BC898t doesn't seem very sensitive?

[eahuntley]

I've got a BC898t and a BCD396t, but I've always used the 396t far more. Lately I've been using the 898t more, and it seems like it's far less sensitive than the 396t. Is this common? I'm just wondering if I might have a setting screwed up or something.

I've spent quite a bit of time with both scanners scanning the same 800mhz trunking system, and it seems like the 396t just picks up substantially more traffic than the 898t does.

I usually use a rat shack 800mhz antenna on the 396t, but I've tried this experiment with the stock antenna(on both scanners) and results are the same. I use the ARC software to program both scanners.

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

 

[cg]

You can get interference on some frequencies which would result in some traffic being missed. This would be some missed and some received transmissions on the same talkgroup. If you are saying that you are missing some talkgroups on the 898, that is a programming issue.

You can test it by programming all the systems channels in conventional mode and step through them one by one. Do a side by side comparison with the two radios and then swap antennas and repeat it.

If you are close to the system, try the attenuator and see if that makes a difference.

chris

 

[SCPD]

EAH.... I have two 898T and they both work GREAT. Once I got all the info for the 8 options like C/C only and which plan to use (PL1,2,3,4) Check this fourm for the 8 options that I posted and the best setting for them. The manual is pretty lame, but I found ALOT of info in the BCT-8 manual. I still can not find what option 4 is, but if you turn it off the radio will not track.

Mark

 

[ab8sn]

I have two BC898's as well and love them both. I just monitor conventional frequencies with them but the sensitivity is great. Both are just as sensitive as my Pro 96. My 898's will be chatting away while my other table top units are just scanning away.

73s

Chad

 

[eahuntley]

I plugged in a mobile "hershey kiss" antenna, and now I'm getting all sorts of traffic. It's possible my stock antenna wasn't seated on the bnc connector quite right. Turning on the "delay" seems to have helped a lot as well.