BCD160DN/BCD260DN: My Thoughts of the BCD160DN After a Month

[buddrousa]

That is what was said it will do.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

So it will detect P25, show it on the screen and then skip over it.

That is what was said it will do.

Wow, what a teaser. Shame they couldn't have at least thrown in P25 conventional decoding but it is what it is...

 

[sprman1955]

So how well does it work on low band 30mhz to 50 mhz and steps for search will it do ??? Angelo

 

[mark40]

Have to say I am more than pleased with my BCD160DN paired with the Remtronix 842B after a month of use.

I assume the BCD260DN would perform similarly.

Thanks smcbmt for a great review. Recently purchased a BCD260DN and so far I'm very pleased and agree with your assessment. The 260DN replaced 780XLT. My primary scanner for some time has been a 15X.

When looking for a new scanner, found out the 260DN used the good old "Bank" architecture and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I'm rather fond of the bank type system I've long been accustomed to. That's why I had purchased a used 780XLT awhile back rather than a second 15X.

I live in an analog rich area so the 260DN and 15X suit me well. But I do have two local DMR business frequencies to monitor, so for me, that is just a bonus with the 260DN. It's well worth it IMO if you have a need for it.

I've owned an SDS100 and SDS200 in the past. They were really overkill for what I normally to listen to and sold them off. But as things evolve and more P25/Digital comes about I'd consider adding an SDS100 to the mix.

 

[a727469]

I would bet p25 is built in and some clever hacker might find a way to unlock or Uniden might eventually have paying update although not too much single channel p25 so probably they did not think it necessary to provide.

 

[bearcatrp]

I would be happy for just close call added. Have other P25 radios to take care of that. Maybe the next version will have class call and record ability.

 

[Ubbe]

p25 so probably they did not think it necessary to provide.

They probably though of it as a rail fan specific scanner and as I understand P25 are not used in any railroad radio systems and they could then reduce the cost when no license where necessary for any of the modes in the scanner. For general use P25 are essential for US user so its not really suited for the general scannerist, even if they have added air band and other frequencies that adds no real additional cost to its final production costs.

/Ubbe

 

[blackbelter]

I sold my BC125 and upgraded to BC160DN which offers the no gap in UHF Air band (missing in BC125) as well as the added bonus of DMR and NXDN. I could not be happier.

 

[a727469]

I said earlier that I did not need a 160 but I gave in and ordered one from mtc. I could not resist the excellent price. We shall see how it compares when I get it. A lot of analog vhf around me along with some dmr.

 

[bearcatrp]

I said earlier that I did not need a 160 but I gave in and ordered one from mtc. I could not resist the excellent price. We shall see how it compares when I get it. A lot of analog vhf around me along with some dmr.

If you have local radio stations close to you, you may need a fm trap filter as the 160 is fairly sensitive. Read allot of posts that folks complained about overload. Some sent it back. I use mine on my discone with a mini circuit FM trap filter. Works really well good. Don’t forget to post your results.

 

[a727469]

Fortunately no broadcast towers nearby or any other towers so should be ok.
I will be interested in dmr single channel reception with at least 2 around 30 mlies and a few others with various configurations within range which are received usually ok on my Alinco djmd5 as long as I have it located correctly at home.

 

[sallen07]

For general use P25 are essential for US user so its not really suited for the general scannerist

That's much too blanket a statement.

As with almost everything in the US, the radio systems used by public safety vary from county to county and state to state.

Many states and counties have moved to P25 Phase I or II trunking systems. A scanner that could do P25 conventional would be of little use in those places, just as many have pointed out that the BCD160DN/BCD260DN are of limited use for DMR or NXDN trunking systems.

On the other hand, there are plenty of places in the US where all public safety is on VHF Hi or UHF conventional analog, just as it was 10 or 20 or 40 years ago. There's even traffic still on UHF Lo, although that's fairly rare today.

Yes, there is *some* P25 conventional traffic, and if a user happens to be in one of those areas a scanner that could do non-trunking P25 would work well. But look through the database and you won't find many counties where that is the case.

Just to satisfy my own curiousity, I looked through the RR database for NY State. Out of the 58 counties (with NYC considered one), there are only six that are using P25 conventional for some (but not all) of their public safety traffic and that includes Monroe County where there are still patches from the Phase II system to old P25 conventional frequencies that are expected to go away in the near future. There are also another three that are a mix of analog and P25E, but of course the latter can't be monitored by any scanner, P25-capable or not.

To contrast, there are 19 counties that are all analog conventional, with the rest being Phase I (eight), Phase II (20), or analog and EDACS (two).

So if you live in a handful of places in NY State then P25 (conventional) is "essential". The rest of the state? Not so much.

I also think that for many (maybe even a majority) of people these scanners are a second or third or 10th scanner, not their "primary" one. Lots of folks live in areas with P25 trunking systems but also have analog scanners to listed to other traffic.

I have both a BCD325P2 and a BCD996P2. Once the above-mentioned patches are shut down, they might as well be a BCD160N and BCD260N since they don't work on simulcast (at my location) and while I have both the DMR and NXDN upgrades I do not monitor the local DMR or NXDN trunking systems. I do, on the other hand, monitor some of the local highway departments that use DMR conventional, especially during the winter.

 

[G7RUX]

This is because, while it supports DMR and NXDN, it doesn't support trunking, so you can't cherrypick the slots and talkgroups. It just decodes the mode on that frequency.

How does it deal with two active TGs on different slots at the same time?

 

[dmfalk]

How does it deal with two active TGs on different slots at the same time?

Whichever comes first, obviously.

 

[Ubbe]

Whichever comes first, obviously.

Yes, but how long does it stay on one slot after the call ends, are there some kind of delay time for the TG before it checks the other slot or does it start to scan after the channel delay and ignore that other slot?

/Ubbe

 

[buddrousa]

It does not do talkgroups
It scans voice channels and I have not been where 2 talkgroups are on the same channel yet.

 

[Ubbe]

It does not do talkgroups

Some system are just one slot with some users and the other slot for other users. What happens then when one call ends on one slot?

What happens with XPT systems that can be regarded as trunked but both slots can have calls?

What happens with CAP+ that has a call on one slot and control channel data on the other slot? Does it totally skip that channel when it sees the control channel data and you will never monitor the calls that happen on the other slot?

/Ubbe

 

[buddrousa]

I know how those systems work as I laid out and set up 2. How many have you done?
Did you read line 2 in my post?
I stated I do not have a busy system to test on.

 

[G7RUX]

I have installed and managed a couple of dozen DMR systems, most of which are pretty busy.

I ask about the behaviour of the 160/260 with two timeslots in use because even with commercial DMR sets there can be some interesting and unexpected behaviour when operating in promiscuous mode. If the receiver cannot be directed at least to a specific timeslot then it is probably useful to understand what it might do when presented with two timeslots on concurrent use.

 

[Ubbe]

I stated I do not have a busy system to test on.

Why then do a comment #36 as a response to my #35 message? I'm looking for an explanation how a BCD160/260 handles dual slots from someone who can answer.

/Ubbe