P25 Trunking Reception

[eriepascannist]

Hi all, sorry for all my posts recently (is anyone sick of me yet? lol) Mods, feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place.

I just got my new Uniden BCD536HP and am loving this radio so far. The program is simple and I've got the memory system fairly well understood. However, one problem: I'm still not able to receive my county's P25 trunked radio system. I have talkgroups from that system set in Favorites Lists 1 and 2. (I've decided to set up my Favorites Lists like Scanlists or Banks in other radios; so one for fire, one for police, etc. I know many do not like this approach, but it works best for me.)

When scanning the system, the unit displays variable signal bars on the reception of control data. It is definitely receiving more than not, but there are a few sporadic breaks. In order to see if this was the issue, I took the scanner for a ride mobile and even very near the tower sites there was still nothing (and the bars were full and steady).

Analog signals come in just fine. I have already dealt with the Service Types, enabling the Favorites Lists to be monitored, Location Control, etc., all the common problems people seem to run into. Also a firmware upgrade.

Any idea what the problem might be? I think it must be some minor thing in the radio, but I'm just not sure what.

Thank you!

 

[ofd8001]

Are you hearing any kind of transmissions?

If you receive none whatsoever, I'd be suspicious that the talkgroups are programmed incorrectly. You may have downloaded what there is just fine, however the database could be out of date. Turning ID Search On may be helpful.

If you get broken or garbled transmissions, it may be due to this being a Simulcast system. Sometimes changing the digital settings can be helpful (Edit the Site's options in Sentinel). You may try using Manual for Digital Threshold Mode and a different value for the Digital Treshold Level. Experimenting with different combinations may lead to a best result.

Seeing a change in signal strength indication is normal. There is some "internal housekeeping" going on inside the scanner when you see the bars disappear. Again, its normal.

 

[GTR8000]

There is a known issue with the x36HP series that affects the TDMA band plan on VHF P25 systems. The bug was actually discovered by guys trying to monitor the new VHF trunked systems in Livingston and Chautauqua counties, as both are affected by it.

I believe Uniden released new firmware to fix it, so make sure you've updated your scanner to the latest via Sentinel. It's also possible that the firmware is still considered beta test, and you have to download it and apply it manually. I haven't kept up on the status of the bug, so I'm not sure.

https://forums.radioreference.com/u...firmware-dmr-oft-band-plan-issue-logging.html

https://forums.radioreference.com/u...ceived-until-analyze-mode-entered-exited.html

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

When I initially set mine up back in December, I heard nothing on the Seminole County FL system until I played with discovery mode. I had the latest firmware and data base. I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but I got it working.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[Railbender]

What worked for me with the Chautauqua Co P25 system was the firmware upgrade. It should be a minimum of version V1-11-23. I can receive the system from home using the roof top antenna and mobile if I am near Lake Erie, using the 536HP in the van and even with the 436HP using the factory rubber duck.

 

[eriepascannist]

Thanks for the input everyone! I got the link for download of .23 from the thread Upman created for this issue (post 88 over there) and I read all the posts on the issue. I will try this as soon as I can. In the meantime does anyone know if this has been released publicly in the firmware upgrades that come through Sentinel yet? As noted I tried that last night and it didn't seem to make a difference. I didn't see anyone report that it had been.

 

[jonwienke]

No. It's a test version, and until it has been debugged to the point Uniden feels it is ready for general release, it will not be available in Sentinel.

 

[eriepascannist]

No. It's a test version, and until it has been debugged to the point Uniden feels it is ready for general release, it will not be available in Sentinel.

Good to know - thank you. I think I will give the test release a try when I can later today. Based on Upman's thread it looks like people have had fairly good success with it. Monitoring the Chautauqua county P25 system is the main reason I bought this expensive radio in the first place, so I'd definitely like to see it work!