Half conversations...

[daledrums]

If I seem to be hearing only one side of my local police activity conversations (dispatcher request, static, dispatcher responds, static, and so on) does that mean they use an encrypted analog system of some kind...?

If so, does anyone want an all but new BC246T? OK, maybe I'm being too hasty...but maybe not?

 

[N_Jay]

If I seem to be hearing only one side of my local police activity conversations (dispatcher request, static, dispatcher responds, static, and so on) does that mean they use an encrypted analog system of some kind...?

If so, does anyone want an all but new BC246T? OK, maybe I'm being too hasty...but maybe not?

You need a higher antenna.

 

[JnglMassiv]

It could be that encryption is in (mis)use if you have that channel set for CTCSS squelch.

 

[bwhite]

It's not as simple as what N Jay said.
If you are not listening to a trunked or repeater-based system, transmitters that are weaker, further away, and/or are transmitting with less of an antenna (as most would be) than HQ they may well come in weaker or not at all.
If you are monitoring a non-trunked & not repeater-based system (same thing I just mentioned), make sure you don't make the mistake I did about 35 years ago, I didn't know that when you erect an outside antenna that the braid on the outside of the antenna cable was to be connected to the ground portion of the antenna and the outer shell of the antenna-in connector on the radio. Once I did this I could hear every peep in the county for 40 miles in every direction on low band (39 & 46 MHz). The antenna was a ground plane only 15 feet up in a tree.

 

[Al42]

If I seem to be hearing only one side of my local police activity conversations (dispatcher request, static, dispatcher responds, static, and so on) does that mean they use an encrypted analog system of some kind...?

It would really help us to help you if you posted which system this was - state, county (and city, if it's an agency lower than county) and agency.

 

[Voyager]

If I seem to be hearing only one side of my local police activity conversations (dispatcher request, static, dispatcher responds, static, and so on) does that mean they use an encrypted analog system of some kind...?

If the static sounds like pure squelch noise, my vote is that it's encryption, too. Even if the signal is weak, it usually won't be just on the squelch threshold. You can tell if it's strong by turning up the squelch. If it still breaks it but sounds like open squelch, it's encryption and you are SOL.

Joe M.

 

[brandon]

Probably a simplex frequency.
I get the same thing when I listen to Pomona PD. I'm not very close so I can't always hear the mobile units and they can be very scratchy... but the dispatcher always comes in lima charlie.

 

[mkewman]

either that or he's listening to CHP, and he's too far to hear the vehicle side of the conversation.

 

[daledrums]

It would really help us to help you if you posted which system this was - state, county (and city, if it's an agency lower than county) and agency.

St. Peter MN police 56082, Nicollet Co.
453.27500
155.73000
155.47500
155.37000
155.19000
154.98000
154.65000
154.25000

 

[N_Jay]

It's not as simple as what N Jay said.
If you are not listening to a trunked or repeater-based system, transmitters that are weaker, further away, and/or are transmitting with less of an antenna (as most would be) than HQ they may well come in weaker or not at all.
If you are monitoring a non-trunked & not repeater-based system (same thing I just mentioned), make sure you don't make the mistake I did about 35 years ago, I didn't know that when you erect an outside antenna that the braid on the outside of the antenna cable was to be connected to the ground portion of the antenna and the outer shell of the antenna-in connector on the radio. Once I did this I could hear every peep in the county for 40 miles in every direction on low band (39 & 46 MHz). The antenna was a ground plane only 15 feet up in a tree.

Why not.

If he was listening to any repeater type system (trunked or otherwise) he would hear mobile REPEATED audio.

So I assume it is a simplex system. Since he hears them a bit, he is within 6 to 10 dB of understandability. You should easily get that with a higher antenna.

As for your cabling error? That is new one for me! :lol:

 

[bwhite]

Yes Jay, that's what I said, when the traffic is repeated it is ALL repeated.
Remember, I responded to this early in the dialog before much info is known.
I made it clear that if it isn't Repeated or Trunked that the antenna would be the place to look.
Your reply was just incomplete, there are too many variables to go right to the antenna as the root of the problem. The subsequent dialog brings many to light; DALEDRUMS now has a good mumber of leads to pursue. The cabling error occurred because I was 11 when I set it up and wasn't fluent in antenna principals at the time, bottomline, the radio's ground should be the same as the antenna ground.

 

[Al42]

St. Peter MN police 56082, Nicollet Co.
453.27500

That's probably the output of a repeater - you should hear both sides if they have the repeater on. (They could be transmitting dispatch-only and not repeating the mobiles.) Try 458.275 just to be sure.

155.73000
155.47500
155.37000
155.19000
154.98000
154.65000
154.25000

No way to tell with these - there's no rhyme or reason on 150.