bcd436hp and loudoun

[earlpearl]

Hello I just became a member on radio reference. I bought the new uniden scanner and it works fine however on the loudoun radio system I hear crackling sounds on the police talk groups but not on any of the fire talk groups. I contacted uniden and they say it is loudouns system not the scanner. Can anyone give me some insight on this? Is anyone in loudoun who bought the new uniden having the same issue? Thanks in advance for any help on this.

 

[freqhopping]

I've noticed the same and mentioned it in a few threads in the Uniden section. It seems to be limited to when the channels are in TDMA mode.

 

[freqhopping]

I recorded some comms that had crackling. While listening to the .wav files on my computer there was no crackling. It has something to do with the speaker and jack. I even hear the crackling with my earbuds.

 

[earlpearl]

Bcd436

Hello so the speaker and jack are the cause? Do u know of anyone else having the same issue?

 

[brownlab]

I am not getting that kind of noise on my PSR 800 (or on my 996XT when it decodes Phase 2 TDMA) so my first thought assuming that the scanner is OK and this is not the speaker or speaker jacks would be caused by the system simulcasting. This happens a lot out here especially if you are close to a tower and it can make a sort of cracking sound. The condition seems to occur more on the LCSO frequencies than Fire. You may want to search the posts for this since this issue has been a popular topic of discussion. You also might want to take the unit on a road trip and see how it works away from your home. Since I do not know much about the 436HP I have no clue what features there are concerning you audio adjustments but I would read up on that if you have not already. I would also make sure your SQ is set correctly. Sometimes the solution is just moving the scanner to another location in your house. Other users have had luck with the “stubby antenna” used on Racing Scanners (they are like $5 at RS). I am not sure this is your issue but it is a possibility. If you figure out what is going on please let us know. I am thinking about buying one of these.
Thanks

 

[earlpearl]

bcd436hp

Ok I will try the stubby antenna and will let you know results. Do u think maybe returning this unit and trying another is best?

 

[brownlab]

I guess I would be interested to know if you are getting the cracking sound on any other frequencies such as Fairfax County Police (I don’t know if you can pick that up in Leesburg) which is why I suggested trying the scanner out in other locations. If you are only getting this noise with the Loudoun County law enforcement talk groups then I would suspect it may be a simulcasting issue. A while back there was a Loudoun County Sheriff live feed on Radio Reference and I noticed that the feed also had a “cracking sound”. I spent a lot of time last night reading the Uniden X36 Phase II TDMA Voice Decoding Performance Thread which is under the Uniden Scanner forum and the quality of the Voice Decoding is a hot topic so you may want to check that out and post questions there. That said if Uniden will exchange the scanner then sure, why not however do not be disappointed if you find the new scanner has the same issue (I really hope it does not). Good luck.

 

[fredva]

Dave's Radio Page at N9EWO - Dave's Radio News documents some known problems with the new Unidens. Might be worth checking out to see if your noise problem is one of them.

 

[earlpearl]

Ok thank you I have listened to Fairfax county's and VASP systems and have not heard the crackling on those systems. Daves radio news does have the problem i described listed. I have been listening to the Loudoun system this evening and have noticed the noise has decreased i haven't changed any settings so I don't know I guess I will continue to monitor the forums and learn as much as i can. I do however really like the scanner despite some of the crackling sound. Thanks for your help greatly appreciated.

 

[brownlab]

You may find that over time your reception may improve. Mine did with the PSR 800 but I am not sure exactly why. I am in far western Loudoun and reception can be dicey. I generally use a 700-800mz rubber duck antennas from Radio Shack or Scanner Masters which seem to work the best (I do not know what stock one comes with the Uniden). I also sometimes use a BNC right angel connector so my antenna lays at 90 degrees. This allows me to rotate the antenna 360 degrees and point it a different directions. I know that sounds wacky but it does seem to make a difference.

 

[earlpearl]

bcd436hp

Ok thank you very much for the tips.