SHP question(new to scanning)

[obxwxman]

Hi all. I'm new to scanning and have a question about listening to the SHP. I live in Dare county and have a list of frequencies for the SHP and have them entered into my scanner. I've noticed that when the scanner picks up those frequencies all I here is static. I assume there is a good reason for this, and I'm curious to know what that is. Anyone know? Thanks in advance.

BTW...I have a Uniden BC72XLT

 

[CCHLLM]

42 mHz needs a decent antenna, and a quarter wave length at that frequency is ~6 feet, so the OEM antenna on a scanner is basically a waste of time and material unless you're sitting in the shadow of the transmitter sites, which for that area would be the Englehard and Elizabeth City sites. So, the question is, what are you using for an antenna?

 

[obxwxman]

I'm using the antenna that came with the scanner. It's a mobile hand held unit. I assume there's not much I can do to upgrade??

 

[Grog]

If using it at home, use an outside antenna.

If using it in a car, use an outside antenna.



Sooooooo, use an outside antenna......

 

[CCHLLM]

Grog is dead on. An outside antenna is your only choice for any thought of reliable receiving of low band, mobile or base, and a multi-band antenna is probably your best choice because i'd bet you're also monitoring the local Currituck/Dare/Hyde traffic, too. There are some good multi-band scanner antennas out there, so just hit the Google button or check the ads on the home page here. Scannermaster is a good one to start. I'm also sure others will post up with what's available and firsthand experiences with them. As for me, I run a MotherMoto Maratrac low band with a Spectrum antenna for the NCSHP, which is a dedicated radio setup, so I'm probably not the one to be giving advice about a multiband scanner setup.

 

[Grog]

When I lived in the flat lands (brunswick county) I just used a 18-20" 1/4 wave VHF-Hi band antenna for a mobile and as a base antenna. That gave me an extra antenna for two meter ham use and all around scanner use. Cheap enough to try as you can make your own 1/4 wave ground plane antenna for home use.

I would not receive the SHP mobiles too far away, but did a good job of hearing the dispatch all the way to the southern tip of the county.


If you REALLY want to hear the SHP, then a dedicated lo-band antenna would work. Heck, a lo band maxtrac programmed for RX would be even better (hint, check the FS area if you're interested)

 

[obxwxman]

Thanks guys...that all helps quite a bit.

 

[jeffmulter]

Obxwxman ... if you have a trunk-tracking scanner, you might want to check for activity on the Viper site closest to your location.

The State of North Carolina is building an interconnected trunked radio system that the NCHP and other state and local agencies are using for communications in some areas of N.C.

A report from "murrayustud" on 02/20 on the "Viper" sticky thread on this forum mentioned that he heard Viper activity in both Dare and Currituck Counties, with the site on Hwy 64 at East Lake being active.

As the Viper sites get built and are put into use, the NCHP officers for that area are issued handhelds. Typically, they may continue to use the low band radios when in the cars, and the handhelds (800 trunked) when out of the cars ... or when out of range of the low band sites.

When both radio systems are in-place in an area, dispatchers will transmit over both systems simultaneously, and troopers will reply on either-or.

The RadioReference database will give you more information on trunked frequencies to check for activity.

 

[CAPTLPOL1]

A good ball mount antenna on you vehicle will really pull those low band signals in as well.