Not a new user by far but...

[Grayline]

Hey Guys and Gals Ive had scanners since I was a teenager (you wanted a freq you went to radio shack and bought a crystal) scanning nowadays is so much over my head.
I just purchased a BCD325P2 and love it but after downloading all my frequencies I dont get much activity what are the things this little bugger does? I have never received anything on close call and when I download it wont download DMR? Frequencies?

 

[jonwienke]

You need to purchase a key from Uniden before the scanner will decode DMR.

Close Call only picks up transmitters that are nearby. With the factory whip, typical detection range is measured in feet, not miles. Close Call also must be enabled in the scanner menu, or it is not active.

The analog frequencies you used to monitor may be mostly deprecated and replaced with a P25 digital trunked system. Are you monitoring the new system? https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=5078

 

[Grayline]

156 lookers and you replied! Thank you Jon... I went ahead and paid for the DMR upgrade thanknnyou what is a better whip?

 

[troymail]

Jon's question is key - what are you trying to monitor? Police? Fire? EMS? School buses? Ditch diggers?

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=420

In terms of DMR --

Southeast Regional Medical Center and West Georgia Technical College are DMR but as with most DMR activity (with exception of larger fleet/business leasing systems), you typically need to be pretty close to hear it.

It looks like Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Newnan has a DMR system but there are no talkgroups identified/submitted so you'd need to put the radio into "search" mode (and probably be close to the facility) to hear anything.

You might be able to hear Newnan Utilities, the county jail, and maybe school bus locational data (may not be any voice).

 

[jonwienke]

what is a better whip?

My favorite for general scanning is the Diamond RH77CA.

 

[bharvey2]

Grayline - I don't have that model of scanner but I did run in to a similar issues when I downloaded the frequencies for my area. After doing so, The scanner defaulted to scan all of the items in my lists. There were so many that the scanner rarely stopped on a frequency. After I unchecked many of the talkgroups leaving just a few to work with, the scanner started picking up transmissions. I was just trying to listen to too much at once.

 

[KK4JUG]

156 lookers and you replied! Thank you Jon... I went ahead and paid for the DMR upgrade thanknnyou what is a better whip?

I looked but I'm not familiar with that particular radio. So if I had responded, my answer would have been, "I don't know" and you wouldn't have been any better off.

 

[Valeriy]

Close Call only picks up transmitters that are nearby. With the factory whip, typical detection range is measured in feet, not miles.

Well, let say up to some hundreds yards.
Verified on the field many times.

 

[marksmith]

Several hundred yards is a good answer for close call, but strong signals can be almost a mile away.

I leave on on close call with storage option in a parked car and often find things of interest where I go.

Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others

 

[jonwienke]

It totally depends on your antenna and the TX power of the other radio. With the factory duck antenna, you'll be hard pressed to get a Close Call hit on a FRS walkie-talkie at 100 yards. At the opposite extreme, I've gotten Close Call hits from a Virginia STARS site in Pennsylvania, while running an ST-2 antenna outdoors on a 30-foot mast.

It all depends on your antenna and the TX power of the station you're trying to detect.

 

[Grayline]

Jon's question is key - what are you trying to monitor? Police? Fire? EMS? School buses? Ditch diggers?

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=420

In terms of DMR --

Southeast Regional Medical Center and West Georgia Technical College are DMR but as with most DMR activity (with exception of larger fleet/business leasing systems), you typically need to be pretty close to hear it.

It looks like Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Newnan has a DMR system but there are no talkgroups identified/submitted so you'd need to put the radio into "search" mode (and probably be close to the facility) to hear anything.

You might be able to hear Newnan Utilities, the county jail, and maybe school bus locational data (may not be any voice).

Thank you I listen to pretty much everything. I have all the Coweta county and surrounding in already but its pretty quiet

 

[Grayline]

this is interesting How do you separate and uncheck?

 

[Valeriy]

It totally depends on your antenna and the TX power of the other radio.

Yes, that's right, of course.
Regarding the standard rubber duck antenna, I have had Close Call Hits in VHF/UHF from up to 500+ yards in the case of mobile transceivers.
Usually their output is up to 45...50 W, as far as I know.

At the opposite extreme, I've gotten Close Call hits from a Virginia STARS site in Pennsylvania, while running an ST-2 antenna outdoors on a 30-foot mast.

I myself suspect that some Close Call Hits come from faraway repeaters, because the audio refer to locations at some tens of nautical miles from where I reside, despite I have no external aerials yet.
I am roughly in the middle of the axis Turin-Milan, in Northwest Italy, and get on a daily basis Close Call Hits whose audio refer to their suburbs and their nearby provinces...

 

[Grayline]

My favorite for general scanning is the Diamond RH77CA.

Thanks Just Ordered me one off Amazon !! Hope reception Improves