New PSR600-Poor P25 Decoding

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NO4K

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I received my new PSR600 on UPS yesterday. I have programmed a couple of local conventional digital channels in. One channel is a Fire Department and the other channel is a Sheriff's Department. I am experiencing poor digital decoding on both channels. Both channels are in the 150mhz band. I have the radio connected to my AntennaCraft outdoor antenna (which worked GREAT with my old RS analog scanner).

On the FD channel sometimes I hear audio and sometimes I hear the buzz saw. The signal strength meter shows a full signal.

On the Sheriff I hear audio from the mobile units but only the buzz saw from dispatch. Again the signal strength meter shows a good signal.

I have tried both frequencies with and without the attenuator in and there is no difference.

Do I have a bad radio or have I missed something somewhere?
 

Jim41

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The first step I would recommend is to use the antenna supplied with the scanner. Start off with an 18" length and incrementally shorten to the fully collapsed length. If no improvement, try the attenuator with the fully collapsed length.

The second step would be to look for sources of RF interference in your home like computers, routers, etc. Try depowering such devices one at a time, and see whether it helps.

Jim41
 

rfgroup

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A major item you have to check is channel spacing on the new frequencies. Due to an FCC mandate, public safety agencies are changing from 25 K spacing to 12.5 K spacing. These changes are taking place in agencies that are going to P-25 or remaining analog. There you hear it called narrowbanding.
If you program your scanner via software, you will see the frequency screen refer to the term "steps". Change it to 12.5 for those frequencies. If you are manually entering the frequencies, go to the Expert Level and on the field "Modulation" change it to ""NFM".
 

NO4K

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Still Working On It

I have upgraded the CPU and DSP firmware. Both operations succeeded without any problems. The upgrades seemed to have helped the Fire Department but the Sheriff is still no good. I changed the modulation on the Sheriff frequency to NFM and it did not help.

I hesitate to use the collapsible antenna as one of the local police deparments is in the 800 mhz band and until I bought the new outdoor antenna it was barely readable and I am only 5 miles or less from their antenna.

There are many computers, routers etc in the home. If they are not affecting the fire department P25 why would it affect the sheriff frequency?

The channels I am working with are both conventional (non-trunked) channels. Both systems changed from analog to digital about a year ago. The fire department is on the same frequency as they were on when analog but the sheriff has new frequency allocation.

The channels referred to in this post are :

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Fire Department at 154.400
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Sheriff Dispatch at 155.1225

Thank you for the suggestions so far. I am still pondering on opening a support ticket with GRE.
 

usswood

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155.12250 WQGS321 RM 210 NAC Primary Dispatch (Simulcast) P25 Law Dispatch
154.40000 KNBW361 RM 115 DPL 1 Fire Dispatch FM Fire Dispatch

Ok...the Sheriff is a Simulcast on VHF...you might only get the Dispatch on this Freq....set the 600 for P25 search on this channel

Fire Dispatch is regular VHF...no P25 needed...

I believe ur talkin bout City being ENC not SHF
 
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DonnieDog

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I have the same problem with my 197. I still have problems with a P25 System. The main site/tower is within sight distance from me but still not decoding good every once in a while. Also u may want to look at the DG Int Prime setting. I lowered mine to 15 from the default 60. I have messed around with a few of the other P25 setting which has seemed to help also.
 

NO4K

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Possibly Partially Encrypted

usswood, Tuscaloosa City Fire is most definately P25. It has been for quite some time.

Has anyone ever heard of a dispatch station being encrypted and the mobile units not? That may be what is going on with the Sheriff Department.
 

Willcoele

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Here in Illinois I have the same problem with my PSR600 and 500. I can't get good copy from a tower that's 2 miles away and I can see the tower from my house! I think Moto is having problems using multiple towers that are closely spaced. I get better reception from a tower that's 15 miles away. Try to program your scanner to receive a different tower. In Illinois a Chicago scanner club post a map showing all the towers in Illinois and the frequencies. Hopefully you have one in your state.
 

usswood

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usswood, Tuscaloosa City Fire is most definately P25. It has been for quite some time.

Has anyone ever heard of a dispatch station being encrypted and the mobile units not? That may be what is going on with the Sheriff Department.

ok you must be talking bout a TRS then because the 154.4000 shows in the DB as conventional??
 

NO4K

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My Poor Use of Terms

Sorry about the confusion folks. By P25 I meant digital, as in APCO25, not a trunked P25 system.
 
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