BCD325P2/BCD996P2: P25 system Threshold

[Claudiofish4]

Good morning.


What would be a good p25 threshold. I have the bcd996p2 it has auto and number 5 to 15 for manual. What you be the best setting to setup at is high the number better or lower the number is better.

 

[doctordialtone]

What would be a good p25 threshold. I have the bcd996p2 it has auto and number 5 to 15 for manual. What you be the best setting

Here's some information on P25 Threshold settings on 996P2:

BCD325P2/BCD996P2: - P25 Threshold

What exactly is the P25 threshold setting on the BCD996P2? Is it kind of like a digital squelch? Can it be set in freescan? Is a lower number better or can a low number adversely affect decoding? I believe it can be set from 5-13 or auto on my scanner. I'm having an issue receiving a phase II...

forums.radioreference.com

And here.

And from the Wiki.

And from the Easier to Read Manual

 

[marksmith]

I think auto starts at 8 and slides back and forth from there to resolve reception. The only real reason to set the threshold for anything other than automatic is for a certain system that seems to be a little out of the norm.

There is a setting where you can watch the threshold activity while holding in a specific system and see what you are getting. I have never seen more than one or 2 (meaning about 6-9) in variance.

Occasionally setting 7 or 9 will allow a specific system to resolve faster, but at the expense of most other systems you might listen to that resolve around 8 or the automatic setting.

 

[RoninJoliet]

Here in Illinois for the Starcom Digital System I use "7" and works perfect.....Press F + Vol to see the err---- rate , can be 0-10 for perfection

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

What would be a good p25 threshold.

Ask 10 different people and you'll get 10 different answers. Not everyone's radio environment and location with respect to one or more towers is the same. Experiment with different numbers, see what works best to bring in what you're looking to bring in. Would simulcast distortion be a factor by any chance? This would be one of the only reasons to touch P25 threshold aside from bringing in a distant system.

 

[PriorMike]

Keep in mind that on a 996P2 the threshold is not specific to a system, it's a global setting.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

How does the error rate display work in practice exactly? Am I better off on a low traffic TG to let it count errors on the control channel?

 

[PriorMike]

How does the error rate display work in practice exactly? Am I better off on a low traffic TG to let it count errors on the control channel?

It doesn't count errors while sitting on a CC, you must be receiving audio on a TG. Better to be on a busy TG.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

It doesn't count errors while sitting on a CC, you must be receiving audio on a TG. Better to be on a busy TG.

I have wondered because it jumps around a lot. I assume 5% is threshold and anything better than 1% is desirable? Or is it displaying % BER at all or just raw errors?

 

[PriorMike]

Yeah, the threshold will be all over the place when it's on the CC; some systems are worse than others. The only number you're interested in is the threshold it stays on that gives you the lowest error rate. Then you can change it from auto to that threshold number in settings. You should have the best signal strength you can while doing this.

Sorry, I don't really work with percentages...

One thing I will say is that I haven't messed with the threshold much in my 996 or 325 P2's, unlike the T models I have. The P2's seem to be much quicker to settle on a good decode rate in auto. My 396T took a long time to sort out.

 

[Ubbe]

What you be the best setting to setup at is high the number better or lower the number is better.

Threshold Settings info question

/Ubbe