Fleetnet - can't seem to lock onto the control ch.

[brockd]

I'm trying to pick up the S. Ontario fleetnet radio system off of the King tower but, I can't seem to get my Uniden scanner to lock onto the control channel. My scanner always has trouble picking up the control channel, constantly searching for it but, never locking on. Also, when it does lock on it's only for brief moment. However, this past summer it had no problem locking onto the control channel. I went for three months without difficulty! I live in Newmarket, On by-the-way.

The strange thing is, I can still pick up the conversations of the OPP and EMS by manually scanning through each frequency. Of course, I can't follow the conversation.

So, what I would like to know, is this a problem with the scanner itself or does it have to do with maybe distance from the tower?

Appreciate any help you guys could provide. Thanks.

David
Newmarket, On

 

[INDY72]

Is it attached to an external ant? And is the distance near 20 miles or over from you?

 

[brockd]

Nope, no external ant. I just use the supplied ant. I would say I'm no more than 15 miles from the tower.

 

[FPO703]

Might not have the Base, Offset, etc... set in the radio.

Or, the bank might not be set to Motorola

 

[mikewazowski]

First of all, you don't need to post your question to so many forums. The post in the Canadian forum was probably enough and you've got lots of answers on Scanont at Yahoogroups.

The system was designed for mobile coverage not portable coverage. Even at 15km's away from the tower site, you probably should be using an external antenna or at least something a little better then the ducky that comes with the scanner.

A lot of work has been done on the system lately and coverage into your area could have changed.

 

[brockd]

Trust me...everything is setup correctly. Remember I was able to picked up the radio system for three months this summer. This a APCO-25 system by the way.

 

[mikewazowski]

Like I said, a lot of work has been done on the system. It's possible that coverage has changed in your area.

Also check to make sure you haven't enabled the attenuator on the control channel.

If you can't live with just scanning the channels conventionally then you'll have to have your radio checked out by a repair shop or put up an outside antenna.

 

[brockd]

Thanks for your input so far. The reason I post everywhere is to make sure I generate a good response from everyone that's out there that can offer some help.

Anyways, back to my problem. I'm using a base scanner so, the antenna it comes with is a little better than the ducky. Do I still need a better antenna? Also, why could I pick-up the control ch. this past summer for three months without any problems? I guess seasons probably play a role in reception.