Heres my dilemma.. I currently have a pro 197 that I'm using mobile setup on the South Dakota statewide VHF trunking system. The system is VHF Motorola smartzone type II P25 interface. Long story short, I bought a new car and I would love to get a 996 with a remote head to make it look nicer. Right now my 197 works wonders on the system and I never have a problem decoding the digital signal. I have heard that the 996 gets fidgety when used mobile listening to a digital trunked system if the signal is not that wonderful. Im driving on the interstate a lot and going t between different tower sites. Any thoughts?
996 on VHF statewide dig while mobile
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ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
2 points to consider here - if your 197 works well, then get one of those holders you can put in the cup holder (I believe Panavise sells them, among others) and a good 2m amateur antenna (most are quite broad banded enough to handle freqs right up to 160 Mhz or so before performance drops off), and you have an inexpensive mobile. You can put the radio in your bag, and not have to worry about anyone stealing it.
I don't have too many VHF P25 systems around here, so I will leave it to others to comment, but keep in mind that you can use GPS with a 996 to select sites as you go (this is referred to as Location Based Scanning). That won't be quite as good as the 197 (with what I think is called the Roam feature) but it will help make sure that you have the strongest signal for your travels. Again, a good amateur 2m antenna should work very well in this regard.
If you want to learn about Location Based Scanning, we have an excellent article in our wiki on the subject...
Location Based Scanning - The RadioReference Wiki
HTH...Mike
I don't have too many VHF P25 systems around here, so I will leave it to others to comment, but keep in mind that you can use GPS with a 996 to select sites as you go (this is referred to as Location Based Scanning). That won't be quite as good as the 197 (with what I think is called the Roam feature) but it will help make sure that you have the strongest signal for your travels. Again, a good amateur 2m antenna should work very well in this regard.
If you want to learn about Location Based Scanning, we have an excellent article in our wiki on the subject...
Location Based Scanning - The RadioReference Wiki
HTH...Mike
davidmc36
Member
It is true that I have found my 996T to have trouble with digital decoding when the signal is flakey. But with the GPS I seldom have to worry about poor signal since it keeps me listening to only the sites that are within range.
An antenna mounted to the center of the roof with a drilled hole and proper grounding was worth the effort to get good mobile performance on VHF digital. Second best was a mag-mount placed in the center of the roof.
An antenna mounted to the center of the roof with a drilled hole and proper grounding was worth the effort to get good mobile performance on VHF digital. Second best was a mag-mount placed in the center of the roof.
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