citrus heights PD reception?

[crucialcolin]

Is it just me or is citrus heights PD reception hard to get without tons of static in the area? I have a portable uniden BC246T scanner with a rat shack Center-Loaded Telescoping Whip Antenna. As long as I can remember they have been nearly impossible to pick up in central Roseville and even extremely hard on Auburn blvd. Similarly sac county sheriff isn't that great either at times.

Just wondering what other peoples experiences were?

 

[RolnCode3]

The Sac County trunked system is often sketchy for scanner reception. The real radios do well in most (but not all) places, but scanners are definitely a step down in reception on the County system. Since it's trunked, your difficulty with CHPD would not be characteristic of them alone. Any talkgroup you're listening to (on that site, etc) would likely have the same static.

 

[clanusb]

oddly enough down here in EG, i can hear most everything with very little static. the best place ive found to monitor the city and county systems is on the davis causeway....that was mobile with the basic stock mobile antenna taped to my rear window.....i had absolutly no static what so ever, it was amazing for about 5mins.

 

[scannerboy02]

The FCC application to add system 2 "county" sites in Galt, Rancho Murieta and Citrus Heights (WQLK638) was granted on the 23rd so reception in those areas should improve soon if they have not already. They were also granted a application to add a system 1 "city" site at the North City Corporation Yard (WQLK661).

 

[gmclam]

Is it just me or is citrus heights PD reception hard to get without tons of static in the area?

It is not just you.

I have a portable uniden BC246T scanner with a rat shack Center-Loaded Telescoping Whip Antenna.

Not the best selection of equipment to use for this specific purpose. You'd be better off with the RS800 antenna. I get the best reception on my PRO-95s or my PSR-300. I have not compared with that specific Uniden, but those which I did compare, did not do as well on 800 MHz.

As long as I can remember they have been nearly impossible to pick up in central Roseville and even extremely hard on Auburn blvd. Similarly sac county sheriff isn't that great either at times.

I do not have problems picking them up from the county site in any of these locations. If you get one, you will get them all, however certain repeater channels might not be as clear as others. With a trunked system, all agencies come in the same, but any given transmission, because of the repeater channel it is assigned, can be poor.

Just wondering what other peoples experiences were?

As mentioned, a new site will be up soon. I drive by this location several times a week. I noticed the tower and was going to ask about it, but someone here beat me to it posting an application Sacramento County has for this site and a couple of others.

 

[whiskeytango]

thats right behind FD station 21 yea? with the smartzone system isnt the CHPD only broadcast on CH towers? ie: i can hear folsom better when im in folsom, and CH better when im closer to CH

 

[scannerboy02]

As mentioned, a new site will be up soon. I drive by this location several times a week. I noticed the tower and was going to ask about it, but someone here beat me to it posting an application Sacramento County has for this site and a couple of others.

When did that go up?

I need to take a sightseeing trip out to these four new sites.

I have a feeling the North Corp Yard site is up and running. I went from very little signal strength to almost full bars on system 1 in Natomas.

 

[Markinsac]

thats right behind FD station 21 yea? with the smartzone system isnt the CHPD only broadcast on CH towers? ie: i can hear folsom better when im in folsom, and CH better when im closer to CH

It all depends on the configuration of the system. Groups can be configured to only work on specific site towers within the system. I doubt that this would be the full case in that any CHPD cars down at the jail or courthouse wouldn't be able to use the system.

 

[whiskeytango]

but it only turns on that tower when a corresponding unit is in the area to use that tower correct?

 

[ssd]

Chpd new site been on for 2 days now I am in sunrise mall and I get full bars
Where I never did befor it so nice to here chpd and ssd in the mall now and not
Jus mall so. And my rt radio works in here to

 

[scannerboy02]

but it only turns on that tower when a corresponding unit is in the area to use that tower correct?

Both systems are simulcast so all traffic on system 1 will broadcast at all sites for system 1 and all traffic on system 2 will broadcast at all sites for system 2.

System 1
Brighton Heights, County Jail, Freeport Water Tank, North City Corporation Yard.

System 2
Carpenter Peak, County Jail, Freeport Water Tank, Walnut Grove, Elk Grove, Gibson Ranch, Galt, Rancho Murieta, Citrus Heights.

 

[scannerboy02]

I have a portable uniden BC246T scanner with a rat shack Center-Loaded Telescoping Whip Antenna.

The 246 is a good radio but I agree with gmclam on the antenna.

 

[gmclam]

thats right behind FD station 21 yea?

Yes.

with the smartzone system isnt the CHPD only broadcast on CH towers?

No.

ie: i can hear folsom better when im in Folsom, and CH better when im closer to CH

When in Folsom, you are picking up a signal from Carpenter Peak and that's why Folsom comes in so much clearer. Signals in CH used to be horrible.

Note that on this type of system, the dispatch channels are all treated equally and all of them will be the same at any given reception location. Other TGs are assigned to sites depending on the location of intended receivers.

 

[avtarsingh]

north city corp yard must not be online yet -

i am not seeing the signal level around there yet


the citrus heights is supposed to be up from what i was told - but i havent checked it out in that area yet

 

[crucialcolin]

The 246 is a good radio but I agree with gmclam on the antenna.

yeah I'm not sure on the antenna. Doesn't seem to be all that strong with trunked systems.

I need to replace it anyways because tonight I somehow managed to bend the end of the bnc connector where the antenna screws into it. there's this white piece of plastic(female plug) in the bnc connector that got messed up with the threads in it. I have searched far and wide and haven't found a replacement bnc adapter for it. Oddly I found the antenna itself:

TELESCOPIC ANTENNA FOR HANDHELD SCANNERS WITH SCREW THREADS

Thing is I'm not sure what to replace it with. I mostly listen to the Roseville or Sac trunked systems but also other frequencies like PCS,Rocklin, Lincoln, etc. If I remember right those are in the 150mhz range.

As for CHPD reception has seemingly improved when i last checked here as well. I guess that means the new sites coming up will use the same frequencies?

 

[ssd]

I think the rancho site is up and runing my work radio is a lot better on rx and txing to metro
I don't get the pops and lows.

 

[cousinkix1953]

This sounds like a job for the best 800 mhz antenna that you can find. Talk to the local Motorola radio distributor or the ham radio stores. These are much smaller than any CB, VHF or UHF antennas and don't require a huge tower. Not many problems with high winds in a storm either. Mount it on the roof and you'll hear a lot more than any factory rubber duckie or any of those after-market B+C screw on models.

And yes there are directional beam antennas for 800 mhz too. Point yours at the site that you want to hear...

 

[gmclam]

Get an RS800 antenna if you want 800 MHz

Generally speaking, antennas work best for a specific frequency, or at least a band of frequencies. Antennas that work for multiple bands are made up of antennas for each band assembled together (think TV antenna). Antennas with coils do a decent job in handling a couple of bands, but these are typically some sort of compromise.

So if you want just VHF HI, that antenna you are showing us will work great. If you want VHF LO, you need a longer antenna. With that antenna, as the frequencies get higher, the performance of the antenna goes down.

This is another reason I dedicate one scanner to 800 MHz TRS scanning and a separate scanner for conventional stuff. I use the RS800 antenna and pick up the local county sites, including Citrus Heights, great. I use my discone to pick up the other stuff, which covers a huge distance, but not 800 MHz.

 

[scannerboy02]

crucialcolin if you are in Roseville you should have no problem picking up the Roseville and Sacramento trunked systems with any "all band" or 800MHz antenna, you could probably take the antenna off and still get Roseville.

The rubber duck antennas work great if you want to pick up everything on one scanner and being in Roseville you should have no problem getting the Roseville TRS Sac TRS and all the other VHF stuff in Placer County. You could also probably get CHP rather well from Roseville if they have auto repeat on.

If you want to focus your radio on the Roseville and Sac TRS then get the Radio Shack 800MHz antenna, they work great on 800MHz but you will not get the other Placer County VHF stuff that well and will most likely not get CHP at all.

As gmclam said its best to have different radios running each band with antennas made for those bands but I understand not everyone has that ability. You need to decide what it is you want to hear the most and get the antenna that works the best for what you want.

I will say if you want to hear everything in Placer and Sacramento you are in a great location in Roseville and a rubber duck would, in my opinion serve you best.

 

[crucialcolin]

crucialcolin if you are in Roseville you should have no problem picking up the Roseville and Sacramento trunked systems with any "all band" or 800MHz antenna, you could probably take the antenna off and still get Roseville.

haha yeah I took of the antenna last night and was still getting Roseville clearly(I live about 2 blocks from the Police station though).

Well anyways went to radioshack today looking(had to go to two stores to find both the RS telescopic and RS 800). The last store only had one of the telescopic wips left and supposedly weren't getting anymore in stock. So I decided to buy it in case they are discontinuing it.

I also bought the RS 800 on advice here. I only wish it was a big longer as it seems kind of short to me at 7". I could care less about having a larger antenna sticking out if it works even better I figure it will work better then the stock uniden rubber ducky i still have since I listen to mostly Roseville and Sac. I cant wait to test it out and see if it improves 800mhz. I noticed with my telescopic I'm prone to picking up static and poping when mobile.

Btw also have a Larsen triband(150/450/800) on Maxrad mag mount but I rarely use it. I found it kind of a pain over hand held antennas. I need to get a better mount anyways with a preinstalled bnc connector( don't have proper crimping/compression tools). Right now it has a lot of leakage because of a screw on BNC coax terminal lol.