I have a G4 Unication scanner and live in Michigan. I have (not encrypted) one FD and one PD talk group each from a couple neighboring towns and a few other towns all in the same county. However, I am only able to hear a handful of the talk groups I have on this channel bank. They are all on the MPSCS system too. There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to why some are working and others aren't. For example, I can get one town's FD/PD that are a few towns away but cannot get one that is right next to our border. I can another one that is several miles away but not another one a similar mileage away. I think it has to do with the RFSS/Site. Can anyone make sense of this?
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G4 range issues
- Thread starter bkirk3434
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Can you provide more details on what area and sites you're trying to receive? It will depend on what tower(s) those specific talk groups are affiliating with. There are also something called neighboring sites. For example, I live in Plymouth and like to listen to Livingston county traffic. But...the Northville site (located very close to me) is not a neighbor site so it will not carry ALL the transmissions from Livingston County. It will only carry those transmissions from the radios that are affiliated with it which varies by where the units are located. However, if I program in the Washtenaw County site (located quite a distance from me,) I can hear ALL the Livingston County traffic because Washtenaw County is a neighbor site to Livingston County (Howell) site and carries ALL the transmissions regardless if the units are affiliated with the Howell or Washtenaw site.
Try adding some different sites and see if that allows you to hear more. Also, the database here will show you what sites are neighbors by the site numbers and that may help you determine if you need more sites in the G4 to hear everything.
Hope that helps,
Try adding some different sites and see if that allows you to hear more. Also, the database here will show you what sites are neighbors by the site numbers and that may help you determine if you need more sites in the G4 to hear everything.
Hope that helps,
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I live in Plymouth as well. I believe I use the Northville site as well (2/6). I can get Plymouth, Northville, Washtenaw County, MSP, Van Buren, Dearborn/Melvindale, and Livonia FD on it but cannot get Wayne/Westland/Garden City/Inkster/Romulus/Huron TWP on it. For those, I need 2/23 or 2/5.
I am going to start a new bank with Plymouth/Northville but want to add Westland/GC PD, Romulus PD, and Huron TWP FD/PD. What others should I add to ensure I pick up 2/5 or 2/23?
Also, how would I go about listening to Livingston County at the same time as Plymouth (if I were to start a new bank for that?).
Thanks for the help. Glad to know there is someone else with a G4 in Plymouth!
I am going to start a new bank with Plymouth/Northville but want to add Westland/GC PD, Romulus PD, and Huron TWP FD/PD. What others should I add to ensure I pick up 2/5 or 2/23?
Also, how would I go about listening to Livingston County at the same time as Plymouth (if I were to start a new bank for that?).
Thanks for the help. Glad to know there is someone else with a G4 in Plymouth!
Hi,
So for anything other than Plymouth/Northville, I use the Wayne County Simulcast site 2/23. That allows me to hear all of the Dearborn Consolidated Dispatch municipalities such as Dearborn/Wayne/Westland/Garden City and Inkster, as well as Livonia Fire.
So for your second question...to listen to Plymouth/Northville and the rest listed, use the Wayne County simulcast site 2/23 for the best chance of catching all the transmissions.
The G4 will only monitor one site at a time. It's not like a scanner. There are a couple ways to work with this limitation. First is to make a new zone and assign a different site and talk group(s) to each knob position, and switch to whatever knob position you want to listen to. Or, make a single zone for each site and assign the talk group(s) individually to each knob position. Remember you can scan multiple talk group(s) on the same knob position, at the same time, as long as they are on the same site.
You may not be able to listen to Plymouth and Livingston County at the same time because you need to use 2/22 for Livingston County and I am not sure it will carry the traffic from 2/6. You'll have to try it. Start with a zone and site 2/22 containing just Plymouth talk group(s) and see if you hear anything. If you do, then add in Livingston County and you'll be set.
So for anything other than Plymouth/Northville, I use the Wayne County Simulcast site 2/23. That allows me to hear all of the Dearborn Consolidated Dispatch municipalities such as Dearborn/Wayne/Westland/Garden City and Inkster, as well as Livonia Fire.
So for your second question...to listen to Plymouth/Northville and the rest listed, use the Wayne County simulcast site 2/23 for the best chance of catching all the transmissions.
The G4 will only monitor one site at a time. It's not like a scanner. There are a couple ways to work with this limitation. First is to make a new zone and assign a different site and talk group(s) to each knob position, and switch to whatever knob position you want to listen to. Or, make a single zone for each site and assign the talk group(s) individually to each knob position. Remember you can scan multiple talk group(s) on the same knob position, at the same time, as long as they are on the same site.
You may not be able to listen to Plymouth and Livingston County at the same time because you need to use 2/22 for Livingston County and I am not sure it will carry the traffic from 2/6. You'll have to try it. Start with a zone and site 2/22 containing just Plymouth talk group(s) and see if you hear anything. If you do, then add in Livingston County and you'll be set.
Keep in mind that the sites will only carry a TG if there is a radio affiliated, with that TG selected as their primary. There are geographic restrictions on most TG, which is their home county and one ring of sites around that county. (TG used for paging, called PageGroups, or PG, are mapped to the sites wanted.)
Are you able to monitor anything downriver from Plymouth?
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