having issues not sure if its digital related

[vrlkillz]

So our railroad has 12r series II which correct me if im wrong is only Analog not digital

anyways when we go to a diff property the engine with 12r series II can communicate perfectly and hear all traffic.

well we all have nx200 mobile radios and for some reason they locked it down never programed in this other aar channel for this place we visit and I decided to do it myself.
i learned how to program it all our signals are analog so I figured analog would be fine because the 12r hears everything fine

well I programmed the correct aar channel in the nx200 mobile but I can hear some crews working and not others and I hear alot of distortion maybe digital signal i dont know. but the main thing I need to hear I cant and im not sure why.
my nx200 does have access to nxdn unsure if thats helpful without knowing any info needed to program that

any idea why the 12r would be able to hear but the nx200 can only hear partial and get distorted noise

 

[mmckenna]

So our railroad has 12r series II which correct me if im wrong is only Analog not digital

Does appear to be analog only.

anyways when we go to a diff property the engine with 12r series II can communicate perfectly and hear all traffic.

well we all have nx200 mobile radios and for some reason they locked it down never programed in this other aar channel for this place we visit and I decided to do it myself.
i learned how to program it all our signals are analog so I figured analog would be fine because the 12r hears everything fine

well I programmed the correct aar channel in the nx200 mobile but I can hear some crews working and not others and I hear alot of distortion maybe digital signal i dont know. but the main thing I need to hear I cant and im not sure why.
my nx200 does have access to nxdn unsure if thats helpful without knowing any info needed to program that

any idea why the 12r would be able to hear but the nx200 can only hear partial and get distorted noise

Uh, I'd stop what you are doing. If the radios belong to the railroad, you should not be making changes without their authorization. FCC licensing rules apply here, and the only one permitted to make changes/add frequencies to their radios must have direct permission from the licensee. You, working for the railroad, are -NOT- the licensee.

NX-200 is a portable radio, not a mobile. So not sure what you have. Either way, they use the same programming software and files.

It's possible the others are using NXDN digital, but there's a chance they could be using something else. Again, this is where the licensee should be involved. If you need to have communications with another railroad, the radios need to be set up correctly. This becomes a safety issue and why the rules are set up the way they are.

From what you are describing, it sounds like programming issues, and a good reason to stop what you are doing and let the professionals handle it. It's really important not to mess with the radios.

 

[vrlkillz]

Uh, I'd stop what you are doing. If the radios belong to the railroad, you should not be making changes without their authorization. FCC licensing rules apply here, and the only one permitted to make changes/add frequencies to their radios must have direct permission from the licensee. You, working for the railroad, are -NOT- the licensee.

Understood. Wasn't trying to transmitter only recieve. If that makes a difference


Would getting a personal scanner solve any legal issues?

It's possible the others are using NXDN digital, but there's a chance they could be using something else. Again, this is where the licensee should be involved. If you need to have communications with another railroad, the radios need to be set up correctly. This becomes a safety issue and why the rules are set up the way they are.

Yes well this is to solve saftey issues that the company won't fix

For example we go over to this railroads yard and drop off cars and pick ups cars
Their yard master needs to be able to contact us at all times which can only be done with the 12r series on the engine.

Problem is I need to communicate with the conductor so they give us a 2nd hand held to speak to the conductor but problem is in their yard if he walks more than 20 cars away there is no way to hear him or communicate except using the 12r series which I'm suppose to be using incase their yardmaster needs to inform us of something

All I need is a way to hear him so I can switch the 12 r over and speak to him when needed

 

[mmckenna]

Understood. Wasn't trying to transmitter only recieve. If that makes a difference

OK, cool.

Would getting a personal scanner solve any legal issues?

Yes, or use the radio you have but set it to receive only.

Yes well this is to solve saftey issues that the company won't fix

For example we go over to this railroads yard and drop off cars and pick ups cars
Their yard master needs to be able to contact us at all times which can only be done with the 12r series on the engine.

Seems like your company is being negligent if they are not providing the proper equipment to address a safety issue like that. If you are union, it might be worth bring it up with them. They usually like to help with safety related issues.

 

[vrlkillz]

I managed to grab some audio I can hear conductor and engineer can anyone figure out what extra noise the or why its near always making it. squelch is set at lvl 5
sorry new to this still learning if its something basic

https://soundcloud.com/viral-962386639%2Fundefined-imgur

 

[mmckenna]

Sounds like you have priority scan set, and it keeps looking back at you priority channel, that's causing the dropouts. Squelch might be too loose.

 

[vrlkillz]

Sounds like you have priority scan set, and it keeps looking back at you priority channel, that's causing the dropouts. Squelch might be too loose.

thank you! yes it was the priority scan causing the drop outs that helped a bunch for the strange cut outs.
I believe I have found a solution as to not hearing them well I believe I found another channel that they come clear on for the handheld. need to test it later

thank you so much for the help

 

[tvengr]

Would getting a personal scanner solve any legal issues?

Using any device not issued by the railroad while on duty would be a serious violation of the safety rules. It also applies to personal cell phones. They must be turned off while on duty. FRA inspectors would love to catch you.

 

[d119]

Using any device not issued by the railroad while on duty would be a serious violation of the safety rules. It also applies to personal cell phones. They must be turned off while on duty. FRA inspectors would love to catch you.

+1.

Lets break it down here. Are you a railfan, or an actual railroad employee? If you're taking a locomotive to another location and your portables aren't programmed, shame on your railroad, that's a 1.1 issue, and your railroad should address it, not you.

I don't know any RR's that would send out employees unprepared like that, unless you're some short line with no radio tech.