I know this probably will sound like a newbie question but I have
actually been using scanners for a long time. I currently own a Uniden
BR330T.

I do not 100% understand Squelch. I know it's pretty much a noise
control, but I don't really get when you set it to a lower number and
when you set it to a higher number. By default my scanner program sets
my BR330T to 4. I noticed if you have no squelch, every station
basically becomes static but no squelch on an older scanner, doesn't
make it do anything.

"RedPenguin" wrote in message
ups.com...
I know this probably will sound like a newbie question but I have
actually been using scanners for a long time. I currently own a Uniden
BR330T.

I do not 100% understand Squelch. I know it's pretty much a noise
control, but I don't really get when you set it to a lower number and
when you set it to a higher number. By default my scanner program sets
my BR330T to 4. I noticed if you have no squelch, every station
basically becomes static but no squelch on an older scanner, doesn't
make it do anything.


For FM scanners what you hear without a signal is random noise the radio is
amplifing. The signal is filtered so the higher audio freqeuncies (usually
just above the hearing ranfe) are tapped off and sent to the squelch
circuit. When a signal comes on frequency the noise starts to get less .
Once the signal gets to a certain point the noise goes away. This is the
full quietning point. The noise going to the squelch circuit is controled
by the squelch control. This just determins at what point an electronic
switch in the scanner trips and lets the audio go to the speaker and the
scanner stops scanning.

To set the squelch you usually want to turn it just past the point the
wideband noise stops. If a weak signal keeps the scanner stopped on one
frequency you can turn the squelch up more and maybe eliminate that problem
at the expense of loosing the weaker signals.

The squelch setting does nothing to actually reduce the noise or anything
else to the signal. It just determins at what signal level the switch
trips.

Think of the squelch setting as a threshold for allowing modulated signal
through to the audio amplifier.

The higher the squelch setting, the stronger the modulated signal (voice)
has to be in order to "break through" to the audio amplifier. If the
squelch is too low, it takes very little modulated signal. If the squelch
is off, everything comes through as noise.

Normally the squelch should be set just above where the noise stops so that
any desirable signal above that level will get through.

- Doug


"RedPenguin" wrote in message
ups.com...
I know this probably will sound like a newbie question but I have
actually been using scanners for a long time. I currently own a Uniden
BR330T.

I do not 100% understand Squelch. I know it's pretty much a noise
control, but I don't really get when you set it to a lower number and
when you set it to a higher number. By default my scanner program sets
my BR330T to 4. I noticed if you have no squelch, every station
basically becomes static but no squelch on an older scanner, doesn't
make it do anything.