. I am using GRE600 & 800. Both act about the same way. an antenna setup like this can cost more in the end than the scanner. The other plus is I can listen to about any 800 system around the beltway. Fairfax P25 was the toughest one while sitting right in the middle of it.
You can check the FCC website and get addresses for all the sites.
I hope this helps.