BCD325P2/BCD996P2: Old problem still haunting the BCD996P2 with audio

[Air_Force_Vet]

I have been reading past messages and they are old. Nothing solving the problem or updated firmware that I can find to fix the problem. I bought the BCD996P2 scanner. I used ProScan and RadioReference to program the scanner as recommended. All went smooth. But it just sounds like some of the freqs are off frequency. That is just a few that come through. My scanner hits 5 bars often but no audio. It shows me the ID's just fine, when the signal drops, the scanner continues. The squelch is on two, but that does not matter, because there is no squelch. I feel this may be the problem. Is there something in the proscan when uploading that is causing this? I can go to NOAA weather and hear it clearly. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[fxdscon]

I have been reading past messages and they are old. Nothing solving the problem or updated firmware that I can find to fix the problem. I bought the BCD996P2 scanner. I used ProScan and RadioReference to program the scanner as recommended. All went smooth. But it just sounds like some of the freqs are off frequency. That is just a few that come through. My scanner hits 5 bars often but no audio. It shows me the ID's just fine, when the signal drops, the scanner continues. The squelch is on two, but that does not matter, because there is no squelch. I feel this may be the problem. Is there something in the proscan when uploading that is causing this? I can go to NOAA weather and hear it clearly. Any help would be appreciated.

.
Welcome to the forums! Sounds like you may be dealing with simulcast transmission issues which the BCD996P2 is not equipped to deal with effectively. Let us know specifically what you are trying to monitor.... State, county, city, and the specific agencies you are interested in. Best to post a direct link to the database to those agencies.

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

I am trying to monitor the p25 phase II system for Oklahoma county. there are several data bases I am actually compiling together to give me a variety of things to be nosey with. The RR codes I am using are: 37569, 22174. I edit what I do not want within those by unchecking the box. I am not recording anything and I am not broadcasting anything. I am setting up the scanner for my car and occasionally the house during bad weather. I can upload ok and the scanner receives the programming ok. I live in an area where I hear sirens all the time, HP, Fire and LE. Thankfully they do not stop in my area. I am just nosey. The audio is perfect for WX. But not for most of the rest. only a few broadcast audio and those are garbled. My BCD996P2 has firmware V1.10.01 SN: 37801028004536. When I import the RR ID, I see it has simulcast freq's, it also has other ID's. You mentions a simulcast issue maybe?

 

[wtp]

one more time, what system are you trying to lisen to ?

 

[iMONITOR]

The squelch is on two, but that does not matter, because there is no squelch.

Squelch is somewhat out of the picture with digital.

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

one more time, what system are you trying to lisen I gave the system ID's

I gave the system ID's up above 37569 and 22174 from Radio reference. The full names are:

Oklahoma Wireless Interoperability Network (OKWIN) (P25) #37569​

Tinker Air Force Base (Oklahoma County) #22174​

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

one more time, what system are you trying to lisen to ?

I am trying to monitor the p25 phase II system for Oklahoma county.

There are two Phase-II systems listed for Oklahoma County, you need to let us know which one. Simulcast distortion could very well be the issue at hand as mentioned in post #2. Your description fits it to a T

Oklahoma City Metro Public Safety	Project 25 Phase II	Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Multi-Agency Communications System (OMACS)	Project 25 Phase II

 

[fxdscon]

You mentions a simulcast issue maybe?

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You can read about simulcast at this link:

Simulcast - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

and the problems that occur with scanners not specifically designed to receive it here:

Simulcast Distortion - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

There are two Phase-II systems listed for Oklahoma County, you need to let us know which one. Simulcast distortion could very well be the issue at hand as mentioned in post #2. Your description fits it to a T

Oklahoma City Metro Public Safety	Project 25 Phase II	Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Multi-Agency Communications System (OMACS)	Project 25 Phase II

The top one replaced the OMACS system

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

Thanks fxdscon, I am reading your distortion link now. I will let you all know how it turns out. that is option 1. option 2 is to use the BCD996P2 for something else and get me a better scanner that has the4 multicast already figured out.

 

[ka3jjz]

And at the bottom there are a couple of videos/podcasts that you can use if the tech jargon gets a little too heavy

Mike

 

[fxdscon]

Thanks fxdscon, I am reading your distortion link now. I will let you all know how it turns out. that is option 1. option 2 is to use the BCD996P2 for something else and get me a better scanner that has the4 multicast already figured out.

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The Uniden SDS200 and the SDS100 are the only scanners designed specifically to deal with the effects of Simulcast distortion.

 

[hiegtx]

Thanks fxdscon, I am reading your distortion link now. I will let you all know how it turns out. that is option 1. option 2 is to use the BCD996P2 for something else and get me a better scanner that has the4 multicast already figured out.

Simulcast is extremely location specific. Some times, you may find that moving the scanner a foot or two one direction or another can make all the difference in the world. It does not hurt to try various things, but at the end of the day, if nothing else works, then you'll need to switch to one of the SDS scanners, a Unication pager, or use one of the SDR dongles on your PC to monitor the simulcast system.

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

Simulcast is extremely location specific. Some times, you may find that moving the scanner a foot or two one direction or another can make all the difference in the world. It does not hurt to try various things, but at the end of the day, if nothing else works, then you'll need to switch to one of the SDS scanners, a Unication pager, or use one of the SDR dongles on your PC to monitor the simulcast system.

OK, an update. Not fixed yet, but getting there. I am starting to get some calls coming through, they still sound off frequency, I have been trying to tweek the p25 threshhold . But there is something I have noticed is missing. When I have watched video's online, The display shows sites and groups. Mine does not. I figured out how to show you every thing in my scanner. What am I doing wrong. I am getting reception. I heard a call from 20 miles away from Tinker AFB. I show 5 bars on reception. Still only a few hits with audio

 

[wtp]

can you do me a favor and ONLY scan one thing, like the city, and turn off everything else !
for every trunking system the radio uses 2 seconds for housekeeping.
the line here is the the more you try and listen to, the less you hear.

 

[tvengr]

It would be much more helpful to attach your ProScan programming file than the PDF printout.

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

can you do me a favor and ONLY scan one thing, like the city, and turn off everything else !
for every trunking system the radio uses 2 seconds for housekeeping.
the line here is the the more you try and listen to, the less you hear.

OK, I imported just one database from RR. Oklahoma City Metro Public Safety Trunking System, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma I had to remove 5 sites. It exceeded the 20 site max upload limit. I locked out all but a few groups I want to test with. These are close to me. I am attaching the CSV file generated by Proscan that I uploaded to the scanner. I am also attaching the CSV file after I uploaded the RR files, then downloaded from the scanner. There seems to be more data with the download. My screen only shows

Simulcast
ID SCAN
NFM ATT (blinking)
S0:----------
GRP----------

That's it.

 

[wtp]

ok it shown ATTenuation is turned on, you will want that turned off, it cuts the signal to 1/100th of the original.
and NFM means it does not 'hear' the control channel, so it can not give you any audio.

 

[hiegtx]

OK, I imported just one database from RR. Oklahoma City Metro Public Safety Trunking System, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma I had to remove 5 sites. It exceeded the 20 site max upload limit. I locked out all but a few groups I want to test with. These are close to me. I am attaching the CSV file generated by Proscan that I uploaded to the scanner. I am also attaching the CSV file after I uploaded the RR files, then downloaded from the scanner. There seems to be more data with the download. My screen only shows

Simulcast
ID SCAN
NFM ATT (blinking)
S0:----------
GRP----------

That's it.

If I am reading this correctly, it appears, at first glance, that you have all of the groups locked out:


The site is not locked out, since the Lockout column has zeros.

Instead of exporting to a -.csv file, save your programming file normally. That will have a *.txt (text) extension, which you can attach to a post without having to zip it.

 

[Air_Force_Vet]

If I am reading this correctly, it appears, at first glance, that you have all of the groups locked out:
View attachment 142892

The site is not locked out, since the Lockout column has zeros.

Instead of exporting to a -.csv file, save your programming file normally. That will have a *.txt (text) extension, which you can attach to a post without having to zip it.

OK, I have been experimenting. The I am now getting major multiple hits, 5 bars, 4 bars, several agencies coming up on the display. but they all have one thing in common. No audio. I can pick up conventional audio like weather and radio tv stations. I had entered in system 1 manually with quick key, sites, groups, ID Hex's, Id Names. I was getting chatter and I was showing on the display S0:1 GRP 2. Then I imported from RR other sites and cleaned up what I did not want and uploaded as add only. I made sure attenuator was off, The P25 threshhold is at auto. I am hitting strong Simulcast hits with TGID's full bars, even showing SID number. No audio. Could it be something to do with the squelch not opening up? The squelch is all the way left. On conventional (nom P25) I can control the squelch just fine. I have duplicate groups in there so I can catch transmissions more often. I did notice last night I went mobile and the when I was 3 miles SW of downtown OKC, I was getting all kinds of hits from everywhere.

I brought the scanner inside this morning and hooked it up to a mobile dipole that is outside the 3rd floor apt. It has picked up signals from units 25 miles away just fine on the P25. Anyhow. I just got a hit from the Yukon PD clear as a bell and there was only 2 bars. I thought, the more bars, the stronger the signal. Here is the most recent upload/download from scanner