Unless you put that little thing up on top of a mountain in WNC, you got rocky soil blocking you alright. 
Here's a picture I took of it Friday
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anelson5004
Member
I'm trying to receive the NC highway patrol on my Whistler TRX 2 and I have anS with 3-4 signal bars but they aren't constant. Any help would greatly be appreciated. My trunking tables are set to autofill
Are you on the right tower? We don't know where you are, what tower you are using or any information to help us help you.
anelson5004
Member
I am in Cedar Bluff VA and I have all towers programmed with the exception of VHF frequencies due to the fact that VA State Police shares frequencies with TN and NC and they are fully Encrypted.
If you have all the towers programmed in you are probably missing traffic as it searches the dozens of towers you'll never pick up for traffic you'll never hear. Limit it to the half a dozen towers or less closest to you. NCSHP traffic isn't very active or have long talks, and I'm not sure who else is using viper up there.
anelson5004
Member
What Towers would you recommend for me to try? I'm about 2.5 hours from Iredell NC and same for Asheville NC
My suggestion is you look at the database and the NC counties nearest you. Unless you have a good outdoor antenna you may not be close enough to pick them up, but I am not familiar with that area. Maybe @IcomIcR20 will be able to add something.
anelson5004
Member
I am connected by an outdoor antenna if that helps you guys be able to better help me.@icomicR20
Circle-Slash
Member
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You are 45 air miles from the closest serving site in NW Ashe County called Rich Hill. It isn't a very active site with traffic due to the far NW location. You would likely get traffic from Phoenix Mountain or Mt. Jefferson but that's a stretch on both at 50+ air miles. Good luck but topography isn't your friend with this endeavor.
anelson5004
Member
How should I have my trunking tables set?
AUTO
anelson5004
Member
Thanks. That's what I have them set on and haven't received anything so far from NC VIPER programming the suggested towers.
As @Circle-Slash pointed out, and I agree with, it is probably because you are too far from the nearest tower.
I have told OP in several threads that they are almost certainly too far into Virginia to receive any VIPER sites unless they live on top of a very tall mountain. If I were a betting man, I would say that the signal bars they are seeing are not coming from a VIPER control channel, but probably something more local to them in Virginia that uses the same frequencies.
Is it conceivable that Viper will ever use anything other than 700/800 MHz?
I am considering the purchase of a Unication G5. I don't want to own 2 to have VHF and UHF. It would be supplemented by a BCD325P2 for analog and anything non LSM P25 reception.
I am considering VHF as the second band. There is still a lot of legacy VHF in the state for agencies that have not yet joined Viper, and the Federal parks are P25 single channel on VHF. I do monitor the Blue Ridge Parkway and GSM.
I have an SDS100, and reluctant to try the SDS150 until it is out for at least several months. I supplement the SDS100 with the BCD325P2. Too often, analog reception with the SDS100 is not very good. The SDS100 is fairly large. Carrying a G5 and BCD325P2 would be more compact.
I am considering the purchase of a Unication G5. I don't want to own 2 to have VHF and UHF. It would be supplemented by a BCD325P2 for analog and anything non LSM P25 reception.
I am considering VHF as the second band. There is still a lot of legacy VHF in the state for agencies that have not yet joined Viper, and the Federal parks are P25 single channel on VHF. I do monitor the Blue Ridge Parkway and GSM.
I have an SDS100, and reluctant to try the SDS150 until it is out for at least several months. I supplement the SDS100 with the BCD325P2. Too often, analog reception with the SDS100 is not very good. The SDS100 is fairly large. Carrying a G5 and BCD325P2 would be more compact.
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Whatever you choose, remember that the secondary band antenna (VHF or UHF) on the G5 is internal-only. While it will probably work fairly well, I wouldn’t rely on a G5 for DXing NPS repeaters on VHF.
Understand about the internal antenna. User comments elsewhere have commented they were surprised how well it does on VHF. I monitor the parks when I am there. However, my understanding is the antenna connector of the amplified charger base has the second band connected to it.
I have an HP2 mounted on a cup holder for mobile reception of anything not LSM. I would use the G5 for VHF portable in the parks.
I do DX the Blue Ridge Parkway on occasion with a BCD996P2. There are 2 repeaters I can pickup from my QTH, but that requires an external antenna.
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I am in NC and have the good luck to receive a Viper site 48 air miles from my location on the stock antenna of a BCD325P2, but if I move very far from home in my town and county, I cannot receive it. It is the only Viper site at that distance I can receive so my location is just right to receive it. It improves just a little on an antenna outside up about 8 feet off my deck, but that antenna has an amplifier on it with just enough gain to overcome feed line loss. I use it to get away from interference inside the house.
Your elevation will need to be sufficient to overcome obstructions in the pathway. Keep in mind that 700/800 Mhz is very much line of site and very subject to obstructions in the pathway, even leaves on trees. You said you have an outdoor antenna, but keep in mind that at 700/800 Mhz frequencies feed line loss is quite high with something like RG58. I do not know what coaxial cable you are using, but RG58 is very common and why I mention it. Feedline loss for RG58 at 800 Mhz is 0.15 dB per foot. So a 50 foot cable has 7.5 dB loss which is quite a bit.
If you are intent on receiving any Viper site, you will have to invest in an antenna system to get you there, and even then may not be able to due to obstructions in the pathway. In that region of VA and NC are a lot of hills and mountains. A directional antenna may be required as well.
You can attach the external antenna to the amplified charger
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