What scanner should i get?
marksmith
Member
VA state looks like a phase 2 trunking system likely to involve simulcast distortion among sites.
I would go with an SDS100 or SDS200 for best results.
Simulcast can be tricky based on your exact location and the locations of sites and towers.
If you only have ONE nearby site without interference from others, you might be able to get away with a 325p2 or 996p2 or maybe a 436/536 model. But it's a chance. If you have 2 or more nearby towers these radios might get nothing at all off the system, even with a 5 bar receive level.
I would go with an SDS100 or SDS200 for best results.
Simulcast can be tricky based on your exact location and the locations of sites and towers.
If you only have ONE nearby site without interference from others, you might be able to get away with a 325p2 or 996p2 or maybe a 436/536 model. But it's a chance. If you have 2 or more nearby towers these radios might get nothing at all off the system, even with a 5 bar receive level.
Not a factor for any site listed for Buchanan County: (Honaker, Oakwood, nor Elkin's Branch). Also keep in mind that even though the system is Phase-II capable, talkgroups for the most part are FDMA (mode "D") meaning a P25 Phase-I only scanner should pick up most talkgroups just fine. Only exceptions to this rule are mode "T" talkgroups (only a small handful systemwide) and mode "DE" which are fully encrypted: in the OP's case, Buchanan County Sheriff:
| 8001 | 1f41 | DE | Buch Sheriff 1 | Sheriff Ch. 1 | Law Dispatch |
yes i submitted the info to have buchanan county sheriff encrypted.. and i didn't think i had to worry about simulcast either. i know it says p25 phase 2 at the top of the page but u are certain a phase 1 scanner will work?
For more "D" (FDMA) talkgroups, yes. Mode "T" (TDMA) or mode "DE" (fully encrypted FDMA), No
oh ok thanks
According to members who claim to know, the VA state police are planning to go encrypted. Given that your sheriff's department is already encrypted and some fire and EMS apparently use NXDN 4800, here's an out of the box suggestion: BCD260DN. It should receive all the analog conventional frequencies in your area plus the NXDN stuff. You need to realize its limitations though: If the state police P25 digital transmissions remain in the open, you would not be able to receive them. However, this is a new scanner that is cheaper than other options because it does not receive P25.
If you aren't interested in the particular agencies that use NXDN and you assume that the state police go encrypted, then just about any used analog scanner for about $40 or so would do.
If you aren't interested in the particular agencies that use NXDN and you assume that the state police go encrypted, then just about any used analog scanner for about $40 or so would do.
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Yeah that sucks it really doesn't make sense that the state police is still unencrypted but my small little county is. you know i grew up loving radios and i thought well one day i will get into it i guess i waited to long. but i do plan on moving sometime in the future so who know's maybe the place i land at won't be all encrypted. but i appreciate the recommendation i am using dsdplus fastlane right now and i'm trying to figure out how it works, i'm able to sleuth through it and try to find freqs to put in my scanlist i'm not sure but maybe you know is there a way to let it like scan a few days and see what works and what doesn't or does it not do that?
Yea, don't bother - it won't work.
Most of STARS is multicast - not simulcast - thus simulcast distortion (receiving mistimed signals from several physical sites on the same frequency) is not typically an issue.
This is a discriminator tap. It does not magically make an analog scanner decode p25. The Discriminator output from a scanner is the raw, unfiltered signal that a scanner produces before it is sent to the audio stage for output through the speaker -- also called the "baseband audio." This discriminator source is then fed into applications such as Trunker, T4Win, UniTrunker, and DSD, etc.
The discriminator tap was mostly used before SDR’s became available / popular. Since you have SDRs, I would not waste your time.
dickie757
Wired
I disagree a little. Doing a tap is fun, and will let OP appreciate well-made hardware. Let em pop his cherry on a old radio.
After doing my first d-tap, is when I decided I need more radio in my life. I read and read about which cap voltages and capacitance to use, what interface to put in the case, wondering how much was too much center conductor exposure. Then came all of the sound levels to deal with. Then the programs and programming.
Do it to learn.
I did this with a Radio Shack PRO-2021 several years ago. The new connection fed the signal to a laptop, which ran DSDPlus software to decode the digital. I have used it to listen to the state police and a local sheriff's office using P25 conventional on VHF frequencies. But the 2021 doesn't receive 700-800 mhz frequencies, which a lot of digital systems use, so its use is limited. I rely on a couple of digital scanners and an SDR for listening to digital now.
Thats pretty cool if i ever get a older scanner i might try doing that but i wish i would have known about this years ago lol
lol
Here's my $0.02: since you have a tight budget, go with the 352P2. I've previously owned one, and it does quite well. It could hang with my SDS200 no problem and will handle your area quite well. The tap route is pretty cool, it's been years since I've heard anyone mention it. I also say do it for the thrill!
ok i'll look into it thanks
You're welcome! I will also mention if you can swing a SDS100/200, go that route. It's truly the best scanner I've owned. It does have a larger learning cure when compared to the 352P2, but it's also not terribly complicated. What about programming software? I suggest Pro Scan, its a flat $50 with lifetime updates and such. I find it a little more user friendly and it's got a good work flow.
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