Can't hear anything in Wake county w/BCD396XT

[pelargir]

Hey folks, new to the group here and I need help with something.

I picked up a BCD396XT yesterday and programmed it with the VIPER control channels using the RR import tool. I've tried scanning with the supplied rubber duck as well as the 800 MHz antenna from Radio Shack.

The unit appears to be scanning just fine and I hear intermittent traffic on RDU LE DISP (25968) but that's all. I'm not getting anything on the trunked EMS ALERT even when an alert is playing over VHF on my ham radio (156.225) although the scanner does stop on EMS ALERT and the bars appear which makes me believe it's definitely picking up something, but nothing comes out of the speaker except some barely discernible white noise.

This happens with other IDs too. I'll be scanning and an ID will come up for a few seconds as if the scanner is hearing something, but nothing comes out of the speaker. (It's not the speaker itself since I can hear traffic on RDU LE DISP at times.) Are these channels encrypted or something? I didn't think Wake County was encrypting their public service channels (yet). Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

[KE4ZNR]

A couple of things:
1) Make sure your squelch is not set too high. At the max it should be
set to 2 or 3 for most anywhere in Wake County.
2) If you have not done so already download Freescan.
Then Right click and select "save as" on THIS Freescan File.
Then using Freescan upload the File to your scanner.
Then select system 35 (hit Decimal 3, 5). That system is set up to
search the Wake County Simulcast Part of VIPER. So any (and all) radio
traffic should come through. You should start to hear radio traffic.

Encryption is not your problem here as it is sparingly used.
If you can't get anywhere with the above info email me directly at
KE4ZNR-at-radioreference.com and we will work with you.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[pelargir]

To follow up if anyone was wondering... nothing I tried was working so I assume the scanner was defective. I exchanged for a new one which is working perfectly so far.

 

[KE4ZNR]

To follow up if anyone was wondering... nothing I tried was working so I assume the scanner was defective. I exchanged for a new one which is working perfectly so far.

Glad you were able to get up and running
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[iceweasel]

I'm glad I found this thread.

I got a BCD396 from the morrisville RS and am experiencing a similar problem. I can't get anything except for the pubserv stuff in the RDU starter freescan file. I can enable every system and group and don't get hardly anything. I've took it on a trip today briar creek to the DBAP in durham and back to Capital & 440 without getting anything from 10AM until 8PM.

I've tried the freescan file linked here with similar result, nothing on the 35 quick key groups. I know it's a crappy antenna, but I think I should be receiving something. It's been running for over 10 minutes and either it's a dead night, I'm doing something wrong, or this thing is DOA.

I did a full Erase all Settings before the upload.
I'm also thinking I might have got the same radio...