There seems to be a terminology issue here: bocook22 asked what is the worst thing that can happen with a GHOST radio, and was told that ids could be duplicated. If I understand motorcoachdoug's response, checking or unchecking three boxes prevents the radio from affiliating. So is a non-affiliating radio the same thing as a ghost radio? And if it is unaffiliated, does that make the concern about duplicating ids moot?
I didn't mean a "Ghost radio" on the system but was referring to "Ghosting" the system. Some of the older Harris radios allow you to program the system in just as if you were an authorized user but you uncheck some boxes and it works like a normal radio without NAS or anything special. Kind of like the BK radios I've heard about. No affiliation, no interference, no nothing untoward to a radio system.
Motorcoachdoug confuses me in saying he can do it on a Unity yet says he's running NAS on it too. I guess you can do NAS on any radio but "Ghosting" I was told would not work on newer Harris radios by someone with Harris with well over 30 years of experience there. (a friend)
The story I heard was M radios used to do it but M stopped it after complaints and agencies started complaining to Harris so Harris stopped allowing their radios to do it too. Whether that is true or not I don't know.
He used the older radios on the systems he monitored unless he had authorization then he used his Unity and was authorized to do so. NAS is so complicated I'd be worried about screwing something up so I'd never do it for not wanting to interfere on a system. That's just me. Better safe than sorry IMO. Ghosting all I need to do is put in frequencies and talk groups, uncheck some boxes and hit write then turn on the radio and you're set.
Still a scanner works for me most of the time just fine. I rarely have any issue with my 536 on this system. Sometimes yes but not enough to worry about. I pick up Rockbridge fine and STARS as well as WVSIRN when in range. I have some issues with my old GRE 500 picking up stuff when I go down into Roanoke on it but when I have my 536 it works fine there too.
Generally speaking I agree, Rodney should stick to a scanner or Unication. An SDS 200 or Unication would do away with any issues he might be having with simulcast. Attenuating might help too. There is a tower in Clifton I remember correctly.