BCD436HP/BCD536HP: 436 vs XTS5000??

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Ffbryce1

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Howcome when I put my 436 programmed on the same channels as a Motorola XTS5000, the 436 sucks? The XTS5000 is the departments radio and picks up 99% of the chatter. My 436 is personally owned and it picks up 50% of the chatter. I got the RS800 antenna (Radioshack antenna) for 800mhz frequency. Why does my scanned pick up half of the talk? The XTS5000 kicks in and starts talking and 5 seconds later the 436 kicks in and I have already missed the first part. Like for example if I get lucky somebody will say, "thank you" and the XTS5000 will pick the whole thing up but my scanner will only get, "Q" And there are other things that end in, "Q" Think about it :D. All funnies aside is there a way I can tune this or should I look into a different antenna? I have dropped it flat on its face once and it slipped but it was from my hip height onto the kitchen floor which is not hard. I would think this drop wouldn't do much. I have taken the antenna off checked the connectors and put it back on. Also with the RS800 antenna I had to use the adapter that came in the box if maybe that slowed it down. Is there any device like the connector that has the same threads but maybe is a different material and increases the signal?
 

W8RMH

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It depends on what else the scanner is scanning and the scan speed.

Remember the XTS5000 is also making a connection with the system that the scanner is not. I don't think any scanner will perform as well as an actual radio for that system, otherwise they would cost thousands of dollars too.
 
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Well the Motorola 800 radios have a pre-amp in them! which amplifies the received signal a lot !
but one thing I can say is you will never get to a scanner to receive as good as the Motorola, in a weak signal environment
 

Ffbryce1

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So If I set it to scan like 5 channels do you think it will have a better time? Instead of like 100 channels? Or is it not even worth it to bother with it because it will act the same.
 

W8RMH

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If you are scanning other systems and/or conventional channels and there is a transmission on that system it will take time to scan back around to that system's control channel, thus that conversation is already in progress and you will have missed the beginning. Also the Hold times on these other channels will effect how much time the scanner spends away from the control channels too.

The fewer channels scanning the better. Scanning just that system's active controls channels would be best.
 
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kb8rvp

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BCD436HP 436 vs XTS5000??

Howcome when I put my 436 programmed on the same channels as a Motorola XTS5000, the 436 sucks? The XTS5000 is the departments radio and picks up 99% of the chatter. My 436 is personally owned and it picks up 50% of the chatter. I got the RS800 antenna (Radioshack antenna) for 800mhz frequency. Why does my scanned pick up half of the talk? The XTS5000 kicks in and starts talking and 5 seconds later the 436 kicks in and I have already missed the first part. Like for example if I get lucky somebody will say, "thank you" and the XTS5000 will pick the whole thing up but my scanner will only get, "Q" And there are other things that end in, "Q" Think about it :D. All funnies aside is there a way I can tune this or should I look into a different antenna? I have dropped it flat on its face once and it slipped but it was from my hip height onto the kitchen floor which is not hard. I would think this drop wouldn't do much. I have taken the antenna off checked the connectors and put it back on. Also with the RS800 antenna I had to use the adapter that came in the box if maybe that slowed it down. Is there any device like the connector that has the same threads but maybe is a different material and increases the signal?
When you say it's programmed are you using favorites lists or zip code programming? Just wondering when you say 50% is that because it's taking to long to scan the entire system and to get back around to the same talk group you hear on the XTS500 or is it just not decoding the system very well?

Mike
 

ofd8001

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Comparing a $500 scanner to a $4,000 radio is like comparing a rain coat to a firefighter's bunker coat. There's a lot more stuff "inside" which makes one perform a function better than the other.

Scanners are designed to receive a very broad assortment of radio "stuff", where portable radios are pretty focused on what it transmits/receives. Plus the components are more, for lack of a better word, "efficient" and thus more costly.

Possibly some of your issues are related to "bit error rate" which goes to how well the scanner is receiving and decoding the digital signal. This is where the more costly Motorola components come into play - they deal with the bit error rate a little more quickly/efficiently/effectively.

You could try tinkering with the P25 Threshold Mode and P25 Threshold Level settings in your scanner to see if some improvement could be realized.
 

kd7eir

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If you want to make any kind of REAL COMPARISON you will have to HOLD the scanner on the same system/CHANNEL that your XPS5000 is receiving. Not five channels, ONE CHANNEL ON HOLD.

Expecting a radio that is busy checking other channels/systems to pick up the same as a radio that is monitoring ONE CHANNEL/SYSTEM is ludicrous.
 

Ffbryce1

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See I actually did that and it was a great deal better but still missing half of the tone or beginning words.
 

kd7eir

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See I actually did that and it was a great deal better but still missing half of the tone or beginning words.

And THAT is why Motorola can charge so much for their radios. If ANYONE could build a radio as good as theirs for less they would no longer be able to command a king's ransom for them.
 

jonwienke

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Like for example if I get lucky somebody will say, "thank you" and the XTS5000 will pick the whole thing up but my scanner will only get, "Q"

If the system you're monitoring is a mixed P25, try setting the default 400ms decode parameter to 0ms. Otherwise all analog transmissions will have the first bit clipped off. I have a 436HP also and with the settings configured properly, I don't have this problem.
 

natedawg1604

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Is this a simulcast system? If so, that could make a big difference. However, it doesn't sound like that's your problem. I own a 396XT (the second-newest Uniden Scanner) and I've had several opportunities to compare it against XTS radios. The audio quality (as previously noted, the preamp stage) isn't as good, but I do pick up transmissions in real-time and you can usually hear everything just fine.

I've watched people talking on P-25 systems and it comes through in real-time. You should be able to scan through hundreds or even thousands of talkgroups without any problems. If you want to focus on a single talkgroup you should definitely "hold" on that talkgroup, on a single P-25 site/CC. Given the memory size of your scanner, you should be able to program a relatively small number of TG's in a single group.

I would hesitate to mention that some people have made "homebrew" XTS scanners. But trust me, you don't want to go there...
 
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