Indy Public Safety

[k9bud]

What must I do to get Indy Public Safety and County Government on m y Whistler TRX-1? I have no problems with the Indiana Projest SAFE-T, it work just fine. However, I can not receive anything from Indianapolis systems. I have programmed just the Public Safety system in, but it only shows an 'S' as it scans, never a 'T'. I thought it was a P25 800 system phase I, but nothing. Help.

 

[RaleighGuy]

What must I do to get Indy Public Safety and County Government on m y Whistler TRX-1?

Are you loading it from EZ Scan or by hand? If you notice on the system page of RR it says if you are having problems receiving it to read this WIKI article Simulcast Distortion - The RadioReference Wiki as it is a simulcast system (P25 Phase 1, yes, but also simulcast).

 

[tvengr]

Try turning up the squelch a little. It may be hanging up on the first frequency programmed and not getting to the control channel.

 

[k9bud]

Thanks for the response. I downloaded it from library version 664. I also removed all other trunked systems as well as all the conventional. I should be far enough away to not be bothered by simulcast. Also, where I pick up my grandson at school, it is less than a mile to one of their towers, but, alas, still nothing.
Not even a peep of any kind. zero, nada.

 

[RaleighGuy]

I downloaded it from library version 664. I also removed all other trunked systems as well as all the conventional. I should be far enough away to not be bothered by simulcast. Also, where I pick up my grandson at school, it is less than a mile to one of their towers, but, alas, still nothing.
Not even a peek of any kind. zero, nada.

It's not how far you are from a tower, but more importantly are you in the footprint where two or more towers overlap. That said, even if there were simulcast issues you still should be hearing something. Just a couple obvious things to check, did you just put in control/alternate channels or all of the voice channels as well, did you put in the correct talkgroups, did you put in a single site or multiple sites (and are they the correct ones for your location), do you have a wildcard tg in there (try that if not and see if you hear anything)?

You can also see if you are receiving any sounds from the control channel by doing a search of that freq, and/or turning IF Output on. If you have Unitrunker or Pro96Comm try running that and see if you are receiving traffic.

Hopefully another member from Indy will make suggestions here too.

 

[tvengr]

If you attach your configuration file, I will check it out for any problems.

 

[k9bud]

Here is the file tvengr, it was downloaded from library 664. I deleted all conventional and other trunked systems except Indy. I also locked out the county government system as well. I still get the 'S' with the squelch all the way clockwise.

 

[tvengr]

I don't see any reason why the file shouldn't work. I suspect that you may be having simulcast issues. If you have the squelch fully clockwise, you will be lucky to hear anything. Only extremely strong signals will override it. The normal procedure is to set the squelch fully counterclockwise and turn it up until the noise just stops. The owner's manual suggests a normal range is 10 to 12 o'clock. Try setting it fully counterclockwise and see what happens. Without conventional frequencies, you should not hear any noise. If you have a strong signal, with the squelch fully counterclockwise, try turning on the attenuator. That will sometimes reduce the number of towers you receive and improve the control channel decoding. Also, try pointing the antenna different directions and move the scanner around the room. Are you in Marion Co? If not, how far from it? If you are using an outside antenna, try the stock antenna. If you have a weak signal, you may require an outside antenna or a high gain scanner antenna such as the Remtronix REM-800B. That one is made specifically for the 700 and 800 MHz frequencies and works far better than the stock antenna.

 

[k9bud]

If I 'open' the squelch, I occasionally will see a 'T' and a talk group. This is totally unacceptable!!! I am thinking about selling it and put the money toward an SDS-100.

 

[tvengr]

What is your signal strength with the attenuator off? I had an adjacent county with poor signal strength with a 700/800 P25 system that I could not receive with the SDS100 until I changed to the REM-820S antenna. The REM-800B is the same antenna with a BNC connector. If signal strength is a problem, you may want to try the antenna before purchasing a new radio.

 

[belvdr]

What is your signal strength with the attenuator off? I had an adjacent county with poor signal strength with a 700/800 P25 system that I could not receive with the SDS100 until I changed to the REM-820S antenna. The REM-800B is the same antenna with a BNC connector. If signal strength is a problem, you may want to try the antenna before purchasing a new radio.

Agreed. Worst case is you can use it on a new radio, if you decide to pursue that.

 

[k9bud]

This is a PORTABLE scanner. I should not have to dink with directional antennas, etc. as it is made to carry around. Its performance is totally unacceptable.

 

[pixtorial]

Where are you at? I live in the east side of Carmel and struggle with simulcast interference. Unfortunately, the expensive SD100 and SD200 are the only scanners on the market right now that effectively manage that. I'm using an old Pro-668 and have mixed luck with it, though using attenuation helps. If you can afford to upgrade to the Uniden SD series then you will probably be happier, especially if you expect some level of reliable performance while on the move around northern Marion and southern Hamilton counties.

 

[GTO_04]

Where are you at? I live in the east side of Carmel and struggle with simulcast interference. Unfortunately, the expensive SD100 and SD200 are the only scanners on the market right now that effectively manage that. I'm using an old Pro-668 and have mixed luck with it, though using attenuation helps. If you can afford to upgrade to the Uniden SD series then you will probably be happier, especially if you expect some level of reliable performance while on the move around northern Marion and southern Hamilton counties.

Very true! In certain parts of Hamilton County, reception of both IDPS System 1 (IMPD) and System 3 (Hamilton County) can be very poor dues to simulcast issues. And it varies day to day and with the weather! I get the best results with the SDS100 and the Unication G5. SAFE-T reception is very good because the D52 towers located in Indianapolis and Hortonville are NOT simulcast!

GTO_04

 

[k9bud]

I am in Mooresville and used to work in Indy. i.e. IPL. I was beginning to think I was too far away from the system to get it. I have even gone so far as to remove everything from the scanner except system 1. Then, once in a great while, I might get something. But nothing that I could rely on. IPL in on system 2. I get better results from my Pro 2096, although it is far from perfect. I get SAFE-T ok on either receiver, however. Thanks for your input, I thought there should be someone in the Indy area with a similar problem. I am leaning toward the SDS100.

 

[GTO_04]

I am in Mooresville and used to work in Indy. i.e. IPL. I was beginning to think I was too far away from the system to get it. I have even gone so far as to remove everything from the scanner except system 1. Then, once in a great while, I might get something. But nothing that I could rely on. IPL in on system 2. I get better results from my Pro 2096, although it is far from perfect. I get SAFE-T ok on either receiver, however. Thanks for your input, I thought there should be someone in the Indy area with a similar problem. I am leaning toward the SDS100.

The SDS100 will get the job done. The simulcast decoding on the G5 is a little better, but the SDS100 is still very good. I am strongly thinking of picking up a SDS200 for home use with its superior audio.

GTO_04