BCD325P2/BCD996P2: Uniden Bcd325P2 Scanner Question.

[Tfink660]

A friend of mine has this scanner the uniden bcd325p2 I know its a lower end radio , I programmed with import from free scan radio reference for Delaware County Pa. Here's the issue.


I have tried both the hem antenna as well as an upgraded remtronix 800B antenna at his house which is in an industrial area he is not getting any radio traffic but if he drives 2 mins from his house in any direction he is getting everything fine.

Im not sure but I said maybe e needs to get some antenna for outside or a signal amplifier or something any recommendations on what to try would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wtp]

Delaware County Simulcast

the problem is simulcast.
that is where towers use the same frequencies and transmit at the same time.

Simulcast Distortion - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

he might find a sweet spot in his house.
and less antenna can help.
even having the antenna/radio lay down and spin it slowly.
a flat antenna is a directional antenna.
that is why getting away from the towers makes the radio work !
also, have him join us for more direct answers.

 

[wtp]

Delaware County Pennsylvania Calls Coverage

Delaware County Pennsylvania Live Audio Feeds

www.broadcastify.com

that is the broadcastify site for his county, he could listen there for a bit.

 

[hiegtx]

Delaware County Simulcast

the problem is simulcast.
that is where towers use the same frequencies and transmit at the same time.

Simulcast Distortion - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

and less antenna can help.
even having the antenna/radio lay down and spin it slowly.
a flat antenna is a directional antenna.
that is why getting away from the towers makes the radio work !
also, have him join us for more direct answers.

I'd agree with wtp, that simulcast is likely a large part of the problem. Definitely take time to look over the linked Wiki page mentioned above.

I have tried both the hem antenna as well as an upgraded remtronix 800B antenna at his house which is in an industrial area he is not getting any radio traffic but if he drives 2 mins from his house in any direction he is getting everything fine.

When he drives a short way from his house, he may be getting close enough to one of the simulcast transmit sites that it's stronger signal washes out conflicting signals from other sites. Or, perhaps, his route is taking him to a point where one or more hills, or perhaps a cluster of tall buildings, is blocking signals from other, conflicting, sites.

The primary system for my area, NTIRN, also uses simulcast sites. For my 325P2, I lay it flat on the desktop, which results in "less" signal, and thus less simulcast problems. For my HP-2, in my bedroom, I use an old OEM antenna, oriented so that the antenna is horizontal, not vertical.

Using a "gain" antenna, such as the Remtronix, can actually make simulcast issues worse, since the antenna picks up the weaker signals which then interfere with how the scanner tries to process the receiving signal.

Finding a "sweet spot" in the house is always worth a try. If you were to skim through multiple past posts on members dealing with simulcast issues, you'll find more than a few that "solved" there problem simply be repositioning their scanner a short distance, even down to a couple of feet move in one direction or another.

 

[bearcatrp]

Simulcast will kill that radio if there are allot of towers around. Did mine. I repurposed mine to weather and DMR which works great. Maybe a smaller antenna so it won’t pick up as much for that area.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

That's the nature of the simulcast beast. I'm intimately familiar with the system in question, Delco born and raised. Where I now reside in a neighboring county outside the intended coverage area my 536HP stutters with it (pretty sure I'm still in range of two towers) but the SDS100 and SDRs bring it in without an issue

 

[Tfink660]

That's the nature of the simulcast beast. I'm intimately familiar with the system in question, Delco born and raised. Where I now reside in a neighboring county outside the intended coverage area my 536HP stutters with it (pretty sure I'm still in range of two towers) but the SDS100 and SDRs bring it in without an issue

Yah I have the sds100 my friend was given the 325 from another friend so I’m just trying help him out.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Your friend can try following the multipath mitigation suggestions in the wiki link in post #2. They may or may not find one that works for them

 

[Tfink660]

Your friend can try following the multipath mitigation suggestions in the wiki link in post #2. They may or may not find one that works for them

Will give it a look thanks for response.

 

[kb9hgi]

I had this same problem trying to listen to starcom system in Illinois. I would get away from my neighborhood and I could hear them just fine. I could not even hear on my SDS200. About 3 or 4 blocks from me is a college radio station. I bought a cheap FM filter off amazon and bingo the I started hearing the Starcom towers. Also helped with alot of other stuff I would not receive well. I guess that FM station was knocking out other signals. Also on the radio tower is cell phone stuff and I think it's knocking out 700 mhz MOSWIN tower. I guess i need to find a filter for that. Once I leave my neighborhood that one works fine too