E.Shell
Ultimate Member
As are we all....Still learning.
Agreed, and/or, the frequencies are skipped/not selected.My pro-95 scanner picks up absolutely no ham conversations and my neighbors are wondering why I am sitting on my roof.Sounds like you may have done something to turn off or attenuate the group if you're searching for them by group. In your location you should be able to hear several repeaters from inside your house easily.
Ironpony, a couple things:
1) There has to be activity on the ham frequency to stop the scanner. Even on a relatively quiet repeater, you'll still hear the station ID once in a while. If you are listening for activity on the simplex call frequencies, you may not hear anyone at all, due to limited range ion simplex and activity limited mostly to travelers.
Many repeaters are busiest during commuter rush hours, especially mornings, This would be a good time to listen for a specific repeater site to make sure you have your other settings correct. For example, you should be able to tune to the Davidsonville machine output frequency between 6 and 9 am and hear the regular crew, and much of the same between 3 and 6 pm.
2) Scanning:
a) If you're scanning the entire ham band, doing a continuous step up/down through the limits of the band, you're probably missing some hits just because it takes so long to run from one end to the other.
b) If you're doing 'channelized' scans, hopping from one specific repeater output to another specific repeater output, be sure you actually have the output side of the repeater programmed in.
3) Squelch:
a) Your squelch setting and adjustment should trigger on signal strength and not the published repeater tone.
b) Your linear squelch adjustment should be such that if you reduce it a fraction, the squelch 'opens' and allows static/dead air through. If you are much above triggering on noise, you may have it set too high to open with a normal signal.
4) Modulation type: Be sure it is set to demodulate FM signals.
5) Antenna: Most signals, such as those used by VHF/UHF repeaters, are FM and the convention is that FM signals are usually vertically polarized. Make sure your scanner antenna is vertical, since trying to get a vertically polarized signal on a horizontal antenna results in great losses.
Hope you figure it out.