BCD325P2/BCD996P2: BDC996p2 reception problems

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TinBadge

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Panama City, Florida
Need some suggestions. I have a Uniden BCD996p2 installed in a vehicle. After getting it programed using Free Scan it works perfectly sitting in the driveway at my house. When I drive to the city where I work that's 10 miles away I get a NFM while I'm within the city limits. If I go outside the city limits it works again. It's like the city is a black hole. There are certain places I can go and it works, but if I go a few feet from that spot I get NFM again. I've tried changing antennas (a 800mzh) but nothing changes. I've done other suggestions I've seen on other threads, still nothing. I've re-programed the scanner several times with different configurations, no difference.
This seems only occurs in the city I work in. The terrain is not a factor. It's right on the Gulf Coast (Hurricane Michael came through almost three years ago and flattened the area). The county Law Enforcement switch over to 800mzh digital Motorola P25 phase 2 system about two months ago. I'm thinking about getting a db gain antenna but I'm afraid to spend the money and it doesn't work. Any suggestion would be nice.
 

tvengr

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Baltimore County, MD
What is your city, county, and state, and which system you are trying to monitor? It sounds like a classic example of simulcast distortion. If you are 10 miles away, you may be receiving only the tower closest to you. When in the city, you are probably surrounded by towers which are all transmitting on the same frequency at the same time and that is what causes simulcast distortion. It may work only at certain locations in the city where you are close to one of the towers. If I know your location (the city where you have receive problems), I can confirm that is most likely your problem. Using an antenna with more gain may only increase the number of towers you receive and decrease the ability of the scanner to properly decode the control channel. If simulcast is a factor, the Uniden SDS100 handheld and SDS200 base/mobile are the only scanners designed to receive simulcast systems. When in the city, turn on the attenuator and see if that improves reception.
 
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jonwienke

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Sounds like simulcast trouble, and your only option is a SDS model. None of the "stupid antenna tricks" commonly recommended for simulcast work when you're mobile.
 

kaitlyn4589

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Tucson Arizona PCWIN
usually if you check the radioreference database for your state county and or city it should tell you if you have simulcast im in tucson az and on the database for my city it tells me that i do indeed have simulcast which is why i bought an sds100
 

Ubbe

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Any suggestion would be nice.
If it's a simulcast problem then you'll have to try to only receive one site in the city. Try the attenuator setting, as that are the easiest to to do, func and push 7 for a couple of sec for global Att, and/or a less efficient antenna, perhaps just using the mount and remove the actual antenna rod when in the city. If the ATT worked then program that to only be active on the troublesome sites. You might have to add programming to use quick keys to toggle sites on and off for home without Att and for city use with Att.

/Ubbe
 

Arkmood

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Taney County MO
Any suggestion would be nice.
Consider a small cheap 2/3 port antenna switching box mounted (foam tape) in the vehicle... switch between antennas (dummy load, perhaps a low cost on glass ant. inside/outside vehicle, right angle so239,horizontally/vertical polarization, etc.) as your rf receive environment changes... Different ant. config. are endless/limited to what imaginative thought can produce, and works in any given situation...
 

buddrousa

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Retired 40 Year Firefighter NW Tenn
You can close one eye hop on one foot hold your mouth just right or you can buy the right tool for the job.
All of the scanner tricks might work if you stay in one place but they will not work if you are mobile and moving.
 

jonwienke

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All of the scanner tricks might work if you stay in one place but they will not work if you are mobile and moving.
Repeating it again with emphasis. NONE of the simulcast workarounds are helpful when you are not in a fixed location.

Attenuation (deliberately using crappy antennas, no antenna, putting the antenna in a paint can, and all other means of reducing the signal) will not help when your received signal levels are constantly changing as you move.

A directional antenna won't help unless it is connected to a GPS-aware servo system that knows your vehicle's location and orientation, and the transmitter site's location, and constantly adjusts the antenna orientation to keep it pointed at the selected transmitter. But of course you're going to need to periodically change which transmitter is being targeted, so it's going to need the RR database and a live data link to the scanner to know what site it's currently scanning...

It's a lot easier and cheaper to just buy the right tool for the job--a SDS scanner, Unication G pager, or some other receiver specifically designed to handle simulcast.
 

JoeBearcat

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Need some suggestions. I have a Uniden BCD996p2 installed in a vehicle. After getting it programed using Free Scan it works perfectly sitting in the driveway at my house. When I drive to the city where I work that's 10 miles away I get a NFM while I'm within the city limits. If I go outside the city limits it works again. It's like the city is a black hole. There are certain places I can go and it works, but if I go a few feet from that spot I get NFM again. I've tried changing antennas (a 800mzh) but nothing changes. I've done other suggestions I've seen on other threads, still nothing. I've re-programed the scanner several times with different configurations, no difference.
This seems only occurs in the city I work in. The terrain is not a factor. It's right on the Gulf Coast (Hurricane Michael came through almost three years ago and flattened the area). The county Law Enforcement switch over to 800mzh digital Motorola P25 phase 2 system about two months ago. I'm thinking about getting a db gain antenna but I'm afraid to spend the money and it doesn't work. Any suggestion would be nice.

It could be simulcast as others mention or it could be intermod or overload.

Not sure what you mean by you are "getting NFM". NFM is a mode, not a service.
 
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