Crackles, no actual talk

[DanB1960]

Hope you all welcome a question from a real greenhorn.
I have a new Baofeng UV-5R (and an upgraded antenna) that I got just to listen to law enforcement in my area. I successfully imported the list of frequencies. None of the law enforcement channels have had any talk on them. I do hear a little fire/rescue talk and pages sometimes, but nothing from police or sheriff's departments for "police calls."
Is there some settings I still need to learn? Does law enforcement not use this as communication?
(I am in St. Croix County in Wisconsin. I plan to do more studying to get a ham license for other reasons, but want some excitement from just scanning and listening right now)

 

[RaleighGuy]

@DanB1960 you might get better answers by clicking on REPORT and asking the thread be moved to the Wisconsin forum, rather than general scanning. Alternately you might ask to have it moved to the budget receiver forum as you ask about settings in the radio.

 

[u2brent]

Does your "scanner" do P25

 

[doctordialtone]

I have a new Baofeng UV-5R (and an upgraded antenna) that I got just to listen to law enforcement in my area.

Many people make the mistake of buying one of those Cheap Chinese Radios (CCRs) thinking they are a quality scanner.

Read some of the posts.

They're not. You should save up your pennies and buy a real scanner. Good luck.

 

[cpfinlay]

Return the cheap Chinese walkie talkie if it's not too late. It does not have the functionality you need (such as P25 decoding). It appears to be a VHF multi-mode simulcast system with 6 towers, so ask on the Wisconsin forum what modes are in use, planned, etc. and make your purchase of a real scanner accordingly!

 

[K4EET]

DanB1960, firstly, let me welcome you to Radio Reference!

Secondly, let me tell you that when somebody mentions a Baofeng UV-5R around here, a $26 HT, well... Let me put it this way. Most of us have spent multiple $100s to listen to Public Safety knowing that those Cheap Chinese Radios (CCRs) as doctordialtone mentioned are just not gonna do the job in many cases. A Baofeng UV-5R can neither scan fast enough to be meaningful it also will not receive many of todays modern-day Public Safety radio systems. St. Croix Police is one such example being a "P25" system. To receive that type of system, you are talking a scanner costing at least 10 times (and maybe more) than what the going price for a Baofeng UV-5R is. That is why you got the answers that you got.

Thirdly, being a ham radio operator myself, it would be great to have you join the ranks of Amateur Radio. And yes, you could use your Baofeng UV-5R on the ham bands. Many hams have them. But then again, they lack a lot of features that make ham radio exciting. But that will come in due time. I won't dump everything on you in one post.

Sooooooo... I hope you have not been scared off. We really are here to help you. We know that you want to monitor Public Safety in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. This is the system that I believe you are interested in:

St. Croix County, Wisconsin (WI) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for St. Croix County, Wisconsin (WI)

www.radioreference.com

Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications (WISCOM) Trunking System, Statewide, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications (WISCOM) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

Study that second webpage carefully because that is where everybody is that you are looking for if I am not mistaken. But like all of us have said earlier, the Baofeng UV-5R is not going to receive that type of radio system. It is known as a "Project 25 Phase I" type system. If you are still interested, we will be glad to discuss what scanners can receive this type of system.

So please check back in with us. You might let us know what your background is, how much you know about radio and electronics, scanning, etc. That just helps us to know how much detail we need to give you. We don't want to bore you with details if you hold a PhD in Electrical Engineering for example. LOL!

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

73 (best wishes in ham lingo), Dave K4EET

 

[N8IAA]

DanB1960, firstly, let me welcome you to Radio Reference!

Secondly, let me tell you that when somebody mentions a Baofeng UV-5R around here, a $26 HT, well... Let me put it this way. Most of us have spent multiple $100s to listen to Public Safety knowing that those Cheap Chinese Radios (CCRs) as doctordialtone mentioned are just not gonna do the job in many cases. A Baofeng UV-5R can neither scan fast enough to be meaningful it also will not receive many of todays modern-day Public Safety radio systems. St. Croix Police is one such example being a "P25" system. To receive that type of system, you are talking a scanner costing at least 10 times (and maybe more) than what the going price for a Baofeng UV-5R is. That is why you got the answers that you got.

Thirdly, being a ham radio operator myself, it would be great to have you join the ranks of Amateur Radio. And yes, you could use your Baofeng UV-5R on the ham bands. Many hams have them. But then again, they lack a lot of features that make ham radio exciting. But that will come in due time. I won't dump everything on you in one post.

Sooooooo... I hope you have not been scared off. We really are here to help you. We know that you want to monitor Public Safety in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. This is the system that I believe you are interested in:

St. Croix County, Wisconsin (WI) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for St. Croix County, Wisconsin (WI)

www.radioreference.com

Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications (WISCOM) Trunking System, Statewide, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications (WISCOM) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

Study that second webpage carefully because that is where everybody is that you are looking for if I am not mistaken. But like all of us have said earlier, the Baofeng UV-5R is not going to receive that type of radio system. It is known as a "Project 25 Phase I" type system. If you are still interested, we will be glad to discuss what scanners can receive this type of system.

So please check back in with us. You might let us know what your background is, how much you know about radio and electronics, scanning, etc. That just helps us to know how much detail we need to give you. We don't want to bore you with details if you hold a PhD in Electrical Engineering for example. LOL!

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

73 (best wishes in ham lingo), Dave K4EET

St. Croix does have 4 TGID's, but no LE, or FD.

SD uses a P-25 conventional frequency, along with multiple analog conventional.

There is, also, some DMR, another digital format for some other county services.

So, if the OP wants to monitor SO, he needs to get a inexpensive scanner, such as the WS1040 to monitor those frequencies.

The reason for the 'crackling' noise, is that one frequency is P-25, which the Baofeng doesn't decode. Send it back and get a real scanner.

 

[DanB1960]

Return the cheap Chinese walkie ta

St. Croix does have 4 TGID's, but no LE, or FD.

SD uses a P-25 conventional frequency, along with multiple analog conventional.

There is, also, some DMR, another digital format for some other county services.

So, if the OP wants to monitor SO, he needs to get a inexpensive scanner, such as the WS1040 to monitor those frequencies.

The reason for the 'crackling' noise, is that one frequency is P-25, which the Baofeng doesn't decode. Send it back and get a real scanner.

lkie if it's not too late. It does not have the functionality you need (such as P25 decoding). It appears to be a VHF multi-mode simulcast system with 6 towers, so ask on the Wisconsin forum what modes are in use, planned, etc. and make your purchase of a real scanner accordingly!

Thanks for all of this. Let me tell you that it's hard to find a website that really explains the basics of all of this. RadioReference I'm sure is thorough but It's hard to find a "where to start" point. The simple question is "What are the 5 specs you want a competent scanner to have?" So the P25 functionality is one. Right now I am rationalizing that the $25 it cost for this one was worth it just to find out how and where to ask questions. It's ironic that it's hard to find someone to talk to about a communication device.

 

[u2brent]

Here is a good place to explore.

The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Starting points..
Links for Newcomers
If you're just starting out, these links are recommended reading:

• Scanning 101
• Trunking Basics
• Scanning Q&A
• Glossary
• Scanner Programming FAQ
• Programming FAQs and Tips
• Connecting scanners via USB
• Common Conventional Programming Questions
• Common Trunking Programming Questions
• Electronics Learning Resources
• RadioReference.com Web Service