Very Soft Transmissions...Roselle/Elizabeth PD

[Analogrules]

As some of us already know, Springfield PD (470.4875) and Roselle PD (477.550) communicate using very soft transmissions. I need to turn my scanner's volume up fully just to make out what they're saying. It almost sounds as if they're whispering. Now, Elizabeth has increased their power on 154.860 recently, however some of their units now seem to be having these same soft transmissions. It seems that Elizabeth recently switched to a new type of repeater system, but use the same frequencies. Does anyone know exactly what type of system this is called? I mean, if you really want to hear them, all you have to do is turn the volume up fully on your scanner. However, it is very annoying monitoring these particular systems when everything else programmed in my scanner is heard at a normal volume.

 

[fineshot1]

Did you check their License data in the FCC DB to see if they are licensed as narrow band?
If they are that may be the reason you are hearing these stations with very soft audio.

 

[Analogrules]

not narrowband

Negative, it's not narrowband. I just looked them up in the FCC DB and it doesn't say anything about narrowband for their frequency information. Normally, narrowband transmissions on my scanner sound like they are slightly "off frequency". These transmissions just sound VERY soft, but clear. Thanks anyway though. : )

 

[fineshot1]

I just looked those freqs up and Springfield PD (470.4875) is not narrow band but Roselle PD (477.550) is listed as narrow band - the emmision designators are below:

ROSELLE WPYX384
11K3F1D
11K3F1E
11K3F3E

Perhaps you are hearing Roselle??

 

[K2KOH]

ZGE, I understand what you mean. My work portable (Motorola MTS2000) has Westchester County PD in it, and half the time I can hardly understand what they're seeing, even at full volume. I think it has to do with the operators, not the radios.

 

[Analogrules]

Thanks for the help guys. Yeah, I would never been able to tell by the emmision designators that Roselle is on narrow band. But, thanks for the info. However, that may not be the reason why they are coming in so soft since Springfield and Elizabeth (at times) sound the same way. I would like to be close enough to an officer from Roselle or Springfield to hear if THEIR radios sound the same as they do on the scanner.

 

[apu]

I would like to be close enough to an officer from Roselle or Springfield to hear if THEIR radios sound the same as they do on the scanner.

Springfield sounds the same on a two-way radio in our ambulances. Can be a little painful if you turn up the volume to listen to the police over our siren and then the radio scans over for the fire department getting paged out a few moments later when the siren is off.

 

[W2SJW]

Just a quick bit of info that works MOST of the time (when trying to figure out if a user is narrowband or not).

VHF - If the freq. is in the normal public safety allocations (153.770-156.000), and they are 7.5 KHz split (155.4375), they are narrowband. If you see a new freq. licensed to a PS agency on a standard freq. (like 151.280) that's NOT in the PS allocations(refarming), it's a good bet they are narrow.

UHF - 453-454 and 460-461: If they end in 4 digits (453.2625), they most probably are narrow.

UHF-T - 470-512: If they end in round 3-digit numbers (470.350), they most probably are narrow.

This doesn't work for all situations (usually on VHF is where you run in to some questionable situations) - For example, Chester PD in Morris County uses 151.370, and they are not narrowband (20K0F3E). The same goes for Mt. Olive's FD/EMS repeater...

 

[fineshot1]

Thanks for the help guys. Yeah, I would never been able to tell by the emmision designators that Roselle is on narrow band. But, thanks for the info. However, that may not be the reason why they are coming in so soft since Springfield and Elizabeth (at times) sound the same way. I would like to be close enough to an officer from Roselle or Springfield to hear if THEIR radios sound the same as they do on the scanner.

They are both probably using the same narrow band repeater for all their comms. Thats probably why they both sound the same.

 

[Analogrules]

Well, if APU has trouble hearing the Springfield PD in their own ambulance vehicles, then I doubt the problem is narrowband related. It seems to me that these police departments just naturally use this low-audio cheap equipment making it annoying for them to even hear themselves. BTW, thanks for the help in determining which frequencies are narrow band and which are not. : )

 

[apu]

I don't know about "cheap" - at least in Springfield, its all public safety grade Motorola equipment (though not the newest either). Scott Wilson could probably provide more insight than I can as far as what adjustments are available within the repeater and console in terms of gain, etc.

 

[xpawel15x]

I have the same problem with my town...the transmition come in very softly, it's because when the cops talk to their mic they hold it too far away from himself. sometimes they talk so softly that my scanner's natural humming is louder and i cant make out what they're saying even if i put it up to full volume because i bring up the scanner's hum even louder.

 

[joedisp]

Low Sound Levels

Roselle is a narrow band system with both analog/digital equipment in use, so what you have is a mix analog/digital system, which will cause this type of problem. The handheld and mobiles hear the audio normal, when using a scanner you are hearing it low.

The only way around this is if the levels on the hardware are turned up, which I do not see anyone doing so you can use yours scanner.

In some cases, you may be hearing a system that is using the “Hear Clear” option on their system. This could also cause the same issue.

Elizabeth has been up grading their equipment like the rest of the state, in some cases I have seen (non-priority equipment) in a system not upgraded to new system spec. so it is likely to have radio in a system not yet updated.

Joe