P25 Question

[tvengr]

The BCD996XT is capable of P25 Phase 1 only. Any talkgroups you receive must be using Phase 1.

 

[Maniliaq]

I have a bcd325p which I know is terrible for p25. I also live in an area with bad reception so my signal strength is poor a lot of the time. I wanted to use it mainly during fire operations at the scene. Not all get radios. Is there a way to program when your in close proximity to handheld radios to hear or is the radio kind of useless now. Thanks

Yeah, the BCD325P can be tricky with P25, especially in areas with weak reception. If you’re at a fire scene, you could try switching to "Close Call" mode—it’s made for picking up nearby transmissions. It might help if you’re close to the handheld radios.

Also, programming specific frequencies used by your local fire departments could improve things. But honestly, if reception is really bad, it might not work as well as you’d like. If it keeps giving you trouble, upgrading to a radio with better P25 support might be worth considering.

 

[jbspeed79]

Woops. I ment BCD996P2

 

[tvengr]

Woops. I ment BCD996P2

Let's see if we can improve the digital decoding on your BCD996P2. While the Clinton Co Fire system is scanning, Press the HOLD/RESUME button for about 3 seconds to put the system in System Hold. HOLD will flash on the screen. Press MENU > Scroll to Settings > Press E > Scroll to P25 Threshold > Press E > It should be on Auto > Scroll to Level 5 > Press E > Press SCAN/SEARCH to resume scanning. Press HOLD/RESUME to hold on an active talkgroup. Press the Scroll Knob and then the Volume Knob. The screen will display digital error. Monitor that talkgroup for a while and record the digital error. The error rate will only be displayed during an active transmission. Do the same for each level (5 thru 13) using the same talkgroup and set the level for the one with the lowest error rate. When completed, you can press HOLD/RESUME for 3 seconds again to exit System Hold. DO NOT MOVE the SCANNER or ANTENNA while making the adjustment. All factors should be the same when comparing error rates.

 

[tvengr]

You can do the same with your BCD325P2 following the procedure in the previous post. Instead of pressing the Scroll Knob, press the FUNC button. To access the digital error screen, instead of pressing the Scroll Knob and Volume Knob, press the Volume Knob followed by the FUNC button followed by the Volume Knob again.