BCD396T Audio issues (prob a newb issue)

[bo_duke]

Ok folks, another NOOB question here. Apologies in advance.

I downloaded the .usd files for Prince William County and Fairfax County VA and uploaded to the radio. I have EVERYTHING unlocked and I am picking up radio traffic. However the audio is rather choppy. I can hear folks talking but it comes in and out on just about every channel. The status bars fluctuate like the audio does. It jumps from one bar to 3 bars to no bars rather quickly. When there are no bars no audio coincides. Ive been driving all over the counties and i get this no matter where i am at. I dont think im in an area with a bad signal. I think there is a setting i am missing.
Again i can pick up all the transmissions but the transmissions sound like a bad intercom at a fast food drive up window.

What am i missing folks? I am guessing there is a setting i dont have turned on correctly. I looked through the book and could not find the "aha" answer. You assistance is greatly appreciated!

 

[steve_eg]

Have you updated the firmware?

 

[bo_duke]

I tried. I get the "this is not the correct product" error.

I will try again.

 

[dynamitedjs]

I had the same situation when I programmed my scanner. Your setting that you chose for the jurisdiction you programmed is probably not truly digital. Not knowing the exact jurisdiction you have programmed. If you did program it as digital (P25), change it to 800 standard instead.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

the audio is rather choppy

If the audio is cutting out at regular intervals of approximately every 2 seconds, you likely have one of the various priority settings enabled.

 

[epbernstein]

If the audio is cutting out at regular intervals of approximately every 2 seconds, you likely have one of the various priority settings enabled.

I've been wondering why that is so noticeable with this scanner. I have others, both Radio Shack and Uniden, which seem to handle the priority scanning silently.

 

[swest90]

Close call or priority? Priority doesnt seem to be an issue here, close call is the one that is noticeable to me.

 

[dynamitedjs]

yeah, on close call it cuts out every two seconds like west said. Make sure close call is off. If its on you will see a circle with crosshairs through it on the right lower hand corner of the display....

 

[bo_duke]

its not 2 seconds exactly. I have weather scan, priority and Wx all turned off.
Any other suggestions. Sometimes when it comes on, i get that machine gun sound also..
Its like listening to a fast food restaurant intercom.

 

[Al42]

Fairfax county? Program it as a Motorola 800 MHZ type II Standard system, not as a P25 system.

 

[jpm]

Maybe coverage problem

"You may or may not hear the system in Lake County. It depends on
were you live, antenna, and other unknown factors! Just as an FYI,
some areas of Buffalo Grove (a user of the NWCD digital system) have
dead areas and they revert back to VHF fire channels for these areas.

They are looking for a solution and it basically comes down to
needing some additional transmitter/receiver sites."

This is a post here in one of the Illinois message boards. I have been asking people who complain about the audio issues if indeed there is a coverage problem with the towers. I my self live in Buffalo Grove and yes at times I do have the audio issues everyone is experiencing when I'm in theses dead spots. I know for a fact that the most northernly tower was replaced with another ( funny how the tower was taken down after a new one was put up without a weather related storm in the spring). And I believe the manual also states such. I myself have very good audio from all my uniden scanners and I'm one mile from the most northerly tower.