Illinois Starcom21 not working on BCD325P2

[kandersonn]

Trying to help my dad with his BCD325P2. I downloaded Freescan and I have Starcom21 Statewide uploaded to the scanner, we are in Will county which I understand is simulcast. I'm seeing that the simulcast might be the issue and it might just not be possible to receive any transmissions with this particular scanner. It is scanning all the groups and everything appears to be ok on the scanner however there is nothing coming through at all. I have been trying to get this going for him for the past few days and I have only heard a handful of transmissions come through. Am I missing something simple? Or is this scanner just not going to work for what we want it to do?

Thanks.

 

[N9JIG]

While Simulcast is most likely the issue there are a couple things to try:

Double check that the appropriate Quick Keys (if programmed) are turned on. Personally I don't use them, they tend to confuse things more than they help for me, YMMV.

Look at the signal strength indicator, if it shows one or more bars while scanning then it is hearing the control channel, if so try putting the System into ID Search, that might allow you to hear activity even if your Quick Keys are messed up.

Press the Hold button while scanning it and rotate the knob thru the listed Control channels. On one of them the scanner should display the System ID (140, Site 113) and any active talkgroups on that Site. If you do not see any of the listed Control Channels active then you are either out of range or simulcast is really messing things up badly.

Try taking off the regular antenna and replace it with a paperclip with one leg folded out, push the folded out leg into the antenna port. That should give you enough antenna exposure to hear just one site and exclude any others, hopefully that will reduce the effect that simulcast has.

 

[lu81fitter]

This may or may not work, but may be worth a try. Add the frequencies for the DuPage County simulcast system in your radio and scan the talk groups you want through there. It may work for some, but a lot of times, if the subscriber radios aren't affiliating with the system it won't work. Other times, some systems are "hardwired" in so that it ensures signal saturation. Looks like there is a tower in Lemont. You may pick it up or may not. It doesn't hurt to try. Maybe someone closer to your area will know more.

 

[wtp]

squelch at 2 ?

 

[scannerjunkie]

Trying to help my dad with his BCD325P2. I downloaded Freescan and I have Starcom21 Statewide uploaded to the scanner, we are in Will county which I understand is simulcast. I'm seeing that the simulcast might be the issue and it might just not be possible to receive any transmissions with this particular scanner. It is scanning all the groups and everything appears to be ok on the scanner however there is nothing coming through at all. I have been trying to get this going for him for the past few days and I have only heard a handful of transmissions come through. Am I missing something simple? Or is this scanner just not going to work for what we want it to do?

Thanks.

Pm me your email address. from there i may be able to help you with the 325P2 file sent from freescan to email. from there i can look it over and make adjustments and changes if needed. i too have the 325P2 and it works very well on the starcom system in my area here in the south burbs.

 

[YoShep69]

I have had issues with FREESCAN assigning wrong system type. Double check the system type.



Greg

 

[kandersonn]

Thank you everyone for the replies. So to start out the signal bars are kind of all over the place while scanning. Flashing on and off totally and then between 2-4 bars. I do have quick keys on and I only have 1, it is selected while attempting to scan. The scanner is in ID Search and that doesn't seem to change anything. While scanning I hit the hold and can scroll through and see all the talkgroups with out a problem. The paper clip did not seem to do anything and still not picking anything up. I also noticed that NFM shows up on the screen at times and then goes away. Squelch is at 2, and the type is Mot Type II/ P25 in freescan. I can't imagine that I am in a bad area, I'm about a block from Troy Fire Station 1 in Shorewood. With DuPage county I'm not getting anything either, not even signal bars with that.

Pm me your email address. from there i may be able to help you with the 325P2 file sent from freescan to email. from there i can look it over and make adjustments and changes if needed. i too have the 325P2 and it works very well on the starcom system in my area here in the south burbs.

Thank you, I'll send it over now

While playing around with it more, if I hold any channel, the screen flashes between the channel and finding control channel, I'm assuming this means it's losing the control channel?

 

[RoninJoliet]

Go thru all your frequencys in the Site you created , you must install all of them as Will County changes the control channel often, this is a P25 system not associated with Starcom. You must hear the control channel on one of them, move around your location. You need to see 5 bars up in the right hand corner and the frequency on the third line...I live in Joliet and when I'm in Shorewood have no problem with simulcast anywhere using the Uniden 325P2....

 

[RoninJoliet]

Shorewood is on Starcom on tower 1-13 , use the radio reference list to program in T 1-13 control channel , there talk group is 33901 and there with other towns....There FD is on Wescom TG 33946 and 33950....PS: I have absolutely NO problem with simulcast problem on the 325P2 and the base 996P2 in the whole area for a 50 mile radius,...

 

[kandersonn]

Well I have been working with scannerjunkie and he even sent me his file for freescan and I'm not super far from him so I should have been able to pick some stuff up and I was getting very spotty garbled transmissions coming through. I have since put my programming back into the scanner and I'm getting the same thing. I think it has to be the scanner is defective. Especially since Ron lives a few miles from me and he doesn't have any problems with same model scanner.

 

[YoShep69]

the type is Mot Type II/ P25 in freescan

No, you want to change that to P25 Standard (Digital XT)

 

[kandersonn]

No, you want to change that to P25 Standard (Digital XT)

Yes, I do have it there now, still having the same issue. I'm leaning towards a defective scanner. When I'm scanning if I click hold and scroll through the different talk groups all of them say they are finding control channel.

 

[RoninJoliet]

YoShep69 is correct, never trust software, i programmed most all my scanners by hand , its a good practice to learn the scanner by the manual then software being these radios are complicated,….

 

[weyforthr]

N9JIG​

"...and any active talkgroups on that Site."

Was not aware of that part of holding down a control channel. Thanks.

 

[N9JIG]

Yes, I do have it there now, still having the same issue. I'm leaning towards a defective scanner. When I'm scanning if I click hold and scroll through the different talk groups all of them say they are finding control channel.

That could well be a programming error. The trunking type should be P25 Standard. Be sure that you have the proper Control Channels as listed in the database.

Try this:

From the radio keypad and menu system create a new System, select P25 then Standard Trunk, then create a new Site, put in the 3 or 4 Control Channels for that Site. Don't worry about talkgroups, the scanner will automatically go into ID Search if no Group (where TG's go) is created. Shut off all other Systems and scan only this new system.

If it starts to work then the radio is OK, it was the original programming that was bad.

You can also press the Hold button and scroll thru the programmed Control Channels, see if one is active, it would show the System ID etc.

 

[tvengr]

Squelch is at 2, and the type is Mot Type II/ P25 in freescan.

When you download from the database, the system and site types for STARCOM21 are incorrect, but it still works. Using FreeSCAN, the system and site types should both be P25 Standard (Digital XT). Please attach your FreeSCAN programming file so that we can take a look at it. You will need to zip the file to be able to attach it. Click on Attach files and open the zipped file.

 

[kandersonn]

Alright well I kind of feel like an idiot now, but everything is working correctly. I moved all over my house, upstairs, downstairs, driveway back yard etc, took it with me to work today and it works perfectly fine. Order a larger antenna and going to see if that works and go from there. Thank you to everyone that took the time to give me a a hand. Never would have thought I'd have an issue where I am but work is only about 5 miles away and everything is crystal clear and haven't touched the programming since yesterday.

 

[Jeeves44]

Pm me your email address. from there i may be able to help you with the 325P2 file sent from freescan to email. from there i can look it over and make adjustments and changes if needed. i too have the 325P2 and it works very well on the starcom system in my area here in the south burbs.

I’m in Kane County (West side of Elgin) think you could give me a hand too? 🙏 I have the 325P2 and struggling to even get started, ugh

 

[W9WSS]

Kane County on Starcom21 is encrypted.

 

[ChicagoRadio736]

Alright well I kind of feel like an idiot now, but everything is working correctly. I moved all over my house, upstairs, downstairs, driveway back yard etc, took it with me to work today and it works perfectly fine. Order a larger antenna and going to see if that works and go from there. Thank you to everyone that took the time to give me a a hand. Never would have thought I'd have an issue where I am but work is only about 5 miles away and everything is crystal clear and haven't touched the programming since yesterday.

I was just going to say it could be a dead spot at your location. My radios act like that at my brother's house in Arlington Heights and he's right by NWCD tower. I get nothing from his location. I go a couple house down I get everything.