Listening to SSP and WSP PD in South St Paul

[Marcopolo456]

Hi all,

I live in South St Paul and have rather sporadic reception of Dakota County talkgroups using a Pro-2096 and Pro-96. Is it because I am far enough away from the tower in Empire to make a difference? I pick up Ramsey and Minneapolis crystal clear, but there is a lot of "burbleing" on the Dakota County tower. Any ideas? Anyone in South St Paul be willing to share some info with me? Or does anyone have a good WIN96 file for northern dakota county they would be willing to send me?

I'm using the 800mhz antenae on the 96 and the stock antennae on the 2096.

Sometimes it comes in good. I'm just not knowledgeable enough yet to be able to troubleshoot it...

Thanks,
Mark

 

[JASII]

Mark,

Since you are in South St Paul and listening to L MAIN 3, they should come in gangbusters all of the time up there, except that the PRO-96 and PRO-2096 have had some "issues" with CQPSK (simulcast) modulation. The fact that DCC is located in Empire Township really doesn't matter in this case, since the sub-system simulcasts from multiple towers. And therein lies the problem. The PRO-96 and PRO-2096 has trouble decoding the audio because of the way they are designed and the way the ARMER system works. If you decide to switch radios, give some thought to the newer Uniden Bearcat BCD396XT and/or the BCD996XT. If you decide to stay with GRE/Radio Shack, some people have reported better luck with the PRO-106/PRO-197 than the PRO-96/2096. The "burbling" that you are referring to has also often times been referred to as "motorboating". It is the radio trying to decode the digital signals and since it is a simulcast system, it sometimes has the "motorboating" or "burbling" sound. One other possibility, since you are hearing Ramsey County and Minneapolis crystal clear, are you listening to L MAIN 3 or the Dakota County sub-system or a different sub-system? (Some talkgroups are carried on more than one sub-system.) And speaking of antennas, some people have reported having good luck using yagi antennas pointed directly at the tower they wish to receive.

JASII

 

[Marcopolo456]

Thanks, Jas11. I'm actually really happy with the quality of the RS radios. I purchased them from a gentlman on the RR site and he gave me a great deal. MOST of the time, Dakota comes in well.

You've given me a LOT of good info to think about, though! I'm going to play around with it this weekend.

(I actually don't even know what L Main is (g). I just told Win96 that my site was Dakota County and added my talk groups (like SSP PD etc)...

I used the Web Import feature through my RR Premium account...

 

[wogggieee]

Hi all,

I live in South St Paul and have rather sporadic reception of Dakota County talkgroups using a Pro-2096 and Pro-96. Is it because I am far enough away from the tower in Empire to make a difference? I pick up Ramsey and Minneapolis crystal clear, but there is a lot of "burbleing" on the Dakota County tower. Any ideas? Anyone in South St Paul be willing to share some info with me? Or does anyone have a good WIN96 file for northern dakota county they would be willing to send me?

I'm using the 800mhz antenae on the 96 and the stock antennae on the 2096.

Sometimes it comes in good. I'm just not knowledgeable enough yet to be able to troubleshoot it...

Thanks,
Mark

It could be a programming issue. But it could also be an building issue. You didnt mention what kind of structure you're in, but some are known to block signals pretty effectivly. If you can get an antenna outside it might help. Just a thought.

 

[Marcopolo456]

Thanks Woogggiee,

I think the problem is just a minor irritation, really. there just seems to be a couple frequencys - 851.98750 and 851.52500- that sometimes have the burbling sound. It is actually more like a "gargle than an motorboat... You can make it out; it's just that the voices sound like they have rocks in their mouths. So it must be a periodic reception issue.

The building I'm in is just a plain old 2-story home, stucco.

I am having a blast with this new found hobby, though! Would really like to get to one of the meetings sometime!