ANDERSON Project 25 ISSUE

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LarrySC

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Several people, including myself, have made a trip to Anderson to get a better grip on this new system. The issue is you have signal in some places and NO signal in others. I can go to the Carolina Drive In on Old Buncombe Road here in Greenville and sit at my regular stool and receive signal that is between fair to good. I can receive signal down White Horse Road [US 25]. When I cut off toward Anderson signal goes to pot. The people in Anderson cant get 20% data down the 28 By Pass. One fellow said the closer he got to the tower the less signal he got. I plan another trip in about a week. I'lll run one scanner in the ATT mode to see if it makes any difference. I'm putting up two [2] ants next week. One is a large Comtelco 800 Yagi and the other is a PAIR of tri-band 14 element 18db gain beams I bought made in China. I'll post my findings. Test will be conducted from the roof of TV-4 tomorrow morning with the Comtelco. I just figure the issue is the antenna they are using. Surely the Anderson area should be Smoking with RF. All replys, appreciated. Larry
 

LarrySC

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Bad Plan. From the roof of TV-4 we could not get but 2% data on the p25 Anderson system. Was clear of all other objects on roof. Ant worked OK for all of the Pal 800 towers in range. Beats me because the Carolina Drive Inn is only 2 blocks behind the TV Station. I can get about 70% data at the lunch counter with 3" 800 ant on my PRO106. PS. I dont see Uniden users posting anything. HaHa
 

mully95

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I was in Abbeville today and was picking up the Anderson p25 system. The clarity was 80% get back in Anderson and it dropped to 50%. This is with a Uniden. I have a hard time understanding that.
 

Searay

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I have traveled several times down 85 and back and picked up on both 996T and 396T with about 80%.

Matt
 

mully95

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I work at Anderson Auto Glass and we get Anderson Sheriff's vehicles. They brought one of their units in that had a cracked windshield. I compared my scanner reception with that of the units reception and noticed a big difference. Which of course the units reception was clear and my scanner was garble sometimes. This automatically tells me that the Uniden scanners aren't capable of decoding the digital quick enough in order to get a clear reception.
 

jim202

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Have not done any homework on this so will just ask the questions.

Is this a simulcast system?

How many TX towers does the system have?

Again, not knowing the facts about the system, your comments are pointing towards a simulcast
system. It may need to have some timing adjustments, but would expect that the users would be
complaining if that was the case. I could be wrong on my guess.

Many scanners out there today, do not do well on a P25 system with simulcast. The scanner
companies are playing catch up with the software to do a good job decoding the signals.

Jim




I work at Anderson Auto Glass and we get Anderson Sheriff's vehicles. They brought one of their units in that had a cracked windshield. I compared my scanner reception with that of the units reception and noticed a big difference. Which of course the units reception was clear and my scanner was garble sometimes. This automatically tells me that the Uniden scanners aren't capable of decoding the digital quick enough in order to get a clear reception.
 

mully95

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From understanding there is only one tower for the p25 system. The Pal800 system towers in my area is one on Manse Jolly rd, and off of HWY 29 North,(I believe one more). AL I'm getting on the Pal800 system is Belton and Honea Path in which the Anderson sheriff used to use the system all of the time. They switched to the P25 system now.

P25 location
Site Map: Palmetto (Project 25) Trunking System, , South Carolina
 

afd3350

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Anderson Site of the Palmetto P25 System is a simulcast site. I believe there are 5 subsites spread across the county but don't quote me on the number. You can research their license and see what they have listed.
 

Searay

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AFD3350 is correct, it is a five (5) site simulcast on the Palmetto 800 P25 system.

Matt




Anderson Site of the Palmetto P25 System is a simulcast site. I believe there are 5 subsites spread across the county but don't quote me on the number. You can research their license and see what they have listed.
 

LarrySC

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I looked at the Tower Data. Only one twr with an elevation of over 247' I do understand time delay with simulcast BUT I dont see it having effect on little or NO signal. I didnt bother to go back and read all the problems they had in Charleston but I guess its the same. The #'s on the #1 tower dont look right at all. I do understand the difference between a $3,500 radio and a $500 scanner. Larry
 

LarrySC

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It's me again Margaret---I must correct my last post. I found that the towers belong to Crown Comms and the data in "feet" is actually in "Meters". SO, when you look at the FCC data on the towers you will have to Cipher like Jethroe. I PGM'ed my scanner in Grnvl only to the Piedmont "Pasture Drive" Tower 7 Freqs. Didnt help.
 

mully95

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Forgive my ignorance but this the tower

FCC Callsign WPRF317 Details

is for this system below...... correct?

RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference Database

There used to be more towers (Manse Jolly, Starr) but just noticed today the only one left now is the one on Campbell Rd.

And this tower

Site Map: Palmetto (Project 25) Trunking System, , South Carolina

is for this system (Anderson University) .

Palmetto (Project 25) Trunking System, , South Carolina - Scanner Frequencies

To me there is two totally different systems here. Basically the Palmetto 800 system out of commission. The reason I say that is there is very, very little traffic on there now. If I want to hear Belton and Honea Path then this system is what I would listen to.

Now if you was me and want to hear the P25 (not Palmetto 800) system exclusively which tower would you aim your exterior mounted 800mhz antenna towards?
 
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LarrySC

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The Pal 800 is still in operation in Anderson Co. The rural towns are using it as always. Belton, Iva, etc. The new Project 25 system is the one we''re having trouble with.
 

KF4JYE

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I live in Anderson about 3 miles from the downtown P-25 tower. It is on the the water tank behind the library. I, too, have some reception problems on my BC-396T and BC-996T. I suspect front-end overload due to numerous paging transmitters and cell towers in the area between this tower and my house. Therefore, I tried setting the attenuator as Larry suggested, but it still did not help.

Interestingly, I can easily pick up this system in Walhalla (probably from the Mance Jolly tower which is definitely on-line). I can also clearly pick up this system in Elberton, so I suspect the Starr tower is also on-line.
 

LarrySC

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The more I drill down thru FCC data and Towers I find that Lat / Lon N34.51483 // W-82.63792 for the License WQJQ932 is located on the Total Communications Tower at Anderson College. That tower # is 1208761. Height about 900' to 1000'. I looked at the water tower location and there is nothing in the FCC database for that location. SO, somewhere along the line some of the RR data is in error. It would be interesting for someone to ask the tower owner, Bob Kinder, in Seneca about the antenna and power they are running. Pending more replys, Larry
 

AgileSC

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Anderson, SC
I daily monitor the P-25 and Pal800 systems with a BCD996T in and around Anderson and haven't encountered any issues. The scanner is mounted in my vehicle with a 1/4" wave VHF antenna. The 10frequencies listed under Site 62 are programmed for P-25. I haven't heard a lot of traffic lately on the Pal800. I typically monitor City PD, City FD, Co. EMS, Co. FD and Sheriff on P-25.
 

LarrySC

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Do you have to set the band plan on a 996 like you do on the 796?????? Also are you PGM'ing all freqs or just Controller in CC mode.?????
 

mully95

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Anderson SC
Do you have to set the band plan on a 996 like you do on the 796?????? Also are you PGM'ing all freqs or just Controller in CC mode.?????

Larry I don't mean to interrupt your question but while using Freescan to program my 396 I noticed for some unknown reason Freescan wasn't sending the band plan freqs over to my scanner. I had to manually program the band plan freqs into my scanner. Now I changed some things around on my scanner using Freescan oneday and by doing so erased my band plan. I used my scanner for weeks before noticing that there wasn't freqs in the band plan but was still getting normal traffic just like I had freqs in the band plan. ?????? But I did notice that there was 851.00625 and 762.00625 in the band plan in which I did not program that into my scanner....... especially the 762.00625 freq.... where did that come from??

Anyways I'm getting county and city this very moment and all that is in the band plan is those two above freqs. Just for the record I program all the freqs and don't us control channel mode.
 

mully95

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Anderson SC
AgileSC since you're doing so well in reception I'm also would like to know what you have the below setting set too. This is a example.

Digital
P25 resp time -7
P25 ref gain +3

Analog
Resp time -3
Ref gain -2
Gain range +11
 
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