I've been receiving notes about two issues, both of which I've now resolved.
1) The "Skipping..."
...where the audio would seem to "skip" or cut out every few seconds during transmissions.
This has been fully resolved.
Now, I committed a troubleshooting crime and changed two things at once, so it's possible either (or both) were the culprit.
First: The Close Call function had somehow been set to Priority. I think I accidentally changed it while using Virtual Control, as I've always intentionally kept it set to DnD ("Do Not Disturb").
Second: The scanner was running on USB power but still had a set of depleted Duracell AA batteries installed. I removed the batteries entirely and decided to power the unit exclusively via USB.
After putting Close Call back into DnD mode and removing the batteries, the skipping has officially gone the way of the dodo bird...
...in other words, gone for good.
2) Volume / Audio Levels
A loyal listener (and fellow HAM operator) let me know the audio levels seemed awfully low.
That issue has also been resolved.
The culprit turned out to be the 1/8" to XLR cable feeding the audio interface. It had worked ever so slightly loose. Anyone who's spent enough time with 1/8" headphone connectors knows they're notorious for needing just the right amount of finagling. A fraction of a millimeter one way or the other can mean the difference between perfect audio and wondering where half your signal went.
What's Next?
Over the coming month I'm going to begin a fairly major overhaul of the scanner system in response to the continued adoption of P25 digital communications throughout Missoula and across Montana.
A quick note for fellow frequency enthusiasts: while a handful of channels are marked with a lowercase "e" (meaning partial encryption), those should not be confused with full-time encryption. Many of these agencies are simply transitioning from analog FM to digital P25.
The technology has simply surpassed the capabilities of my current scanner.
At the moment, the Uniden scanner feeding the Missoula Public Safety app can only monitor analog channels, while more and more agencies are moving to digital.
The good news?
I've already purchased a new server and have begun building the next generation of the scanner service.
The plan is to expand the available feeds to include:
Missoula Public Safety
Wildland Fire (separate from city fire and law enforcement)
Railroad Operations (if there's enough interest)
Longer-term, I'd also love to work with a friendly scanner enthusiast down in Ravalli County to create a linked monitoring system between our two counties. Given the amount of daily travel between Missoula and the Bitterroot—and especially during wildfire season—I think a combined regional feed would be incredibly useful.
Recent Upgrade
For now, I've relocated the scanner and upgraded the antenna.
The antenna now sits roughly 10 feet higher in the center of a metal roof, giving it a much better ground plane and a significantly better view of the surrounding area.
The result?
We're already receiving considerably more traffic than before.
Once the new digital system comes online...
We'll catch it all.
(Pikachu noises.)
Thanks to everyone who continues to let me know when something isn't quite right. Those reports help tremendously, and I'll continue keeping you updated as improvements roll out.
Above all, thank you to everyone who has donated to the cause.
When I took this project over, I never expected there to be so much appreciation from the community for something I genuinely enjoy maintaining and improving.
Every single dollar donated goes directly back into the system—whether that's better antennas, new hardware, upgraded receivers, or infrastructure that keeps the feed reliable and up to date with modern communications.
Cheers!
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