MARCS problem

[SCPD]

How would one set up a BCD996XLT for Ohio MARCS local home station use only. The default loaded system is way too large for what I want.

I can only hear five control channels here - two in Geauga Co., one in Portage, one in Cuyahoga, and One in Summit. I'm using the default Group 1 TG plus a few I've added. I've created four sites for those counties and put the readable CC(s) in it.

When scanning I notice very often I'm getting control channel noise with an indicated TGID and name but not voice. I can hit scan and it may pick up the conversation perfectly on another control channel or even the same one (I think).

Am I doing something wrong or is that the nature of the system?

 

[radioscan]

Make sure the system is set to Motorola 800 and not P-25.

 

[SCPD]

Yes it is. It works ok for the most part but when there is a lot of activity the noise issue is disturbing.

 

[freqhunter]

I know this will start a s**t storm but.........


The 996, 396, XT and the HP do not work all that well on MARC's. The 600, 197, 500 or 106 will give you much better performance.

I want to pull my hair out every time I use a Uniden product on MARC's. Between the missed transmissions and motor boating it will drive you nuts. The GRE products decode the system much better and miss much less. Before I am flamed to death by those who drink the Uniden Cool-Aid, I am only speaking to performance on MARC's. Uniden products work well on other systems.

I just finished a two week test running the HP, enhanced version, against a 197. They are on exactly the same coax, length, height and antennas. The HP missed at least 40% of the traffic logged on the 197. Not to mention the HP would stop on a TG with no audio for minutes at a time.

I have seen similar results running the 500 and 396 series as well as the 600 and 996 series.

 

[SCPD]

Well the GRE/RS may work better but this is my first and only digital scanner and it is what it is.

I wonder why it has a problem with MARCS? It works fine on other systems.

 

[W8RMH]

The 996, 396, XT and the HP do not work all that well on MARC's.

I use a 5 year old BCD396T for MARCS and since the latest update I've never had a problem.

I heard the trick with the XTs is to enable "Digital" decoding for each talk group instead of "Auto".

 

[SCPD]

Hmmm...thanks I'll give it a try and report back.

 

[freqhunter]

Ed, the Uniden products will work on the system. They simply don't do the best job possible. I have seven scanners in my go kit. There are seven because no one unit works good enough everywhere to only carry it.

When I do carry only one it is the PSR-500. Which by the way works horrid on mil air where the older Uniden 250 or Yupi rock.

 

[mtindor]

Ed,

One suggestion - if you're using the stock antenna, you should consider running to Radio Shack and buying the RS 800 Mhz ducky (and a BNC elbow). I personally think the RS 800 Mhz rubbery ducky antenna is far superior to the stock antenna on 800 Mhz. Of course, it may not be as good as the stock antenna on VHF/400 Mhz.

Mike

 

[SCPD]

Well I'm using an attic antenna fed with 9913. The sites were set to NFM so I changed them to AUTO and now I sometimes get a burst of CC at the beginning of a transmission but it seems to recover itself and continue on. Better but not perfect.

 

[mdulrich]

Well I'm using an attic antenna fed with 9913. The sites were set to NFM so I changed them to AUTO and now I sometimes get a burst of CC at the beginning of a transmission but it seems to recover itself and continue on. Better but not perfect.

Try changing to FM and see if that doesn't help. Setting to AUTO will probably still set these frequencies to NFM. You also might want to listen to each control channel and make sure you are getting a good signal. If you aren't getting a good signal, you aren't going to get a good decode of the data on the control channel and probably aren't going to get a reliable decoding of the voice data.

And as was mentioned before, be sure you set the audio type on each talkgroup to DIGITAL ONLY. The burst of CC you are hearing is the scanner figuring out if the talkgroup is analog or digital and allowing the raw digital stream of the talkgroup to come through. Setting the talkgroups to DIGITAL ONLY will stop this from happening.

Mike

 

[SCPD]

......
And as was mentioned before, be sure you set the audio type on each talkgroup to DIGITAL ONLY. The burst of CC you are hearing is the scanner figuring out if the talkgroup is analog or digital and allowing the raw digital stream of the talkgroup to come through. Setting the talkgroups to DIGITAL ONLY will stop this from happening.....

Mike

Yep, I searched and found a thread about "noise" on MARCS and just now went and changed the TGs to DIGITAL ONLY and the problem seems to be solved!

Thanks for all the help.....