PRO 197 Digital Question

[N7PRL]

I have a Radio Shack PRO 197 and during some tranmissions the receiver will not decode the digital signal.

I am in Lewis and Clark County Montana.

I can receiver all the dispatch signals from the County Sheriff but some of the tranmissions from the vehicles never come out of the digital mode so they are not understandable.

IS THIS NORMAL ????? What am I doing wrong ???

The entire state is using the APCO 25 system and I have downloaded the frequencies from Radio Reference.

Thanks

Russ

 

[datainmotion]

Is it possible the mobiles are encrypted? We have a county here in CO on the State's P25 system where you can hear the dispatchers "in the clear" but the mobiles are encrypted. What you hear from them just sounds garbled due to the encryption.

From the Montana Statewide P25 page here on RR:
"A mix of ASTRO encrypted as well as simple digital signals have been heard routinely, although seemingly the encrypted stations do not know or care that they are encrypted as several calls have been encryted on one side and "APCO Digital, Clear) on the other side. Dispatchers seem to always be in the "clear"."

 

[jjwhite29]

I have the PSR 500 and I have the same issuse I believe most of Helena is encrypted. Only have that problem when Im there. As far as the entire state using the APCO 25 is not true hardly anyone uses it some in Flathead County, and Lewis and Clark County but that pretty much it on this side of the sate.

 

[steve722]

I am in Helena, and yes all city and county mobile units are encrypted, but dispatch is not. However, I noticed during the large wildfire last night the county turned the encryption off in order to communicate with other agencies.