Norwich

[MrAntiDigital]

Thank You.

And I sure know that guy we call "gunner". In our younger days "he's been called a few other things too". All in fun of course. Although so I have.

And Danny Keough. Everybody that knew him would say the same thing; "What a Super Great Guy". May he Rest in Peace.

 

[thom]

I certainly appreciate all the thoughts on this topic.

Maybe "tomm" is right in his reply # 68 here. It's all in the name - "MrAntiDigital". If I was a scanner, "I'd be upset too". lol

As it stands, I know the scanner is working and it seems to be programmed correctly. Because there are times when I can hear a few words but nothing of what the usual police activity would be.

I have tried using both my outside roof antenna as well as the inside telescoping antenna with the same results.

Both myself and "georged4997" are getting the same results only a few miles apart. Now I see "55engine" mention that at times he has a problem listening as well.

In addition to this, both myself and "georged4997" (my brother George) seem to agree that the NPD is dispatching calls in some other way. The amount of radio traffic just can NOT be this quiet day after day. Neither of us have "no inside scoop into that but there must be some other way".

Yesterday, I stopped to talk to TWO of The Rose City's Finest, aka Norwich Police Officers to "THANK THEM FOR THE JOB THRY DO". It's certainly been tough lately. God Bless them for the job they do. We talked for about 15 minutes and I did hear the radio talk very briefly. But I never got into any discussion with them about the radio traffic.

I sure appreciate all you guys thoughts and comments on this. In my own selfish way, I know they just couldn't stay on that old low band channel of 39.90 mhz. But I sure wish they had changed over to the high band with a repeater system just like the Norwich Fire Dept did (154.205 MHz). As far as I know there's been very little problems since it was first installed back in the early 1990s. There's also a low power fireground channel and members can switch to channel 2 (?) which is "direct to direct" without going through the dispatch channel - while still hearing the main dispatch.
I'm sure our members who might live 15 miles or so outside of Norwich can hear them okay.

As I have been writing this, I did hear the Norwich Police Dispatch talk but very briefly and difficult to understand. I heard 10-43 call in a license check and dispatch came back "no 20s, nothing in house" - BUT very garbled.

Since the start of 2020 we have all been through some very difficult times. Coronavirus first, now a country being torn apart by some because of the way somebody looks. Caught up in the middle of this has been our police officers. I know they've been there when I needed them.

The first time I heard a police call over a police radio at home was when I was 16 years old. It was a fatal stabbing in Bridgeport where I had lived. It was at Harding High school. My father had gotten an old police radio from a police car and was able to convert it to A/C for home us. "I was hooked". I am now 71 years old. I saw crystal controlled scanners operate by using a small plug in crystal purchased separately for each channel required, using maybe an eight channel radio. Then came programable scanners that offered unlimited channels putting in or taking out what ever you wanted. No computer programming necessary, in fact there were no computers.

We had high, low and ultrahigh band of up to 100 or 200 channels. I drove from Ct to Fla one time and had every major city FD and sometimes PD programmed into it along the way. It was great.

Once again, thank you for your help and comments and THANK YOU for taking the time to read my story.

This is Willy D, aka "MrAntiDigital", signing off

Have you tried going to another location with your scanner, out of your immediate location maybe across from the CSP on 395?

 

[MrAntiDigital]

No Sir, I have NOT. My sole purpose at this time was to have a home based scanner and listen from my home.

I know my brother has a similar scanner in his vehicle and basically reports the same results.

Last evening we were both in our vehicles not far from Troop E and still, very little radio traffic being heard over the new NPD dispatch channel.

"thom", I certainly appreciate your interest and concern in offering help. But I have basically told myself, "its over". I keep them tuned in on my scanner but when I do hear something I get 4 or 5 words of mumble. Very little that can be made out or understood.

Unless someone here can say; "yes, I pick them up regularly, and the activity is as normal, with no problems", I'm not really shall we say - a satisfied customer"

Just heard NPD go to 324 West Main St for a 10-32, @ about 12:26 pm. That's the most I've EVER Heard. So the scanner IS working.

Thanks Guys

 

[Dan6071]

Did you upgrade the firmware and threshold uniden sent me the firmware after i reset it it made a world of different's

 

[georged4997]

Did you upgrade the firmware and threshold uniden sent me the firmware after i reset it it made a world of different's

I updated the firmware and threshold, I truly believe a lot is going over the mdt s. Very limited talk.

 

[Dan6071]

I be live your right

 

[MrAntiDigital]

It has been weeks now since the Norwich Police Dispatch changed over to their new radio system.

Yet there has been NO Confirmed reports of regular reception by those who have been monitoring it.

Incidents are only received by many of us very sporadically. Maybe just a few words throughout the entire day.

Unless some here are receiving this channel on a regular basis, I think it's just about time to "throw in the towel" and say "good bye" to yet another police department dispatch for scanner buffs to listen to.

It's certainly been a great hobby and I'm just glad that I got to fully enjoy it for so many years. Sometimes being an Old Dinosaur has it's benefits

Thanks again guys. I really did appreciate all the effort that so many of you put in to this.

 

[cert2]

I'm listening on the Troop-E system and have over 10,000 PTTs. For the Norwich PD Talkgroup 20401.

 

[cg]

I am finding some Phase 2 talkgroups not being heard on Uniden 996P2 or SDS200. Not sure if that has to do with the brand of radios in use or some setting I have wrong.
Hearing Norwich occasionally on Troop C using DSDPlus. Talking to a friend in Groton, he is hearing it perfectly all the time on DSDPlus and had to drop the priority because they were talking so much.

chris

 

[Firebuff66]

I was in Montville Sunday and got them fine with my BCD996P2 on the troop E system, Not busy but a traffic stop and another officer running an ID, sounded good.

 

[MrAntiDigital]

At Last, I seem to be picking up the Norwich Police Dispatch on a pretty regular basis on 853.9125.

I haven't touched anything on the scanner in the last few days. Something changed and it wasn't my doings that changed it.

Will it continue as is ??? Let's hope so. But "I won't count on it".

 

[pro106import]

They are definitely active on the system on a regular basis. I have logged them hundreds of times on E Simulcast, F Simulcast, and K Simulcast sites. I cannot hear C or D simulcast. And believe it or not , three times on I simulcast. And I am 70 miles away or so. They are Phase II, however. Only hear them with my SDS-100. Not a peep out of my TRX-1's or other Unidens using the same yagi. I have also logged Norwich talkgroups 20400, 20402, and 20404 with similar ID's for what its worth.
Bob

 

[MrAntiDigital]

"pro106import", aka Bob. I read that you live in Milford. That is my favorite place in Ct. I like everything about it. Also one of my favorite fire depts. A very progressive dept as I see it.

Thank you for your comments too regarding the reception of the Norwich Police Dispatch.

After weeks of NOT hearing the NPD Dispatch, I am happy to finally report that things are much better now. They have been coming in now at the Ole' Homestead top of Plain Hill, for over 24 hours. The HIGHEST Point in Norwich.

What did I do to make it work ? NOTHING. I did nothing at all. Same radio, same antenna, no adjustments made.

I would also like to thank "georged4997" for programming the radio and updating it for me. For quite awhile neither one of us were able to pick anything up, although he had his scanner Uniden, a 996P2, before I had mine and he had been "earlier" receiving them on his.

Then he lost the NPD. Right around the time that I got my scanner. That's around the time the NPD Dispatch seemed to disappear for both of us.

After a few weeks, with me ready to give up, on Tuesday June 16th, I start hearing them again.

I have plans to purchase two more scanners. But BEFORE I Do, I want to be assured that I will be able to hear that Norwich Police Dispatch "as it happens - when it happens".

So THANK YOU for all your help and contributions regarding this topic. Special THANK YOU to my brother George, aka "georged4997", for all the work he put into this for me. At times very frustrating too.

I hope this concern can finally come to a close with a "positive finish".

 

[thom]

"pro106import", aka Bob. I read that you live in Milford. That is my favorite place in Ct. I like everything about it. Also one of my favorite fire depts. A very progressive dept as I see it.

Thank you for your comments too regarding the reception of the Norwich Police Dispatch.

After weeks of NOT hearing the NPD Dispatch, I am happy to finally report that things are much better now. They have been coming in now at the Ole' Homestead top of Plain Hill, for over 24 hours. The HIGHEST Point in Norwich.

What did I do to make it work ? NOTHING. I did nothing at all. Same radio, same antenna, no adjustments made.

I would also like to thank "georged4997" for programming the radio and updating it for me. For quite awhile neither one of us were able to pick anything up, although he had his scanner Uniden, a 996P2, before I had mine and he had been "earlier" receiving them on his.

Then he lost the NPD. Right around the time that I got my scanner. That's around the time the NPD Dispatch seemed to disappear for both of us.

After a few weeks, with me ready to give up, on Tuesday June 16th, I start hearing them again.

I have plans to purchase two more scanners. But BEFORE I Do, I want to be assured that I will be able to hear that Norwich Police Dispatch "as it happens - when it happens".

So THANK YOU for all your help and contributions regarding this topic. Special THANK YOU to my brother George, aka "georged4997", for all the work he put into this for me. At times very frustrating too.

I hope this concern can finally come to a close with a "positive finish".

I have a 325p2 and an sds100. The 325p2 can't get the Troop E system without connecting to my attic antenna and the sds100 has absolutely no problem even with just the stock antenna. The thing is that I'm only 2.5 miles from the Stones Ranch tower. If you don't mind spending the extra $$, an SDS 100 or 200 would be a good choice as you're thing about adding a radio.

 

[mkt853]

I have a feeling Stone's Ranch is now using directional antennas like other sites in the CLMRN. That antenna used to blast out three control channels for the troop F/H, E/D, and K/C sites, but now only the one for troop F comes in strong if you're west of the antenna. You can still get E with better antenna, repositioning, etc., but it's not the same as it once was, and I don't think K even transmits from there anymore though next time I'm in that area I'll have to see if I can get it from that tower. Stone's Ranch was one of those unique spots that had three zones broadcasting from it such that you would consistently hear troops F, E, K, G, H, I, C, and D if you just scanned the three control channels transmitting from there.

 

[thom]

I have a feeling Stone's Ranch is now using directional antennas like other sites in the CLMRN. That antenna used to blast out three control channels for the troop F/H, E/D, and K/C sites, but now only the one for troop F comes in strong if you're west of the antenna. You can still get E with better antenna, repositioning, etc., but it's not the same as it once was, and I don't think K even transmits from there anymore though next time I'm in that area I'll have to see if I can get it from that tower. Stone's Ranch was one of those unique spots that had three zones broadcasting from it such that you would consistently hear troops F, E, K, G, H, I, C, and D if you just scanned the three control channels transmitting from there.

I believe that you are correct about the directional antennas at Stones Ranch. Back in the early spring I thought that it was just that they hadn't gotten around to do some tweaks, however, it hasn't changed. Anyway I'm using the SDS100 mostly as it receives the Stones Ranch tower very well. The 325p2 has been relegated to being a backup.

 

[coolrich55]

I think it's safe to say Norwich doesn't come over the K site full time. I didn't hear anything during the stabbing incident the other night.

 

[MrAntiDigital]

After weeks of trial and error, I think I have finally reached my mission of trying to pick up the Norwich Police on my Uniden BCD996P2 scanner.

Through the efforts of this site member "georged4997", success has finally come.

There were times when I would pick up a couple of words when the NPD, aka Rose City's Finest, transmitted. But very little that could be understood. After having the scanner updated, still little success. Finally "georged4997" walked me over the steps through a telephone conversation on adjusting some of the settings.

Well, it worked a little better but still not great.

In order to get an accurate reading, I was only scanner two channels. The Norwich Fire Dept on high band and this new Norwich Police channel.

With an outside roof mounted antenna about 350 feet above sea level and about 5 miles from both the Orchard St site and the Lisbon Incinerator site, "reception was really nothing to brag about". But it was better than before. During this time, the Norwich Fire Dept on it's 154 high band frequency with a repeater system was working GREAT.

The next step "georged4997" suggests is to, instead of using the roof mounted antenna, try using the small antenna that came with the radio.

I was shocked that in doing that, I was able to hear the NPD even better. No where's near as good as the NFD though.

After weeks of trial and error, changing settings, changing antennas, updates, I am sorry to report that for me personally, "it's just NOT worth it".

Yes, I will continue to listen but still the reception for the Norwich Police on this digital system vs the reception of the Norwich Fire Dept on the high band, I must admit, "there is no comparison". Maybe the Norwich Police had to get off that old low band radio system but I only wish they had gone to a high band or ultra high band radio system. I notice throughout this site, many are doing just that.

The effort to program, and update these systems is something that I am not able to do. When using a programable scanner over the last 4 decades or so it was just so easy to punch in a couple of numbers, hit enter and you were all set.

I guess I will still keep my user name "MrAntiDigital".

 

[Dan6071]

I have the 536hp and the 996p2 live in groton and hear norwich pd great in my home and truck

 

[Dan6071]

MrAntiDigital i went to city of norwich to day and lisbon and heard norwich stonington groton town pd just fine if there is any thing i can help you with just let me know.