HP1 Problem

[215ax]

Can anyone give me any indication why I cannot receive EMS here in Charlottetown, PEI, Canada with the HP1. Their system is listed here on radio reference and I have loaded all the frequencies, updates, etc and it show that is is scanning the integrated system but does not receive their particular frequencies. I know the reception is good as I can pick up faintly a EMS dispatch in Nova Scotia that is about 100+ miles away and I am only about 10-15 miles from both tower and local dispatch center. Everything else works with this scanner including RCMP, fire, etc.
ANY suggestions would be appreciated... Could it be possible that the frequencys are incorrect here on RadioReference??? I purchased this scanner specifically to hear the EMS as I have other scanners as well that will do the rest..
Thanks for reading and any suggestions are welcome
Paul

 

[UPMan]

Not familiar with the area, but be sure both EMS Dispatch and EMS Tactical service types are turned on.

 

[215ax]

Funny you would mention that as some of the choices will not let me turn them on, but I know that EMS dispatch is on... What causes some to be not available and some to be??
Thanks

 

[215ax]

Sorry, also it seems that I need to extend the range to allow some of these to be activated, then I have all Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and the scanning time is slow..

 

[AJAT]

Wirelessly posted (PANTECH-P7000/JDUS10052009; Mozilla/5.0 (Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1; Opera Mini/att/4.2.15645; U; en-US) Opera 9.50)

For me to get my local EMS in New jersey I need to turn on "other". If some of the services are not able to be turned on and all you have if your favorites selected, then you do not have any of those services programed in your favorites list you are listening to.

 

[215ax]

"For me to get my local EMS in New jersey I need to turn on "other". If some of the services are not able to be turned on and all you have if your favorites selected, then you do not have any of those services programed in your favorites list you are listening to."


OK, Is "other" in the selected services that you want to listen to? I have the full database + I have a favorites list that it is scanning now, because there was a couple opf frequencies that were listed in the full database so I made a favorites list and scan both..

 

[AJAT]

Is this the EMS system you are trying to get: Prince Edward Island Provincial Integrated Communication System Trunking System, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - Scanner Frequencies
If so than the EMS DISPATCH and EMS TAC would be the services you need to choose.Try making a favorites list with just the EMS talk groups and scan only that favorite list and nothing else to see if it loads those talk groups.

 

[215ax]

Ok, I will try that and yes it is what integrated system that I am trying to listen to. I am within range of two of the transmission towers according to this site, but never had a hit. I will make a "new" favorites list. Why do you think that making a separate favorites list may be the answer...(just trying to understand the inner workings of this unit better )
Is there a way that I can actually see the frequencies that are programmed into this scanner??

 

[AJAT]

Making a separate list and just scanning just that one will help you concentrate on troubleshooting just that one system. If you have the extreme upgrade, you can analyze that system to tell you a lot more of what is going on. If you don't have the extreme you should still see the RSS bar indicator showing you the signal strength of the tower you are receiving. This will at least tell you if you are receiving the control channel data from the tower.

 

[Jay911]

I don't have access to my Sentinel installation from here, but maybe Paul (UPMan) can tell us if there are any known issues with Type I talkgroups. That and the size codes would be my guess as to issues.

 

[Drkatzjr45]

The problem I have with the HP-1 is that it sometimes fails to connect to the correct tower or system.

For example, I live in Tulsa, Oklahama.


On the first day I received the HP, I entered in Tulsa, OK and could not hear our local trunked system.
We have about 20 systems here.

Even when I lowered the range down to only 3 miles from Tulsa, it still connected to the wrong system.

To correct this, I created a favorite list, and using the advanced key, permanently disabled all systems except
Tulsa....and now it works great. But....I shouldn't have to do that!!!!

I have a high opinion of the HP-1 in general, but this failure to (invariably) connect to the correct system...is concerning....to say the least.

 

[UPMan]

I think you mean "site" every place you said "system." If the site's range overlaps the HP-1's set location and range, then it will be checked for traffic (it will check every site that is within range). Selection of multiple sites, some of which might provide poor coverage for your location is normally due to:

1) Oversized ranges in the RadioReference database (for example, setting every site to 30 miles, when they are actually intended to cover only 5);
2) Large range setting in the HomePatrol-1.

The interaction between the ranges in RadioReference and the range setting you have control over in the HP-1 is explained in How it Works: Location, Location, Location.

Because the ranges in RRDB are limited to circles, it isn't really possible to set site location/ranges on multisite systems where there isn't some overlapped coverage areas for adjascent sites. HP actually allows rectangular coverage areas, so could be set to have a hard dividing line between site "territories" which would work much better. But, until the base data that we get from RadioReference starts to incorporate such features, you will continue to see some "non-optimal" selections.

 

[Drkatzjr45]

Yes, I meant site.

Yet even when I have placed Range to only -one mile -, it will invariably grab a site 30 miles away,

Again, overall I think it is a great scanner, but am wondering why it can't discern (like my GSR-700 can)
the correct site commensurate with area. Otherwise, I LOVE the scanner!

 

[mciupa]

I did a little digging of my own on my HomePatrol and fudged my location as Charlottetown PEI. I located the system and went through the talkgroup list.

This is what I found:

4005-1 in RR database is 000-0 on HomePatrol (EMS TAC)
4052-1 in RR database is 000-0 on HomePatrol (EMS Dispatch)
507-01 in RR database is 507-1 on HomePatrol (EMS-Hospital)
700-01 in RR database is 700-1 on HomePatrol (EMS/Fire Mutual Aid)

I think once we get those 000-0 properly assigned, we are in business.

 

[loumaag]

Why do you have a range set at all? Why not set it at zero? Remember, it is the overlap between your set range and the range set in the database that counts. If you have yours set at zero the only range that is of concern is the one in the database. That said, the other question I have is if you are using the HP-1 mobile, then using location based scanning makes sense. If you are using it at home, why are you using location based scanning at all? If you are at home, you know what you want to listen to, enter it (them) into a "Home" favorites list, turn off location based scanning and let the listening begin.

 

[loumaag]

I did a little digging of my own on my HomePatrol and fudged my location as Charlottetown PEI. I located the system and went through the talkgroup list.

This is what I found:

4005-1 in RR database is 000-0 on HomePatrol (EMS TAC)
4052-1 in RR database is 000-0 on HomePatrol (EMS Dispatch)
507-01 in RR database is 507-1 on HomePatrol (EMS-Hospital)
700-01 in RR database is 700-1 on HomePatrol (EMS/Fire Mutual Aid)

I think once we get those 000-0 properly assigned, we are in business.

And of course, this is another problem. Sounds as if Paul needs to address this.

 

[215ax]

SO how do I address the above 000-0 problems?? How do I assign them??
thanks
Paul

 

[mciupa]

I'm not sure you can unless you have the upgrade. If you have the Extreme upgrade, it allows you to save Unknown talkgroups.

Do you have the upgrade? , otherwise wait for UPMan's reply.

 

[215ax]

I don't have the upgrade.....Not spending any more money unless I really have to at this point.. I will wait and hope that UPMan will help if possible.
Thanks so much for the help so far.. I'll be waitin'
Paul (PEI)

 

[UPMan]

I am checking. It is possibly bad data in RRDB, but could be a conversion problem in the HP-1. I am not familiar enough with Type I vs. Fleet Maps to know where the problem lies, so am asking the engineers to advise.

Maybe one of the Motorola Gurus that hang around can look at RRDB to see if the Fleet/Subfleet make sense based on the Fleetmap