Plano PD

[hiegtx]

Correct, my Yagi is aimed at the Ridgeview tower. Tom's feed doesn't include metadata (that I can see). His feed does include Plano Dispatch 1, lagging a few minutes behind what I hear on my scanner.

The Yagi is not picking up the Collin County Simulcast, as its frequency range is specifically 800MHz/850MHz/900MHz/1700MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz/2600MHz. I've ordered a combiner which should arrive tomorrow so I can merge the discone signal with the Yagi. Since the Yagi is high gain/narrow band, I'm hoping its signal for Plano will be the one the scanner uses.

I don't think that think that you'd have to get a different antenna for the Collin County layer.
Looking at the page for the antenna, the frequency range, on the first line, includes 700MHz, even though that is not duplicated on the second line.

I think I'd try it before buying a second antenna.

Here's the map of sites for the Collin County side of PAWM. Looks like one of the sites is, sort of, "behind" the Ridgeview site you've aimed at for PAWM.

RR Database Home

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[Stephen]

Part of the reason that you might be hearing a different dispatcher is that Dispatch 1 (East) and Dispatch 2 (West) have different dispatchers. So you may have a male on one and female on the other channel.

 

[pmartin73]

I'm also wondering if perhaps an inline attenuator between the Yagi and the scanner might help. Trying to get this scanner to properly decode P25 II is very tedious.

 

[KevinC]

I'm also wondering if perhaps an inline attenuator between the Yagi and the scanner might help. Trying to get this scanner to properly decode P25 II is very tedious.

I think your statement should read "Trying to get this scanner to properly decode simulcast is tedious".

 

[hiegtx]

I'm also wondering if perhaps an inline attenuator between the Yagi and the scanner might help. Trying to get this scanner to properly decode P25 II is very tedious.

Before purchasing an inline attenuator, I'd suggest that you activate attenuation on the specific site. You can do that either in your Favorites list in Sentinel, or simply do it thru the keypad directly on the scanner.

 

[pmartin73]

I think your statement should read "Trying to get this scanner to properly decode simulcast is tedious".

True dat! I think I'm receiving PAWM "well enough" with the outdoor Yagi @ 10ft and aimed 270 - no scanner setting or antenna direction has yet to eliminate dropouts. I haven't varied the antenna height yet, but I would like to try lowering it.

 

[pmartin73]

Before purchasing an inline attenuator, I'd suggest that you activate attenuation on the specific site. You can do that either in your Favorites list in Sentinel, or simply do it thru the keypad directly on the scanner.

Yep - already have attenuator activated for the site.

Still was not able to hear Collin County Public Safety using the Yagi.

Also thought about purchasing another cheap Yagi and setting it up indoors for comparison.

 

[hiegtx]

Yep - already have attenuator activated for the site.

Still was not able to hear Collin County Public Safety using the Yagi.

Also thought about purchasing another cheap Yagi and setting it up indoors for comparison.

Are you speaking about the old, Motorola system for Collin County? Or the new "Collin County Layer" on PAWM.

 

[IAmSixNine]

Even with a Yagi your still dealing with a scanner that is not designed to deal with simulcast system.

 

[pmartin73]

Absolutely. Do the SDS100 and SDS200 fare any better?