Haywood County Can's and Cant's

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thrownout27

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I was hoping to elicit some feed back on what I am hearing and what I am not hearing in the Clyde area of Haywood County using a BCD996XT with a standard OEM antenna. Here's a breakdown, in general.

Hearing
Conventional- Haywood (EMS, Fire, Sheriff,) Waynesville FD and Police, Canton Police, Clyde Police, Blue Ridge Paper (800 analog trunked), Henderson Sheriff (Bearwallow), Jackson (FD, EMS), Madison (EMS,Sheriff), NCSHP (low band occasional), Norfolk Southern Rail, Ham-Eagles Nest Repeater, USFS-Pisgah National, Asheville Fire Page and Dispatch, Some analog Buncombe Emergency Services, Asheville Airport, Atlanta ARTCC (Hickory and Greensboro)

Digital-NC Viper (Chambers Mtn., Bearwallow Mtn.) including Troop G- 3,4, and mostly 6, little 5 though that should be my home troop. GSMNP Rangers, MAMA-Air Ambulance (Chambers Mtn.)

Not Hearing- Buncombe County Digital Traffic, Digital or Analog NCDOT traffic, Blue Ridge Parkway analog or digital traffic.

I guess my biggest disappointment is hearing such little through Viper. For some reason, I am hearing nothing other than a bit of NCSHP. I can't figure why I am missing DOT and/or IMAP, especially during winter weather. I was also hoping for more Federal traffic though I get a good bit from the National Park, just none from the Parkway...perhaps it increases in the summer? Finally, I am hearing nothing from Buncombe County digital wise. I'm in Clyde so it may be a geographical distance issue (or antenna)

I think its interesting that I get so much from the Bearwallow site in Henderson County, a good ways away. (Digital and Analog). Any thoughts on what I'm hearing or not hearing?
 

EZlistener

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Although I live closer to Knoxville, I have my scanner in Haywood County regularly and may be of help.
1. There is still a lot of HP traffic on low-band Ch 9 (42.50). The IMAP trucks there ID as "DOT40" and used to talk with HP Asheville on HP F9. Whether the closure of the Aseville Comm Centre has changed any of this, I don't know.
2. Parkway: First of all, there is not a lot of radio communication. I have spent days cruising the Parkway in Haywood, only to hear nothing. Another consideration is that the Parkway is basically a linear facility, and the antennae of the fixed transmitters are probably designed to radiate up and down the Parkway, and not off in other directions. I hear transmissions from the Frying Pan site, but they are not frequent.
3. You should hear some DOT activity on their low-band system.

Hope this helps. Good listening.
 

thrownout27

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Thanks

I appreciate that very much and think you're seeing and not seeing the same things I am. In terms of the parkway, I am probably 10 to 15 linear miles from it as it boarders our county on the south. Hearing the GSMNP does make more sense too with it being a large space as opposed to what's really just a road. I'll also work more on the DOT stuff and the low band as well.

Tell me what type of luck you have listening to Tennessee based services. I have Cocke County Tenn frequencies programmed but haven't picked up anything. Of course there are quite a few high peaks between me and them too. I'd love to hear some Tennessee State Highway Patrol traffic.
 

n4yek

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I have Cocke County Tenn frequencies programmed but haven't picked up anything. Of course there are quite a few high peaks between me and them too. I'd love to hear some Tennessee State Highway Patrol traffic.
Cocke county is quite active.
I live in Cosby, just 10 short miles from the state line and have Haywood county North Carolina freqs programmed and I have the same results as you, just reversed. I hear no NC activity from my house and the mountains definetly have something to do with it. :)
The Highway Patrol is using the TACN system in East Tennessee but still use the low band from time to time.
 
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EZlistener

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It was not rare to hear THP in Haywood from the English Mountain site before this District (#5) switched to the new TACN system. IIRC, Cocke County's stuff was on Hall Top off Edwina Rd and couldn't be heard past the gorge. As for Haywood, I could hear both Chambers and Crabtree well over here before they narrowbanded; just haven't listened lately.
The GSMNP repeaters are simulcast, so you can hear just about all traffic anywhere around here.
 

EZlistener

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I wasn't aware that there were IMAP trucks in Buncombe, just Pigeon River Gorge only..Guess I learn something new every day.
 

thrownout27

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I have seen IMAP on the Sylvia group of late...still no digital traffic from Buncombe though I do get the analog traffic from there...in help here?
 

trumpetman

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The county system is very directional and cellular like. You won't hear much outside of the county. The city's 800 system was designed as a general simulcast that radiates a lot more evenly in every direction. Notice the centrally located sites and where they are jn relation to the city. Then look at the county's sites and notice how they boarder the outside and are looking inward.

All the other stuff you listed is likely a programming error. Haywood has fairly decent coverage. Parkway was stellar coverage, I hear many sites in Charlotte as well. Check your programming and run without any NACs or PLs and see if that might help too.
 
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