What the Display Tells Us - 996XT

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hkrharry

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Can Paul of Uniden share with the masses what the display areas mean in the following snap shot?

The obvious ones are labeled already.

The ones I am referring to are listed as items A thru H.

What are these numbers and what do they all mean?

And what would be considered as a normal or ideal value of each?

I have never really seen a good explanation of this info.

Of course you get to this screen by pushing the Function + Vol knobs.
And is this screen info the valid for the 996T as well?

Thanks In Advance
Harry
 

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W8RMH

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Can Paul of Uniden share with the masses what the display areas mean in the following snap shot?

The obvious ones are labeled already.

The ones I am referring to are listed as items A thru H.

What are these numbers and what do they all mean?

And what would be considered as a normal or ideal value of each?

I have never really seen a good explanation of this info.

Of course you get to this screen by pushing the Function + Vol knobs.
And is this screen info the valid for the 996T as well?

Thanks In Advance
Harry

Easier to Read BCD996XT Digital Scanner Manual See Optimizing P25 Performance
 

hkrharry

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While that web page was informative it did not address all of the aspects of the display.

Those threshold numbers why are there 3 sets? how are they related to RSSI? to Error rate? ect.

What is it really telling us?

And what is the optimum values we should see there? a higher value better? or is a lower one better?

And what does it mean if they all match? or if one is way higher than the others?

The explanation on the web page while it may satisfy the non techie type, I would like to know more.

That page seemed to be more geared for the older 996T model than the 996XT IMHO.

But many thanks for sharing that page it is of value for some of the other functions not covered in the "Owners Guide". like the Band Scope as an example.

Me personally I am used to decoding the many number fields of a cell site test set, so all those numbers must mean something in detail to someone.

I am trying to optimize a large( 14+scanners) remote monitoring post for a major news network and there must be a way to test and adjust to get the best reception of multiple 700/800 Mhz P-25 agencies.

Thanks again

Harry
 

ka3jjz

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Harry, if these 14+ scanners you are trying to optimize are used in the field, I think you're going to find the same thing that I told a manager for a major DC network just recently; trying to optimize mobile units is going to be a very difficult problem to solve. The reason is simple; signal levels are going to vary depending on what site(s) are being received, and just being mobile introduces more factors that cause errors in the decode process. So a setting that works well in the North sectors might not work quite so well in the East, since signal levels there are a bit lower.

I'm sure UPMan will jump in here at some point and add to this, but I have a feeling you're going to see the same. You'll probably need to set some sort of 'middle of the road' point, then adjust as each unit that goes to a particular region sees how their scanner decodes. Not easy but it is, in part, the nature of the beast. To a certain extent, the scanner will do its own adjustment, but you may need to tweak it further.

Mike
 

Skypilot007

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I set my mobiles up on a base station setup with good antenna before instalation. I optimise the decode with a solid signal understanding that when installed in the mobile application there will be issues with signal strength. I test further when the units are installed in a mobile at areas with good signal and never had to re-adjust anything. Works for me.
 

hkrharry

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These are all fixed location radios. Some work great, some.... well lets say, sound like crap.
and it is not radio related . I have moved radios around site to site thinking it was the radio .
Nope I guess I am going to have to find a sweet spot in the metro and use it.
The simulcast overlap is killing us. I even have a real P-25 unit and it sounds good at most places, but I don't think the client will spend a few thousand per radio to monitor the air they way they want to,
it locks them down to much. They did fine on analog simulcast, the remote sites worked great!
But the P-25 CQPSK or as the batwing guys call it LM modulation, is the real culprit here.

And funny, signal strength is critical as well. I have a couple of radios using the paper clip in a BNC connector to get decent reception in lieu of an outdoor antenna. RSSI sucks, but the P25 is clear and readable.

Some sites are radio transmitter quiet ( no close by transmitters), and some have a high power pager, and broadcast station transmitter in the same room/tower. Some work, some don't.

HH
 

scanchs

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Can Paul of Uniden share with the masses what the display areas mean in the following snap shot?

The obvious ones are labeled already.

The ones I am referring to are listed as items A thru H.

What are these numbers and what do they all mean?

And what would be considered as a normal or ideal value of each?

I have never really seen a good explanation of this info.

Of course you get to this screen by pushing the Function + Vol knobs.
And is this screen info the valid for the 996T as well?

Thanks In Advance
Harry

This page out of the Radio Reference Wiki addresses some of your questions...

P25 audio decode level adjustment - The RadioReference Wiki

The Wiki article was originally written for the T series scanners, however it now appears to apply to the XT series scanners with the latest firmware updates installed...

ScanCHS
 

hkrharry

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"This page out of the Radio Reference Wiki addresses some of your questions...
P25 audio decode level adjustment - The RadioReference Wiki
The Wiki article was originally written for the T series scanners, however it now appears to apply to the XT series scanners with the latest firmware updates installed..."

While it is all good info and gives me more G2.

This info, according to the Wiki, is over a year old.

I would hope it can be updated with more current info that pertains/applies to the current flash.

Thanks to all that replied, I will be fine tuning the RSSI and antenna set ups (pad's & eq's) to try and get the best decode rates I can.

Till something better comes along.

Thanks again for all the reply s.

HH
 
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