I just got a Uniden BCD536HP and for some reason, I cannot pick up anything on the PAWMCo system. I'm getting other transmissions on other systems, but not this one. Could very well be user error - I'm new to this scanner - but anyone have any suggestions on what I could check?
Collin County PAWMCo P25
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KE5BCP
Analog Man
Where are you located, and what do you have programed other than the Zip programming?
Welcome to the Texas Forum and RadioReference.
There are several things that can trip you up when trying to monitor. The most common, for those using a database scanner such as the 536HP, is Service Types. When the scanner is first shipped, only the 'Dispatch' types for Public Safety are enabled: Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, and Multi-Dispatch. You should also enable the Tac and Talk service types. For example, besides Law Dispatch, also enable Law Tac & Law Talk. Enable those as well for Fire, EMS, & Multi.
Are you scanning a Favorites list that you created, or just using the main database, your location, range, and Service Types? If using a Favorites list, did you create it manually by adding system details? Or, by appending systems from the main database? As KE5 has already suggested, if using a Favorites list, post it so that we can help by reviewing it. To post a list, first you need to export it from Sentinel into an *.hpe file. Click on Export under the drop-down File menu in Sentinel. Pick the list to export, and note where the file is saved on your PC. Using Windows Explorer (File Explorer on Windows 10), go to the folder where your file is saved. <Right><Click> on your file, which creates a pop-up menu. From that menu, select "Send to", which takes you to a smaller sub menu. Choose 'Send to Compressed (zipped) folder'. That will create a zipped file, which can then be attached to a message here in the forums.
If you are only using location and the main database, did you install Sentinel, update it's database, then connect your scanner to your PC & write the updated data to the scanner? When the scanner is shipped, as well as when Sentinel is initially installed, the database in the scanner and software is likely a year or more out of date. If you are using a really old database, it's probable that it was created before Collin County fully moved over to PAWMco.
Also, both the original PAWM site as well as the newer PAWMco site are Simulcast. Simulcast systems have multiple transmit tower locations, all using the same frequency to transmit the same talkgroup. As there are at varying distance from you, they arrive at your scanner 'out of sync', which can be severe enough to hinder your ability to monitor.
A more complete discussion of Simulcast is in the Wiki:
Simulcast digital distortion - The RadioReference Wiki
What is your location in the Collin County area? Not your address, but a nearby major road intersection or shopping center would help to see if simulcast might be a problem/.
I did enable all of the public safety service types. I haven't done any additional programming other than the zip. I did update the database and firmware via Sentinel and I verified the simulcast frequencies in Sentinel that I wrote to the scanner match the frequencies listed on the website. I've verified I don't have anything set to avoid.
I'm nearest Melissa Rd and 75 in Melissa. I have an external antenna on the scanner, and like I said, I'm picking up other systems just fine, including the DPS Dallas Tollway, which I'm hearing right now.
I'm nearest Melissa Rd and 75 in Melissa. I have an external antenna on the scanner, and like I said, I'm picking up other systems just fine, including the DPS Dallas Tollway, which I'm hearing right now.
After playing around with it a bit, I have the scanner on a site hold on PAWMCo P25, showing it's ID Scanning on the PAWM Simulcast. I can see the bars increase at times with transmissions, but it never opens up. I've opened the squelch, no change.
Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
What you are likely experiencing here is a phenominon known as simulcast distortion, perhaps the most discussed issue on these forums. In a simulcast system, a site is not a single transmitter at a specific location, but rather a collection of transmitters spread out over a certain area that all transmit on the same frequency at the same time. It's all those signals coming to your scanner at the same time that cause most scanners to lock up, stutter, miss transmissions, etc. Ultimately the only scanners designed to mitigate the effects of simulcast distortion are the Uniden SDS100 (portable) or SDS200 (base). Yes they are the most expensive but they do the job right. There are a number of workarounds for other scanners mentioned in the wiki I linked but they work in very few cases. It all depends on your location relative to the range of two or more simulcasting towers
As John has already noted, simulcast is most likely causing your problem.
Here is a map of the simulcast site locations for the PAWMco layer of the PAWM:
That warped X that I drew represents your approximate location, Melissa Rd & Hwy 75. The PAWMco layer has the Collin County talkgroups including the smaller cities.
This is the PAWM layer's map. That's used largely by Plano, Allen, Wylie, and Murphy:
Read the simulcast page in the Wiki (linked in the post just above). That will give you a more complete description, along with a few suggestions on dealing with it. Sometimes those work, sometimes not. Try 'less' antenna on the 536HP, Collapse the telescoping antenna that shipped with the scanner down; maybe also trying it laying down horizontally instead of vertical. Or try the paper clip antenna. You could also try a baking pan or cookie sheet, to block off signals from one direction. At times, even simply moving the scanner a few feet over, can make a difference.
The traffic you are receiving, other than PAWMco is because either the systems are not simulcast, or you are far enough away that simulcast does not affect you. Even though the PAWM layer is simulcast, I can receive it from my home in Dallas (on my 436HP & 536HP) because I'm at such a distance that simulcast does not come into play.
While a G4, or other Unication models, can deal with simulcast, for the OP, that's not a good solution. The G4 could only monitor one of the sites on the system. For that system, you really need to monitor both the PAWM as well as the PAWMco layers. The Unication would also preclude simultaneous reception of other systems in the area.
you guys are geniuses - I was thinking "more" antenna - once I collapsed the antenna and laid it on its side, I started getting PAWM transmissions for the first time - I guess it's going to be a compromise - with the antenna like this I'll probably miss the further transmissions, but I'm getting the PAWM ones now.
Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the advice.
Glad that worked for you. Simulcast issues can be a royal pain.
With the antenna down like that, you may not receive neighboring systems quite as well. But at least you can get your home area.
To the OP, also keep in mind while this is 1 system, its separated into 2 zones. You have Site 1 and Site 2. Both of these are simulcast.
If you look at the above maps the site 1 traffic is what we called the old PAWM stuff and site 2 traffic is mainly the county traffic.
Now the site will pass traffic from any user on either site but only when a unit affiliates with it. So you may hear County Sheriff on the Site 1 side from time to time when unit goes into the south western portion of the system. But you may not hear it all the time.
So you will need to be familiar with your scanner and make sure you know what site your on to monitor what traffic you want. If you scanner was locked onto site 1 all the time you would rarely hear any county traffic.
In fact you may want to create 2 systems in your scanner and have just 1 site of each in it.
For example in my SDS100 i have a system for PAWM and one for PAWM CO. This tells me which site I am monitoring based on which system i am scanning.
If you look at the above maps the site 1 traffic is what we called the old PAWM stuff and site 2 traffic is mainly the county traffic.
Now the site will pass traffic from any user on either site but only when a unit affiliates with it. So you may hear County Sheriff on the Site 1 side from time to time when unit goes into the south western portion of the system. But you may not hear it all the time.
So you will need to be familiar with your scanner and make sure you know what site your on to monitor what traffic you want. If you scanner was locked onto site 1 all the time you would rarely hear any county traffic.
In fact you may want to create 2 systems in your scanner and have just 1 site of each in it.
For example in my SDS100 i have a system for PAWM and one for PAWM CO. This tells me which site I am monitoring based on which system i am scanning.
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