Help with Chambersburg

[dchawk81]

Just bought an SDS100 and live near OP (Chambersburg PA) and can't pull in EMS either. I can get fire dispatch.

I had the 436 and returned it due to no simulcast.

Tried the stock as well as SRH77CA antenna.

I do have favorites programmed in and I can hear dispatch assign a responding team to, say, EMS 5. Even when I tune directly to EMS 5 nothing at all comes through. I'm not even scanning at that point. I'm on the channel directly.

I also got things like the airports (ZDB, ZNY, ZDC) on the 436 and they barely come in anymore on the SDS100, although I had AGC turned on for those on the 436 and stupidly that option is missing from the SDS.

I'm not sure what further information I need to provide to get this going but any help would be appreciated.

 

[SurgePGH]

Are you attempting to do this on 462.775 or on the LCWC System?
It appears that they use the same talk group as Fire on the LCWC System.

 

[W3DMV]

Just bought an SDS100 and live near OP (Chambersburg PA) and can't pull in EMS either. I can get fire dispatch.

I had the 436 and returned it due to no simulcast.

Tried the stock as well as SRH77CA antenna.

I do have favorites programmed in and I can hear dispatch assign a responding team to, say, EMS 5. Even when I tune directly to EMS 5 nothing at all comes through. I'm not even scanning at that point. I'm on the channel directly.

I also got things like the airports (ZDB, ZNY, ZDC) on the 436 and they barely come in anymore on the SDS100, although I had AGC turned on for those on the 436 and stupidly that option is missing from the SDS.

I'm not sure what further information I need to provide to get this going but any help would be appreciated.

 

[W3DMV]

Sent you a private message..

 

[SurgePGH]

Are you attempting to do this on 462.775 or on the LCWC System?
It appears that they use the same talk group as Fire on the LCWC System.
View attachment 162783

Good grief.... I must have been tired! Wrong County by FAR! Sorry.

 

[dchawk81]

Good grief.... I must have been tired! Wrong County by FAR! Sorry.

All good and you're correct except the county. I didn't have the correct (or any maybe) P25 programmed because I had copied my programming over from the BCD436 and didn't bother with simulcast. Once I got that in it started working great.

Still not sure why my reception is poorer for aircraft though.

 

[SurgePGH]

All good and you're correct except the county. I didn't have the correct (or any maybe) P25 programmed because I had copied my programming over from the BCD436 and didn't bother with simulcast. Once I got that in it started working great.

Still not sure why my reception is poorer for aircraft though.

I have heard (but not experienced) that the SDS series suffers a little on VHF receive. This may be part of your issue with the aircraft.

 

[dchawk81]

I have heard (but not experienced) that the SDS series suffers a little on VHF receive. This may be part of your issue with the aircraft.

You're probably right. I can pull some of them in if I stop on them, they just aren't as clear as they were on the BCD436.

I can still get Harrisburg International via Big Flat but I used to be able to get Dulles as well and that seems to be outside the SDS100 range.

 

[kb3ouk]

Nice thing with Franklin county is even if you have issues with receiving the trunked system there are several analog relays to listen to as a backup for fire/EMS:
453.550/46.16-Dispatch
453.4875 pl 103.5-Ops talkgroups 3-16 (from what I can tell its all from 3 to 16)
453.7375-dispatch plus ops 2 and others (not sure if all ops talkgroups are relayed or if full or part time, dispatch is relayed full time)

 

[Gigs_17201]

Nice thing with Franklin county is even if you have issues with receiving the trunked system there are several analog relays to listen to as a backup for fire/EMS:
453.550/46.16-Dispatch
453.4875 pl 103.5-Ops talkgroups 3-16 (from what I can tell its all from 3 to 16)
453.7375-dispatch plus ops 2 and others (not sure if all ops talkgroups are relayed or if full or part time, dispatch is relayed full time)

I am the system administrator for (2) of those (the Top listing of 453.550 is UHF Analog F/EMS Dispatch operated & maintained by County Dispatch. The 453 is simulcasted from all the tower sites (which is what personnel have programmed into their Minitor pagers, etc). The 46.160 MHz. is the old / original Low Band frequency (which transmits from Clarks Knob only). It was determined years ago that as-long-as the 'ol Motorola Base continues work, they'll leave it "up & running".

As for the other 2 UHF freqs (the .4875 is located on a cell tower in Fayetteville utilizing an SDS200 that is scanning the OPs 3-16.
The .7375 is located in Shippensburg on cell tower; it is connected to a Motorola XTL5000 Mobile (and "usually" monitors Ops 2-16); HOWEVER, for the past few weeks, I have Main Dispatch also broadcasting because I am working on a project of "monitoring" all of the county Tones (and writing / keeping track) on what each agency P25 Digital Tone Frequency (hz) comes-out over the air.
(ie: I know the conventional/analog Tone (hz.) frequencies; but obtaining what the P25 changes the tone (hz.) too.

Hope some of this info helps and Take Care

 

[kb3ouk]

That 453.7375 has some good coverage, I'm over in the northern part of fulton county and I can walk around the yard with a portable and hear it pretty much everywhere plus most places in the house. 453.4875 is little more spotty but great if you're in the right spot, but with our county sheriff on 453.5000, it suffers some adjacent channel interference when they key up.