STARS Coverage

[rodcon]

I have been listening to STARS a lot more recently rather than my local area and wondering from others if they have noticed trouble with STARS as far as coverage. I'm in Richmond and off the Richmond tower I can pretty much get most of the VSP divisions. A couple examples, last week I heard a chase with VSP on RIC channel 1 and he was pretty clear for most of the chase then became very robotic as the dispatcher phrased it and was about 10 mins while she kept trying to raise him and another trooper was trying to catch up to them but he was about 10 mins behind them. That trooper finally came on and said Amelia County contacted him or SIRS and let him know the chasing trooper was fine and couldn't get anyone on STARS.

Then this past weekend I noticed troopers were having trouble with the New Kent/Henrico brush fire that closed down 64, I think they had the interstate closed from the 200 to the 205 and when there were trying to get it open back up the troopers had a hard time relaying each other, everything went robotic and finally one trooper told dispatch that he gave up and just to get the other trooper to call him on his cell phone.

I'm just wondering have others noticed the same and how widespread is this? To me it seems like a big safety issue even more so with the troopers who work rural areas where the next trooper might still be 20 mins or more away from them.

 

[Eugene]

I have been in the Richmond area twice now....have a 396XT. I get Division 5 fine but I am not getting but on or 2 bars and no reception anywhere in Richmond. I have all the towers in so I don't know what the problem is. At least you heard something. So it seems there is a problem with reception in that area. So to answer the question, yes I seem to be noticing a problem too,

 

[shumadine]

I only listen a few hours each week. I haven't heard too many problems. What you heard sounds like some legitimate safety issues though. I had the scanner going on last Saturday afternoon but had to turn off about 6PM. It was fine during the interstate shutdown but apparently I missed all the reception issues you noted when it was time to open back up.

 

[tracker1833]

its no better with an actual STARS VHF portable, very hit or miss. generally i can always receive, but TX sucks big time. The mobile works great, but when using the vehicle repeater i try to stay as close to the vehicle as possible with the 700/800 portable.

 

[loco-lee]

its no better with an actual STARS VHF portable, very hit or miss. generally i can always receive, but TX sucks big time. The mobile works great, but when using the vehicle repeater i try to stay as close to the vehicle as possible with the 700/800 portable.

I am confused, is your STARS portable VHF or is is 700/800? I am pretty sure they are 700/800.

 

[GmanX]

The State uses 700/800 portables for Troopers but there are some VHf portables as well for people without Vehicle repeaters and Motorcycle units. The majority are 700/800

 

[tracker1833]

i have both. vhf for true portable use on the system, and the 700/800 for the vehicle repeater.

 

[tglendye]

I am confused, is your STARS portable VHF or is is 700/800? I am pretty sure they are 700/800.

700 MHZ.

Todd

 

[tglendye]

i have both. vhf for true portable use on the system, and the 700/800 for the vehicle repeater.

Sorry, didn't see your post. And I learned something new.

 

[manganos]

Nevermind. Sending a PM instead