Using a SDS100 should simulcast towers listed out of range be removed?

[james_e_vining]

I have been learning about the Simulcast system locally (I live in Milwaukie, OR) Looking at the different simulcast towers I found 8 of them which the Red Circle indicates they are out of range of my House (Where 99.99% of scanner use will be located) it seems to me having the scanner scan these Towers would slow down the scanners performance since they are out of range ( at least it appears that way when watching the display on the scanner)
Sorry I forgot I am using the Uniden SDS 100 and the Sentinel software to program it.

 

[ka3aaa]

i would only program in the tower sites that i can hear unless you are planing to travel around the state a lot.

 

[ScottPDX]

Hello,
Take another look. I’m sure many of the Portland and surrounding Metro area simulcast towers are not outside range to Milwaukie, OR.

 

[james_e_vining]

I was just talking about the towers locally not any out of this area.
@ScottPDX the Radio reference site shows a red circle around the towers and most of them my location is outside of that circle Since I actually live closer to 205 or happy valley then I do to downtown milwaukie even though my address is Milwaukie. I will double check to be sure though thanks
Also I noticed earlier when I was checking it I was only hearing Washington county EMS nothing else was coming through even though I seen the signal bar on other channels it was scanning, I had a BCD 325P2 but it would receive nothing I even went and spent the $135 to have Uniden program it as I thought I did something incorrect only to find out that those have issues with simulcast.
on a Friday night I would of expected the scanner to be super active, yet it was mostly quiet besides the occasional Washington county EMS broadcasts. This is for my Girlfriend as she has been a avid scanner listener since the 90's me not so much but for the price I am not so impressed to be honest. I am hoping there is some thing I am missing.

 

[mc48]

Just avoid the sites that are out of range, they will slow down the scan. I would also make sure you have the correct service types turned on.
If this is Clackamas County all law enforcement is encrypted. Check under mode in the discription and TE is fully encrypted.

 

[fredva]

If you weren't aware of law enforcement using encryption, that might be why the scanner is quieter than you expected.

 

[gmclam]

When I program a system, I start my departments with Quick Key 00 and I start my Sites with Quick Key 90. If it's a large system like Oregon State Radio Project, I might need to start my Quick Keys lower (30,40,50) for the Sites. This way I can have all the Sites programmed, but I simply turn off those that are "out of range" or I don't want to hear from.

 

[radiotweester]

I am not familiar with the SDS100, so please pardon my ignorance if it has upgraded abilities like a trunked radio.
Remember that Trunked Systems that are simulcast only rebroadcast a handful of TGs on a system-wide on other than the Main or backbone sites. The best place to be monitoring is only the A, B, C (and D on your side of the river) listed in the database. Corn Pass, Newberg, Saddle, WCSO (Jail), WCCCA (I believe this was a test site?) and I believe Goat are all fill in sites and you won't be hearing much traffic unless a TRS radio can't hear the Main data channel at a certain percentage, then it will search for a better data for another site.
This is true on BOEC (Main = East & West) and Tri-Met (Main = Council Crest) also.
*As fredva pointed out, all Law Enforcement is encrypted since the switch. AES256

 

[icom1020]

Mostly, MCSO and Gresham are still behind in their radio upgrades so by this time next year or sooner. I program a west and east simo knob position along with Goat mtn, which was relocated recently and Corn Pass.
Goat works surprisingly well now

 

[cptinsano918]

I have been learning about the Simulcast system locally (I live in Milwaukie, OR) Looking at the different simulcast towers I found 8 of them which the Red Circle indicates they are out of range of my House (Where 99.99% of scanner use will be located) it seems to me having the scanner scan these Towers would slow down the scanners performance since they are out of range ( at least it appears that way when watching the display on the scanner)
Sorry I forgot I am using the Uniden SDS 100 and the Sentinel software to program it.

Yes you should avoid them or remove them from your favorites list to speed up your scanning.

 

[maus92]

I have been learning about the Simulcast system locally (I live in Milwaukie, OR) Looking at the different simulcast towers I found 8 of them which the Red Circle indicates they are out of range of my House (Where 99.99% of scanner use will be located) it seems to me having the scanner scan these Towers would slow down the scanners performance since they are out of range ( at least it appears that way when watching the display on the scanner)
Sorry I forgot I am using the Uniden SDS 100 and the Sentinel software to program it.

I would only enable the West Simulcast site, and lock out all others if you are using the radio at a fixed location in Milwaukee. You *might* experiment by also enabling the PCC ASR site and see if that site is in range and serves any additional talk groups not carried on the West Simulcast site. If you take the radio mobile and out of the service area of the West Simulcast site, you will need to re-enable the other system sites that you locked out.