PSR-500 trunking issue

[m_clark]

I am new to the PSR-500, and I have a question...

I am using the ARC500 program. I have programmed in the Illinois StarCom21 system (http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2324) using the RadioReference import. The issue I have is that when the PSR-500 stops on a channel in this system, it stays for about 1-2 seconds, and then starts scanning again. The audio is clear, and the transmission sounds fine, but it just starts scanning again before the transmission is done. I don't know if there's a setting that is causing this or why it is happening. I don't know if it matters, but I have two priority CONV channels set up.

Thank you.

 

[troymail]

Conventional channels set up with priority/priority on may mae it seem like trunked (and other) voice channels seem like they are cutting out.... If you turn off all priority stuff, do you have the same problem?

(I find the priority CONV and weather feature annoying)

 

[m_clark]

I know that when it checks for priority it "cuts out" for a split second, and that's ok. What is happening though is that a channel on the P-25 system starts transmitting, and after 1-2 seconds it just stops the transmission and starts scanning again. I would expect the transmission to "cut out" for a split second while it checks the priority channel, but I don't understand why it just starts scanning again as if the tranmission was over when it's not, it seems logical that it would go back to the channel it was on.

I did shut off "Priority ON", "TGRP Priority Interrupt", "Quick Priority Return", and "WX Priority" in the "Global Settings" of ARC500, and that seemed to stop the interruption of the P-25 transmission. I really want to have 2 CONV channels set as priority, though. So, is there one of these settings mentioned that I should not be setting that is causing the problem?

 

[m_clark]

I've been testing different settings, and setting either "WX Priority" or "TGRP Priority Interrupt" kills the digital transmission. Is it really impossible to do any priority checking during a digital transmission? I'm wondering if a support ticket with GRE will do any good for a future firmware update. Any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[don333]

I've been having the same problem with the Baltimore City system. I have NO priorities "ON". I am also experiencing the same problem with the Baltimore County System that is trunked, but not digital. I have emailed GRE concerning this, but as yet, have not heard back from them. Could the radio be defective?

 

[troymail]

I've been having the same problem with the Baltimore City system. I have NO priorities "ON". I am also experiencing the same problem with the Baltimore County System that is trunked, but not digital. I have emailed GRE concerning this, but as yet, have not heard back from them. Could the radio be defective?

Maybe.

I listen to Baltimore City and County on my PSR500 without any real problems.

What versions of firmware are you running?

What area are you in?

 

[don333]

I'm in the Towson/Parkville area of Baltimore County, but it seems to happen where ever I go. It's only intermittent, but it's enough to be annoying. Should I contact the retailer or GRE directly if I think it needs to be replaced?
Thanks.

 

[SCPD]

you can go to GRE's site www.greamerica.com register as a user and complete a Support ticket, if Nothing else, they will at least put it on the list for the next firmware update.

 

[rdale]

I'd suggest upgrading to the latest firmware (CPU & DSP) before submitting tickets... As Troy said - his works fine, so Max's suggestion that they should fix it on the next firmware doesn't seem to make sense?

 

[don333]

I have submitted one email to them and I have installed the latest software with no improvement.

 

[kikito]

I did shut off "Priority ON", "TGRP Priority Interrupt", "Quick Priority Return", and "WX Priority" in the "Global Settings" of ARC500, and that seemed to stop the interruption of the P-25 transmission. I really want to have 2 CONV channels set as priority, though. So, is there one of these settings mentioned that I should not be setting that is causing the problem?

I would save your current setup to a V-folder and do a total reset of the scanner. Then manually setup the system in question leaving all the factory defaults and see if it changes anything.

 

[torontokris]

Could this also be a problem on the PSR-600?

 

[rdale]

kris - nobody else has this 'problem' so I'd say it's safe to assume that it won't surface with the 60..

 

[scanfan03]

I know that when it checks for priority it "cuts out" for a split second, and that's ok. What is happening though is that a channel on the P-25 system starts transmitting, and after 1-2 seconds it just stops the transmission and starts scanning again. I would expect the transmission to "cut out" for a split second while it checks the priority channel, but I don't understand why it just starts scanning again as if the tranmission was over when it's not, it seems logical that it would go back to the channel it was on.

I did shut off "Priority ON", "TGRP Priority Interrupt", "Quick Priority Return", and "WX Priority" in the "Global Settings" of ARC500, and that seemed to stop the interruption of the P-25 transmission. I really want to have 2 CONV channels set as priority, though. So, is there one of these settings mentioned that I should not be setting that is causing the problem?

Press Program then F3 (global) scroll all the way down to TGRP Pri Int under expert settings set that setting to off. You should have no other interruptions to trunked systems with a conventional priority on. This setting does not apply to Wx priority (the scanner still checks Wx priority even with this set to off, I wish GRE would change this in the next firmware update). Let me know if this works.

 

[m_clark]

Press Program then F3 (global) scroll all the way down to TGRP Pri Int under expert settings set that setting to off. You should have no other interruptions to trunked systems with a conventional priority on. This setting does not apply to Wx priority (the scanner still checks Wx priority even with this set to off, I wish GRE would change this in the next firmware update). Let me know if this works.

I did shut off TGRP Pri Int already. I also had to shut off WX Priority. Without both of these shut off the digital transmission is interrupted and it does not go back. However, that's not what I want. I want 2 CONV pri channels checked, and then it should go back to the digital signal. That's not what happens. I am using the 1.2 DSP and CPU firmware, btw.

 

[m_clark]

kris - nobody else has this 'problem' so I'd say it's safe to assume that it won't surface with the 60..

So are you saying that you have CONV priority channels set up, and these channels are checked while on a digital channel, and after checking the CONV priority channels it goes back to the digital transmission?

 

[kikito]

So are you saying that you have CONV priority channels set up, and these channels are checked while on a digital channel, and after checking the CONV priority channels it goes back to the digital transmission?

That's how it's working for me right now. While monitoring a VHF P25 trunked system, it'll check and switch to conventional frequencies if they're active and then go back to the digital transmission, IF it's still active, of course. Otherwise, it'll stay there for the duration of the delay and move on.

 

[m_clark]

That's how it's working for me right now. While monitoring a VHF P25 trunked system, it'll check and switch to conventional frequencies if they're active and then go back to the digital transmission, IF it's still active, of course. Otherwise, it'll stay there for the duration of the delay and move on.

Ok, that's good to know. I will try to clear out what I have and do it by hand, as you suggested (once I figure out how to do that ) - I've never programmed a digital system and it looks ominous to do by hand. As I said, this scanner is new to me.

However, what do you think could be causing the symptoms I'm seeing? I'm wondering if I put in a ticket with GRE if they can take a copy of my scanner programming and see where the problem is (something I did, something with the RR data I downloaded, something the ARC500 software did, etc.)...

I don't know if it matters or not, but I've also tried to put different things on different scanlists. So StarCom21 is on 1, the CONV channels I'm trying to have priority are on 5 (along with some others), etc. The software shows 624 talkgroups and 208 CONV channels (2 of which are priority).

 

[kikito]

However, what do you think could be causing the symptoms I'm seeing? I'm wondering if I put in a ticket with GRE if they can take a copy of my scanner programming and see where the problem is (something I did, something with the RR data I downloaded, something the ARC500 software did, etc.)...

Other people have already suggested most of what I would've check. There's only two more things I could think of, reception problems or something the software is setting up wrong in the scanner, hence the reason I suggested to do it by hand. You don't have to program everything but just enough to test.

 

[m_clark]

Well, I cleared the scanner and then put in 4 of the P25 frequencies and 3 CONV frequencies and then set up all the priority stuff. Doing it this way, when it was on a P25 channel, it did check priority and then went back to the P25 transmission. So it is something with the frequencies coming in, or some setting. I put in a ticket with GRE to see if they would take a copy of my scanner memory and see what it is that is causing the problem.