SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 VHF question

[wcu02mpa]

So I have An SDS100 and am getting a weird issue. This will receive fine in VHF as I have compared it alongside two other receivers with a weather and scan and the readings and levels are almost the same with all three. The problem is it will not receive Virginia STARS under any circumstance. I cannot get it to work and I have the settings about as good as I Know how. Other VHF stuff seems to work and receive just fine. I welcome all input…. Thanks

 

[wcu02mpa]

I am using the Zip code scan. Arlington 22204

 

[doctordialtone]

I have the settings about as good as I Know how

Check to see that you have Service Types enabled.

 

[wcu02mpa]

I have every LEO service type enabled. What else am I missing ??

 

[jtwalker]

Are you in zip 22204 ? Or Asheville NC ?

 

[scanfreqer]

My SDS 100 will do that? It will pick up Orillia Fire on one side of the room but not on the other side 8 feet away.

 

[JethrowJohnson]

When it scans STARS, does it show signal strength bars in the top right corner of the screen, and does it say DATA near the top of the screen?

 

[tvengr]

The problem is it will not receive Virginia STARS under any circumstance. I cannot get it to work and I have the settings about as good as I Know how.

Set the range to no more than 5 miles. You may be scanning many out of range sites.

 

[wcu02mpa]

So ZIP 22204 Arlington. Asheville is my home but my job is DC and that’s about all I can say. So 22204 is what we are working with

 

[Ubbe]

The problem is it will not receive Virginia STARS under any circumstance.

Whenever there's a problem receiving a system then look at the frequencies for the closest and strongest site and enter them manually Channel+freq+Channel and check if you can hear and decode the control channel. The control channel might have moved to a secondary frequency so try several frequencies from that site.

Listen with the squelch set to 0 and try different filters, go into the menu and settings and change the auto filter to another value and then back out by the menu button until you are at the normal display again where you entered the frequency. Also try Fn+7 to enable IFX to a frequency to see it that helps.

If you managed to manually receive and decode the P25 control channel then it is a programmed setting for that system that are incorrect, NAC, service type, or the filter and IFX settings.

If you can't receive any control channel after trying different filters then you are out of range for that site.

/Ubbe

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I am using the Zip code scan. Arlington 22204

Why not program intended system into a favorites list rather than zip code scan? This gives you better control over what you scan. Only program in the site closest to you or the closest one that carries the traffic you're interested in otherwise the scanner will waste resources scanning sites out of range to you. If you haven't updated the full database via Sentinel then there's a possibility you may be scanning outdated info via zip code scan

 

[jtwalker]

So ZIP 22204 Arlington. Asheville is my home but my job is DC and that’s about all I can say. So 22204 is what we are working with

The reason I asked is that people occasionally show up thinking they can put a zip code that is half way across the country from their location and receive it successfully. I don't know anything about VA-Stars but depending on where you are in DC, Arlington may be a stretch in such a dense area.

 

[buddrousa]

Short answer is you need to program your own favorite list setup like you want it as ZIPCODE is a hit or miss setup also if traveling you can turn on and off list to save scan cycles.

 

[W4EMS]

I have a FL programmed and Arlington site is one of the four sites I have for VSP. Works fine.