Not Receiving SPPD? - Page 2

exportdawg · #21 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 7:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webley445

Initialized the scanner and started completely from scratch. Entered in site 5 and all of the TG's plus a wildcard. Same as before. Either I am still doing something wrong or this thing is broke.

I suggest buying a programming cable from Rat Shack( RadioShack USB-PC Scanner Programming Cable : Programming Cables | RadioShack.com ) and use the software that comes with it. I think it gives you a week trial or something. Trying to program a digital scanner manually can be a little difficult at first. Maybe there is a step that you are not doing. Using the software will make sure everything is correct when it enters it. IMO

kayleesdad · #22 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 9:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exportdawg

I suggest buying a programming cable from Rat Shack( RadioShack USB-PC Scanner Programming Cable : Programming Cables | RadioShack.com ) and use the software that comes with it. I think it gives you a week trial or something. Trying to program a digital scanner manually can be a little difficult at first. Maybe there is a step that you are not doing. Using the software will make sure everything is correct when it enters it. IMO

I wonder what software comes with it. ARC 500 at butel may have a 30 day trial and well worth the money. Just now I was hand programming the 106 and accidentally turned it into a edacs instead of an auto p25 tsys and of course received nothing. the tsys could be locked out, the tgids locked out, the tgids not assigned to a tsys or the right tsys, tgids not assigned to a scanlist, tsys assigned to wrong system type, custom tables instead of default tables, tsys fequencies could have a typo, etc...gotta hit everything. maybe start by hitting (tune) (851.2) (enter) to make sure you are reading a control channel and start checking everything one by one.

edit: been trying site4 cc and site5 cc in the same tsys, set to mulit-site: state and "check all cc: yes". this makes it alternate between sites, it takes about 1.5 seconds to switch cc's so some coms are missed, same as if you used separate tsys for each site and turned both on. i only use the main cc's rather than putting in all frequencies with "multi-site: stat and check all cc yes" because the 1.5 seconds per cc will spend way to much time off of the main cc's. two active cc's is about all I can handle because of too many missed coms.

exportdawg · #23 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayleesdad

I wonder what software comes with it. ARC 500 at butel may have a 30 day trial and well worth the money. Just now I was hand programming the 106 and accidentally turned it into a edacs instead of an auto p25 tsys and of course received nothing. the tsys could be locked out, the tgids locked out, the tgids not assigned to a tsys or the right tsys, tgids not assigned to a scanlist, tsys assigned to wrong system type, custom tables instead of default tables, tsys fequencies could have a typo, etc...gotta hit everything. maybe start by hitting (tune) (851.2) (enter) to make sure you are reading a control channel and start checking everything one by one.

edit: been trying site4 cc and site5 cc in the same tsys, set to mulit-site: state and "check all cc: yes". this makes it alternate between sites, it takes about 1.5 seconds to switch cc's so some coms are missed, same as if you used separate tsys for each site and turned both on. i only use the main cc's rather than putting in all frequencies with "multi-site: stat and check all cc yes" because the 1.5 seconds per cc will spend way to much time off of the main cc's. two active cc's is about all I can handle because of too many missed coms.

It is Butel software that comes with it. Just looked in my program files to see what it downloaded when I installed the Cable. I use Win500 instead for the Arc, but both seem to work well.

webley445 · #24 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 4:58 PM

I have been manually programming RS/GRE scanners for a long while now since I bought my first Pro-94 when they were new, but I do have the cable also.
All the mentioned I ensured are set right, tsy, tg assignments, P25 auto, etc. I looked at GRE site this morning and notived my firmware was outdated so upgrade to the latest.

I am now able to do the "PRG"+"Tune" function to analyze and get some readings, it wasn't doing so before, but still no reception. Will work on it some more tonight but basically all I"m doing is reviewing all settings.
I just get the feeling there is something there that is missing. I may try downloading Win500 and going over it, I have tried the Butell and am not thrilled with the interface, just my opinion.

Also I saved everything prior to a V folder and initialized the scanner so there is no other tsy's on it but site 5, all the frqs listed in the dtabase and the tg's listed there.

Will also be in downtown St Pete tonight and will see if reception is good down there, haven't had a chance to do that since upgrade.

Most interesting mystery indeed Holmes.

kayleesdad · #25 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 6:01 PM

antenna connection? sounds like pita mystery.

webley445 · #26 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 8:12 PM

Nothing while right smack in the middle of downtown. Switch to analog system and all comes in clear. So at this point I give up. I'm still thinking there's some little single tweak that needs adjusting but cannot see what.
It is just default trunk tables correct?
I'm going to try and hook up with my friend this week who also has same model as I and try programming his. If his works then it means something wrong with mine but i have a feeling it will not be the case (though I did find an old thread in GRE section where fellow has to replace a board in his 500 to properly receive P25).

kayleesdad · #27 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 9:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webley445

Nothing while right smack in the middle of downtown. Switch to analog system and all comes in clear. So at this point I give up. I'm still thinking there's some little single tweak that needs adjusting but cannot see what.
It is just default trunk tables correct?
I'm going to try and hook up with my friend this week who also has same model as I and try programming his. If his works then it means something wrong with mine but i have a feeling it will not be the case (though I did find an old thread in GRE section where fellow has to replace a board in his 500 to properly receive P25).

default trunk tables are what i have. american bandplan? or some other global/expert setting could do it but you probably didn't change those. downtown reception is okay for digital with all the cement using a short stock rubber duck antenna. site 4 reception seems better everywhere. i could upload a win500 file if you have that program.

webley445 · #28 (**permalink**) 08-12-2012, 11:38 PM

Hey I'd appreciate that, would be a good way to see if it can get to work. Thanks.

Tryton · #29 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 6:32 AM

This system is a real PITA for me to get to decode properly.. The E-mails are starting to roll in lol. Even when I'm showing low error rates it still sounds like crap.. I wonder if it's not at full power or its getting interference from the analog system.

kayleesdad · #30 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 6:56 AM

this has the basics that works, you can add more to it. i didn't see a place for bandplan USA (don't know if it mattes i thought it was for steps in conventinal frequencies), but that is under (pgm)-(func)-[global] and scroll down to bandplan.

kayleesdad · #31 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 7:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tryton

This system is a real PITA for me to get to decode properly.. The E-mails are starting to roll in lol. Even when I'm showing low error rates it still sounds like crap.. I wonder if it's not at full power or its getting interference from the analog system.

could be tough to get it to sound good with a digital system. i've been trying different antennas and locations. a base antenna seems to make it worse at least where I am at with the xt. and as you've heard them say site 5 has its own issues that seem to have more to do with the transmitting radio or something that gives bad coms to everyone. site 4 sounds okay. site 2 sounds pretty weak (one tgid only there) from where I am at.

ngel · #32 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 8:27 AM

I can't hear site 4 from north county wont even get a decode on control channel during tune mode. Also for the life of me no matter settings or location and as of recently on site 5 the channels 857.7375 mhz and 858.7375 mhz always come in garbled if anything even comes through. It makes my pro-106 act weird when trying to decode on those channels. Normally the T symbal for trunking stays solid but on those frequencies it just flashes and usually nothing comes through but all the other frequencies are crystal clear. I believe the system is definetaly causing simulcast distortion on our scanners.

Tryton · #33 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 9:24 AM

I am very disappointed with the system. I will end up going back to sheriff in analog and sppd in digital. I have also moved the scanner and tried 2 different antennas. I believe that a lot has to do with tower 5 at this point. I say that because of hearing garbled transmissions even with my error rate at 0.

~~DG_ENC~~ · #34 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 9:46 AM

Today is very active with tons of new encrypted talk groups.1436, 1438, 1476 are ENC.

~~DG_ENC~~ · #35 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tryton

This system is a real PITA for me to get to decode properly.. The E-mails are starting to roll in lol. Even when I'm showing low error rates it still sounds like crap.. I wonder if it's not at full power or its getting interference from the analog system.

Having no problem on the GRE PSR-600. Sounds great other than all the encryption that started today.

~~DG_ENC~~ · #36 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 2:13 PM

More encrypted TG's 1462 and 1478

ngel · #37 (**permalink**) 08-13-2012, 9:11 PM

those enc talkgroups have been showing up the last few months on the system

Tryton · #38 (**permalink**) 08-14-2012, 5:56 AM

Maybe its time for me to think about getting a gre scanner, If it's so much better at decoding this system.. I have always been a uniden fan but its useless if it don't work.,

exportdawg · #39 (**permalink**) 08-14-2012, 7:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tryton

Maybe its time for me to think about getting a gre scanner, If it's so much better at decoding this system.. I have always been a uniden fan but its useless if it don't work.,

For a P25 System, nothing better..imo.

LeapFrog · #40 (**permalink**) 08-14-2012, 8:15 AM

I'd love to see quantified data on P25 decoding error rates and audio quality between identically installed PSR-600's and the BCD996XT. There is some anecdotal data from the older models (Uniden firmware <1.06) that says the PSR-600 is "better" but to the best of my knowledge that information isn't quantified.

At my location I have used both models of scanners with current firmware on the Pinellas P25 system and frankly can't tell the difference between them when fed by a broadband splitter on the same antenna system (I have mentioned elsewhere that the antenna used can make a huge difference in the decoder error rate). The Uniden scanner decoding did improve significantly after adjusting the P25 Adjust Level from its default.