Springfield, MO Area

[APK-1]

I haven't used my Radio Shack Pro 95 Scanner in while, usually only when bad weather, but turned it on the other day and very little chatter. Only hit is 154.4000. I have SPD Police, Fire, Greene County Sheriff/fire/Emergency Management, Neighboring cities (nixz, ozark, republic, willard, etc) , Mo Hwy Patrol, programmed. Have frequencies changed? Is it time updated radio? Thanks!

 

[foster_006]

Yes.. they have switched. The old analog system is now gone. You'll need a digital scanner to monitor anything in Greene County and Christian County. Greene Co/Springfield have transitioned to MOSWIN and Christian Co is using a DMR system.

Also, Christian Co fire has a couple analog frequencies that you will hear the initial dispatch. Those frequencies are listed here. Greene County still maintains their VHF repeater for now that broadcasts everything on Springfield Fire Main Dispatch channel. MSHP still uses their VHF-Lo frequency (42.060).

There is some analog activity in the Springfield area that you can listen to.. but not much. As for public safety (police, fire and EMS).. Lawrence Co is still analog, Stone Co Fire, Southern Webster Fire and a few others. Seems to be disappearing by the day.

I suggest investing in a Uniden SDS100 or SDS200. Or, if you're techy at all.. SDR's are fun to play with. Using free software and a cheap SDR.. you can use your computer to decode the digital radio traffic. Lots of resources online to help if that interests you.

 

[APK-1]

What about the Uniden BCD436HP?

 

[foster_006]

What about the Uniden BCD436HP?

I do not personally have any experience with this scanner.. but it will receive P25 digital, DMR digital and other systems.

With this scanner, the problem you will likely run into is simulcast distortion with the Springfield 800mhz site. In short, all the towers broadcast the same signal. Depending on your location and antenna setup... if you receive one tower's signal stronger than all the rest.. you might have less problems than if you were the same distance between two towers receiving the same signal equally. You will not have this problem with an SDS100 or SDS200 because they use different technology than your typical scanner to process the signal. The problems with simulcast distortion can cause an unstable signal, garbled digital radio traffic and an overall frustrating experiencing when you're listening. Depending on how often you plan to use your scanner and what you want to listen to the most.. it would be worth it to spend the extra money for the Uniden SDS series scanners. Or.. the cheaper option is buying a cheap SDR dongle and using free software to listen to Springfield.

If money is the deciding factor, you might think about picking up a Uniden 996P2 from ebay and tweaking the settings to your liking. This will help.. but it's not a guarantee.

 

[Ensnared]

What about the Uniden BCD436HP?

Despite what everyone says about the 436HP and SDS 100, the 436HP lands on an active talk group (channel), faster than the SDS 100. Yes, I have made the necessary adjustments to speed it up.

I have monitored the MOSWIN radio in Springfield and other parts of Missouri. With the exception of St. Louis and KC, I have experienced very little "linear simulcast distortion." I know people who are still using older digital scanners and do fine. The distance of digital conventional frequencies is clearer most of the time, traveling longer distances without breaking up.

If you have been out of the game for a while, I would see if others in the area can help you.

Again, I have never experienced any simulcast distortion in that city. Others report such, but I have not experienced it with the 436HP.

This is the main reason folks spend significantly more bucks on the SDS 100/200. In Houston, Texas, there is simulcast distortion that renders most 436HP radios confused.

There is a significant learning curve with programming one of these phase II digital radios.

These are my observations and opinions.

 

[APK-1]

Thank you both (foster-006 & ensnared) for the feedback. Now I know that an upgrade is necessary. I like the BCD436HP over the SDS100 because it uses AA batteries. I read the SDS100 battery can take 16 hours to charge and I know that is all moot if there is " linear simulcast distortion" issue. But sounds like my not be an issue in Springfield, MO area.

 

[Ensnared]

Thank you both (foster-006 & ensnared) for the feedback. Now I know that an upgrade is necessary. I like the BCD436HP over the SDS100 because it uses AA batteries. I read the SDS100 battery can take 16 hours to charge and I know that is all moot if there is " linear simulcast distortion" issue. But sounds like my not be an issue in Springfield, MO area.

Let me rephrase, you should not have significant problems. I hate the SDS 100 battery setup. Reportedly, it needs a lot of juice to run. I should not that it looks on talk groups (channels) like a pit bull in heat. If I were you, I would go to the Missouri thread and post a thread about the 436HP performance. When I monitored this system, I was headed to St. James.