UV-82 Not Picking up Police Channels, Repeaters

[JDF1815]

Thanks for any info in advance. Been round radios in 1 way or another for quite some time. I use 82s for work at show setups etc, and figured I'd like to get into the amateur world. Hope to get Tech Lic. here soon. Got a couple new ones this week and for the life of me I cannot get them to pick up the police frequencies. According to this site, the channel is 155.730, PL 136.5 for Putnam Co. Ohio. I enter the 155.730 then go into the menu and go to 11# the R-Ctcss and punch in 136.5. Still nothing, I've lowered squelch, changed sft-d can't figure it out.

My understanding is I really don't even to punch in the 136.5 since I'm just wanting to monitor channels. There's a repeater in the town I frequent, Ottawa OH and it has a code of 146.715 for skywarn, and 444.300 for general use. Can't hear any of those either.

Now the radios work on MURS to eachother, and they pick up NOAA and FM. But what am I doing wrong? Stumped here

 

[nd5y]

You are correct that you don't need to program CTCSS/DCS for receiving.
What antenna are you using?
Can you hear stuff on a scanner or other radio at the same time and just not on the UV-82?
Can you hear weaker NOAA stations outside your immediate area?
It could be being desensed or overloaded by a TV, FM station, trunked system site or some other high power continuous transmitter. Are you near anything like that?

 

[JDF1815]

Standard antenna, I can pick up 1 very strong NOAA station, and 1 sometimes 2 other weak ones. I'm only 2-3 miles from the station and the repeater. I've driven around town to try and get a better signal, or away from interference in my house but no dice.

 

[W8RMH]

Are you sure the police are still using that frequency. Many counties including Putnam are now using the state's P25 digital trunked system - Ohio MARCS-IP: Multi-Agency Radio Communications - which that radio cannot receive.

 

[JDF1815]

This was my other worry, that the FIRE/EMS/POLICE had gone to a encrypted or unavailable code. I had heard about this when I used to travel in MO. How about the repeater? Is there a "continuous" 2m channel that I could verify these are receiving on, as opposed to scanning through every channel

 

[DickH]

I have a UV-82 with dozens of Fire & Pol. freqs. on Hi Band and 460MHz, all working very well. To verify what you are doing, try this:
1. Set it on FREQ. MODE. (Hold MENU while turning it on).
2. Push MENU, use arrows to go to item 7 (ATR). Turn it ON.
3. Enter 155.73, push EXIT to move the arrow to the other line.
4. Enter 154.25.
Now it will be scanning just those two freqs.; Sheriff and Fire Dispatch.

 

[nd5y]

I have a UV-82 with dozens of Fire & Pol. freqs. on Hi Band and 460MHz, all working very well. To verify what you are doing, try this:
1. Set it on FREQ. MODE. (Hold MENU while turning it on).
2. Push MENU, use arrows to go to item 7 (ATR). Turn it ON.
3. Enter 155.73, push EXIT to move the arrow to the other line.
4. Enter 154.25.
Now it will be scanning just those two freqs.; Sheriff and Fire Dispatch.

It won't scan the top and bottom display lines unless you have Dual Receive (Menu 7 TDR) ON.

 

[DickH]

It won't scan the top and bottom display lines unless you have Dual Receive (Menu 7 TDR) ON.

I guess you are not reading very well today. That's exactly what my second item says.

 

[nd5y]

Yeah all those damn little letters and numbers look the same.

 

[FKimble]

You state that you "go to 11# the R-Ctcss and punch in 136.5." For receive only you don't need any tone set, especially "R-CTCSS". The repeater may or may not transmit a tone. With no tones set, it will receive any transmission on the frequency.

 

[JDF1815]

I've cleared the CTCSS out, which i figured I didn't need anyway, and tried dual monitoring with their input channel 154.890 and 155.730. Still nothing, just blank. I got on broadcastify to know when they are talking, I hit the M on the side to open up the squelch and nothing but static. I think W8RMH is right, they've changed their setup so we can't listen in here at the buckeye state

 

[JDF1815]

Update, after being gone for 5 months it seems I'm back at this. With upgraded 16in antennas, I've managed to monitor the airwaves close enough to find the following.
1. Defiance County Sheriff and City
2. Paulding CountySheriff
3. Lima State Patrol/Sheriff
4. Hancock EMS
5. Putnam EMS

But for whatever reason I still cannot find the putnam Sherriff. I know they may be trunked up, but in my travels I heard sometimes you can find them "divided down" For instance if they were on 850, you might find them transmitting on 425mhz. Any truth to this myth? I just can't believe Ive found every other dept. around me except the home county. And the fact that the EMS is audible gives me hope.

 

[W8RMH]

As previously stated they are using Ohio MARCS-IP which is trunked P25 digital system. You can not decode P25 transmissions with an analog radio.