Pyr8
Member
Is it posible to scan upper and lower AM sidebands on a BCD996XT?
Is there a SSB (USB/LSB) setting for the BCD996XT?
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Pyr8
Member
I take it only strieght AM. Are there any scanners out there that will do AM SSB?
Not that I'm aware of. Several of the communications receivers will do what you are asking but most are not really scanners even though most do have basic scan functions.
What frequencies are you looking to use an SSB mode?
Pyr8
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wtp
Member
on SSB as the audio drops, so does the signal.
so a scanner would just keep scanning.
so a scanner would just keep scanning.
Scanner radios, no. Wideband communications receivers, yes. However If you aren't prepared to shell out potentially hundreds on a communications receiver capable of receiving SSB (AOR, Icom and Alinco are a few brands that come to mind), perhaps consider a software-defined radio for a fraction of the cost. Only drawback with going the SDR route is you also need to carry around a laptop or tablet
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Not even close to true. There are several portable radios that are sideband capable - the Tecsun PL660 is but one example. Problem is that in that range, sensitivity tends to drop off a lot. A good antenna helps. The other side of this is activity up there is going to be very hit and miss. Solar activity really drives good propagation up that way and it's not all that good right now. Yes, every now and again, it will come up - any 10 meter DXer will tell you that. But it isn't going to be every day...Mike
Pyr8, your question brings up a good point. This scanner's (and many others) frequency coverage starts at 25 MHz. That covers the CB and 10 meter ham bands (in the U.S.) on which SSB is very popular. Yet the scanner cannot demodulate SSB. Weird 
The problem with SSB is fine-tuning the frequency correctly so the audio doesn't sound too high- or low-pitched. That's normally done manually, and there's no easy way to tune to the exactly correct frequency automatically. Adding that level of frequency fine-tuning would require additional circuitry for most scanners, although it could be done via software in the SDS models. But that still doesn't solve the transient nature of the SSB signal--if the scanner checks the channel between words, it's going to see no signal and continue scanning. Detecting the signal would be hit and miss.
Most CB traffic isn't sideband anyway.
Most CB traffic isn't sideband anyway.
I think there were several models made that could only do FM mode below 30 MHz so no AM for the CB channels if you were into monitoring CB back in the day.Pyr8, your question brings up a good point. This scanner's (and many others) frequency coverage starts at 25 MHz. That covers the CB and 10 meter ham bands (in the U.S.) on which SSB is very popular. Yet the scanner cannot demodulate SSB. Weird
There were also FCC license holders for FM mode below 30 MHz. I think TV and Radio was one use that had licenses down there for Remote Broadcast/Pickup and then the petroleum industry as well as a few frequencies that could be licensed for business use.
I may have to do a search and see if any of those old below 30 MHz licenses are still valid today. With low band mostly dead right now, I don't tune for skip very often but I used to pickup FM stuff down there.
Are the Mexican cab companies using SSB or FM mode below 30 MHz? I don't remember but I do remember hearing them all the time when skip was good.
Like jon said above, tuning SSB would be hard due to the wide tuning steps used by scanners.
You would need to modify the scanner to manually tune unless you were very lucky and all stations were exactly on frequency.
Edit: I just ran an Active FCC license search for anything between 25 and 29.999 MHz and the results showed over 1,000 valid licenses across the US. I picked several at random and they were licensed for FM modulation like normal low band users are licensed. Most also had 100 watt+ power limits.
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