W9RXR sorry that you feeLthat way but I am A "Marion County Taxpayer" AND expect to hear the system I bought and paid for with my "Hard Earned Taxpayer Dollars"...
Tim, do you really think that MECA cares that you can't monitor the system on a $500 wide-band scanner? They didn't build the system for you. They built it for public safety personnel. If it works for those people, that's what matters. And, if it works for public safety, then the taxpayers of Marion County have been served...whether you can monitor it or not.
...you on the other hand did not pay for the system and are a resdient of" Hendricks county."...
Using your logic, I should stop monitoring the system just because I don't pay property taxes in Marion County.
You have no idea of what I am going thru over here and would welcome you to come over and hear what is going on in this area.
Tim, you keep posting messages telling us how awful your reception is, so I think we all have a pretty good idea of what you are "going through". The world does not revolve around your ability to monitor the system. If you can't monitor it, sell your scanners and take up another hobby. I'm sure someone who can monitor the system will buy your equipment.
As for hearing what's going on in your area, I tried that this evening. I drove 71st Street from I-465 to Michigan Road, Michigan Road from 71st Street to 79th Street, and then 79th Street from Michigan Road to Lafayette Road. In the area of 71st and Michigan, the reception was pretty poor. Same thing at 79th and Michigan. I got caught by the traffic light at 79th and Payne and the reception was OK. As soon as I started moving and got to the other side of the intersection, reception was lousy again. By the time I got to Georgetown Road, reception was perfect. As we keep telling you, location is everything.
Speaking of your location, attached is a map I made. It shows your address and the two closest MECA towers. Note that you are almost equidistant from those two towers. rdale keeps telling you that that's a problem with a digital system and keeps telling you that you need a directional antenna. He keeps telling you that you have to make sure that the signal from only one tower is reaching your receiver. Having plotted out the locations on a map, I think he's right. But, heck, he's from Michigan, so what does he know.
Also, another possible problem with your location is all those high-powered analog and digital television transmitters that are less than five miles from your house. Even though they are operating on different frequencies from MECA, it's quite possible that they are producing harmonics that interfering with MECA's transmissions in your area. Or, they may just plain be overloading the RF section of your scanner.
Again The problem is on MECA and not my scanners and for the last time I DO NOT NEED A OUTDOOR ANTENNA.
I disagree. And, since you won't follow the advice that has been freely offered in this forum, why would anyone bother to go to your house to show you how to solve the problem?
I have called MECA and they were not aware of this problem.FYI they thanked me for calling and are going to see what the problem is.(Yes Bob) I did call them!
If I was working at MECA and got your phone call, I'd politely try to get you off the phone, too. They have much bigger problems to solve than your inability to monitor the system. And I'm guessing that they have people out there with real test equipment, not a $500 scanner, evaluating the system performance.
Bob,I was "Not using a BC 396T" I was using a 996T if you will re-read my last postings with a rubber duck antenna on the back of he scanner.
Where did I say you were using a 396? I told you what I was using to receive the system. Since you own a 396, you should be able to receive the system as well as I do.