Help programming bcd996p2

[Jamesford0069]

Good day, not sure if this is the right topic group to post this under but I’m trying to program bcd996p2 with local channels here in the south Houston/ Galveston county area and thought I did it right but out of the many channels I programmed in only receiving audio n on one or 2 and I know most of the ones that I’m not getting any data on are closer and just as powerful as a transmission as the ones I am receiving. Is there someone local that could help me with the programming or anyone else that could help, thank you in advance.

 

[hiegtx]

Good day, not sure if this is the right topic group to post this under but I’m trying to program bcd996p2 with local channels here in the south Houston/ Galveston county area and thought I did it right but out of the many channels I programmed in only receiving audio n on one or 2 and I know most of the ones that I’m not getting any data on are closer and just as powerful as a transmission as the ones I am receiving. Is there someone local that could help me with the programming or anyone else that could help, thank you in advance.

I'm not in your area, but several members, that are in your area, likely will see this & respond to you before long.

Which site are you trying to receive? So many of the sites in your Houston Metro area are simulcast, which can be a problem.

 

[Jamesford0069]

I'm not in your area, but several members, that are in your area, likely will see this & respond to you before long.

Which site are you trying to receive? So many of the sites in your Houston Metro area are simulcast, which can be a problem.

I’d like a lot of them in the local area to work but specifically at least Kemah, league city, Friendswood, Webster, Dickinson, Seabrook fire and PD channels

 

[Enforcer52]

How are you programming the scanner with Sentinel or other software, or manually?

 

[hiegtx]

How are you programming the scanner with Sentinel or other software, or manually?

He's got a 996P2, so would be using either FreeSCAN, ProScan, or ARCXT (unless programming manually).

 

[wtp]

squelch set to 2 .

 

[Jamesford0069]

How are you programming the scanner with Sentinel or other software, or manually?

Tried using both freescan and pro scan, same results both times.

 

[Jamesford0069]

Attached is my current programing list for reference

 

[Enforcer52]

Top right of screen, check your private mail.

 

[buddrousa]

Do you live in this circle?

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Site: Friendswood

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Site: Friendswood Details

www.radioreference.com

 

[Jamesford0069]

Do you live in this circle?

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Site: Friendswood

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Site: Friendswood Details

www.radioreference.com

Yes I do, Just SE of the center. Enforcer 52 is giving me a hand right now, so going to see how that works out.

 

[Enforcer52]

Do you live in this circle?

Yes he is close to League City, I just sent him a revised program to see if it will work better than what he had.

 

[buddrousa]

Do some sites carry all traffic or just the ones that have TG's affiliated with them.

 

[Enforcer52]

Do some sites carry all traffic or just the ones that have TG's affiliated with them.

Just the ones with TG's

 

[buddrousa]

The thing Newbies do not understand that and have to be explained to how that works.

 

[hiegtx]

Yes he is close to League City, I just sent him a revised program to see if it will work better than what he had.

Did you 'prune out' all the extra sites? Looking at his file, it has all the sites in TxWARN, the vast majority of which are well out of range.

 

[KevinC]

You will need the Galveston County simulcast for the agencies you listed and the 996p2 isn't stellar on simulcast. And some of those agencies are now encrypted.

 

[Enforcer52]

Did you 'prune out' all the extra sites?

Yeah I started with a clean slate and only put in Galveston, Harris Central, and Houston SE tower, and only cites within about 30 miles and didn't import the encrypted channels.

Have him playing around with best positions in the house and the height of the antenna right now.

 

[hiegtx]

Yeah I started with a clean slate and only put in Galveston, Harris Central, and Houston SE tower, and only cites within about 30 miles and didn't import the encrypted channels.

Have him playing around with best positions in the house and the height of the antenna right now.

Sounds like a good plan. If he can find a 'sweet spot' where it works, he'll be in good shape. I wonder if using a 'blocker' might help. Set beside the scanner, so that sites in a specific direction can't be received.

 

[Enforcer52]

I wonder if using a 'blocker' might help. Set beside the scanner, so that sites in a specific direction can't be received.

Living in a Non Simulcast area I never thought of that, I have to use the 18 element yagi to pick up the closest simulcast system in Montgomery Co. Next time I'm in Fort Worth might take a couple of cookie sheets and play around with the idea while at my son's house. Of course the blocker would need to be high enough to block the entire antenna and maybe a few inches higher than the antenna. Will give me something to play around with when I'm up there and my son is at work.