Upgraded philadelphia trs reprogramming q&a here

[mikedel83]

I have had several customer's with issues with their PRO-96 and PRO-2096 and think I have found out why some of them are "deaf" and do not pick up the new P25 signal. Several years ago Radioshack was doing CPU upgrades to the scanner if you sent it into repair. This is NOT a DSP update, and it needs to be manually changed on the board to my knowledge.

I have had two Pro-96's playing side by side and one would not work and the other would. I came to realize that the one not working had CPU 1.1 or older, usually with a date code of 08/03 or 01/04. If your Pro-96 or 2096 is not working correctly, it may be effected by the older CPU. It seems that CPU's 1.2 and after are not effected and pickup the signal but it may be choppy, which is most likely due to LSM issues which are NOT addressed on DSP updates. They did address LSM issues on past DSP updates but it say's it in the firmware upgrade that it has not been tested or configured to work on P25 6.25 systems.

I am contacting my repair center to see if Radioshack is still offering to do the CPU upgrades on these older 96's and 2096's. The reality is these scanner's are 8-9 years old in most cases and if part's are needed, given GRE's current situation it may not be a reality, but my finger's are crossed!

Will keep everyone updated with any new's I hear.

-Mike (Radioshack Manager)

[mikedel83]

By the way...when turning on the Pro-96 or 2096, you can check the CPU version by hitting the 3 button as it turns on. This way you can see if you are effected by this or not.

[mikedel83]

Ok, latest info I got from our repair center is this...

"For the handheld Pro-96 (20-526), there is an upgraded logic PCB (not just the CPU) that is currently at CPU version 1.5. If customer has 1.3 or higher, nothing is required. If the logic PCB is upgraded, the DSP upgrade may also be required. The boards are $249.99 + $49.00 labor."


"For the under-dash Pro-2096 (20-496) there is no upgrade available but they are not required. The version number on the under-dash model does *not* equate to handheld version."

It looks as though to upgrade the CPU you need to replace the entire logic board now, not very cost effective if you ask me. Best advice is to sell them on Ebay to someone who can still use it not on a P25 system.

[phillydjdan]

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Wow, that sucks guess mine will now be used for montco until they upgrade...

[phillydjdan]

Ok, so I want to pose this question: Is there anyway to trick the Pro-96 into tuning to the next step up from a certain frequency while tracking a trunked system? I programmed all the Zone 1 voice channels into the scanner, but one step above (851.29375 instead of 851.2875) and I am picking up the voice activity very well. Same with the control channel. So, is there a way I could program the channels in such a way (maybe using the custom tables) that it tracks exactly one step above where it is supposed to?

[trap5858]

I just purchased a PSR 800 and was loading it, I see on the database that the Philly P25 system is not accessible. I did download the latest library file with no success. Any thoughts?

As always, thanks for your help.

[trap5858]

Got it straightened out with updates of software, DSP and CPU.

[phillydjdan]

Ok, so I found a solution to get the Pro-96 working on the new system. It's an alignment issue inside the radio, not a trunking table issue. I adjusted the pots inside so that the frequency was aligned properly and it works well!

[mikedel83]

Dan can you post some pics of what you did to adjust and align the pots? I would greatly appreciate it... Have a few customers that have trouble getting these working on the new system.

[phillydjdan]

Mike, I followed the information in the following link (post #5):
Digital Noise on Pro-96
It includes a photo of the board. It's nowhere near scientific, you just have to watch the decode rate on your display while you adjust it, but it worked for me and that guy, so there has to be something to it. The decode rate on the adjacent frequency has dropped to nearly nothing, so I figure that must be the pot that adjusts the alignment. What one person has said though, is that you will lose sensitivity on the other bands, and one guy even said he lost his local weather broadcast. So I would only suggest people do this is they are primarily going to use it for 800 MHz reception. If all you listen to is Philly, then you're in good shape doing this trick. Hope this helps!

[mikedel83]

How do you look at the percentage decoder? I believe it is a function and another button to access it, can you let me know...haven't done it in awhile.

[phillydjdan]

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nope, just press MAN then navigate to the desired control channel (presuming its already programmed). The decode rate will display in the bottom right corner.

[mikedel83]

IT WORKED! DJ DAN IS THE MAN!

Dan, thanks so much for posting that information...VERY helpful. I had a Pro-96 with CPU 1.1 that would not work for anything, I was able to get it to work with the information you posted.

FYI: Anybody with a Pro-96 or 2096 not getting reception feel free to come by our Radioshack store at Aramingo and Tioga. Address is 3451 Aramingo Avenue, Phone 215-426-4863, I will do my best to work on all Pro-96's and 2096's (have not opened a 2096 or tested it yet but would assume it works on that also) and get them working. We are a customer service based organization and will be doing all programming and alignment fixes free of charge. Call or stop by and ask for the manager Mike. Please call ahead to ensure I am here before coming.

Thanks again for the info Dan!

-Mike

[firebuff215]

Mike i see you got a fix for the PRO 96 any ideas to get the GRE PSR 600 to work again mine is still down cannot pick up the rebanded philly system....

Joe

[mikedel83]

Joe, I'm not sure if the PSR-500 has any alignment screws that can be adjusted. I would gladly open it and take a look for you if you brought it by. Keep in mind, opening it would void any warranty left on it.