my SDS has gone deaf to Kaufman County

[gearhead21]

Please be patient, I'm old and not very computer savvy. I bought my first scanner in 1972 (a crystal based Electra) to listen to the local Police Department. Listening reinforced my interest in joining law enforcement. After a good career and now a long retirement (and a long list of scanners due to my department "upgrading" their systems), I come to my dilemma. I Keep my SDS200 on my county (Kaufman County Tx), and one of my HP2s on a local city. About a week ago I had thought my county had gone encrypted (like a few towns in the area had), but checking with my SDS100, I was getting county reception on it. I updated the database, and it would receive the county for a few minutes, then stop. I reformatted the sd card and reloaded it, but still nothing on my county. I then tried a new sd card with the same results. the SDS200 will pick up other towns and counties, but not Kaufman county (i sat my SDS100 next to the 200 to check). I tried looking at sentinel to see if anything was marked off that shouldn't be, but my computer skills are such that I wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway. I guess I could just do the local town on the 200, and do the county on the HP2, but it doesn't do the simulcast well. One other thing that I don't know if it's important is that the time on the 200 shows 11 minutes slow.
I have been reading the RR forums for years, but haven't needed to ask a question until now.

 

[gearhead21]

I’m not sure why this was moved from the tech support forum. This is not a question about the Kaufman County Texas site, but about a problem why my SDS200 will not receive a particular county when it will receive many others. Sentinel is loaded on both my 100 and my 200 and the county works on the 100 (and HP2s), but not the 200.

 

[hiegtx]

I’m not sure why this was moved from the tech support forum. This is not a question about the Kaufman County Texas site, but about a problem why my SDS200 will not receive a particular county when it will receive many others. Sentinel is loaded on both my 100 and my 200 and the county works on the 100 (and HP2s), but not the 200.

I suspect a moderator moved it since you are talking about a specific system here in Texas. From your comments, the scanner is working for other systems & cities, so it sounds more like a "location specific" issue, than a problem with the scanner itself. Since, apparently, your SDS100 is hearing the system, but the 200 does not, that would rule out full time encryption being used.

Please be patient, I'm old and not very computer savvy. I bought my first scanner in 1972 (a crystal based Electra) to listen to the local Police Department. Listening reinforced my interest in joining law enforcement. After a good career and now a long retirement (and a long list of scanners due to my department "upgrading" their systems), I come to my dilemma. I Keep my SDS200 on my county (Kaufman County Tx), and one of my HP2s on a local city. About a week ago I had thought my county had gone encrypted (like a few towns in the area had), but checking with my SDS100, I was getting county reception on it. I updated the database, and it would receive the county for a few minutes, then stop. I reformatted the sd card and reloaded it, but still nothing on my county. I then tried a new sd card with the same results. the SDS200 will pick up other towns and counties, but not Kaufman county (i sat my SDS100 next to the 200 to check). I tried looking at sentinel to see if anything was marked off that shouldn't be, but my computer skills are such that I wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway. I guess I could just do the local town on the 200, and do the county on the HP2, but it doesn't do the simulcast well. One other thing that I don't know if it's important is that the time on the 200 shows 11 minutes slow.
I have been reading the RR forums for years, but haven't needed to ask a question until now.

Are you using the same programming file for both the SDS100 & SDS200? If they are "similar", but not identical, then you may be missing something on the file used for the SDS200.

Are you receiving Kaufman County normally (consistently) on the SDS100 versus the SDS200? If so, but your file used on the SDS200 is not identical to the SDS100 file, try loading the SDS100 file into the 200.

What about antennas. Are you using identical (or at least similar) antennas on each scanner? If you are using the 'back of the set' (original, telescoping) antenna on the SDS200, is it near something else that might cause interference? This could be your internet modem, your PC, a printer, or (in some cases) certain lights.

If you have separate files for the SDS100 & SDS200, look at the SDS200 file, more specifically the site details. Kaufman uses a Harris P25 system. The Harris systems can and will use every frequency as a control channel at various times. If you only have part of them entered, you would hear the system when a frequency that is programmed is the control channel at that time. But the Harris systems rotate the channel used regularly, in some cases, changing hour by hour. So, if the control changes to a frequency that you do not have programmed (or is set as Avoid), you will lose the system reception until one of the frequencies you have programmed is designated as the control for that time period.

 

[gearhead21]

Thank you for answering.
the 200 has been receiving the Kaufman county system, in the same location on a table by my window, for several years with no changes or problems until it stopped.

I was using the sentinel programming for the 200, then because the 100 was working, I tried the sentinel programming for the 100, but still nothing. I formatted another sd card and loaded it from sentinel, still nothing


No change to antenna or location, had been working for years.

I have looked at the sentinel files, and it might as well be Greek to me. I have downloaded everything. Nothing is set to avoid, and have selected all law enforcement and fire channels.

I have just changed to listening to GMRS with Terrell on the 200, and county on the 100.

 

[BenScan]

It's easy to overlook the squelch being accidently changed. Have you double-checked the squelch? Another thing to look at is the hold time for the system. I'd see how those compare between the two scanners, and see if that leads you do an answer.

 

[a417]

the 200 has been receiving the Kaufman county system, in the same location on a table by my window, for several years with no changes or problems until it stopped.

The change could have been something other than the physical unit. A noisy SMPS that was just plugged in, a failing local electrical device, etc...something else in the immediate vicinity of the device that is ultimately causing it to have trouble recieveing this system.

 

[gearhead21]

It's easy to overlook the squelch being accidently changed. Have you double-checked the squelch? Another thing to look at is the hold time for the system. I'd see how those compare between the two scanners, and see if that leads you do an answer.

Squelch has been checked and has been at 2.

 

[gearhead21]

The change could have been something other than the physical unit. A noisy SMPS that was just plugged in, a failing local electrical device, etc...something else in the immediate vicinity of the device that is ultimately causing it to have trouble recieveing this system.

Nothing new, or added to the area that I can think of. I will move things around and see if it makes a difference. Thanks.

 

[a417]

Nothing new, or added to the area that I can think of. I will move things around and see if it makes a difference. Thanks.

Could be at a neighbors house, a noisy cable/ONT box for your internet on the outside of your house, a rogue transmitter, etc.

Keep your eyes open.

 

[gearhead21]

The houses here are about a quarter mile apart. I did move the 200 about 4 feet away from everything else, and now it appears to be working now.
Thank you very much for the suggestion!

And thanks to everyone!

 

[hiegtx]

The houses here are about a quarter mile apart. I did move the 200 about 4 feet away from everything else, and now it appears to be working now.
Thank you very much for the suggestion!

And thanks to everyone!

Sounds like interference was the problem

When you have some spare time, try tweaking the filter settings on the Kaufman system, and see if that helps

 

[gearhead21]

Sounds like interference was the problem

When you have some spare time, try tweaking the filter settings on the Kaufman system, and see if that helps

Unfortunately, that “tweaking” is something I have no clue how to do.

 

[gearhead21]

I did find that when my friend was helping me clean, she must have moved my router remote node closer to my 200scanner.

 

[hiegtx]

Unfortunately, that “tweaking” is something I have no clue how to do.

In Sentinel, the filter setting can be set to a default value, used in every system that you do not, instead, specify a different value. That's under the Miscellaneous tab in your Sentinel profile. Note that your target model (for Sentinel) must be set to either the SDS100 or SDS200. If your target model is, instead, set to BCDx36HP, then you will not see that setting in your Profile.

It's best to do it on the scanner.
Press Menu
Then, select Manage Favorites
At the next menu screen, select the Favorites list where you have the Kaufman P25 system programmed.
Press the Enter key (E yes) to edit the Kaufman system in the Favorites list.
On the next screen, select Review/Edit System.
Scroll down & select the Kaufman system in that list, pressing Enter
On the next screen, scroll down to Edit Site & press Enter to select.
The next screen asks you to select the site, as well as an option to add a new site. You only have Kaufman, so select that site.
On the Site edit menu, scroll down & select Set Filter
The next screen will show you your choices,

Global uses the filter set in your profile. (I leave the profile setting as Normal, but for specific systems, I may use something different.)
Your choices (other than Global) are Normal, Invert, Auto, Wide Normal, Wide invert, or Wide Auto.

Do not use Auto or Wide Auto. Using those will slow down your scanning, because every time it gets to that system, it will try every filter to see which works best. Unfortunately, the scanner dos not remember or store the best choice. The next time that system comes up in the process of scanning your list, the scanner will go through the options again, looking for what's best.

I use Wide Invert on the Kaufman system. But the filters may vary from place to place, depending on which works there.

Choose a site filter setting, then resume scanning. See if that sounds better or worse, (I'd let it scan through several calls, not just one or two, to make sure how the setting does, or does not, help.

Go back through the edit process & try a different filter, then resume scanning to see if that choice is better.

Repeat that Edit then scan process until you have tried all of the settings. Once you've determined which seems best, be sure to read the scanner back into Sentinel, so that the filter on the scanner, as well as in your list in Sentinel, is the same.

One thing that various members, including myself, have suggested to Joe Bearcat (the current Uniden rep) is for Sentinel to at least remember what filter Auto chose, at least until the next time the scanner is turned off, & later rebooted. Also suggested was have the chosen filter show on the display (you can add that field to be displayed on either scanner). Currently, if you add the setting to the display, then the field shows which filter you set. But if you are using Auto, that is what appears, not the filter that Auto chose.

 

[a417]

I did find that when my friend was helping me clean, she must have moved my router remote node closer to my 200scanner.

That'll do it.

Desense will kill ya.

 

[gearhead21]

In Sentinel, the filter setting can be set to a default value, used in every system that you do not, instead, specify a different value. That's under the Miscellaneous tab in your Sentinel profile. Note that your target model (for Sentinel) must be set to either the SDS100 or SDS200. If your target model is, instead, set to BCDx36HP, then you will not see that setting in your Profile.

It's best to do it on the scanner.
Press Menu
Then, select Manage Favorites
At the next menu screen, select the Favorites list where you have the Kaufman P25 system programmed.
Press the Enter key (E yes) to edit the Kaufman system in the Favorites list.
On the next screen, select Review/Edit System.
Scroll down & select the Kaufman system in that list, pressing Enter
On the next screen, scroll down to Edit Site & press Enter to select.
The next screen asks you to select the site, as well as an option to add a new site. You only have Kaufman, so select that site.
On the Site edit menu, scroll down & select Set Filter
The next screen will show you your choices,

Global uses the filter set in your profile. (I leave the profile setting as Normal, but for specific systems, I may use something different.)
Your choices (other than Global) are Normal, Invert, Auto, Wide Normal, Wide invert, or Wide Auto.

Do not use Auto or Wide Auto. Using those will slow down your scanning, because every time it gets to that system, it will try every filter to see which works best. Unfortunately, the scanner dos not remember or store the best choice. The next time that system comes up in the process of scanning your list, the scanner will go through the options again, looking for what's best.

I use Wide Invert on the Kaufman system. But the filters may vary from place to place, depending on which works there.

Choose a site filter setting, then resume scanning. See if that sounds better or worse, (I'd let it scan through several calls, not just one or two, to make sure how the setting does, or does not, help.

Go back through the edit process & try a different filter, then resume scanning to see if that choice is better.

Repeat that Edit then scan process until you have tried all of the settings. Once you've determined which seems best, be sure to read the scanner back into Sentinel, so that the filter on the scanner, as well as in your list in Sentinel, is the same.

One thing that various members, including myself, have suggested to Joe Bearcat (the current Uniden rep) is for Sentinel to at least remember what filter Auto chose, at least until the next time the scanner is turned off, & later rebooted. Also suggested was have the chosen filter show on the display (you can add that field to be displayed on either scanner). Currently, if you add the setting to the display, then the field shows which filter you set. But if you are using Auto, that is what appears, not the filter that Auto chose.

Thanks Steve I’ll have to study this, but first learn how to make a favorites list.

 

[IAmSixNine]

When i was learning what filters did and testing what best worked for me. I had my display set to default so i could watch the digital error rate D-ERROR and watch signal strength. Ultimately each system i monitor I have had to do this with. You want the lowest D-ERROR yo can get.

 

[gearhead21]

Worked for about 24 hours, then stopped working again. I shut it off for a few minutes, upon restart it will work for about an hour or less then stop receiving. I moved it to the far corner of the room away from everything, it does the same thing.

I have noticed that while it is working, while ID scanning, at the bottom of the screen where the talkgroup ID is to the right of that there is a flashing P25 NAC:00ah. When it quits receiving, that doesn’t flash. I don’t know what significance that is.

Sorry to keep bugging y’all but it is quite frustrating!

 

[hiegtx]

The 0

Worked for about 24 hours, then stopped working again. I shut it off for a few minutes, upon restart it will work for about an hour or less then stop receiving. I moved it to the far corner of the room away from everything, it does the same thing.

I have noticed that while it is working, while ID scanning, at the bottom of the screen where the talkgroup ID is to the right of that there is a flashing P25 NAC:00ah. When it quits receiving, that doesn’t flash. I don’t know what significance that is.

Sorry to keep bugging y’all but it is quite frustrating!

00A is the NAC code for the site for the Kaufman system. The SDS series scanners can utilize the NAC code so that the scanner will ignore one of the system frequencies that is also used in a different system that may be in range. If you are scanning only using the main database and your location settings, then the Kaufman system's site is set to 'Search' for the NAC code in use. That flashing is an indication that it found 00A, which is correct for your system.

If the scanner quits flashing the NAC (and apparently ignores the Kaufman system, if that is the only one you are missing on), then that implies that it is not hearing the systems signal. Not sur why that would happen.

I still think that you are better off using a specific Favorites list for what you want to monitor. When the SDS200 loses Kaufman, are you still hearing it on the SDS100?

 

[gearhead21]

The 0

00A is the NAC code for the site for the Kaufman system. The SDS series scanners can utilize the NAC code so that the scanner will ignore one of the system frequencies that is also used in a different system that may be in range. If you are scanning only using the main database and your location settings, then the Kaufman system's site is set to 'Search' for the NAC code in use. That flashing is an indication that it found 00A, which is correct for your system.

If the scanner quits flashing the NAC (and apparently ignores the Kaufman system, if that is the only one you are missing on), then that implies that it is not hearing the systems signal. Not sur why that would happen.

I still think that you are better off using a specific Favorites list for what you want to monitor. When the SDS200 loses Kaufman, are you still hearing it on the SDS100?

yes I am picking it up on the 100, and an HP2 (when it hits on the simulcast).

on the Kaufman county site I listen to law enforcement, fire (for the main fire channel for all depts), and careflight dispatch. I will work on putting it on a favorites list, if I can figure how to.