Change in the King County Public Safety System - Seattle?

[bradygreen]

Am I missing a change in the King County Public Safety system?

I use a BCD436HP and for several months I’ve been listening successfully to Seattle Police and Fire with no problems. I only had the Seattle Simulcast site loaded. I use the database here via Sentinel to load the scanner.

About 2-3 weeks ago I noticed I was missing parts of transmissions - usually the first part when a dispatcher calls to a patrol officer or a responding fire unit or the other way around. I now only hear the answer to a question, etc… I’m missing initial radio calls but also other parts of conversations.

Before the issue, I made no changes to my setup whatsoever. I figured I should try some changes to see if I could affect the issue, so here’s what I’ve tried:

I added 2 other sites: EPSCA Simulcast, and King County/ValleyCom Simulcast

I tried changing the End Code to Analog and Analog + Digital

I removed all frequencies but the control channel.
I then added only the control channel plus alternate cc’s.

I changed the battery saver mode to off thinking it might be “micro-sleeping” to save battery.

Nothing I did helped. I have also gone back to my original microSD card that also worked fine for months.
I reset the scanner and loaded only the King County Public Safety system back to a new microSD card.
Firmware is current with 1.05.01

I’m not sure what to try next or if my attempts are futile and there’s something going on I don’t know about.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[RBMTS]

The Seattle and EPSCA sites have been rebanded (as noted in some prior threads here in the Washington Forum). You will need to change the band plan for these sites and use the "Reband" plan per Uniden's directions (also in the RR Wiki). After you make those changes you will be good to go.

ValleyCom has not yet rebanded so you will want have that site use the standard band plan. Only perform the change to the Seattle and EPSCA simulcast sites.

 

[bradygreen]

Wasn't the reband several months ago - well before I started using this radio. Also, via Sentinel, loading the database from RR, it appers to be using the custom bandplan...?

 

[RBMTS]

You are indeed showing the proper configuration for rebanding. So now it is a receive issue. What are you primarily listening to? If Seattle PD & FD, make sure you are only listening to the Seattle simulcast site. Perhaps try to lock onto a particular active talk group and see if you still experience the problems you mention. If you still experience problems of missed transmissions and the scanner is not jumping to other sites (i.e.: EPSCA or Valleycom), then I would start looking at the overall receive quality of the scanner. See if the weather channel comes in as strong as it did previously. Perhaps some other VHF or UHF frequencies. If stations don't seem as strong as they did previously, I would start looking at the antenna and try some changes there.

From my vantage point on the east side, Seattle, EPSCA, and ValleyCom all come in very strong. I am not having any difficulties using a 996XT or HP-1 with indoor antennas. The only thing I have done is to make sure that if I am monitoring Seattle City TG's that I have them slaved to just the Seattle simulcast system. East side services (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, King City) are slaved to the EPSCA simulcast site. I receive complete conversations mainly because the scanner is not trying to check multiple sites to continue the conversations.

Hope this helps you.

 

[bradygreen]

Thanks for the advice Randy, here's what I tried based on your comments.

For the sake of this issue, yes, I only really monitor Seattle Police and Fire.. However, to verify - yes, other things come in just fine as they used to. Strong and clear. This is the only trunked system I monitor and while I do occasionally listen to the Port or other Law departments (Tukwilla, Renton, etc..), I don't have enough experience with their broadcasts to know when I'm missing transmissions. And though I've been scanning since I was a wee lad with crystals and for 20 years in this area, I'm afraid I'm not very technical when it comes to radios and systems and their underlying technology outside of programming them to receive what I want.

First, I completely reflashed the scanner again but this time with only the KC Public Safety system and added only the Seattle Simulcast site, Seattle Police and only 1 talkgroup - their East Precinct Dispatch. Turned on the radio and verified it was only scanning that.

I changed the antenna from my trusty Radio Shack 800MHz back to the one that shipped with my radio.

I set my computer to monitor the same as above on Broadcastify.

At first things were pretty much in sync (other than the delay from the Web audio) but then BAM! the Broadcastify feed was alive with several calls and transmissions NOT being heard on the Uniden.

Man - I sure am flustered! Do radios break like this? I swear - NO CHANGES to my setup over the last few months and it was flawless. I heard every part of all calls.

thanks again

 

[SCPD]

Very simple really. If you want to hear 100% of the conversations of Seattle PD/FIre then you need to be listening to the Columbia Tower site only.

From my location in Bellevue, the Columbia Tower site (853.175) has very limited range compared to the prior 868.175 frequency.

 

[bradygreen]

Very simple really. If you want to hear 100% of the conversations of Seattle PD/FIre then you need to be listening to the Columbia Tower site only.

From my location in Bellevue, the Columbia Tower site (853.175) has very limited range compared to the prior 868.175 frequency.

The Seattle Simulcast is the Columbia Tower site, no?
It's the only site I've ever used...

Was hearing 100% up until recently. What's different?

 

[scannerizer]

Wasn't the reband several months ago - well before I started using this radio. Also, via Sentinel, loading the database from RR, it appers to be using the custom bandplan...?

The band plan is right. However, you won't be able to receive unless you're in the zone. So I, from Renton, can't receive EPSCA or Seattle too well. I receive Seattle better than I do EPSCA.

 

[GWallace]

You are indeed showing the proper configuration for rebanding. So now it is a receive issue. What are you primarily listening to? If Seattle PD & FD, make sure you are only listening to the Seattle simulcast site. Perhaps try to lock onto a particular active talk group and see if you still experience the problems you mention. If you still experience problems of missed transmissions and the scanner is not jumping to other sites (i.e.: EPSCA or Valleycom), then I would start looking at the overall receive quality of the scanner. See if the weather channel comes in as strong as it did previously. Perhaps some other VHF or UHF frequencies. If stations don't seem as strong as they did previously, I would start looking at the antenna and try some changes there.

From my vantage point on the east side, Seattle, EPSCA, and ValleyCom all come in very strong. I am not having any difficulties using a 996XT or HP-1 with indoor antennas. The only thing I have done is to make sure that if I am monitoring Seattle City TG's that I have them slaved to just the Seattle simulcast system. East side services (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, King City) are slaved to the EPSCA simulcast site. I receive complete conversations mainly because the scanner is not trying to check multiple sites to continue the conversations.

Hope this helps you.

I am using FreeScan with a 396 and a 996, and importing from the RR database.

Still not working for me, says searching for control channel.

Help?

 

[FFSOD7189]

Are all the frequencies in the RR Database to include Control Channels correct for the King County / Valley COMM. Site?

 

[GWallace]

Are all the frequencies in the RR Database to include Control Channels correct for the King County / Valley COMM. Site?

I imported and uploaded yesterday from FreeScan and I am still getting Searching for Control Channel on ValleyComm.

 

[dpm3]

I'm using a WS-1080 and am located in the Dash Point (NE Tacoma) area and am noting serious issues with Seattle / King County reception as well. I programmed the radio to access all the various system transmitter sites and note that reception of ANY transmissions is spotty (at best) with many times stopping on a specific talkgroup but producing no audio. When I do get reception (sporadic, at best) I note that the sites providing a readable signal is (very occasionally) Seattle Simulcast, McDonald Mountain (a bit more often) and (most often) EPSCA Simulcast. Most significantly, however, is the total lack of ANY reception via the King Cty/ValleyComm site - the one physically closest to my location and with the largest range. Something isn't right here and I'm hopeful that someone more adept and knowledgeable than I can provide the updated CC's or other info that will solve the issue.

 

[SCPD]

Are the frequencies in the RR Database correct for the KCVC site?

*Snicker*

Nope.

 

[GWallace]

*Snicker*

Nope.

Why the snicker?

 

[FFSOD7189]

Because he is an A-Hole!

 

[RBMTS]

I'm using a WS-1080 and am located in the Dash Point (NE Tacoma) area and am noting serious issues with Seattle / King County reception as well. I programmed the radio to access all the various system transmitter sites and note that reception of ANY transmissions is spotty (at best) with many times stopping on a specific talkgroup but producing no audio. When I do get reception (sporadic, at best) I note that the sites providing a readable signal is (very occasionally) Seattle Simulcast, McDonald Mountain (a bit more often) and (most often) EPSCA Simulcast. Most significantly, however, is the total lack of ANY reception via the King Cty/ValleyComm site - the one physically closest to my location and with the largest range. Something isn't right here and I'm hopeful that someone more adept and knowledgeable than I can provide the updated CC's or other info that will solve the issue.

I'm listening to ValleyComm all the way from Redmond and it is working just fine. The control channel is 853.4250. Make sure you entered the proper Band Plan Tables for Rebanding for that site.

GWallace - have you modified your band plan tables for Rebanding? Just downloading from the database will not be enough. You'll need to modify to the Rebanding tables for each King site you want to listen to.

 

[SCPD]

Because he is an A-Hole!

Quite true.

Why the snicker?

1. Because I can
2. Because I'm the one that has submitted the King County frequency updates/changes for the past 4 years. (Actually, I've been submitting updates for the last 7 years but whose counting.)

 

[dpm3]

I'm listening to ValleyComm all the way from Redmond and it is working just fine. The control channel is 853.4250. Make sure you entered the proper Band Plan Tables for Rebanding for that site.


OK. Interestingly, the RR Database info here does not include that as the control channel for the King County/Valleycomm site; instead, it shows 868.4250 as the primary control channel for that site (Site 6 - the one to which I referred and that would seem to provide best coverage for me if it is working). Moreover the Database doesn't include 853.4250 for any control channel (primary or secondary) for any of the sites listed. I will give it a try and share results.
As respects the appropriate ("rebanded") band plan tables, I'm using what I downloaded from RR. If there is some specific details on just how this particular system (and site - #6) ought to be done via the EZ Scan software point me to where those details are shared (the general discussion in the Reband Wicki does not seem to provide any help) please direct me there and I will give that a try as well

 

[RBMTS]

The proper table entries for rebanding are at the top of this thread. I'm sorry but I can't help you with how to enter then into the WS1080.

By the way and as I'm sure you know - rebanding means that frequencies above 866Mhz shifted down 15Mhz. Thus 868.425 now equals 853.425. Yes I know, that doesn't help you when you download from the RR site.

 

[FFSOD7189]

The only way people are able to listen to the King County Public Saftey System using the King County / Valley COMM. Site has been through the help from people on this Forum. The RR Database has been of no help to anyone! CC 868.4250 is not even listed and they still have CC above 866.