See messages #97 and #98 of this thread...
**New Baltimore (City) System Discussion**
- Thread starter skyteam11
- Start date
- Status
See messages #97 and #98 of this thread...
BaltimoreScanner
Member
My pro 106 has stopped receiving Baltimore City digital. Did they change something? I hope it's not my scanner, the extended warranty went up 2 months ago.....go figure. Can anyone help. I am desperate.
BaltimoreScanner
Member
Anyone have the programing steps for the new Baltimore City system for the pro 106?
BaltimoreScanner
Member
Whew never mind found everything and got it working! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great thread guys thanks for all the info!
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
What did you change on your 106 to start making it work? We're trying to document such steps in our wiki so others can follow suit
best regards..Mike
best regards..Mike
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Those messages have to do with the 296's older brother, the 250, and it's true, it won't handle this system. In theory, the 296 will handle this system, but how well, and with what settings, remains a question
best regards..Mike
ATT ON - Still receiving control channel, not as much "T" drop outs (PSR-800 doesn't give decode rate like PSR-500 did)
Removing antenna - Still receiving control channel, but only when next to window.
BaltimoreScanner
Member
I used win500 and uploaded everything existing on my scanner, went into the Baltimore City talk group, changed the system type to a P25 manual, then changed all the group ID's from the existing ID's to the new list on Wiki. It was actually quite simple.
I think his question was regarding what specific "setting tweaks" were adjusted to optimize reception and decoding of the Baltimore System, not what was done to make the scanner listen to the new system.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Indeed; the devil is in the details. You provided one clue - you set the TSYS (I think I'm using the right terminology- I'm a Uniden man) as P25 Manual. Good. What other settings did you find were useful to making this work right?
A simple way to answer this would be a screen shot; CTRL+PrtScrn in most cases, then bring up Windows Paint, paste it then just outline the screen and create a new image. It's more work describing it than it is to actually do it.
best regards..Mike
A simple way to answer this would be a screen shot; CTRL+PrtScrn in most cases, then bring up Windows Paint, paste it then just outline the screen and create a new image. It's more work describing it than it is to actually do it.
best regards..Mike
I know there are a ton of low-mounted cellular transmitters right in the area, like the building next to the McDonalds, and they would shred my scanner as I went thru the area. Also, the dip between Christopher Ave and Rosalie Ave is horrible for the same reason, low-level, high-powered cell antennas mounted on the HOSE TOWER at the Engine 56 house. Can you imagine, the city leases their property to cell companies (mainly Sprint/Nextel) that subsequently wreak havoc on fire department radios.
I took a drive to Mt. Washington this evening via I-83 using the RS 800 antenna on PSR-800. Reception was spotty at best in downtown, the control channel doesn't stay locked in for most times between buildings. On the I-83 the reception was worse, unreadable or garbled transmissions. In Mt Washington the reception was almost non existent when going up and down the hills.
Granted...this was on a rubber duck antenna, I suppose mobile antenna would give you a lot better reception
Granted...this was on a rubber duck antenna, I suppose mobile antenna would give you a lot better reception
JoeBCFD29
Member
I used a mobile antenna the other day going in to work. My 396xt did well, picked up the control channel around 95 and Caton (St. Agnes tower nearby), lost the signal at Gay and 83, but once up on 83 good signal. Got to Northern pkwy turned down Greenspring went down the hill and lost the signal. At work went to rubber duck antenna no signal in the firehouse. Drives me nuts the scanner gets no signal and the FD portable next to it working. The cell phone tower on the hose tower doesn't help either. But when I did have a signal on the mobile ant the audio was pretty good.
Now this is what I do not understand. Using a 996xt, if I have the scanner on scan, the reception seams to be ok. Now if I lock onto well lets say the southwest,the reception can be good or nothing at all. If I have it on scan, it picks up the control channel. But if I lock on to a specific talk group, it tells me its searching for a talk group. Now what I did do that helped was to set the p25 decode threshold to start its search at 7 instead of 8. That did help in the auto mode.
On my 996t's it seames to work better at times than the xt. Have no idea why. I can tell when I am locked in on a talk group, if I loose audio, I can see it is picking up data.
Do you all have better luck with the pro scanners. I need something that works in the chopper that can have a remote head.
On my 996t's it seames to work better at times than the xt. Have no idea why. I can tell when I am locked in on a talk group, if I loose audio, I can see it is picking up data.
Do you all have better luck with the pro scanners. I need something that works in the chopper that can have a remote head.
troymail
Silent Key
Being done by different parts of city government I'm sure -- and as always in government, one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. :lol:
Doesn't matter who in the city is involved. Oh I'm sure there are city property managers that decide how something gets mounted on a specific building, but there are frequency coordinators who decide what goes where, and the FCC makes the final approval for the site license. They are also the ones that gave type acceptance to the majority of the devices causing said interference, most of which are manufactured by the same company no less.
Dewey
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Messages
- 1,038
Ahh come on now... tell us how you really feel! Would the "same company" look something like... /\/\oney?
Dewey
fotoman128
Member
This BCFD situation is crazy. I went out and bought a home patrol, and also bought an outside antenna to hook to it to see if it would receive BCFD better with the outside antenna vs. The stock antenna well the onlyest BCFD I'm picking up is the simulcast A 2 dispatch, I'm in Essex Baltimore county, my question is would I do better with taking the home patrol back to where I got it from and get a BC-396 xt will this solve my problem any and all help is very much appreciated, I'm going nuts over this whole BCFD thing the old digital was no problem to pick up and I'm not that far from the Lombard street tower near bay view hospital, this is some crazy crap I value any and all advice. Jimmy/
Here's the conclusion I've come to with reception issues post-upgrade. We all know that actual system subscriber equipment (portable radios) pick up the system better than consumer scanners. This is particularly true with 800mhz digital trunking.
The city's system, pre-upgrade, had excellent coverage outside of the designated coverage area for scanners, and even more for system portables. This was, of course, good for scanner listeners listening from outside the city.
Now, as someone mentioned, there is a push by the FCC for systems (again, particularly 800mhz systems) to gear down their power to reduce one system's interference on near-by systems using the same system frequencies. This includes not only reducing transmission power, but also (possibly) lowering the height of transmission antennas, directing them into the designated coverage area, and tilting them down. It is not economically practical to re-engineer a system just for this reason, but when a system is being re-engineered for other reasons, this is a good time to make these adjustments as well.
As this is done, it tightens up the coverage to ensure that portable radios on the system still have reliable coverage, but decreases the system's effective reach outside the engineered coverage area.
I'm going to see if I can confirm that this was done to the city's system tomorrow.
The city's system, pre-upgrade, had excellent coverage outside of the designated coverage area for scanners, and even more for system portables. This was, of course, good for scanner listeners listening from outside the city.
Now, as someone mentioned, there is a push by the FCC for systems (again, particularly 800mhz systems) to gear down their power to reduce one system's interference on near-by systems using the same system frequencies. This includes not only reducing transmission power, but also (possibly) lowering the height of transmission antennas, directing them into the designated coverage area, and tilting them down. It is not economically practical to re-engineer a system just for this reason, but when a system is being re-engineered for other reasons, this is a good time to make these adjustments as well.
As this is done, it tightens up the coverage to ensure that portable radios on the system still have reliable coverage, but decreases the system's effective reach outside the engineered coverage area.
I'm going to see if I can confirm that this was done to the city's system tomorrow.
- Status
