APCO-25 Question

[brandonbv]

According to this website my local Kentucky State Police are APCO-25 digital. I programmed my 396 in Motorola P25 mode and entered in all of the 453 and 460 Mhz frequencies that are closest to my area (I am in Daviess County, the closest KSP location is Henderson County.)

I immediately began picking up transmissions, however there was a problem. The transmissions kept breaking up. When I would hear voice it sounded perfectly clear with no static, it would just cut off to where I could not understand the conversation. I thought maybe it was the distance away from Henderson (30 miles.)

I decided to take a little road trip to see if there were improvements. To my dismay the transmissions were exactly the same. They kept breaking up but when i could actually hear a voice through the speaker it sounded perfectly clear.

According the to website KSP transmits on APCO-25 but it is not trunked. I tried programming it on conventional and motorola P25 with the same results. I am going to try UHF since this website says "The new UHF system is APCO-25 Compliant. It is NOT trunked."

Any suggestions as to what the problem could be?

 

[rdale]

If it is not trunked, do not program it as a trunked system.

It would be CONVENTIONAL.

 

[brandonbv]

I tried programming it in conventional and it did the same thing. When programming the scanner it gives me 4 main modes - CONVENTIONAL, MOT(motorola), EDCS, and LT(LTR) - I've tried conventional and MOT P25 with the same results-audio sounds clear but cuts in and out resulting in inaudible transmissions. I've now programmed it in MOT UHF mode-no transmissions as of yet.

 

[brandonbv]

I am picking up nothing at all on UHF mode. I have an analog scanner right by my digital one so i know when a transmission is broadcasting. I get the digital noise on the analog scanner but hear voice on the digital one that breaks up (in the MOT P25 mode and conventional). I can't figure out what the problem is.

 

[N_Jay]

I am picking up nothing at all on UHF mode. I have an analog scanner right by my digital one so i know when a transmission is broadcasting. I get the digital noise on the analog scanner but hear voice on the digital one that breaks up (in the MOT P25 mode and conventional). I can't figure out what the problem is.

Either a weak signal or some kind of finterference or a bad scanner.

 

[brandonbv]

I think it has to be some sort of programming error on my part. Analog trunking is working fine. Conventional sytems are working fine. I am just having trouble figuring out how to get the digital voice to sound constant and clear.

 

[brandonbv]

I changed the modulation from FM to NFM on a CONVENTIONAL system and now I am hearing clearer transmissions. It seems strange to me that NFM made it work correctly. Again, digital is new to me (my first digital scanner.)

It is still a weak signal with the standard antenna since I am 30 miles away but NFM is certainly helping me understand the conversations. I may take another road trip to the area in the morning to see if it clears up the transmissions.

 

[ShawnCowden]

welcome kentucky member try all ur ksp post freqs and see if any others come in better weird but true u could hear one farther away better then the one closer to u and i dont understand why ur county dont got ksp repeaters

is alot of traffic on their channels ???

 

[brandonbv]

I am currently hearing all sorts of traffic from the Henderson area frequencies that i programmed. The signal strength meter only shows one bar but it comes in clear as day. I am looking forward to my next trip to Bowling Green to hear what kind of action they've got over there. (There is a KSP post there.)

All I had to do was change FM to NFM to hear everything.

So far i've picked up McClean and Ohio county transmitters but there is alot going on.

 

[ShawnCowden]

alot of stuff going on ?? im curious cause im from post 11 in london but live in ohio now and plan to move back in like 2 yrs. hopefully post 10 and 11 are still active then also the new 800 mhz trs should be online then
one guy who lives in harlan can pick up london post via a grove scanner beam antenna u could try that or som other antenna besides the stock also try a sma uhf 440 mhz ham antenna

 

[brandonbv]

I am using the stock antenna and am picking up 460.2125 and 460.2875 clearly. I have not programmed any other KSP areas/frequencies into the scanner but will definately do so. I would love to have an outdoor antenna hooked up to hear more action but I live in an apartment and really have no place to put one.

 

[ShawnCowden]

even with a scanner beam in the apt. it should work great im sure their other options out there so just ask around. also check out our kentucky forum for alot of good info
btw im running the pro 96

 

[brandonbv]

I would love to have an antenna that would pick up better than the stock one. I have several aftermarket handheld antennas but I am sure none of them would stack up to a nice roof mount or outdoor antenna!