Can anybody confirm that AACO is still using one of their alternate control channels? I'm still seeing that it is, but I've learned to question the UniTrunker / 820T dongle combo...
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Could these be SME's?. More frequent messages than just dispatch suggests "responding", "on scene", etc type messages. I doubt it would be related to just a control channel change as I would think the system would transmit same info regardless of CC frequency.
By the way... have been meaning to ask.
What is all the warbling noise going on when the analog frequencies are active on this system?
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Seems its been getting worse over the past few months.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
troymail
Silent Key
Warbling noise?
Yea, I'm not sure what "warbling" noise that you are talking about, beyond the feedback you get when personnel are standing too close to each other, and the received audio on one radio get fed back into a caller's mic.
That said, can you record a clip, and post a link to it?
That said, can you record a clip, and post a link to it?
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It must just be coming off the northernmost tower on Solley Road if you are not familiar with what I am talking about.
This is not feedback. It's not control channel motorboat. It is a warbling background noise while a transmission is being made. It is being generated by the repeater radio transmitter. It does not happen 100% of the time but is probably there 5-10% of the time.
It happens on 10 different scanners (a couple different brands) at the same time.
It never happens on a digital broadcast. Only the analog ones. Fire, parks, schools, permits, etc. Never AAPD, APD, sheriff's dept or animal control.
I am only about a half mile from the north repeater tower and that is apparently the cause, because I generally never hear it mobile, only off radios at home. It must be an overpowering signal noise.
I'll try and catch an audio example and post. The fact that you guys are not hearing it though answers my question to some degree.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
This is not feedback. It's not control channel motorboat. It is a warbling background noise while a transmission is being made. It is being generated by the repeater radio transmitter. It does not happen 100% of the time but is probably there 5-10% of the time.
It happens on 10 different scanners (a couple different brands) at the same time.
It never happens on a digital broadcast. Only the analog ones. Fire, parks, schools, permits, etc. Never AAPD, APD, sheriff's dept or animal control.
I am only about a half mile from the north repeater tower and that is apparently the cause, because I generally never hear it mobile, only off radios at home. It must be an overpowering signal noise.
I'll try and catch an audio example and post. The fact that you guys are not hearing it though answers my question to some degree.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Oh, are you talking about that electrical buzz warble that sounds like way too much power getting fed through a transformer?
Listen to BWI FD Dispatch- that's got it in spades... sounds pretty awesome actually, though it's kinda crap for radio clarity.
Listen to BWI FD Dispatch- that's got it in spades... sounds pretty awesome actually, though it's kinda crap for radio clarity.
Thats the sound.
Seems like I hear it more in recent months than I have before, and based on this discussion its clearly caused by being close to the tower (I can see it from here)
Did AA County add more power or anything lately?
Its only on a small % of the comms but it is very noticed. Why not on digital transmissions?
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
troymail
Silent Key
Sounds to me like some type of interference ... that would explain why you hear it on analog but not digital
The Message feature on Unitrunker is definitely units pressing their status button. Right before or right after a unit verbally announces them on location or available, the message feature show ups. Fire Alarm asked Medic-Engine 36 to hit their SME and right after the message popped up,
Thats what I figured. So how was it they have been doing it all along and it never showed up as a message in unitrunker until this weekend??
Warbling on Analog transmissions.
OK - I caught one.
A good example too because it's extreme. Not all are nearly this bad. This one was more intense than most. I don't think this is interference. I think it's overpowering transmission from being so close to their transmitter.
It only happens about 5-10% of the time. It sounds exactly the same on a 536, 996t, 996xt, 396xt, HP-1, HP-2, PSR-800, 15X, Pro-96, or any other radio receiving the system in analog around the house. Thats why I figured it was coming off the system that way. There is absolutely no difference between radios. When it happens it does it on all of them. When it does not do it, obviously the same on all radios.
There are 3 mp3 files in the zipped attachment. They are 3 consecutive transmissions this afternoon on the system. You will notice the one before and after do not have this warbling distortion, but the middle one, which happened to be a dispatch, did. I should mention that not all that do the warbling are dispatches.
Again. It never happens on a digital transmission. Only analog (anything except the digital talkgroups).
OK - I caught one.
A good example too because it's extreme. Not all are nearly this bad. This one was more intense than most. I don't think this is interference. I think it's overpowering transmission from being so close to their transmitter.
It only happens about 5-10% of the time. It sounds exactly the same on a 536, 996t, 996xt, 396xt, HP-1, HP-2, PSR-800, 15X, Pro-96, or any other radio receiving the system in analog around the house. Thats why I figured it was coming off the system that way. There is absolutely no difference between radios. When it happens it does it on all of them. When it does not do it, obviously the same on all radios.
There are 3 mp3 files in the zipped attachment. They are 3 consecutive transmissions this afternoon on the system. You will notice the one before and after do not have this warbling distortion, but the middle one, which happened to be a dispatch, did. I should mention that not all that do the warbling are dispatches.
Again. It never happens on a digital transmission. Only analog (anything except the digital talkgroups).
The only Analog that I monitor is Fire and Parks and I have noticed this for the past couple months on my BCD436HP and HP-1. I am 2.75 miles from both the Solley & Jacobsville Tower. The issue is not all the time either. It comes and goes.
My Grandmother lives nearby and asked me a couple weeks ago what the static/scratchy sound was on her PSR-500. She monitors Fire & Eastern and she said she only gets it on Fire.
troymail
Silent Key
I hear mostly just some small amount of static except for the 2nd recording as you stated. On that one it just sounds like some localized interference. I've heard this type of noise on the system off and on for many years... just something I got used to and don't really even give it a 2nd thought these days.
Something that you might want to watch for -- see if that interference is always detected on the same 1 or 2 voice frequencies while most/all others don't exhibit that same sound.
Funny thought just crossed my mind -- in the past, I asked in the Uniden forums why the x36 doesn't show frequencies and people gave me crap -- "why do you need that?".... and here is an example. I know you can watch for it on the GRE radios directly and/or Unitrunker/Pro96Com. At least you can finally see the frequencies on the 536 using the wifi....
Something that you might want to watch for -- see if that interference is always detected on the same 1 or 2 voice frequencies while most/all others don't exhibit that same sound.
Funny thought just crossed my mind -- in the past, I asked in the Uniden forums why the x36 doesn't show frequencies and people gave me crap -- "why do you need that?".... and here is an example. I know you can watch for it on the GRE radios directly and/or Unitrunker/Pro96Com. At least you can finally see the frequencies on the 536 using the wifi....
Ok. So others are hearing it. Not just me. I never thought to see if it is only happening on certain voice frequencies. I can easily see that on unitrunker.
Its NOT localized interference. It is being broadcast that way I believe. It is strange though that I don't recall hearing it while mobile, further from the tower. Not saying I just didn't notice with road noise etc.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Its NOT localized interference. It is being broadcast that way I believe. It is strange though that I don't recall hearing it while mobile, further from the tower. Not saying I just didn't notice with road noise etc.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Fire and parks are basically the analog items I monitor on the system also. Maybe public works after snow storms. And your two months lines up pretty good with when I think this started happening a lot more frequently. It has been there in the past but not to this extent and it was a lot more rare.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
This is not a problem with your radio in any way shape or form. This is a transmitter-generated artifact produced at the Fire Alarm transmitter. I don't know what's causing it, but it sounds very similar to electrical overdrive, and much how I would expect that to sound if a radio transmitter picked up the EM spray from something under electrical stress.
That does sound like a rather grungy, static-y recording of it.. I can hopefully improve on that next week when I'm back in the area if we want another listen.
If you want to hear a really heavy example of it, just scan BWI FD Dispatch (VHF) and wait for a 43-box to get dispatched- it's so strong on that transmitter, it sounds like their transmitter is jammed in between leaky industrial transformers.
Those two transmitters are the only ones I've heard it on- AAFD VHF and BWI FD VHF.
That does sound like a rather grungy, static-y recording of it.. I can hopefully improve on that next week when I'm back in the area if we want another listen.
If you want to hear a really heavy example of it, just scan BWI FD Dispatch (VHF) and wait for a 43-box to get dispatched- it's so strong on that transmitter, it sounds like their transmitter is jammed in between leaky industrial transformers.
Those two transmitters are the only ones I've heard it on- AAFD VHF and BWI FD VHF.
I purposely don't put the 154.010 frequency in any of my radios. It blasts so strong where I am that it comes through in images all throughout the vhf band. I'm afraid I would hurt the sensitivity of the radio. Its also the first thing that close call finds about anywhere in this part of the county.
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
Mark
BCD536HP/HP-1E/HP-2E/BCD996XT/BCD396XT(2)/BCD996T/PSR-800/PRO-96 +
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