Changing Modulation in Digital Systems.

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Eugene

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Greetings. I have the BCD396XT and have a question. On pure Project 25 Phase I systems (not conventional Smartzone systems with APCO interface) the modulation defaults to NFM vs FM. Have tried resetting it through the Butel software. The software will switch to FM but it will not change the radio to FM from NFM when sent to the scanner. . It stays NFM. Have tried to switch it directly through the radio but am not given modulation as an option in P25 systems. Does this really matter (as I have been reading that may help with digital decode)? If it does, how can it be changed? Thanks for any help in advance.

Eugene KG4AVE
 

kb8rvp

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BCD396XT Changing Modulation in Digital Systems.

Greetings. I have the BCD396XT and have a question. On pure Project 25 Phase I systems (not conventional Smartzone systems with APCO interface) the modulation defaults to NFM vs FM. Have tried resetting it through the Butel software. The software will switch to FM but it will not change the radio to FM from NFM when sent to the scanner. . It stays NFM. Have tried to switch it directly through the radio but am not given modulation as an option in P25 systems. Does this really matter (as I have been reading that may help with digital decode)? If it does, how can it be changed? Thanks for any help in advance.

Eugene KG4AVE

You have to go into the settings menu and then band defaults and then scroll down to the freq's you want to change for example 849.0 will show NFM. Select it and change it to FM and then keep pressing menu to back out and save. Now when you go back to scanning you will be in FM mode... Took me a while to figure out how to change it too... You can also with freescan go into the scanner setttings and band defaults and change it in the software too.


Mike
 

tilt404

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I keep noticing with the butel arc xt pro software and my 396XT, when I make changes like modulation or even CC only and send them to the scanner, next time I read from the scanner its back to something different again from what I set. Quite frustrating.
 

UPMan

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CC Only is not an option on any current model. I'm not sure where you are trying to set to NFM, but it is likely/possible/probable that the setting is there for another model and not in that spot for the 396XT.
 

tilt404

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CC Only is not an option on any current model. I'm not sure where you are trying to set to NFM, but it is likely/possible/probable that the setting is there for another model and not in that spot for the 396XT.

Much of the huge MPSCS system is NFM like Detroit

Detroit City Simulcast Site Details (Michigan's Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS))

It comes up if I have the radio in auto for modulation, NFM will show on the display.

I seem to remember using CC only on Uniden scanners in the past like maybe the 246? I'm not sure. I went from a GREPSR800 to this 396xt recently and I know it had these features. I guess I won't bother setting CC only anymore then. The Butel ARC XT Pro software I use says "ARC-XT supports the following scanner models: BCD396XT , BC346XT(C) , BCD996XT and BCT15X."
 

tilt404

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CC Only is not an option on any current model. I'm not sure where you are trying to set to NFM, but it is likely/possible/probable that the setting is there for another model and not in that spot for the 396XT.

I'm confused now since I keep reading online articles saying the 396XT does do CCO, like in this RR article:

BCD396XT - The RadioReference Wiki

"TrunkTracker IV with Motorola Control Channel Only trunking and I-Call monitoring"

So is the info in that article incorrect?
 

W8RMH

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I'm confused now since I keep reading online articles saying the 396XT does do CCO, like in this RR article:

BCD396XT - The RadioReference Wiki

"TrunkTracker IV with Motorola Control Channel Only trunking and I-Call monitoring"

So is the info in that article incorrect?

It does do Control Channel Only, Only. There is not an option to turn it on and off like there was in the "T" models.

In FreeScan there are options to set FM and NFM as well as Analog and Digital talk groups in P25 systems, however there are no settings in the actual scanner for them. This must have been leftover from the "T" models.
 

tilt404

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Thanks, when Upman said to me "CC Only is not an option on any current model" I was confused, then to be told there's no NFM either when so many systems close to me went to NFM recently, more confusion. Butel software has the same settings where you can set a system to auto, fm or nfm. I noticed in the scanner all this is missing. Makes me miss my GRE PSR800 in a way now. I'm glad the 396XT works well though. I've just been trying to learn the differences since I switched to it from my 800 recently, and from what I've been reading online its been hard to get a clear understanding.
 

UPMan

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NFM is the default mode, as you found. I'm on vacation, right now, with no access to a BCD396XT, so can't really dive further into where the setting is (you'd think I'd remember, but I've got a few different generations of models all trying to co-exist in my head and sometimes they quarrel).
 

Eugene

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Tilt404....I have the butel software too and .I have noticed that as well. I have in fact posted about this very problem. You are not alone!
kb8rvp......it is done....would have never figured it out. Thanks Thanks to all who replied.

Eugene KG4AVE
 
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