Good scanner for P25 TRS simulcast system

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nyjason13

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In my area (onondaga county, NY), we have a P25 digital trunked system that uses simulcasting. I've come to find that I can't get a clear transmission on my GRE PSR-500 most of the time (I can get a completely clear transmission if I'm lucky). Is there a scanner out there that can handle such a system?

Love my scanner, but hate how crappy it sounds with this system :(
 

Rt169Radio

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What kind of antenna setup are you using? As this might be the case of missing transmissions.
 

N0WEF

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The best bet is to ask the people around you. Different scanners handle different TRS's differently. (WOW, that was a lot of different in one sentence :) )

Some people swear by the 106, some the 396, but without experience on your system it's just opinion.
 

cubn

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I've tried both a BCD396T (not the XT one) and the Pro96 our our local P25 simulcast system. The 396T works very well but the Pro96 was so garbled (whether I was at home or driving around the county) that I quit using it. They both work well on non-simulcast sites.
 
D

DaveNF2G

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Simulcast systems are difficult for scanners to deal with, whether they are trunked or conventional. Don't blame your scanner. The problem tends to be too much signal from too many towers. If you can arrange your antenna or location to receive a good signal from only one nearby tower and nothing from any other towers, then you will enjoy much better reception. Seems backward, but that's how it works.
 

Thunderknight

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If you can arrange your antenna or location to receive a good signal from only one nearby tower and nothing from any other towers, then you will enjoy much better reception.

Get a BNC connector and solder (or crimp) a piece of wire about a foot long to the center pin. Then slowly start cutting back the length and test each length for a while in the same location. Don't be suprised if you only have an inch or two and that works.

That's the cheap thing to try. Another step is to buy a UHF yagi (or sometimes an 800 will suffice) and try different directions (sometimes pointed at a site, other times off-axis).
 

scan1806

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jason I live very close by , i have a Radio Shack Pro 197, It is made by the same company GRE america it works great, I also have a gre 500 it works great where di you get your progamming from? sounds like thats the only problem
 

scan1806

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onondaga cty,New York
In my area (onondaga county, NY), we have a P25 digital trunked system that uses simulcasting. I've come to find that I can't get a clear transmission on my GRE PSR-500 most of the time (I can get a completely clear transmission if I'm lucky). Is there a scanner out there that can handle such a system?

Love my scanner, but hate how crappy it sounds with this system :(

jason i live in Bville . where did you get it programmed? I have a RadioShack pro197, i have all the programming for onondaga cty it works great, A lot of times there is a lot of junk programmed on the scanners that are no longer functional, be glad to help you out if i can . i also have a psr500 it works great,if you ned help get back to me. its not junk belive me , excellent scanner works great when programmed properly
 

N0WEF

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Simulcast systems are difficult for scanners to deal with, whether they are trunked or conventional. Don't blame your scanner. The problem tends to be too much signal from too many towers. If you can arrange your antenna or location to receive a good signal from only one nearby tower and nothing from any other towers, then you will enjoy much better reception. Seems backward, but that's how it works.

Hey Dave, I completely understand your point in Re: to, too much, too many, but how can tight knit groups, like we all have locally, continually report one scanner works better than another without "blaming" the scanner? Please understand, I'm just looking for an explanation, not a debate. (More accurately, maybe I'm missing something)

Locally, we've been monitoring a 800Mhz. TRS for 10-11yrs. and no matter the Ant., settings, Etc.... One model will tend to outperform another. And with roughly 100 people active in our "community" we have every combination of scanner, Ant, setting, and so forth.

Maybe you just meant there are ways to minimize the effect, which I understand, but the "don't blame the scanner" just got me curious. Thanks, in advance, for any help you may provide.
 

RoninJoliet

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I monitor the IL-Starcom 700/800 Digital system, i sold my GRE500 because i could not get it to decode this system setting it all over the house and using different outdoor ant-w/ good coax...I hated to sell it because it was a great scanner but my RS197 bases both track the system well as my Uniden 996XT and 396XT....
 

W6KRU

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My 396XT has a P25 error rate over 50 which causes horrendously crappy audio that is completely unintelligible while my PSR-500 is faithfully decoding the same system and putting out nice clean audio.
 

N0WEF

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This is what I mean. Two experienced users, who know all the tricks, reporting totally diff. results.
 

tbags

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had the same problem....sold it and got the new gre 800...works great so far....you can program it yourself, if you know how to....i,m in onon. co. too
 

frazpo

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Will someone give me an example and tell ma the difference between a simulcast system and traditional?
 

KC0CSE

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Paper Clip antenna

A paper clip work's very well too!!!.....simulcast on clear day's are very bad...that's when the paper clip work's for me....take the 800mhz off and put in a paper clip!!!! $300 to $400 dollar scanner's and a "penny" paper clip!!! works for the PRO 106 AND PRO 197....
 

frazpo

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Ok DDan so most statewide systems have simulcast sites most likely? I think Monitor one then off the Kansas statewide site then.
 

SCPD

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I feel you pain. I can monitor a single site P25 system and no problems, excellent decode rates. Switch over to a simulcast system then the issues start. I wish the scanner makers would come out with only a 700/800MHz scanner with a quality front end and the ability to handle the simulcast systems. It's nice to have the features in today's scanners but if you can't listen to what you want what's the point of the scanner. My county issued XTS2500 does on rare times experience reception issues so it's the nature of the beast but scanners really need to improve.
 
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