Problems with 325P2

[rescue_pooh]

I can't pick up Heartland? I have it on standard trunk with the alternate cc's and main cc programmed for RCS South. Once in a blue moon I'll get maybe a half choppy dispatch, but that's about it. Do I need to program it differently or buy a different scanner?

 

[nick0909]

SD County and City are simulcast systems now, the 325P2 doesn't support that. It may work if you can only receive one site, but if you pick up multiple sites they will cancel each other out and you hear nothing. That is why sometimes it works for you and others not. I happen to live in a hole right next to one of the broadcast sites so I only pick up that one and it works well at my house, but if I travel around town I get lots of silence. If you only listen in one place you could hook up a directional antenna and point it so it only receives one site. If you want to move around, you need a new scanner. The only scanners that I know of that support it are the Uniden SDS100/200.

Otherwise an SDR hooked up to a computer works well. I've gone to feeding Broadcastify Calls with a setup at home and I just listen in via that on my phone.

 

[rescue_pooh]

I live in Santee and have the South Simulcast programmed in.

 

[doctordialtone]

I live in Santee and have the South Simulcast programmed in.

Do a search on "Simulcast Distortion".

What Is Simulcast Distortion On Police Scanners Radios?

Simulcast distortion in police scanning is when multiple towers, in different locations, will send out the same signal on identical frequencies at the same time. Confusing? We know!. If your area uses simulcast you must buy a simulcast capable police scanner radio. We can look up your area and...

www.zipscanners.com

It's brought up regularly on this site.

 

[celbaseman]

I have a 325p2 and monitor the City 700 and RCS west simulcast. Yes, it has issues at times with simulcast distortion and being close to a cell phone cell site. I have a cell site not far from my house and if I try to use the 325p2 or 436 in certain parts of my back yard, the radio stops working because the r/f front end gets over loaded with the strong r/f energy from the nearby site. I find this happens more on the city 700 system as many of the cell data providers are using the LTE bands in the 700 MHz range right below the public service bands.

I have the SDS200 and still, at times, have issues monitoring systems. The best results I have had are using RTL dongles, which I use for providing the feeds from my house. Not very portable is the problem with the dongles.

The other option is getting a Unication Pager; not programable on the fly, but I have heard, very reliable with receiving in heavy simulcast areas.

 

[rescue_pooh]

Yeah my 325 picks up the city 700 really good, but Heartland on RCS is very hit and miss.

 

[Ronaldski]

Take a look at my reply, it comes with firmware 1.06 some of these firmware updates can help.

BCD325P2 Disaster

Montgomery County, Maryland, updated their system on Feb 23, 2021, Fire Rescue and Police. There is an ongoing issue with receiving the broadcast. I have communicated with other persons who have claimed they have the same problems and can't resolve them. The list is growing exponentially. Before...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[rescue_pooh]

Take a look at my reply, it comes with firmware 1.06 some of these firmware updates can help.

BCD325P2 Disaster

Montgomery County, Maryland, updated their system on Feb 23, 2021, Fire Rescue and Police. There is an ongoing issue with receiving the broadcast. I have communicated with other persons who have claimed they have the same problems and can't resolve them. The list is growing exponentially. Before...

forums.radioreference.com

I just updated the firmware so we'll see how it goes.

 

[Anderegg]

If you want to experience LSM killing an old Uniden, park on the 47th Street bridge over the 94 in the path of my TV stations cell phone tower signal path. A 996 won't even be able to lock the control channel, which is -40dBm on my SDS scanners. -40dBm is very strong signal.

Paul

 

[es93546]

I have the 325P2 and have mixed feelings about it. It is fine when it is plugged into my computer on my desk. Off the power/scanner link cord and it eats batteries very quickly. Why they only had two AA batteries in it is a big mistake. It is also very cumbersome and confusing to use. I bought it primarily for listening, from home and about town, to the Southern California Edison System. It works well for that purpose, but again, off the cord means I have to carry two sets of spares along with the freshly charged AA's in it. It is very difficult to lock out frequencies, groups and sites as you have to go deep in the menu to do so. It also displays all the groups programmed when it scans a conventional system, regardless of which groups are locked out. The instructions are very poor as well. On the other hand the ProScan software is outstanding, even though the instructions for it largely don't exist. The multiple radio capability of it is great and many of the features are developed by someone who really understands scanning.

I haven't learned how to use it yet. I'm getting older and dumber by the day, so I might not master the thing. This is the 3rd Uniden I've purchased since I moved on from my wonderful set of BC-760's. These include the PRO-2052 (what a dog), the BC780 (it has the lousiest tone scanning feature of all time) and now the BC325P. I prefer the GRE's, but Whistler is doing a poor job trying to occupy the gap left by them. I don't think they will develop any new models. I should have purchased a Whistler instead of the 325P2. Why is it that the Unidens I buy are pretty lousy? God, I wish

 

[doctordialtone]

Yeah, I love my 325P2.

Just like a new car, it takes a few tries to learn how to turn on the wipers, change stations on the radio, recline the seats and turn OFF the rear wiper.

For some people, they never learn how to put the car in park and end up on aisle 1 of the mini-mart!

WITH the wipers on

 

[fxdscon]

On the other hand the ProScan software is outstanding, even though the instructions for it largely don't exist.

Have you checked out the Proscan user's manual?

 

[es93546]

Have you checked out the Proscan user's manual?

Yes and I printed it out. It doesn't much information that is useful. I discovered one excellent feature by accident. It is the clipboard. I can highlight channels from my GRE PSR scanners that use different software and then import it into the program for the 325P2. Talk about a time saver! I had to find this feature by chance, there is no mention of it in the "manual."

I love the ProScan software, even though the instructions are terrible. I like how you can log and record transmissions with it. However, with no instructions, it is aggravating. The guy who owns the software is great, he updates every little glitch that he finds and does so quickly. He told me he doesn't have time to write instructions due to this. I think a product needs instructions before it is ever released, but tech type people typically don't communicate well with non tech people, who comprise a lot of the products users.

Yeah, I love my 325P2.

Just like a new car, it takes a few tries to learn how to turn on the wipers, change stations on the radio, recline the seats and turn OFF the rear wiper.

For some people, they never learn how to put the car in park and end up on aisle 1 of the mini-mart!

WITH the wipers on

The radio is not intuitive. The hoops you have to jump through just to lockout channels and groups is absurd. As I mentioned, not indicating which groups are locked out and which ones are open for scanning in the display is very lame. The designers missed a lot of opportunities to make the radio easier to use.

For example, if the radio is off and you plug the power/link cord in it asks if you want the batteries on charge. The screen shows "yes" on the left, just above the key for "no" and the screen shows "no" on the right, just above the key for "yes." My mind has to labor to use the opposite side key when this happens. To make the radio intuitive the screen and the buttons should correspond in this case. If the SDS-100 and 200 models have similar type operational impediments then I can't imagine paying nearly $1,000 for one of them with the optional software minus the ProVoice that isn't being used much anymore. I love the memory capacity of the325P2 and I like how well it receives.

I bought the "Easier to Read" manual for the scanner from Scanner Masters and it is just as obtuse as the factory manual, but in a different way. I haven't found it very helpful.

I expressed my views on this in another thread soon after I rejoined RR after nearly 6 years without an account. I had been a member for over 14 years the first time. This site has a lot of techy type members who figure things out in a way I can't. They climbed all over me for sharing my perspective as a non techy person. This was disappointing and reduced my enthusiasm for the site for about 3-4 months. As a non techy person, with a college degree in a biological science, I've worked around techy people who often frustrate most of the other people in an organization. I think we were all born with different types of brains. I acknowledge this and techy folks should to, before calling the rest of us dummies.

 

[es93546]

P.S. I still can't seem to find a way to look at what Close Call has received over a given period of time. It seems the radio is not capable of being able to lock out single frequencies from Close Call scanning. It looks like only bands can be locked out. This results in locking out a lot of frequencies as those bands are quite wide. My GRE scanners allow programming individual frequencies to have search and seek function scanning. It's too bad as I think the 325P2 does a much better job at Close Call than the GRE's.

 

[ProScan]

However, with no instructions, it is aggravating. The guy who owns the software is great, he updates every little glitch that he finds and does so quickly. He told me he doesn't have time to write instructions due to this. I think a product needs instructions before it is ever released,

So are you saying that I should invest the time to satisfy the 3 complaints I've had on the manual? It may take 3 years to do and no new releases during that time frame. I think it's better to continue with new features for the thousands of customers. I have to think of the big picture. There's also YouTube videos on ProScan.

but tech type people typically don't communicate well with non tech people, who comprise a lot of the products users.

It all depends on the situation and the other party's technical knowledge and their role. Use layman's terms when appropriate and use their language and terminology when appropriate.
I think that any non tech type of person learning how to operate and program a scanner will gain technical knowledge and will become less and less non technical on the scanner and the radio systems programmed in the scanner.

 

[SDBud]

I live in Santee and have the South Simulcast programmed in.

If you're TOO CLOSE to a site, you can try turning on the attenuator, that has helped a few people that I know.

 

[SDBud]

So are you saying that I should invest the time to satisfy the 3 complaints I've had on the manual?

No need to be so touchy over 1 person's complaint.

I've been using ProScan for a LONG time, and it ISN'T at all hard to figure things out.

I also use Freescan, a lot, because it's easier to transfer programming between different radios.
But the logging function of ProScan is SO MUCH better than anything else I've used.

 

[es93546]

No need to be so touchy over 1 person's complaint.

I've been using ProScan for a LONG time, and it ISN'T at all hard to figure things out.

I also use Freescan, a lot, because it's easier to transfer programming between different radios.
But the logging function of ProScan is SO MUCH better than anything else I've used.

Every time I post something about the lack of instructions for both the ProScan Software and the BCD325P2 I get similar answers, that neither is hard to figure out. I've owned 22 scanners from 1970 to now. I've used a lot of software and all have lousy instructions. Basically, there aren't any instructions for ProScan. If I have had problems with the radio and the software, I would imagine there are a lot of users who never comment on the lack of instructions. I've spent a great deal of time punching buttons on the ProScan software trying to figure it out, time wasted in my opinion, had good instructions been provided.

I will probably never get anyone on RR to agree with me and that is OK. I worked in a career where I did a lot of writing; developing maps, brochures, and handouts; and writing/placing signs on trails, roads and bulletin boards for the public. I spent a large part of my time communicating with people in visitor centers and in the field. I'm used to burying my own perspective to truly listen to members of the public. If I found someone lost, someone confused or otherwise misinformed I did not defend the various means of communications available to that person, I tried something new the next time. None of our computer tech people could do this at all. Nearly all of my fellow employees were frustrated with agency computers and the lack of instructions, especially when a tech tried to show them how to do things. The brains of technical/engineer people are different. There is nothing wrong with that, we all have different ways of thinking and processing. My dad was an aerospace engineer and he couldn't come close to helping me with the problems I was having learning physics in high school. I didn't get a very good grade. Then I took physics in college and the professor was a supreme communicator. I aced the class. I've spoken to nearly every computer tech I've dealt with in the last 35-40 years and they all said they have a hard time writing well and explaining things to their customers.

 

[ProScan]

Every time I post something about the lack of instructions for both the ProScan Software and the BCD325P2 I get similar answers, that neither is hard to figure out. I've owned 22 scanners from 1970 to now. I've used a lot of software and all have lousy instructions. Basically, there aren't any instructions for ProScan. If I have had problems with the radio and the software, I would imagine there are a lot of users who never comment on the lack of instructions. I've spent a great deal of time punching buttons on the ProScan software trying to figure it out, time wasted in my opinion, had good instructions been provided.

I will probably never get anyone on RR to agree with me and that is OK. I worked in a career where I did a lot of writing; developing maps, brochures, and handouts; and writing/placing signs on trails, roads and bulletin boards for the public. I spent a large part of my time communicating with people in visitor centers and in the field. I'm used to burying my own perspective to truly listen to members of the public. If I found someone lost, someone confused or otherwise misinformed I did not defend the various means of communications available to that person, I tried something new the next time. None of our computer tech people could do this at all. Nearly all of my fellow employees were frustrated with agency computers and the lack of instructions, especially when a tech tried to show them how to do things. The brains of technical/engineer people are different. There is nothing wrong with that, we all have different ways of thinking and processing. My dad was an aerospace engineer and he couldn't come close to helping me with the problems I was having learning physics in high school. I didn't get a very good grade. Then I took physics in college and the professor was a supreme communicator. I aced the class. I've spoken to nearly every computer tech I've dealt with in the last 35-40 years and they all said they have a hard time writing well and explaining things to their customers.

Bringing up the engineering & maintenance side interfacing. My last real job which was almost 4 years ago, I was on the maintenance side. We worked with many engineering groups such as data, Fire Station Alerting System, voice radio, microwave radio, power plant, building engineers, etc. From what I've seen is the engineering and maintenance side communicated well. I've also seen engineering doing maintenance type of work and the maintenance side doing engineering work. Most of the engineers were very good at what they did but they seem to forget about the maintenance or didn't have the time to put together procedures. We were constantly asking for drawings, test & alignment procedures, training, test equipment, vehicles included in the vendor contracts, etc. I took it upon myself to create test & alignment procedures for the Fire Station Alerting System 2nd generation infrastructure and fire house equipment. When I was promoted to another crew, I noticed that the techs were spending a lot of time dialing in to the various equipment such as DAC's, T-1 muxes, TenSR's, routers, etc. So I made an Aspect script in ProComm that automated the procedure and created a web page showing all the critical and major alarms, and page the person on standby. When I was promoted to Field Service Manager, the AGM and the CFO were asking for all kinds of info and reports such as how much time is spent on site maintenance versus systems or why so much time is spent at a certain site. We didn't have a ticket system that I could pull up the info or reports so I made a client-server database system using MYSQL that was used for several years. Once I made a detailed manual on reconfiguring DDS circuits to the Disaster Recovery Center (back in 87) that I learned in a class. The only document I got from the class was a one page login document.


This may sound strange but one of my pet peeves at work was the techs. not communicating correctly with other groups. There were times when I heard a tech. on the phone with a customer talking about bit errors or T1#24. They don't know what that means. If a tech is talking to a field unit then it should be layman's terms. If a tech is talking to a department communications liaison then it may be a little bit more technical talk. There were times, I needed to secure funding for test equipment from the admin. section. I wouldn't say I need service monitors with the APCO25 P2 option. I would use layman's terms. Now if a person is in a "scanner forum" then it should be the same lingo and terminology. If a person is a beginner then it's up to him or her to learn the subject.

 

[es93546]

So are you saying that I should invest the time to satisfy the 3 complaints I've had on the manual? It may take 3 years to do and no new releases during that time frame. I think it's better to continue with new features for the thousands of customers. I have to think of the big picture. There's also YouTube videos on ProScan.



It all depends on the situation and the other party's technical knowledge and their role. Use layman's terms when appropriate and use their language and terminology when appropriate.
I think that any non tech type of person learning how to operate and program a scanner will gain technical knowledge and will become less and less non technical on the scanner and the radio systems programmed in the scanner.

The first time you mentioned writing a manual you estimated it would take a year. Now you are saying three years. I don't think it would take nearly a year. I suspect it would take less a period of months. If I understood the software I would take a whack at it myself. One thing to consider is that businesses don't generally take the reception of one complaint to actually represent one person complaining. Some businesses count each complaint as one of five, ten, dozens or even hundreds of actual complaints that are never written.

Don Starr never wrote a manual for his various GRE scanner products. Lots of people asked him to write one on his threads and a lot of people asked questions on the threads for his software. It took me quite some time to fully master his software. I would say the GRE radios were more intuitive and therefore the software was also. The Uniden BCD-325P2 is not intuitive at all.

I'll try the YouTube videos to see if they help. Thanks.