SDS 200 vs BCD996P2 Side by side reception issues

[msuabxer]

I have both a SDS 200 and a BCD996P2 sitting side by side with the same antennas. Both programmed using RR. I live in SW Michigan in a county that uses simulcast, the "Berrien County Simulcast" to be exact. I upgraded to the SDS for simulcast scanning (knowing it was better for this) in another county originally and it works fine. Why does the BCD996P2 only get 5% of the reception that the SDS gets? It should be better than that - it used to be when compared to the SDS for the other county simulcast. What I have noticed it that when I manually hold on a channel it shows "finding ctrl chan". It has the same control channels as the SDS programmed. Is there a setting that I am missing? I have tried to adjust the P25 Threshhold but noticed no differences. Any thoughts as I know these scanners were much more similar side by side when scanning St Joe County Ind simulcast... ???

 

[scan18]

Sounds like you answered your own question, knowing the SDS is better designed to handle simulcast systems. As to why the 996 would be better on one system compared to another, I’m sure your specific location is a factor.

 

[K9KLC]

Location, location, location (as they always say). I could compare things here against my 996XT on the simulcast system I listen to but if I drove to a friends house on the other side of town, the 996 was pretty deaf. My testing was with a Unication pager, but same principal.

 

[Ubbe]

I have tried to adjust the P25 Threshhold but noticed no differences.

Try both NFM and FM demodulation. If enough signal then try to enable the attenuator and do the NFM/FM test again as well as Threshold.

If two sites have too similar signal strengths then it will be virtually impossible to use non-SDS scanner. If they are in different directions then the antenna can be used to make the signal weaker from one site. If the 996 antenna are possible to lay down horizontally, then pointing it at one site will give the weakest reception.

/Ubbe

 

[richardbritt]

Also in addition to what the others have said, trying using an antenna made for a different band than what bank the simulcast site uses to further weaken the signal. And try blocking the signal on one side of the scanner with something metal as a test. Maybe a large cooking cookie sheet, or anything to try to only get a signal from only one site. Like Ubbe said, you are probably getting the same strength of signal from 2 or more sites. They cancel each other out and the scanner won't hear them without reducing the signal from only the strongest one.

 

[ofd8001]

Are you sure this is a reception issue versus a decode issue? Often people who receive a simulcast signal that doesn't decode will think this is a reception issue.

Rather, the scanner is receiving fine as evidenced by a good signal strength indication, but the "jumbled" digital audio isn't decoding into intelligible audio.

All that said, "Finding Control Channel" means you are holding on a trunked system talkgroup, but the scanner isn't receiving control channel data. That can happen for several reasons. Out of range, attenuation on, something blocking signal, nearby electronic device desensing the scanner, etc.