VA STARS Help

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scout14

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I have a BCD99T digital scanner that I have programed to hear the state police but with the two sites that I have programed in I still can not hear anything. My signal bars are looking good and my antenna can pick up UHF and VHF or thats what the discription says. I have had no luck hearing anything and I have had someone help mw with it as well. Is their anyting I am missing?
 

scout14

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Yes, sorry BCD996T. So far I have sites Richmond and Glen Allen with the only talk groups Richmond 1-3
 

jeepsandradios

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So if you lock on Richmond ( 152.0375 ) do you show signal ? I dont have the 996T so not sure what it would show but on my 996P2 it shows ID SCAN. What does yours show when locked on that site ?
 

fredva

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Can you try switching it to ID Search? I don't know if that will help, but it doesn't limit your scanner to just the three talkgroups you entered. I would try to establish if you can receive something - anything - on the STARS system and then go from there.
 

scout14

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I did a ID Search just on that system and I am still not hearing anything. This has to be just odd. I have had someone help me program it right, and posted in many different forams which have offered me many suggestions but nothing yet.
 

scout14

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I hae had the scanner about two years. If your familer with the Richmond area, I can pick up Hanover Henrico and the city of Richmond. But my scanner cant pick up Goochland, New Kent Louisa so I can pick up other areas but just not the VA STARS. Its definitaly a digital scanner so I should be abl to hear somthing. Its just odd.
 

fredva

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Ok, thanks. I wanted to rule out that you bought a dud. Sounds like it is a functional scanner. Are you using an indoor antenna? The only thing I can think of is that even though you're showing at least three bars for STARS, maybe you aren't getting quite enough signal to decode. I don't know how close you are to either of those sites. I'm about 10 miles from the nearest STARS site, and certain indoor antennas will not receive STARS in certain parts of my house. The local 700/800 mhz systems get better reception.
 

scout14

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I do have a indoor antenna so Im definitly thinking Im just not geting enough signal to decode. So thats what im thinking on that.
 

TJX400

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Apr 26, 2020
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If you're getting 3 bars of RSSI it's unlikely it's a signal issue, since both the CC and voice channels are FDMA, they should have similar signal strength. Did you import from the database? I would think it's probably a programming issue, not a signal strength issue.
 

motorcoachdoug

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Silver Spring, MD
Does anyone here have the Astro P25 Info for Stars? It seems I am to far away to pick up the Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun Towers here in the Silver Spring area of Monkey aka Montgomery County. I am doing some radio programming for NAS on a Harris XG100P unit right now.
Thanks..
PS I am running unitrunker with an Airspy dongle.
 

BM82557

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Berkeley Co WV
Bandplan is --

Network: BEE00.19E ; VA STARS

Bandplan #0: Base=851.00625 Offset=-45 Spacing=6.25 BW=12.5
Bandplan #1: Base=762.00625 Offset=+30 Spacing=6.25 BW=12.5
Bandplan #2: Base=136. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5
Bandplan #3: Base=146. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5
Bandplan #4: Base=156. Offset=-0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5
Bandplan #5: Base=166. Offset=-0.9 Spacing=6.25 BW=12.5
Bandplan #6: Base=136. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=6.25 BW=12.5
Bandplan #7: Base=161.59375 Offset=-0.9 Spacing=6.25 BW=12.5
Bandplan #8: Base=151. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5 Slots=2
Bandplan #9: Base=158. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5 Slots=2
Bandplan #10: Base=156. Offset=+0.9 Spacing=2.5 BW=12.5 Slots=2
Bandplan #11: Base=851.0125 Offset=-45 Spacing=12.5 BW=12.5 Slots=2
Bandplan #12: Base=762.00625 Offset=+30 Spacing=12.5 BW=12.5 Slots=2
 

tvengr

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Feb 10, 2019
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Baltimore County, MD
I don't see any problems with the programming for the system and the Richmond and Glen Allen sites. I see that you have the latest firmware in your scanner.
 
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