Having trouble receiving the Pal 800 system

[kicktd]

I'm in NC but very close to the Cherokee County border so pretty close to the Pal. 800 transmission site in Cherokee County.

A couple years ago before moving here while visiting I had no problems picking it up even using a handheld with a rubber ducky antenna. Now a couple years later after moving here I can't even get the Pal. 800 system using an outdoor antenna above the roof-line of the house.

I try the frequencies in the database but get nothing but dead air, not even a faint hint of a control channel, mean while I can pick up NC trunk channels in counties that are 2-3 counties away just fine.

Is the Pal. 800 system undergoing some type of change and are there new frequencies out there? I can pick up the York County Trunking System clear as a bell, but nothing for the Pal. 800 no matter if I try York County CC's or Cherokee County CC's. I've even tried Hogback Mtn. with no luck, like above not even the faint whisper of a control channel, just dead air.

So I'm turning to you guys who are in SC who monitor the system who can possibly point me in the right direction to get the Pal. 800 system back in my scanner and going.

Thanks!

 

[brian]

What specific sites and frequencies are you trying to receive, and which specific frequencies have you programmed? Based on your description of your location, you should be able to receive site 18 Thicketty on 868.4250MHz and maybe site 47 Newport on 860.7875MHz. Perhaps other sites also.

 

[kicktd]

I've tried both Thicketty control channels, nothing but dead air not even the hint of a faint control channel sound or anything. Just tried site 47, same thing "dead air", same as site 17 Hogback. It's like they aren't there anymore on those frequencies, it's weird. I can pick up other trunked system just fine like I said even all the way in Mecklenburg County from Cleveland county, but can't get any of the Palmetto 800 frequencies to work. I've even tried rotating my antenna to see if that would help and it doesn't as it's an omni-directional antenna anyways.

I can get the York County SC Public Safety system loud and clear, just no Palmetto 800 which doesn't make sense to me and why I asked if something changed with the system.

EDIT: I'm 17 air miles from the Thicketty antenna. The VIPER antenna I listen to is in almost the exact opposite direction (Kings Mountain) of the Thicketty antenna, so not sure what's going on.

 

[LarrySC]

If you check the RANGE of the tower you will find that it is only 15 miles. You will have to move 2 miles or put up a directional antenna.

 

[kicktd]

Strange, use to be able to pick it up on a handheld even further away than I am now. I'll work up a directional antenna sometime soon and see if that does the trick.

 

[brian]

I'm not sure what else to tell you. I can confirm that Thicketty's current CC frequency is 88.4250 as of right now, and it hasn't changed for some time.

You might just be in a "bad spot" to receive signals to the South. Or maybe your receiver is being overloaded by a nearby transmitter.

Regarding the 15 mile range indicated in the RR database, that's essentially an "estimate," not quite an arbitrary number. Certainly there are situations that allow listeners to hear sites from much more than 15 miles away - high gain antennas, high elevation, atmospheric conditions, etc. A site like Paris Mountain broadcasts much farther than a site like Due West, perhaps. And simulcast sites defy this even more since they transmit from more than one location. That "range" number is a guide more than a rule, obviously.