Spring Valley NY PD: Encrypted

[rdxny]

For what it's worth, I can receive Spring Valley just fine on a bcd325p2 from southern westchester county in NY, just across the river from southern rockland/ NJ border. All the signals therefore are hitting me from one direction I assume...

 

[Alarmguy]

I cannot even get a signal on my BCD536HP in Northwest Bergen area in NJ. Had some reception with my Pro-668.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[glennoleum]

Thank you very much for your thorough explanation -- perhaps you should write a book on the subject. We'll take a look a the resources you listed.

 

[KC2zZe]

glenn, I'm curious. Assuming the issue actually is multipath, are you using the telescoping antenna that came stock with the scanner? If so, do you have it extended all the way out? And, if so, have you tried collapsing it?

 

[GTR8000]

glenn, I'm curious. Assuming the issue actually is multipath, are you using the telescoping antenna that came stock with the scanner? If so, do you have it extended all the way out? And, if so, have you tried collapsing it?

He stated he had a BCD436HP, which is a handheld scanner outfitted with a fixed-length "rubber ducky" antenna. There is nothing to extend or collapse.

 

[KC2zZe]

Oops. But either way, I'm wondering if an alternate antenna would help the situation. Something along the lines of RadioShack's stubby race scanner antenna (the 1.7 inch model) comes to mind. Perhaps pulling in less signals.... For $30, what's the worst that would happen? You've got a spare antenna...

 

[glennoleum]

Would this device solve the multipath issue?

MOTOROLA XTS3000 MDL II UHF 450-520MHz P25 2 Way Radio Grade B w/Antenna Qty 1 | eBay

 

[GTR8000]

No. The XTS3000 is not capable of P25 Phase II TDMA. Not to mention that's a UHF radio, the Rockland system is 700 MHz, so it's the wrong band entirely even if it were TDMA capable.

Your only Motorola option would be the APX series; otherwise a different manufacturer that makes 700 MHz P25 Phase II TDMA capable radios.

Please note that programming a "real" radio on one of these systems requires very specific steps, and using "trial and error" can cause harmful interference to the users of the system. The system administrator has tools available to find rouge radios and remotely disable them.

Motorola radios in particular require system software keys to program trunked systems. These keys were never intended for the general public to obtain, and regardless of how many people say "Oh, who cares...", they can only be obtained through means that are illegitimate.

Your best bet would be to look into the Unication G4 or G5 that I've previously mentioned, and consider purchasing one of those and waiting for the TDMA option to become available for purchase.

 

[glennoleum]

Would you know the time frame for them to release the TDMA?

 

[GTR8000]

They have not committed to any specific date.

You may want to browse the Unication section of the forums, where I believe I may've seen a reference to them hoping to have it available at some point in the 2nd quarter of this year.

They're also mentioning that the cost to add TDMA might be $105 per device. The price of the G4 has recently dropped to $565, so figure around $670 total cost after adding TDMA at some point.

For monitoring Rockland's system, the G4 would be all you need, as it's single band 700/800 MHz. Contingent, naturally, on TDMA being available at some point.

 

[glennoleum]

Sounds good!!

Thanks

 

[glennoleum]

Does any one know of any other specific models close to the price range of the G4?

 

[glennoleum]

I came across a device that sounds promising: Uniden HomePatrol-2 Scanner which has TDMA Phase 2 capability.

I'm not clear if this device operates on the proper band (since the Rockland system is 700 MHz).

Would this device do the trick?

Thanks again.

 

[Thunderknight]

I came across a device that sounds promising: Uniden HomePatrol-2 Scanner which has TDMA Phase 2 capability.

I'm not clear if this device operates on the proper band (since the Rockland system is 700 MHz).

Would this device do the trick?

Thanks again.

It is capable of 700 and phase 2. However, some report simulcast issues with the HP2 scanners as well. I'd suggest researching over at the Uniden forum here. If you buy, you may want to consider the return policy as well.
I have an HP1 I use mainly for discovery and I was able to almost eliminate issues by using a yagi antenna and setting the squelch wide open. (not on Rockland's system, but a different P25 simulcast)

Have you tried a yagi antenna yet?

 

[GTR8000]

The HomePatrol-2, like every other scanner, will suffer from the same multi-path issues.

 

[glennoleum]

No we have not tried the yagi antenna yet.

 

[glennoleum]

This item was featured on this site:

Unication G5 Dual Band 450-520 & 700-800MHz Voice Pager-Receiver | ScannerMaster.com

The description claims "better performance with digital simulcast systems". Could this be a candidate for listening on Rockland's system?

Sorry for asking again, this stuff is complex.

 

[Alarmguy]

It doesn't do Phase II yet, at least not till July when it will be a paid upgrade.

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[Thunderknight]

I would wait until the Unication Phase 2 update is released to be sure, but at least on phase 1 systems, they have performed spectacularly on simulcast.