HomePatrol Audio Issue

[lowcountryfeeds]

Good Evening! I've purchased a homepatrol and Scanner Master pre-programmed it for me. When i'm scanning some channels on the Palmetto P25 System for law enforcement it locks on a channel when someone is talking but no audio comes out? Any ideas? I know they're talking because I had a two way radio in the same room on the same channel, just no audio out of my scanner...but it locks on that channel...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[cpfinlay]

It appears that several talkgroups are encrypted. If the 2-way has the encryption key, that would explain why it plays those. I assume that you can hear other talkgroups with the scanner, since this appears to be a Phase 1 system.

Here's the info for that system:
Palmetto (Project 25) Trunking System, Various, South Carolina - Scanner Frequencies

 

[W0CAK]

I have the same issue on mine. It happens on nearly every channel...I can go quite awhile without hearing anything yet the display will show that a frequency is in use. I can turn it off and come back and turn it on and everything works...its intermittent....its almost as if the mute is on....but for long periods of time....I can't seem to figure out the cause...I doubt it's encrypted channels cause it goes on far too long and I live in an area where I can receive lots of different cities and departments.

 

[W0CAK]

I was playing with mine today, when AGC was set to on I heard nothing, switched it to off and audio was back. Seems very odd that AGC would in effect mute nearly all my frequencies. It really impacted frequencies where simulcast would be an issue...I hope this is my only issue just thought I'd pass this along.

 

[Voyager]

The scanner should skip ENC transmissions on P25 systems, not just mute them. Just FYI.

 

[W8RMH]

It is stopping on a channel however your reception of that transmission is not good enough to decode the digital signal. Try to improve your antenna or location.

I experience this occasionally, especially on systems where my reception is marginal.

With analog signals, if they were weak, they had static or low volume, where with digital it is all or nothing.

The Home Patrol will not stop on encrypted transmissions.

AGC adjusts for volume and has no effect on reception.

 

[stingray327]

Good Evening! I've purchased a homepatrol and Scanner Master pre-programmed it for me. When i'm scanning some channels on the Palmetto P25 System for law enforcement it locks on a channel when someone is talking but no audio comes out? Any ideas? I know they're talking because I had a two way radio in the same room on the same channel, just no audio out of my scanner...but it locks on that channel...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

HP-1 or HP-2?

 

[W0CAK]

It is stopping on a channel however your reception of that transmission is not good enough to decode the digital signal. Try to improve your antenna or location.

I experience this occasionally, especially on systems where my reception is marginal.

With analog signals, if they were weak, they had static or low volume, where with digital it is all or nothing.

The Home Patrol will not stop on encrypted transmissions.

AGC adjusts for volume and has no effect on reception.

In my case it is stopping on the channels. In many cases it is showing 4 bars in terms of signal strength. Which should tell me my location is good and the antenna seems to be working. The channels are typically the frequently used dispatch channels. My local sheriff's department has 3 dispatch zones. They are not encrypted. I'm wondering about AGC because it does/should control volume, but not mute it. Is it somehow controlling it to the point of no audio? These zones have many towers so I suspect simulcast is part of the issue.

I can still hear other things such as the Highway Patrol which is not plagued with simulcast. All I know is that when AGC is on, I'm hearing nothing on many frequencies, when it is off all returns to normal.

 

[W8RMH]

I have never heard of AGC muting anything, or working intermittently. Are you sure it is not the attenuatior?

 

[W0CAK]

I have never heard of AGC muting anything, or working intermittently. Are you sure it is not the attenuatior?

Yes, I'm new to the scanner, but understand AGC and attenuation...I'm wondering if I need to send my unit in? Or perhaps reload firmware--if that can be done...could something have gotten corrupted?

Or better still, buy the 536....just saw the video of the computer control...looks pretty slick

I'm going to continue to play with it...worse comes to worse I'll let Uniden take a look...It does seem to work fine with AGC off...

 

[Voyager]

I usually just let the system AGC handle things since dual AGC can cause issues.

 

[W8RMH]

Do as you wish as you are obviously ignoring any advice.

 

[n2pqq]

I was playing with mine today, when AGC was set to on I heard nothing, switched it to off and audio was back. Seems very odd that AGC would in effect mute nearly all my frequencies. It really impacted frequencies where simulcast would be an issue...I hope this is my only issue just thought I'd pass this along.

You are 100 percent correct.

I had the same problem, turned off the AGC and now can hear a simulcast system.

This is on a HP-II.

 

[torontokris]

I also had the same problem with an HP-1.. it wasnt ENC or bad signal.
It would just act as if the unit was on MUTE (but it wasnt)... then all of a sudden it would work again. Then half hour later not work.

I have the same issue on mine. It happens on nearly every channel...I can go quite awhile without hearing anything yet the display will show that a frequency is in use. I can turn it off and come back and turn it on and everything works...its intermittent....its almost as if the mute is on....but for long periods of time....I can't seem to figure out the cause...I doubt it's encrypted channels cause it goes on far too long and I live in an area where I can receive lots of different cities and departments.

 

[Toddw11]

In my case it is stopping on the channels. In many cases it is showing 4 bars in terms of signal strength. Which should tell me my location is good and the antenna seems to be working. The channels are typically the frequently used dispatch channels. My local sheriff's department has 3 dispatch zones. They are not encrypted. I'm wondering about AGC because it does/should control volume, but not mute it. Is it somehow controlling it to the point of no audio? These zones have many towers so I suspect simulcast is part of the issue.

I can still hear other things such as the Highway Patrol which is not plagued with simulcast. All I know is that when AGC is on, I'm hearing nothing on many frequencies, when it is off all returns to normal.

I am VERY new to the world of scanners and such but I am having the exact same problem with my HP1. Can someone explain to me what AGC is? Is there something wrong with my scanner that I need to returen it for repair?

Thank you!

 

[Voyager]

AGC is Automatic Gain Control which is supposed to level out the audio so one user is not much more loud than another.

Most trunked systems have one built-in, so best to disable the one in the scanner.

 

[toastycookies]

AGC wiki is @ AGC - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[Toddw11]

Thank you for explaining that for me.