Mobile County what happened?

[medic9351301]

ok i think i found the answer here,
going back and reading all the post here related to mobile , you have posted the same question numerous times .
the bottom line on your issue is lsm aka simulcast distoration . it makes perfect sense now .
the 536/ whisters are the worst radio to use when it comes to this issue . unless you want to spend close to 800 bucks for a sds series scanner . your stuck being in the dark . being in this hobby for over 40 years plus law enforcement being enc, its a total waste of money .
i would say just stick with the feed on here, sorry to be the bearer of bad news .

 

[Rick36695]

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

/QUOTE]

I've looked at Mark's Scanners and the Uniden Docs and see nothing about turning on or turning off digital modes. I know that was a thing with 996XTs but I cannot find any documentation about any such software switch on the 536HP or any of its brethren. I was hoping that was the problem.

I bought the edacs/ provoice upgrade but so far no joy, but I'll let it run awhile fire is not all that active sometimes.

I've been monitoring Mobile County since the analog days mid-80's. I've been using my 536HP since 2015 and up until August or so it received Fire and some med just fine. I would occasionally get simulcast warble but only rarely. In fact it was so rare I wondered what people in other places were even talking about. Up until August 7th I could hear Mobile, Saraland, Pritchard fire in the clear.

August 10th I went to Waco, Texas when I came back to Mobile, August 28 no fire TGs to be heard. Because I still heard everything but P25 769-775 I assume the antenna and scanner are still in working order. Either the county changed something on their end or I changed something on my end software wise. Either the county encrypted when I was away, or there is some real simply that I screwed up. It'll probably one of those things when I figure it out I'll say why didn't I see that...

I'll get on the 2 meter net tonight and maybe someone has some incite, not all hams are scanner buffs but many are people interested in radio are interested in radio. In fact several years ago a couple of the local ham club members were the technicians that maintained the city's radio systems alas those guy have long since retired.

 

[medic9351301]

just do a master reset on the scanner . reload the database . then firmware and go from there .

since the 536 is sd card based i dont really know if you can do a custom search . i am not familar with it .
the only info it will load is from here. if there are new freq that have not been added to the db then it will not store them


try this on the whistler:

enter all the freqs from these four lincs. and see if you hear anything.

i did see a post that people were affraid to post updates to this system due to fear of encryption .
i have never had a need to program a harris system so i dont know if its difrnt. than a motorola sytem .
maybe someone in the montgomery area can chime in since theres is a harris .

7	WQWI290	Mobile County Communications District	0025259060	SY	Active	08/28/2025
8	WQWI291	Mobile County Communications District	0025259060	SY	Active	08/28/2025
9	WQWK941	Mobile County Communications District	0025259060	SY	Active	09/24/2025
10	WQWR384	Mobile County Communications District	0025259060	SY	Active	10/28/2025
	Call Sign/Le​

	​

 

[wwhitby]

maybe someone in the montgomery area can chime in since theres is a harris .

The big difference with Harris systems is that any of the frequencies can be a control channel, so you have to program all the frequencies into your scanner. I've also noticed that I don't receive Harris P25 systems as well as I could receive EDACS or even Motorola P25 systems. I'm not sure why. You have to be closer to the site, or use a beam antenna or amplifier.

Also, like Motorola simulcast systems, Harris simulcast systems are a problem for my PSR-500. I hope to upgrade to a Unication pager in the future.

 

[medic9351301]

The big difference with Harris systems is that any of the frequencies can be a control channel, so you have to program all the frequencies into your scanner. I've also noticed that I don't receive Harris P25 systems as well as I could receive EDACS or even Motorola P25 systems. I'm not sure why. You have to be closer to the site, or use a beam antenna or amplifier.

Also, like Motorola simulcast systems, Harris simulcast systems are a problem for my PSR-500. I hope to upgrade to a Unication pager in the future.

warren :
is it programed any other way i thought harris was a version of edacs or is it a seperate system .
if that is the case he should program it as a p25 sytem . on unidens the give you the choices of p 25. motorola , edacs narrow or wide. after all these years i get confused if it should be p 25 or motorola since most are motorola .

 

[wwhitby]

warren :
is it programed any other way i thought harris was a version of edacs or is it a seperate system .
if that is the case he should program it as a p25 sytem . on unidens the give you the choices of p 25. motorola , edacs narrow or wide. after all these years i get confused if it should be p 25 or motorola since most are motorola .

Hi Bryan,

Although there are still EDACS systems out there, EDACS is slowly dying. Harris ended support for EDACS on 31 December 2017. I'm kind of sad to see it go. I cut my teeth on trunked systems monitoring the old Montgomery County and DPS EDACS systems with a data slicer!

For P25 Harris systems, you have to program every control channel in, since every frequency can be a control channel. With my old PSR-500, I select P25 Auto as the mode for the system. I don't have to do anything else, except be in range of the site to pick up the control channel.

FWIW, some of the newer Harris systems do have the ability of using TDMA control channels, instead of the FDMA control channels that Phase 1 and Phase 2 systems have used. There was a brief discussion of it on the Unication forum, since the G series pagers won't even pick it up yet. But if a system uses TDMA control channels, it has to have Phase 2 talkgroups exclusively. From what I see in the RR.com database, Mobile County has a mix of Phase 1 and Phase 2 talkgroups.

One thing I've noticed with Harris simulcast systems is that even if you can pick up the control channel, most scanners have a very hard time with it. I can't even monitor the Montgomery simulcast site, although I don't have any problems with the non-simulcast satellite sites. That could also be the problem with the Mobile County system. That's why i'm leaning toward a G4 or G5.

 

[medic9351301]

yup your correct currently no scanners can decode a phase 2 tdma channel , not even the sds series . i was reading over some old post found one from june of this year stating something about a new ssytem to connect baldwin and mobile co .

 

[wwhitby]

Thinking more about it, either they are a straight Phase 2 system with TDMA control channels, or the OP isn't in range of the tower. OP, any way you can make a road trip.

FWIW, I noticed that the Mobile County sites only have a 9K Phase 2 emission designator, and not a mix of 9K and 8K Phase 1 designators.

 

[Technoguy58]

mobile fire is not encrypted i just heard them on the feed .

The feed is provided by the City of Mobile so even if radio comms are encrypted, the feed would not be.

 

[Rick36695]

What happened was: what the new Mount Vernon site went on line the site nearest me switched there antenna pattern. In doing so I can no longer hear them with my present set up. The HOA won't allow and outside Yagi and the XYL won't allow an inside one so it doesn't look like I'll be listening to Mobile anytime soon. The transmission mode hasn't changed though they have added a few new TGs and perhaps rearranged existing TGs. I can hear them loud and clear if I drive up the road about a mile. Up till about four weeks ago I could hear them from my home QTH but that's no longer the case.

I've been chasing the city's technological changes over the past three decades. Form analog, to digital, to trunking, to simulcast they have finally out run me.

 

[wwhitby]

What happened was: what the new Mount Vernon site went on line the site nearest me switched there antenna pattern. In doing so I can no longer hear them with my present set up. The HOA won't allow and outside Yagi and the XYL won't allow an inside one so it doesn't look like I'll be listening to Mobile anytime soon. The transmission mode hasn't changed though they have added a few new TGs and perhaps rearranged existing TGs. I can hear them loud and clear if I drive up the road about a mile. Up till about four weeks ago I could hear them from my home QTH but that's no longer the case.

I've been chasing the city's technological changes over the past three decades. Form analog, to digital, to trunking, to simulcast they have finally out run me.

What about a yagi or gain omni in your attic? Also, I have a yagi on a 4 foot section of mast on a Christmas tree stand sitting next to me in my office/library. Not an elegant solution, but one that does work.

On the bright side, you know for sure its not a problem with the scanner and that the system is still monitorable.

 

[medic9351301]

What about a yagi or gain omni in your attic? Also, I have a yagi on a 4 foot section of mast on a Christmas tree stand sitting next to me in my office/library. Not an elegant solution, but one that does work.

On the bright side, you know for sure its not a problem with the scanner and that the system is still monitorable.

i had a friend who was a tech at the city radio shop . i told him i needed a good 800 ant. he reached in the box and gave me 3 new in the wrapper 800 mhz gain nmo mount ants. i have one in a window. like Warren said where there is way to make it work lol

 

[morganAL]

I have a couple 800 MHz yagis that I would give to someone. They are just collecting dust in my garage.

 

[Rick36695]

What about a yagi or gain omni in your attic? Also, I have a yagi on a 4 foot section of mast on a Christmas tree stand sitting next to me in my office/library. Not an elegant solution, but one that does work.

On the bright side, you know for sure its not a problem with the scanner and that the system is still monitorable.

Yagi in the attic the wife says absolutely not

 

[TomServo]

Yagi in the attic the wife says absolutely not

Have you considered swapping her out for a different wife? That might improve your reception. 😁

 

[morganAL]

Spoken for

I have a couple 800 MHz yagis that I would give to someone. They are just collecting dust in my garage.

 

[wwhitby]

Yagi in the attic the wife says absolutely not

I must be lucky. My wife has never objected to any scanner, ham radio or commercial radio installs that I have done around the house. Of course, she likes listening to the scanner

I've got 40 feet of Rohn 25 tower outside that I was given. I've been waiting to do the install, but she's the one that has suggested that we go ahead and get it done!

 

[LeSueurC]

I must be lucky. My wife has never objected to any scanner, ham radio or commercial radio installs that I have done around the house. Of course, she likes listening to the scanner

I've got 40 feet of Rohn 25 tower outside that I was given. I've been waiting to do the install, but she's the one that has suggested that we go ahead and get it done!

I can vouch for the 436/536 being the worst. I was down in September for a wedding, I had my G4, SDS100 and 436HP. The 436 was barely picking up anything and when it did it was so broken, the SDS and G4 worked flawlessly