can't get conventional system to scan

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dons1957

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Last night I performed a search and save function. I had the scanner place them into a new conventional system that I had created. I assigned quick keys to the system and group. (no sites). When I try to scan this system, the scanner just sits on the first frequency and will not perform scan. any ideas?
 

ecps92

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Sounds like it might have been programed as Trunk Freqs vs Conventional.


Last night I performed a search and save function. I had the scanner place them into a new conventional system that I had created. I assigned quick keys to the system and group. (no sites). When I try to scan this system, the scanner just sits on the first frequency and will not perform scan. any ideas?
 

UPMan

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Do you hear noise? If so, you might have squelch set too low.

For more specific tips, be sure to always let folks know which specific scanner you have (I can tell you have a Uniden dynamic memory scanner...that narrows it down to 10 possible models).
 

dons1957

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No, I confirmed that it is conventional. I am using the 996XT. All I did is perform a conventional search and save operation into a system. Now that I have collected all the channels with hits, I try to scan the system and the scanner just hangs on the first channel in the list.
 

hiegtx

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It does not appear that squelch is the problem.
Does it still "hang" on that first channel without the antenna connected? If so, it may be a birdie. That's a signal generated internally in the scanner, by it's own processor. It will sound, more or less, like dead air, no voice. Squelch won't always eliminate it, and removing the antenna has no effect because the signal is coming from within the scanner itself.

If not, then it may be interference from something else near the scanner or it's antenna. PC's, monitors, wireless hubs, cable tv lines and boxes, many other items can create unwanted signals. Your "search & save" could have grabbed an interfering signal, and saved it as a legitimate transmission.
 

dons1957

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it hangs on every channel in the system. each time i scroll to the next channel, it does the same thing. i was trying to think of something in system settings that might cause this, but can't think of anything. is this anything anybody out there has done successfully on the 996xt?
 

ScannerWayne

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Don,

There is a circumstance that will cause the scanner to hang. But I've never had it happen to more than a couple of freqs in a system. It's been so long ago that I ran across it I have pretty much forgotten the details of the cause. But essentially the scanner is receiving a signal, but it's right at the edge of breaking the squelch. Enough to hold up the scanner, not enough to break the squelch.

Might want to turn the squelch off and see if there is faint signal to be heard.

Wayne...
 

dons1957

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printout of system that will not scan

I don't think this will help, but I have attached a printout of the conventional system structure that will not scan properly. It is now scanning the system, but the scanner does not move to the other systems on it. It either just stays on this created system, or it sometimes moves to next system, but after an inordinate amount of time.

Don,

There is a circumstance that will cause the scanner to hang. But I've never had it happen to more than a couple of freqs in a system. It's been so long ago that I ran across it I have pretty much forgotten the details of the cause. But essentially the scanner is receiving a signal, but it's right at the edge of breaking the squelch. Enough to hold up the scanner, not enough to break the squelch.

Might want to turn the squelch off and see if there is faint signal to be heard.

Wayne...
 

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ScannerWayne

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Dons1957,

Ok.. Took a look at the file and there is nothing there that leaps out at me.

But now I'm curious as to what you have your HOLD and DELAY settings set to?

Excuse me if this is redundant to you, but HOLD refers to the time the scanner will stay scanning a system. DELAY refers to the time the scanner will stay on a "channel", wether that be a frequency or a talkgroup, that has opened the squelch. Might want to take a look at those values. Personally I keep my HOLD time for all systems I have to "0"; And usually keep the DELAY set to 5.

Can you post a file with the all the settings for this system as well as the general settings for your scanner? Might be a clue in there that we can use to figure this out.

Another thing you can try. Program 454.000 into Group 2 and see if the scanner hangs on that. If it doesn't, look at the RSSI and make a note of that. Then step back to 453.975 and compare the RSSI value there. If there is indeed a signal present the RSSI values will give you a good indication of it. You can do the same thing for the others as well and see if there is indeed a signal present thats not breaking the squelch.

Wayne...
 

W8RMH

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While in search your scanner is also finding and storing frequencies that may be birdies, (signals internally generated by the scanner), RF interference, bleed over from nearby frequencies, weak signals from low power or distant stations, etc, etc.

The group won't scan because it is stopping on the very thing that caused the search to stop on each of those frequencies.

Just because it finds a frequency and saves it does not mean it is an active frequency or contains a valid transmission.

While searching, turn the squelch all the way up to help eliminate the above unwanted hits / or try using close-call.

The best way to search these days is right here on good 'ole Radio Reference, search the database, find the new frequencies and systems within your listening range and program them.
 
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ronking

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ron

I am having simular problem. I've downloaded from radioreference and cant get any trunk frequencies. Only frequencies I can get are the ones I could pick up on non digital scanner. Can anyone give info on how to pick up trunked frenquencies after they've been programed in
 

dons1957

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thanks Wayne. I have not replied as quickly as in the past because our Christmas shutdown is over and I work a lot of hours. I don't know what RSSI is, but I will punch in those frequencies and see if it hangs on them to try to narrow this down. Thanks so much for your help.
 

dons1957

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You may be absolutely right as well. I am going to try a couple of more measures as Wayne mentioned above. If they fail, I may quit searching. That would be a shame though, becaause the search and save feature and close call features are what made this model attractive to me.
 

dons1957

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did you download them from the radio reference database? What scanner? The one thing i can say is that the items i dloaded from rr have worked fine. have you tried dloading systems using FreeScan from RR's database?
 

ScannerWayne

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Dons1957,

I know what you mean about work taking up your time so not to worry.

RSSI can be found using your software. Look at the logging function and you will find a column marked RSSI. It's a measure of relative signal strength. By comparing the RSSI value on a quiet but adjecnt freq to those in question, you can quickly determine if there is an actual signal present.

If there is a signal present, then the next part is to determine wether it's an internally generated scanner signal, or from another source. You can disconnect the antenna and see if it goes away. If it does then it's not being generated by the scanner. It could be something in the house.

I won't go into anymore detail here, now, but as you see it can get pretty complicated to locate the source.

One thing I do want to comment on though is your statement about not using the search function anymore. Don't be discouraged first of all. The "LockOut" feature of the scanner works just as well in the search function as it does elswhere. When I am about to do a search and save I try to do just the search part for a few minutes first: looking for birdees, pagers and things that will cause the scanner to hangup. If I find any then I will lock them out and when I'm reasonably sure I got them taken care of I'll start the search and save.

Foolproof? Nope. But it does make life simpler when I go to researching whatever the scanner captured.

Which brings me to another point I would like to make. A couple of people have suggested forgoing using the search function and relying on what's in the RR data base. That's all and good; but the thing to remember is that that info comes from folks like you and me. We went out and found it, researched it and SUBMITTED the data to RR. TADA! lol

Research is not for everyone and I have no problem with the folks that don't do it. But many of us enjoy doing it and don't have a problem with putting in the time it takes to do it right. Case in point. In my area a city department went off the city system several months ago. From the house I searched everywhere I could think of. Couldnt find them. They were not using either the city's or countys trunked system. One day I managed to get a couple of hours of free time during the day and parked nearby to them. Put the scanner in Close Capture and waited. An hour later I had two freqs found and verified by what I was hearing. I came home, went to the FCC data base and did a search on those freqs and discovered that they had bought themselves their very own low power radio system. I can't hear them from the house. Have to be withen a mile or so to hear them. Is the info useful? Sure it is if I'm downtown during any of the major yearly events that take place there. Wish I could hear them from here, but oh well <lol>. I'll be submitting the new data to the database this weekend as well as corrections to the exsisting data so that others can have access to the data.

The point being, don't be to quick to stop using a pretty neat feature. With the help available here, I'm sure we can find out what's going on. Need to go for now; supper! YUM!

Wayne...
 

dons1957

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I think it is awesome that this group really wants others to get the most from their scanner. I will keep trying Wayne. And I really appreciate your "lengthy" response and the time it took you. As a newcomer to this area, I have to say that I am very impressed at the level of help you receive here. Gives me hope for mankind. Thanks so much for the help and advice. I really appreciate it. And I think being able to discover channels with search is cool. And it would be even cooler to place them into a system group and scan them right along with the normal Public Safety channels. Too cool.
 

N8IAA

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No, I confirmed that it is conventional. I am using the 996XT. All I did is perform a conventional search and save operation into a system. Now that I have collected all the channels with hits, I try to scan the system and the scanner just hangs on the first channel in the list.

One of the neat perks as a premium subscriber is the frequency search of the database for specific frequencies. I did a quick search for 155.415 and 453.1625. INDOT uses the 155.415 on toll roads. 453.1625 didn't get a response. This may be something you want to investigate those specific frequencies. As someone pointed out, some may be birdies in the 996XT.
HTH,
Larry
 

ScannerWayne

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Larry,

<grin> He's using Freescan already...

More and more that I look at Dons' problem the more I think he's just got a number of birdees. Perhaps a couple generated by the scanner, but I would be willing to bet that the rest are from other devices in or near his house.

Don,

How many times have you run a "search and save"? Might want to run more of them for longer periods of time. One of the things I do after running a "search and save" is to rename the system; usually with the day's date and if I have run more than one "S&S" I'll add a number to the end of the system name.

An example: 1-06-12 S&S#2

Wayne...
 
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