Whistler TRX-2; Niagara Region Scanning Issue

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Hey Everyone,
I am curious if anyone could maybe shine some light on what could be happening down here in Niagara Falls with the 'Niagara Region' system...

Recently I got my hands on a Whistler TRX-2 scanner and I have imported the entire system with all of the frequencies and the Niagara Falls Fire Department (NFFD) talkgroups.

However, when they transmit, the scanner tends to have issue picking up the audio transmissions for some strange reason... it's almost like it's having issues locking on to the control channel (CC). Eventually, it will lock on... but, I tend to miss the entire first part of the transmissions on ALL the talkgroups.

So I went back in and I played with some settings a little bit and I changed the "DWELL" time from the default 0.8 to 0.1 and it seems to latch on a little bit faster... but I am still missing a few seconds at the beginning of all transmissions no matter what talkgroup it is on.

I should also advise you guys that I am using the telescopic antenna that came with the scanner. And on other systems... such as the 'Bell FleetNet Zone 1', it latches on almost immediately. Any support would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to trying some of the solutions out there.

 

[OntFF221]

Niagara uses (at least) a 3 tower multicast system for the Regional P25 P2 that causes issues with a lot of scanners... they get either clipped or garbled audio. I had the same issues with my Uniden.

I'm unaware of any 'fixes' for general scanners, to get them to work properly on a multicast group... I had to go to an SDR stick on a Raspberry PI to get decent audio quality.

There are a few suggested ways to deal with multicast problems... lose the omni antenna, and put a highly directional antenna, pointed at a single tower; or attenuate the signal down enough that the further towers don't interfere (but you can still receive the closest tower OK) .

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Niagara uses (at least) a 3 tower multicast system for the regional P25 Ph2; that causes issues with a lot of scanners... get either clipped or garbled audio. I had the same issues with my Uniden.

I'm unaware of any 'fixes' for general scanners, to get them to work properly on a multicast group... I had to go to an SDR stick on a Raspberry PI to get decent audio quality.

I was aware of the multicast system... it's just driving me nuts. I guess this couldn't be fixed by only putting in a control channel could it? It seems that I receive West Lincoln just fine...

I should add, there are a few suggested ways to deal with multicast problems... lose the omni antenna, and put a highly directional antenna, pointed at a single tower; or attenuate the signal down enough that the further towers don't interfere (but you can still receive the closest tower OK) .

Thank you for the suggestions on how to fix this issue. I will give them a shot and see if anything works.

 

[OntFF221]

Good luck - I couldn't ever dial mine in tight enough to work reliably... An SDR stick, running OP25+ on a Pi, however, works mint; and to be fair, was well cheaper than a P25 P2 scanner.

 

[XBrandonEdwardX]

Good luck - I couldn't ever dial mine in tight enough to work reliably... An SDR stick, running OP25+ on a Pi, however, works mint; and to be fair, was well cheaper than a P25Ph2 scanner.

I will keep that in mind, and if all else fails... well, I have another route to go about it. Thanks again.

 

[Enjoi19]

You are likely experiencing some Simulcast Distortion. There's some things in the wiki that sometimes "help" it. But it's the prime reason I went to a Unication G4 for monitoring Toronto.