I'll look for those, thanks
Posted this message in the NC forum, but probably should have posted it here:
I have been using a Uniden BCD436HP to monitor CMPD and Charlotte-Mecklenburg MEDIC, and the simulcast distortion is terrible! I live in south Charlotte, but the problem is persistent throughout the county.
Is there a better scanner model, perhaps with updated software, for monitoring P25 with simulcast distortion? I have tried different attenuation settings to no avail. I am considering installing an antenna and mobile scanner in my vehicle.. would that help? It seems like the handheld 436HP is sensitive to the way it is held- for example if I pick up the scanner during a transmission, it will drop out as soon as I touch it.
Any tried and true vehicle antenna and unit combinations for monitoring the Charlotte-Meck P25 system would be appreciated! Also, is an actual voice pager like the G5 actually legal to use to monitor?
I 've noticed that some of the new patrol cars have as many as eight antennas on them.
I'd love to know what all they go to.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You asked and I listened!
This is the official Charlotte-Meck Radio Info Thread...the only discussion allowed in this thread is of communications around the Charlotte-Meck area....any off topic posts will be deleted and I reserve the right to un-sticky and lock this thread if I find it to be a waste of space...
Happy Monitoring!
Marshall KE4ZNR
As far as scanners go, the 436/536 Unidens are the best I've used at handling simulcast distortion. That being said, it's still isn't great. I'm also in South Charlotte and it's tough. I keep most of my radios on directional antennas and that works great but kills the whole portability concept.
Also, on the 436, make sure you set the site for manual threshold, rather than auto. I keep it on manual, setting 7.
One thing you didn't mention was which antenna you are using. Less is generally more, and the best antenna I've found for this system, on a 436, is a simple 1/4 wave 800 mhz antenna.
800 MHz Low Profile 1/4 Wave Portable SMA Antenna | Scanner Master
If you use the Radio Shack 800mhz antenna you end up making the problem worse. That antenna is great for Viper but bad for the Charlotte system.
I don't have first-hand experience with the G4/G5 but from what I've heard they are great at handling LSM distortion, but you sacrifice some of the benefits of a scanner. It's a receiver in the same way a scanner is, so no issues with legality.
Trying to program Charlotte Fire Dept into my BCD536HP scanner. All I have found is a black hole. I cannot locate CFD in Radio Reference. I do not have CFD callsign, so I cannot look up in FCC database. City of Charlotte FD is NOT listed as such in Radio Reference or FCC. I do not even know if CFD system is Motorola Type II, P25 phase 1, LTR, EDACS, or DMR enabled. I even saw that DMR may not work, and only after I spent $75 to get the key. Somebody help me please.