Do I need a Filter?

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Hello:

Not sure if this is right place for this question but...

I live in a townhome community. I listen to many bands (AM, FM, NFM, P25) on my BC396XT and I frequently get what sounds like static interference.

The scanner will occasionally stop on a random freq. and a series of pulsing static sounds (no voice(s)), just static pulsing for various amounts of time ranging from seconds to a few minutes.

Not too sure what the cause of the interference would be so I'm not too sure what to even filter out. I have moved the scanner to various locations around my house and switched between several antennas. Regardless, the static sounds still occur.

Thanks for the help.
 

737mech

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Clark County, NV.
Hello:

Not sure if this is right place for this question but...

I live in a townhome community. I listen to many bands (AM, FM, NFM, P25) on my BC396XT and I frequently get what sounds like static interference.

The scanner will occasionally stop on a random freq. and a series of pulsing static sounds (no voice(s)), just static pulsing for various amounts of time ranging from seconds to a few minutes.

Not too sure what the cause of the interference would be so I'm not too sure what to even filter out. I have moved the scanner to various locations around my house and switched between several antennas. Regardless, the static sounds still occur.

Thanks for the help.

Could it be your scanner is stopping on MotoTRBO DMR signals? Does a little more squelch help? There's lot's of things that make noise. Could it be an appliance (Hair Dryer, microwave, computer monitor, hardrive)? Any big radio towers outside? What about electrical power lines? If it's intermittent noise it very well could be encrypted p25 or DMR. Ask the forums for your area and post the specific freqs. Try to narrow it down that way.
 
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Portland, OR
Thanks for your help. There are large power lines about 2 blocks away. If I turn the squelch WAY up, the sound stops. I moved the scanner upstairs for a few days to test it out and the pulsing static continued. So whatever the cause, I believe is an external (not from my home) interference. I've run the scanner both on battery and via power outlet to test as well.
 

zz0468

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A filter will only help you if the interfering source is out of band, and causing an overload type of situation. It it's on the channel frequency that you want to listen to, a filter won't help you.

You didn't provide sufficient information for anyone to determine the source.
 

TRNcommLLC

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Monongahela, PA
I just ran into the same problem here.
Had static most of the time on my VHF channels on my scanner feed.

I could hear in the mixed static that it sounded like a paging transmitter.

Brought home my service monitor and looked at the signals off the scanner antenna with the spectrum analyzer and found a HOT and almost 100% duty cycle paging transmitter that must have been installed not that far away on 152.180MHz.
It was so hot it even overloaded the scanner with the OEM antenna on it.

Called Dale at PAR Electronics and in 3 days had a great notch filter and was able to put my GRE Super Amplifier back on the ST2 antenna.

I would do a search with the scanner and see if you find a strong signal causing the problem.
 
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Portland, OR
The help is great; thank you again. I notice that 121.5 is most susceptible to the interference however the issue does occur on all bands & freq. I have tuned in. The sound is just constant static with a change in strength until it stops. I'll try to think of a way to share a recording.
 
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