BCD996XT finding control channel

[justin_reed4]

MY BCD996xt constantly blinks finding control channel and nothing come through. Im on a P25 I system. I programed the control channels in a new site like uniden said and still nothing.

 

[doctordialtone]

MY BCD996xt constantly blinks finding control channel and nothing come through. Im on a P25 I system. I programed the control channels in a new site like uniden said and still nothing.

Sounds like you are out of range of the transmitter. Are you?

Do you hear any noise on thee control channels?

Is it a P2 system?

Please post a link from the database.

 

[justin_reed4]

Sounds like you are out of range of the transmitter. Are you?

Is it a P2 system?

Please post a link from the database.

Im in range

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?siteId=18238

 

[doctordialtone]

If you scroll to the control channel, do you hear data and see the proper SID, like this:

 

[phask]

That means one of 2 things, weak or no signal or improper programming. That's it - nothing else, no magic. It simply means "I can't receive anything allowing me to decode this"

Re-check your programming or improve your antenna.


How do you know you are in range? Just because it shows a circle that is system coverage does not mean YOU can receive it.

FWIW - that is also a simulcast system and you may have other issues if you get it receiving.

 

[tvengr]

When you receive a control channel, the frequency will display on the screen. If not, it will show NFM. If the scanner is programmed correctly, you are either out of range or you are having simulcast problems. I see from the link that it is a four site simulcast system. You could try turning on the attenuator, moving the antenna around, or moving the scanner to different locations in the room.

 

[iMONITOR]

Im in range

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?siteId=18238

When you say you are in range, in range of what? There are numerous tower sites for MPSCS within that red circle. It's so condensed it's difficult for the scanner to cope with. Roughly where are you located? We don't need your address, just the general area. What are you using for an antenna? Inside, outside, stationary, mobile?

 

[ofd8001]

"Finding Control Channel" means the scanner is unable to acquire the control channel for a system/site. It could be for several reasons:

1. You might have programmed the listed Control Channel and Alternate Control Channel frequencies, but they "snuck" another frequency in on you that isn't listed.

2. Despite your best belief, you may be out of range, or stated differently not where the scanner receives the control channel. For example you are in a basement or some source of RF is de-sensing your scanner.

3. You have a busted antenna or bad antenna connection.

 

[ka3aaa]

scroll thru the frequencies one by one and see if you can manually tune to a control channel, it will look like the picture above that someone posted. If you cant find any control channels then they are not programmed in and will need to be. If you do fine any control channels or more than one the scanner will say cant find control channel and not work. If you find more than one control channel lock all them out but one and see what happens when you hit scan.

good luck

 

[ofd8001]

When all else fails, I recommend programming a trunked system as a conventional system, entering all of the frequencies (control, alternate control and voice). Then scan the system and you should hear a machine gun sound. Lockout or avoid that frequency (it is the actual control channel) after noting its frequency. Then continue to listen and see if you hear voice traffic.

Then get back into your programming and confirm that frequency you noted is being scanned as a control channel frequency.

If you hear nothing, not even that machine gun sound, then you are not receiving the system for reasons I noted above.

 

[justin_reed4]

If you scroll to the control channel, do you hear data and see the proper SID, like this:

View attachment 71914

This is the only one out of 3 i can get a hit on

 

[justin_reed4]

When you say you are in range, in range of what? There are numerous tower sites for MPSCS within that red circle. It's so condensed it's difficult for the scanner to cope with. Roughly where are you located? We don't need your address, just the general area. What are you using for an antenna? Inside, outside, stationary, mobile?

Im in belleville and im using a tram model 1410

 

[doctordialtone]

This is the only one out of 3 i can get a hit on

Do you get a good, solid signal?

If so, try putting the scanner in "ID Search" mode. (Push in the Silver Knob and press SCAN/SEARCH until the display says "ID Search".)

Wait and see...

 

[justin_reed4]

View attachment 71935

Do you get a good, solid signal?

If so, try putting the scanner in "ID Search" mode. (Push in the Silver Knob and press SCAN/SEARCH until the display says "ID Search".)

Wait and see...

It was spotty so i moved the antenna around and got a solid one of just all white noise

 

[doctordialtone]

It was spotty so i moved the antenna around and got a solid one of just all white noise

Great move.

Try the ID Search thing.

 

[justin_reed4]

Great move.

Try the ID Search thing.

Still nothing i have a radio from my department sitting next to me and its talked a few times and nothing on the scanner. Its on ID Search

 

[iMONITOR]

Im in belleville and im using a tram model 1410

That would not be my first choice for 700~850MHz but it should work ok. How high is it? What coax are you using and how long is it?

 

[iMONITOR]

It's difficult if not impossible to help you if we don't know your location. Several towers on MPSCS are very directional. Many of them in the Detroit area are on the outer parimeter facing inward toward the city.

 

[justin_reed4]

That would not be my first choice for 700~850MHz but it should work ok. How high is it? What coax are you using and how long is it?

So the way that my department is set up is 700/800 but the FD frequency is patched to vhf to trip our pagers, I have the FD working right now, our PD is on the P25. Im using RG8X for the cable

 

[justin_reed4]

It's difficult if not impossible to help you if we don't know your location. Several towers on MPSCS are very directional. Many of them in the Detroit area are on the outer parimeter facing inward toward the city.

Im in Belleville trying to get Belleville FD and PD on the scanner we use van buren township for dispatch