Driving back from the beach, I used U.S. 521 through Manning and noticed that my BCD436 was clinging to the Kingstree tower and not switching over to the Sumter tower. The radio's range was set at 0 to rely solely on the tower ranges to minimize overlap. The HP troops were organized as separate departments within a Favorites List (Beach, naturally). The tower range is the default and I was using the circles. And I was using the BC-GSPK antenna.
Generally, I thought the radio was sluggish switching between towers along the 280-mile drive. I was only monitoring HP or local law enforcement on the PAL 800 system.
After looking at the PAL tower coverage areas in the database here, there is a coverage gap between the two towers. I was well into Clarendon County before the 436 switched to the Sumter tower.
I could not hear any HP Clarendon traffic for about 10 miles either side of Manning on the Kingstree tower, which the radio was still tracking even though it is outside the coverage area displayed on the RR map. Of course, there may have been no transmissions during the period I was traveling through the area.
Wonder if we have any locals in the Manning area who can help me with this? I don't want to extend the radio range and prefer to use tower ranges only, and maybe that just doesn't work. I can extend the Sumter tower if the HP around Manning is using that tower. They are part of the Sumter/Clarendon troop, according to the SCHP web site.
But regardless which tower the troopers are using, I should see the tower as being scanned as soon as it is within range. But the database clearly shows Manning as outside the circle of coverage for the Kingstree and Sumter towers, and I'm sure the HP there is using one of these towers.
Generally, I thought the radio was sluggish switching between towers along the 280-mile drive. I was only monitoring HP or local law enforcement on the PAL 800 system.
After looking at the PAL tower coverage areas in the database here, there is a coverage gap between the two towers. I was well into Clarendon County before the 436 switched to the Sumter tower.
I could not hear any HP Clarendon traffic for about 10 miles either side of Manning on the Kingstree tower, which the radio was still tracking even though it is outside the coverage area displayed on the RR map. Of course, there may have been no transmissions during the period I was traveling through the area.
Wonder if we have any locals in the Manning area who can help me with this? I don't want to extend the radio range and prefer to use tower ranges only, and maybe that just doesn't work. I can extend the Sumter tower if the HP around Manning is using that tower. They are part of the Sumter/Clarendon troop, according to the SCHP web site.
But regardless which tower the troopers are using, I should see the tower as being scanned as soon as it is within range. But the database clearly shows Manning as outside the circle of coverage for the Kingstree and Sumter towers, and I'm sure the HP there is using one of these towers.
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