Issues with NJICS, especially PC Sherriff and Oakland Dispatch

[Roodog2k]

So, I think that I have literal line of sight from my home to the Ramapo tower. It's one of the ones on Skyline? I can see them all from my yard.

Anyway, using an upgraded PSR-800 making it a Whistler 1080, just so you know what I'm using.

Anyhow, I've noticed that the NJICS talk groups don't always come in clearly. I'm mainly interested in Oakland PD, but also Passaic County Sherriff.

Sometimes it's perfectly understandable, other times, it's so full of digital artifacts I can barely make out what is being said. Other times, the scanner stops on a talk group and I hear nothing.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I've never managed to wrap my mind around how the trunked systems work with respect to the relationship between the control towers and what is actually broadcasting the signal.

If Ramapo is transmitting everything, control signal and all, why would I have issues? Am I receiving off another tower sometimes?

 

[GTR8000]

Yes, Site 22 aka Ramapo is on Skyline Dr on the Passaic/Bergen border.

Make sure you have only that site programmed if that's the only site you want to listen to, otherwise the scanner may be stopping on other distant sites that won't have as clear a signal for you. Understand that not all talkgroups you're interested in might be carried on the Ramapo site 100% of the time. By default these systems are designed to maximize channel efficiency, and so if no radio is affiliated at a particular site with a particular talkgroup, that talkgroup is probably not going to be carried at that site until/unless a radio does affiliate.

 

[Roodog2k]

Yes, Site 22 aka Ramapo is on Skyline Dr on the Passaic/Bergen border.

Make sure you have only that site programmed if that's the only site you want to listen to, otherwise the scanner may be stopping on other distant sites that won't have as clear a signal for you. Understand that not all talkgroups you're interested in might be carried on the Ramapo site 100% of the time. By default these systems are designed to maximize channel efficiency, and so if no radio is affiliated at a particular site with a particular talkgroup, that talkgroup is probably not going to be carried at that site until/unless a radio does affiliate.

OK, cool. So, I may not hear Cape May or Delaware Authority stuff if I force the scanner just to listen to Ramapo. It's still odd, though, because I've been looking at the other sites and *maybe* I can hear Alpine, given that I'm in a valley. As a ham, my HT is useless even in the yard.

 

[GTR8000]

There may even be times when PCSO or Oakland PD might not be on the Ramapo site. Probably rare, but not impossible. There are times when there are no NJSP cars affiliated with the High Point site on the 2-COMM talkgroup. Hard to imagine that there is no car up in that area, and that's a killer site, but it does happen on a daily basis. All depends on where the radios are and what site is strongest for them and they wind up affiliating with, and of course they can wind up bouncing back and forth between sites based on RSSI, dragging the talkgroup along with them.

But for the time being, delete or lockout every other site you have in the scanner for the NJICS except for the Ramapo site, and you should get more consistent results.

 

[NParkNJ]

If it helps GTR, being in Ringwood myself, personally I always hear Oakland and PCSO on Ramapo. I get them pretty good on my 325p2 on “the desk” as I like to call it.
I want to say I also hear PCSO simulcasted on West Orange when I’m listening to it on the road.

 

[Roodog2k]

If it helps GTR, being in Ringwood myself, personally I always hear Oakland and PCSO on Ramapo. I get them pretty good on my 325p2 on “the desk” as I like to call it.
I want to say I also hear PCSO simulcasted on West Orange when I’m listening to it on the road.

How can you tell its the West Orange site?

On a related note, who's yagi is that that I see on the ridge there in the park?

 

[GTR8000]

Once you're locked onto a control channel, the site will continuously broadcast information that identifies itself. If your scanner is capable of displaying that info, it will show you the Site ID. Ramapo is Site 22, West Orange Simulcast is Site 1, etc. All of that is listed in the database. The other way to tell is by the control channel frequency, as they are mostly unique throughout the state with not a whole lot of them are shared among sites. So if your scanner is on 770.95625, you're on the Ramapo site, if the scanner is on 774.78125, you're on the West Orange Simulcast, and so on.

I don't know how you programmed your scanner, but if you imported every site in the system, the scanner could very well be hopping between sites in the area. If you have lousy reception of some of those sites, that could account for the bad audio decoding. As I said earlier, the best way to ensure that the scanner remains locked on the Ramapo site is to delete all of the other sites. You only need to program the three control-capable channels for Site 22. If you take the scanner mobile to other areas of the state, then you'd obviously want to program other sites, but I'm sure the scanner allows you to toggle sites on/off using scan lists or however GRE/Whistler handles that sort of thing.

 

[NParkNJ]

How can you tell its the West Orange site?

On a related note, who's yagi is that that I see on the ridge there in the park?

sorry for late reply. I have each site specifically programmed by itself. That being said, like GTR said, you can identify the site by frequency. Mine says Ramapo.

On my 325p2 I can’t get WO site at my house...so even if I had both Ramapo and WO programmed together(on purpose or by accident), scanner would only pick up Ramapo.

 

[Roodog2k]

sorry for late reply. I have each site specifically programmed by itself. That being said, like GTR said, you can identify the site by frequency. Mine says Ramapo.

On my 325p2 I can’t get WO site at my house...so even if I had both Ramapo and WO programmed together (on purpose or by accident), scanner would only pick up Ramapo.

I think you said you're in Ringwood, but I'm in Wanaque... right in the heart of what used to be known as Midvale, so I doubt that my reception of WO will be any better. I've been assuming that I've been hearing only that tower. I don't know which one it is, but I can see all the Skyline towers from my home. Wish the 10-70 repeater would move back,

As a ham when I lived in Pompton Lakes, I could hit the MSU repeater and one of the WO repeaters

Not sure if you're a ham but I was thinking about getting into DMR. I think the only repeaters I have any hope of hitting would be the one in Wayne and the one in Orangeburg. I don't hear a lot of DMR traffic, but I'm not sure if that's the scanner. It's a PSR-800 upgraded to the Whistler 1080.

 

[Roodog2k]

Once you're locked onto a control channel, the site will continuously broadcast information that identifies itself. If your scanner is capable of displaying that info, it will show you the Site ID. Ramapo is Site 22, West Orange Simulcast is Site 1, etc. All of that is listed in the database. The other way to tell is by the control channel frequency, as they are mostly unique throughout the state with not a whole lot of them are shared among sites. So if your scanner is on 770.95625, you're on the Ramapo site, if the scanner is on 774.78125, you're on the West Orange Simulcast, and so on.

I don't know how you programmed your scanner, but if you imported every site in the system, the scanner could very well be hopping between sites in the area. If you have lousy reception of some of those sites, that could account for the bad audio decoding. As I said earlier, the best way to ensure that the scanner remains locked on the Ramapo site is to delete all of the other sites. You only need to program the three control-capable channels for Site 22. If you take the scanner mobile to other areas of the state, then you'd obviously want to program other sites, but I'm sure the scanner allows you to toggle sites on/off using scan lists or however GRE/Whistler handles that sort of thing.

That makes sense, thanks. I do like to take my scanner down the shore and far into West Milford, so I'll have to make some decisions.

Would it make the scanner any "faster" to remove the South Jersey control frequencies?

 

[GTR8000]

Scanning anything beyond what you're capable of receiving reliably is going to negatively impact scanning, yes. If you're at home, the only site you should be scanning is Ramapo, nothing else. Make use of the scan list feature of your scanner to turn sites on/off as needed. It's been too long since I've touched a GRE/Whistler scanner, so I won't be able to provide you with any detailed advice on how to best program the scanner.

 

[HavenBTS]

So, I think that I have literal line of sight from my home to the Ramapo tower. It's one of the ones on Skyline? I can see them all from my yard.

Anyway, using an upgraded PSR-800 making it a Whistler 1080, just so you know what I'm using.

Anyhow, I've noticed that the NJICS talk groups don't always come in clearly. I'm mainly interested in Oakland PD, but also Passaic County Sherriff.

Sometimes it's perfectly understandable, other times, it's so full of digital artifacts I can barely make out what is being said. Other times, the scanner stops on a talk group and I hear nothing.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I've never managed to wrap my mind around how the trunked systems work with respect to the relationship between the control towers and what is actually broadcasting the signal.

If Ramapo is transmitting everything, control signal and all, why would I have issues? Am I receiving off another tower sometimes?

You are fortunate to receive anything. I can't monitor NJICS at all and I never will be able.

 

[NParkNJ]

I think you said you're in Ringwood, but I'm in Wanaque... right in the heart of what used to be known as Midvale, so I doubt that my reception of WO will be any better. I've been assuming that I've been hearing only that tower. I don't know which one it is, but I can see all the Skyline towers from my home. Wish the 10-70 repeater would move back,

As a ham when I lived in Pompton Lakes, I could hit the MSU repeater and one of the WO repeaters

Not sure if you're a ham but I was thinking about getting into DMR. I think the only repeaters I have any hope of hitting would be the one in Wayne and the one in Orangeburg. I don't hear a lot of DMR traffic, but I'm not sure if that's the scanner. It's a PSR-800 upgraded to the Whistler 1080.

You should be able to hear Ramapo. I can hear them driving down Ringwood Ave(do daily).
I’m not in the ham game. DMR reception should be pretty good. I can get Peqquanock, Bloomingdale, and Kinnelon when I’m mobile with the 996p2 and UHF gain antenna.