Not scanning?

[JamesO]

Errant RF fields can be crazy. A long time ago we installed a repeater at a fire station. Its sensitivity was very poor. I did some researching and found that the frequency the repeater listened to, was the same frequency used for one of the cable television channels (back when it was all analog).

Since cable TV is a "closed system" where all the signal is contained in the cable itself, that should not be a problem. But if there is a leak in the cable system, such as a bad connection somewhere, that does become a problem.

I contacted the engineering folks at the cable company. After having my sanity questioned, I got them to briefly disable the channel I thought was the problem. Lo and behold, our repeater started receiving very well. When they turned the channel back on, the repeater went back to being deaf. After the cable folks saw this for themselves, and saying "I ain't never saw this before", they decided to offset the frequency of the offending channel. It was easier for them to do that than to try to find the source(s) of the leak.

Cable plants are supposed to be pretty RF tight, what leaks out can also leak in!.

Many cable companies have a "leakage" carrier, a FM modulated warble channel at a pretty high level that easily allows the cable company to "sniff" out leaks. Many cable companies drive the system with a receiver and antenna on a vehicle and it allows them to pretty easily locate leakage that is not intermittent/temperature dependent.

But then again, we are talking about cable companies and cable technicians. The way they solve all problems is more power, remove attenuation rather than looking at a plant loss diagram and having trunk line benchmark measurements and looking for and finding the 10dB loss in the cable plant!!

 

[jonwienke]

There is a recent thread in the direction finding forum about somebody's wireless rain gauge going bonkers and disabling a whole neighborhood's wireless garage door openers. You may have something similar going on.

 

[Larkin71]

Greetings from work, where once again, the scanner is working like a top. This is actually quite fascinating to me. I've switched back to the old card again, as I think its working better, but that could be in my head too. Hard to say. Anyway, this weekend, I will first, get an extension cord and head outside to test how it functions and will shut stuff off too in the house to see how that goes. I can say, once again, that nothing has changed. I know some of you aren't fond of my using that FM transmitter, but I can honestly say that I've had this scanner since May, and at home, have always used it that way and there hasn't been any problems until this week. That's the frustrating about all this, I haven't done anything differently.

 

[ofd8001]

It's not a case of you doing something wrong. Rather it's a case of something else going wrong and is affecting your scanner. Not much different than getting a flat tire on your car.

Things just go wrong from time to time. Then you have to put your Sherlock Holmes hat on and figure out what it is by using logical deduction. For example, my scanner works good in place A, but not place B. So it must be something about place B.

 

[jonwienke]

In the case of the rain gauge interference, it started when the battery level dropped too low to operate the device properly, and it started emitting spurious RF. You might not have intentionally changed anything, but that doesn't mean nothing has changed. Your neighbor might have done something. Are there any cell towers in your area?

Also, try putting the scanner in Close Call mode and see if it picks up anything nearby.

 

[Larkin71]

I took it outside and didn't get anything. All it was getting was very local analog frequences of the police and fire but no Marcs/digital. Took it to work and got everything again, Also got my usual stuff in the car, when I was driving away. Just for the heck of it (since I have everything backed up anyway) I did a hard reset and put it back in my room. I am presently picking up nothing. Missed a squad run in fact, but heard it on my old scanner which still functions. If it could pick it up, I don't know why the BCD536 wouldn't. I am scanning full data base after putting in my zip code again. I figured maybe location based got turned on and perhaps that's what I could get different reception at work rather than home. I'm pretty discouraged to be honest. I'll take a break for today and maybe tomorrow will try the Close call suggestion. Its about all I have left.

 

[Larkin71]

No luck really. For a little bit last night, I got most of what I get at work at home, but it stopped. Got stuff at work today as I should, but nothing again when I got home. I wonder if maybe its the antenna, or more accurately, the antenna connection? That's all I can figure, and that maybe I get what I get at work, because I am "in town"? Don't know what else it could be. I am going to call Uniden tomorrow, maybe they can take a look at it. I've only had the scanner for 4 months.

 

[jonwienke]

Highly unlikely they can help, as it isn't the scanner that's the issue. It sounds like you have an intermittent transmission going on near your home desensing the scanner. Find that, problem solved. Have you tried Close Call?

 

[ofd8001]

Can you export your Favorites List to an HPE file, zip it, then upload it as an attachment to a post?

Perhaps we can take a look at it and see if anything jumps out.

Are you using a different type of antenna at work than at home?

 

[Larkin71]

Highly unlikely they can help, as it isn't the scanner that's the issue. It sounds like you have an intermittent transmission going on near your home desensing the scanner. Find that, problem solved. Have you tried Close Call?

I tried, and got part way through it, and hit on 96.1 FM, and it was pretty weak. The problem is, I don't get exactly get great reception when I leave the house either. I pretty much have to be out of my county before I do. When I was listening to the weather band last night, jiggling the antenna made a difference. Makes me wonder if there isn't a connection issue, I just don't know. As for finding any kind of transmission, I don't know how, and if I did, what could I possibly do about it?

As for exporting the favorites list, there is no need to do that. I've been using full data base for days and it has worked at work.

 

[Larkin71]

But, if you'd like, here they are, all 4 of my favorites lists. Sorry for getting frustrated.

 

[ofd8001]

I'm really handicapped by not knowing the system or the local geography of what is close to where.

That being said, with a quick look at the Auglaize FL, on the Ohio MARCS IP system, I noticed there is no site associated with the system. That's a problem.

On the Ohio MARCS system, there is one site - Wapakoneta.

Of the few statewide trunked systems I listen to, usually one can receive more than just one site from where they are. So you might see if there are other sites/towers adjacent to your work and home counties.

Still if you are listening to the full database with the appropriate work/home zipcodes, the scanner will "know" which towers you can hear, presuming you have your range set correctly. (Range is something to experiment with).

So I'm back scratching my head, thinking of something going on around the vicinity of your home creating interference.

I'll look at the others later on when I have a little more time.

 

[ofd8001]

Spending a little more time looking over your four Favorites Lists.

You may well have a particular reason why you set these up as you did, but it appears to be that some efficiency can be gained.

You do not have Favorites List Quick Keys assigned. So unless you have them turned off some other way, your scanner is scanning all of them. Then if you have the full database on, it is scanning that too. Some things that are in one Favorites List are repeated in another.

With "repetitive scanning" you could be missing some communications. For example, the scanner listens to a channel that is inactive, then continues but ends up listening to that inactive a second time.

Also you do not have Location Control on for your Favorites Lists (see Other Areas, Ohio Marcs as an example). So your scanner is listening to all of the sites for the MARCS system, including those that I'm sure are too far to receive.

Some things to consider:

* Consolidate some of these Favorites Lists so you are scanning things once.

* Use Quick Keys for Favorites Lists, Departments and Sites. That way you can lock out things you may not wish to hear or are too far away to receive.

* Use Location Control so your scanner does not attempt to receive "stuff" it cannot.

* It is possible you created some Favorites Lists just to get the feel for how Sentinel works as well as the scanner. Once you feel more comfortable, you could "wipe the slate clean" and start afresh. Quick Keys are great things. They will help you focus in on specific things and lock out things too far away or what you aren't interested in.

It's likely that by implementing the above, the things you successfully hear at work will increase. Once we get the home issue figured out, you'll be scanning there more efficiently.

 

[Larkin71]

Thanks Ofd. Indeed, my lists were made to get the feel of the scanner and the software. I've been considering wiping the slate clean for sometime. I just haven't had the time to sit down and do just that. I'm off next week so I may try that. I've much to learn about quick keys, exactly what they are, and how to actually set them adn use them. I can put the location control on and/or change my zip code if that would help. I live in 45885 and work in 45822, but they aren't far apart at all, but it can't hurt to try both. As for what's happening today, its another day of perfect scanning at work, including hearing some great stuff off the Full Data base I didn't even know I could get. I have been playing with the range too. Now, interesting thing, I've talked to one other local person who did say they were having a hard time hearing what they usually here, and on Sunday, a bulletin was put out by Auglaize County Sheriff indicating they were having Marcs tower issues, but it was fixed within hours on Sunday, still, now I am wondering if there is transmission issues or something that is creating a "dead zone" in my city I live in. I have noticed that while the scanning app I also use has been getting the local stuff I've been missing, it hasn't been as frequent and has been spitting out a lot of electronic hash/static, so I wonder if the person who supplies the scanner (one feed on the left, the other on the right" isn't having similar problems. Once this is fixed (if it gets fixed) I will certainly take you up on your suggestions. Efficiency is important to me, I do enjoy scanning outlying areas (we had a prison break last week) but yes, I want to priorty scan and also set up lights and stuff for local squad runs etc.