Pro-96 Problem

[LFRfreak]

I asked for help in the Texas forum a couple days ago, but no one has responded. Hopefully I'll have better luck here.

I'm trying to monitor the public safety system in Austin, TX with my Pro-96. Here's the database page: Greater Austin/Travis Regional Radio System (GATRRS) Trunking System, Austin, Texas - Scanner Frequencies. My Pro-106 tracks the system fine, but my Pro-96 won't track it at all. Here's my version info: CPU F1.4, DSP-App U1.4, DSP-Voc F1.0. I'm using Win96 v1.74. In Win96, the bank type and CC frequency are set to MOT and the bank is OPEN. I've tried resetting it with a paperclip and setting the extended table to 800 MHz Rebanded. Every now and then it will spit out CC data for a second or two and then resume silence. In TUNE mode, I can scan through the 850 MHz range and it will receive voice channel traffic from the system just fine.

It's been a quite a while since I've used this scanner. Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks!

 

[puzzleriddle]

have you adjusted & set the re banding table & checked the 9600 baud box in the software that you are using?. I have been told you Must use software to enter the tables
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Pro-96
Win96 - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[LFRfreak]

I've tried that - still no luck. Maybe my scanner is broken?

 

[hiegtx]

I've tried that - still no luck. Maybe my scanner is broken?

GATRRS is a P25 Standard system. Looking strictly at your screenshot, you don't have the 9600CC checked (should use the one by 800MHz). If the scanner is working correctly, and programmed with the current control channels, then you would not need to manually fill in the custom band tables. (That's only required on a 3600 (baud) CC, which is Motorola Type II. For those, you do have to use software to enter the custom tables.) On a P25 system (that's what the 9600 (baud) CC designation is telling the scanner this system is), the control channel data stream would contain the needed table information.

Since I'm not in the Austin area, nor have I ever owned a Pro-96, I can't help you with a file. You might try the CenTexCom Yahoo group which covers your area. Someone on that group might have a *.p96 file that could help you. I took a look in the files section, but did not see any recent ones there.

 

[LFRfreak]

No luck with that either. I'm using the same CCs that I have in my functioning Pro-106.

 

[Craigmoe]

From your screen shot, set the MOT 9600 CC to 'Normal'. That's what mine is set to and it works just fine. Good luck, let us know....

 

[LFRfreak]

That's what I originally had it set to, Craigmoe. If anyone has more suggestions I'll give them a shot, but otherwise I think it's probably time to retire this thing. I sure appreciate all the help.

 

[dste]

The bandplan is transmitted over the control channel for most M96 systems. Your 106 can use this info and work in auto mode, your 96 can not. A program called PRO96COM was developed just for this case. It can also detect and report the bandplan info so you can setup your PRO-96 custom bandplan.

440 . . . . is the correct bandplan for rebanded M36. You need to find the correct bandplan for this M96 system and enter it.

 

[LFRfreak]

Two out of the three CCs that I can hear have a 0% Receive Rate in Pro96Com. The third CC has a 100% Receive Rate. I didn't see any activity on it in Pro96Com. It's an "IR" site if that matters. I copied the table data from Win500 into Win96, which looks a lot like what Pro96Com showed me in the Frequency Identifier Tables. This is a simulcast system. The two CCs that Pro96Com can't read are simulcast sites. I wonder if the simulcast distortion is more than the Pro-96 can handle. I've tried attenuating these CCs with no luck.

 

[talkpair]

Try using Mot 9600 Custom Table with these entries:

Low     High            Base            
Chan    Chan    Offset  Freq             Step    
---------------------------------------------
    0    2877       0   851.00625        6.25   
 8192   10922    8191   139.85000       12.50   
12288   14199   12288   150.10000       12.50   
16384   17476   16382   160.31250       12.50

The above table is based on the screenshot you provided.
Some of the values have been altered slightly to values the Pro96/Pro2096 is known to accept.
For an 800 system, the first line in the table is the only entry that is mandatory.

Even though the system is P25, the older Pro96/Pro2096 cannot build a table using the data from the control channel like newer radios can.

Two out of the three CCs that I can hear have a 0% Receive Rate in Pro96Com.

That's normal. The database or Pro96Com are probably reporting those because they have been seen using those frequencies in the past.
They sometimes change, which is the reason it is important to program them in.

 

[LFRfreak]

That table won't work either. I know for a fact that those two CCs are currently in use (one of them is listed in the adjacent site box of the Pro96Com screenshot). I'm using them in my Pro-106 and I can hear the rushing sound of the data. I'm almost certain that the old Pro-96 can't handle the simulcast distortion/interference.

 

[talkpair]

I'm almost certain that the old Pro-96 can't handle the simulcast distortion/interference.

You could easily test that theory out by punching in a voice channel in TUNE mode.

 

[LFRfreak]

This is getting weird.

When my Pro-106 hits a VC, I enter that frequency in tune mode on my Pro-96 and I just get the data sound. It will decode other frequencies that my Pro-106 isn't showing as VCs in Pro96Com.

The Pro-96 is showing both 853.23125 and 853.225 as site 105. The Pro-106 won't even accept 853.23125 as a frequency for some reason. When I try to enter 853.23125 in the Pro-106 in tune mode, it changes it to 853.225.

When going through frequencies in tune mode on the Pro-96, I will sometimes hit the same talkgroup that my Pro-106 hits, but on a different frequency. For example, both radios were receiving the same talkgroup, but the Pro-96 was on 852.95625 and the Pro-106 was on 852.95. What on earth is going on?

 

[dste]

Try to manually set the PRO-96....

Press MANUAL
Enter 700 for bank 7 and press MANUAL
Press PROGRAM
Press TRUNK
Press MODE until the bank shows "MOT:" rather than "not trunked" or "ED:"
Press FUNCTION
Press 2
Enter Base as 851.00625 and press ENTER
Enter Offset as 0 and press ENTER
Enter Step as 6.25 with the up/down arrow keys and press ENTER
(you need to press all 3 ENTER keys each time you change the table)
Press FUNCTION
Press 4
Set 9600 CC mode to NORMAL or TABLE with the up and down arrows.
Press ENTER, press MANUAL and ....

start scanning

I have looked at another system I have a .p96 file for and have it set in WIN96 for...

Mot 3600 Multi table
Mot 9600 Normal
and the extended table says
Lo 0 Hi 65535 Base 851.00625 Offset 0 Step 6.250
Lo 65535 Hi 65535 Base 0 Step 5.000 (fills out the table)


good luck

 

[talkpair]

The Pro-96 is showing both 853.23125 and 853.225 as site 105.

Since they are only .00625 MHz apart, the signal on 853.23125 is most likely bleed-over from 853.225.
Go with the 853.225 in the database.

The Pro-106 won't even accept 853.23125 as a frequency for some reason. When I try to enter 853.23125 in the Pro-106 in tune mode, it changes it to 853.225.

For the Pro106, the FlexStep setting needs to be set to ON to avoid alteration of the TUNE frequency. You can get there by hitting PROG-FUNC-F3

I think you will get the same results with the Pro106 that you did with the Pro96 as far as the bleed-over goes.

As long as your Pro106 is steering to the correct voice frequencies, I wouldn't get concerned over it.

When going through frequencies in tune mode on the Pro-96, I will sometimes hit the same talkgroup that my Pro-106 hits, but on a different frequency. For example, both radios were receiving the same talkgroup, but the Pro-96 was on 852.95625 and the Pro-106 was on 852.95. What on earth is going on?

This was in tune mode?..........Where did 852.95625 come from?
Here again, these two frequencies are .00625 MHz apart.

If you were really in SCAN or MAN mode with the Pro96, it tells me that your Custom Table entry is wrong. In order for your radio to steer to 852.95625, the Base Frequency in the Custom Table had be set incorrectly to 851.0125 and NOT the correct entry of 851.00625.

Put the software aside and follow dste's instructions on how to enter it from the keypad.

 

[LFRfreak]

I'm sorry, I meant to say that 852.95 is the frequency of a voice channel. The Pro-96 won't "steer" to any voice channel. In tune mode, I can set the Pro-106 to 852.95 and the Pro-96 to 852.95625 and hear the same voice channel traffic. When I attempt to listen to 852.95 with the Pro-96, I just get data sound when there's radio traffic instead of decoded voice.

I manually programmed it per dste's instructions. Still no luck.

I've come across a couple threads that make me believe that it needs repair:

http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/213651-pro-96-frequency-problem.html
http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/108438-issues-my-pro-96-can-anyone-help.html

 

[talkpair]

I've come across a couple threads that make me believe that it needs repair:

It sounds like you've tried everything possible, so I tend to agree.

If you are within range of any of the VHF sites, you might TUNE one of those voice channels in and see if you hear anything. The chances are slim that you would be able to get all of the talk groups you are interested in however.

 

[mobile_1]

Multi-Block Messaging on P26 system

The Radio Shack Pro96 cannot decode the multi-block messages that are being sent on the control channel. It was designed before these were added to the P25 standard. It will only decode the first block but not the second and third blocks of the multi-block messages. Sorry .