P25 Simulcast Antenna Suggestions

[W9WTC]

Looking for Yagi or Beam antenna suggestions for DaneCom P2 Simulcast suggestions. I'm a Ham and have been talking to several Ham guys and antenna individuals about Simulcast reception problems. They have suggested trying a Yagi or Beam antenna for a simulcast system. Simulcast is a unique system and in simplistic terms it's where multiple towers broadcast the same signal county wide thus referring to the term simulcast. I was told that in order to help my new Uniden BCD996P2 interrupt the signals being they don't have the proper chip to decode simulcast signals it may help to use a Yagi or Beam antenna and point it in the direction of the closest tower. This may help (cheat) the scanner to pick up a stronger signal from a specific tower and override the other tower signals. I currently am using a great disc cone antenna and have had great reception before simulcast. The frequencies that DaneCom uses are in the 172.000 all the way down to 154.000. Thus this leads to my question. Can anyone recommend a good Yagi/Beam to try to improve my reception by directing it to one tower versus the cone picking up all towers?

 

[cpetraglia]

You certainly have the right idea. The only problem I see is the actual size of a VHF Yagi. What is the approximate distance from your closest tower and what is in the line of site way between you and the tower?

 

[cpetraglia]

Check out 'The Antenna Farm'. They have a nice selection of VHF Yagi's.

 

[W9WTC]

You certainly have the right idea. The only problem I see is the actual size of a VHF Yagi. What is the approximate distance from your closest tower and what is in the line of site way between you and the tower?

I live on top of one of the highest hills. One tower I have line of sight to and is about 15 miles to my south. Another tower is probably 20-25 miles to my east. The last tower is probably 10 miles to my west. And obviously nothing to my north other than another county.

 

[W9WTC]

Check out 'The Antenna Farm'. They have a nice selection of VHF Yagi's.

I know there are good selections out there but was kind of curious if anyone had tried any specific make and model or am I venturing into unexplored territory?

 

[buddrousa]

When it comes to P25 Simulcast Antenna Suggestions sometimes less is better You might be better off with a second scanner tracking this system with less antenna you could try this on the present scanner you have now before buying a second scanner.

 

[W9WTC]

When it comes to P25 Simulcast Antenna Suggestions sometimes less is better You might be better off with a second scanner tracking this system with less antenna you could try this on the present scanner you have now before buying a second scanner.

Currently I just using the antenna out of the box. The small telescopic and it's picking up everything but that's probably because I'm up high on the hill and have always had good scanner reception with all my scanners. I about out of ideas other than a yagi or beam. Thanks

 

[jonwienke]

A directional antenna is going to be your best bet. Simulcast is a problem when you have the signal from two or more towers on the same frequency interfering with each other. Attenuating the signal doesn't really solve the problem unless the signal level of the towers is not equal, and you can drop one signal below the ambient noise level. But that's a hit or miss proposition--totally random based on the tower locations, your location, and the topography in between.

With a directional antenna, you can isolate the signal from a single tower, and block other tower signals enough so that they don't interfere any more.

 

[buddrousa]

But using a VHF beam is also going to kill the UHF 700 800 signals to some extent. That is where having multiple scanners and antennas helps unless you are only interested in the one system. As I am running 9 scanners at home and adding 1 and 5 scanners in the car and adding 1 to isolate systems and groups that I want to hear.

 

[fireman149]

I too am trying to listen to a P25 simulcast system in the same band with a BCD996P2. The system I am listening to is the Lawrence County, PA P25 system. All frequencies are 151 - 154. I am located almost exactly in the middle of all of the 8 towers. I have pulled my hair out trying to get this thing to receive perfectly. I found only one location in the house that this scanner will work satisfactorily. I am using the stock antenna right now. I miss a few transmissions here and there. But in the past couple weeks it has been pretty good so I guess it is as good as it gets.

I provide the feed for this system and in my quest to make a perfect feed for this system, I purchased a yagi for the 150 band. I cannot get it to work at all. One problem I think I have is that if you draw a line from the closest tower to my house and keep going the same direction, there is another tower directly in line. I assume it is coming in the back of the antenna. Same thing with the next closest tower. I do have a tower that I could point at that wouldn't have this problem, but it is the furthest away and I've tried it.

I don't have any equipment to measure signal strength. I was going to try attenuation, but without knowing what to try, it seems like a lost cause to me. Quite frankly I'm tired of spending money on equipment.

Just my experience. I wish you luck.

 

[W9WTC]

I appreciate that someone else has been experiencing the same frustration. You're a little further ahead of me by trying a yagi. Sounds like you have several antenna's around you whereas I only have 3 with one being in the line of sight. I think I'll try a yagi and see if that makes any difference. If I have any luck or hear of any solutions I'll post to this thread. Has anyone ever tried making a home made antenna out of an old Dish TV dish that could be used to isolate signals and try to direct it toward a specific tower. I feel frustrated and had purchased 2 new Uniden BCD996P2 scanners thinking they were compatible with the P25 system. Disappointedly from what I've read they don't have the proper firmware to decode the strongest signal in a simulcast frequency. Thanks for telling me about your frustration and that I'm not alone.

 

[W8RMH]

Click Here for a nice Yagi in your frequency range. It can be used indoors. I use a 800 MHz. Yagi mounted to a torch light pole which alows me to easily rotate it to fine tune the direction.

I have seen posts on RR on how to make your own yagi HERE and even one using an old paint can. I'm not too mechanically inclined myself so I buy, but that is an option you may want to look into.

 

[W9WTC]

thanks, I'll take a look at it and see if I can purchase it and give it a try. I'm open to any antenna or suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[chief21]

W9WTC -

Have you tried the attenuation setting on your scanner? Some models even allow a "per channel" attentuator setting. Give it a try to see if it improves your simulcast reception issues. As someone mentioned, sometimes less is more.

John AC4JK

 

[W9WTC]

But using a VHF beam is also going to kill the UHF 700 800 signals to some extent. That is where having multiple scanners and antennas helps unless you are only interested in the one system. As I am running 9 scanners at home and adding 1 and 5 scanners in the car and adding 1 to isolate systems and groups that I want to hear.

Right now I am planning on just using the new one to scan the one trunk. I have a couple BC780HLT's that currently scan the 800 MHz frequencies fine. So I guess I'll end up with multiple scanners but the older ones are still good for that band. Thanks

 

[W9WTC]

Thanks I'll take a look at that antenna.

 

[W9WTC]

W9WTC -

Have you tried the attenuation setting on your scanner? Some models even allow a "per channel" attentuator setting. Give it a try to see if it improves your simulcast reception issues. As someone mentioned, sometimes less is more.

John AC4JK

If we're talking about the same thing I believe I have tried taking it off of "AUTO" and dropped it to 7 or 8 which gets rid of some of the R2D2. My next is to get a yagi and try that antenna and see if I have any better luck. Thanks