536hp P25 in Kentucky vs SDS200

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wildcatfan

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I currently have the 536hp. Sounds great on p25 most of the time ksp. But sometimes it sounds cut off or delayed and maybe garbled? It is programed with favorite list only (1 County and 1 post). No zip scanning. I have about 2.05 db of gain on vhf and 1.69 db on uhf. I know it dosent say simulcast but could it possibly be? I can still return this scanner and get the sds 200 for a lil more if I need to?

Thanks again
 

Enjoi19

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What system are you scanning? That will help give proper answers better. Give us a link to the database page for it.
 

DudleyG

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Not sure which KSP Post you are trying to listen to but you have to have all of the frequencies for that post in your scan list. Each post has 5 to 8 repeaters with both a "A" version and a "B" version. The dispatchers and troopers are almost always on the "B" version but you should enter both versions.

For example, I live in Lexington (Fayette Co) which is part of KSP Post 12. There are repeaters in Lexington, Frankfort, Shelbyville, Owenton, and Shepherdsville for Post 12. A trooper in Scott County calling the Frankfort post dispatcher may connect to the Owenton repeater but the dispatcher may be heard on the Lexington or the Frankfort repeater. The scanner will stay on the repeater for 2 seconds but the dispatcher starts on a different repeater, thus you might miss the first few words.

If you don't have all frequencies, you are likely to hear only one side. In my case, the trooper maybe in Shelby County and that is too far away for my scanner to hear, but the dispatcher comes up on the Frankfort repeater that I can hear. Garbled speech is sign of a weak signal.

The 536hp is probably better on conventional P25 systems than the SDS200. The SDS200 is great on 700/800 frequencies but is sometimes only ok on P25 systems in the 460Mhz range.
 

Remington12G

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I run the 536HP on Post 6, Post 7, and Post 12 all from Scott County and it sounds great. What @DudleyG said above is accurate and the best advice someone could give on the KSP system.
 

Remington12G

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All posts are multi-cast, not simulcast. What ever is geographically closer to you is what you might want to use for the repeaters. I am in Scott and use the KSP Frankfort 12 repeater.


So the SDS wouldn't make any difference in my area for the digital p25?
Unless your county is on a simulcast trunked system, That's correct. The 536HP should work fine.
 

DudleyG

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Load all 11 of the frequencies into the scanner and if you are near the center of the area the post covers, you will likely hear traffic from each of the sites at some time. I am on the very east end of the Frankfort post but I still have the Shelbyville repeaters loaded and every once in a while I actually hear a trooper on that repeater and not just what the dispatcher responds to the trooper from say the Frankfort repeater.
 

wildcatfan

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I have them all loaded. Thank you all very much! Wasnt sure what I was hearing from time to time. Glad that this clears this up. Great group of people here!
 

wildcatfan

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Kentucky
Not sure which KSP Post you are trying to listen to but you have to have all of the frequencies for that post in your scan list. Each post has 5 to 8 repeaters with both a "A" version and a "B" version. The dispatchers and troopers are almost always on the "B" version but you should enter both versions.

For example, I live in Lexington (Fayette Co) which is part of KSP Post 12. There are repeaters in Lexington, Frankfort, Shelbyville, Owenton, and Shepherdsville for Post 12. A trooper in Scott County calling the Frankfort post dispatcher may connect to the Owenton repeater but the dispatcher may be heard on the Lexington or the Frankfort repeater. The scanner will stay on the repeater for 2 seconds but the dispatcher starts on a different repeater, thus you might miss the first few words.

If you don't have all frequencies, you are likely to hear only one side. In my case, the trooper maybe in Shelby County and that is too far away for my scanner to hear, but the dispatcher comes up on the Frankfort repeater that I can hear. Garbled speech is sign of a weak signal.

The 536hp is probably better on conventional P25 systems than the SDS200. The SDS200 is great on 700/800 frequencies but is sometimes only ok on P25 systems in the 460Mhz range.
This really helped me out! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all this. I know it took you awhile to type all that. Lol Thank you!
 

ofd8001

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You could double check to see if Attenuator is on for any of the channels. Also if all the antenna connections are snug.

Lastly, and this is exceedingly remote, but there could be something near the scanner that is desensitizing it. A lot of electrical "things" generate a little bit of radio signal that can interfere with a scanner if they are too close to each other.

If the problem persists and all the above are checked and okay, an outside antenna (or attic) might be helpful.

KSP's current system does not use any kind of simulcast (multiple transmitters on the same frequency) so an SDS scanner isn't warranted.

Programming all of a post's channels is sound advice. Your closest tower could have a problem, so if the next closest isn't programmed, you will be out of reception until it is repaired.

I will often hear a dispatcher tell a trooper "You are going digital" (garbled), so even "they" have this issue. A unit could be in a bad area, such as on the backside of a hill, and not get to a receiver very well. KSP has fussed for years about bad coverage, so they are looking to make changes (a ways off I'm sure). Bear in mind that this system has some age on it. It started out as an analog UHF system back in the early 80s and switched over to digital perhaps just after 2000. Still, the towers, microwave, etc. have age on them.

Also just the way they go about things has opportunities for less than stellar signal. Portable radio to vehicular repeater/extender, then mobile radio to a tower. Their portables are fairly low power, so a trooper has to be close to his/her vehicle. And then if there is something where multiple units are present, having more than 1 mobile repeater in use happens and that messes up the signal.
 
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