SDS100/SDS200: SDS 100 firmware update problem? Maybe?

[wyomingmedic]

Hello all,
I have an SDS100 that I have owned since they came out. I generally upgrade the firmware every couple revisions. Nothing major.

I have been using it on a local Phase 2, 800mhz system for a couple years. Single site. Great signal strength. Never have a problem.

Recently, I upgraded the firmware and now seeing NO info on the RSSI graph and numeric display. None whatsoever. I am in an area with a rock crushing signal, so I KNOW there is good coverage here. Same place it has always received well.

I reset and re-wrote the radio. No change. I also tried receiving an adjacent phase 1, 800mhz system up the road that I am very used to. Again, no RSSI graph or numeric indicator.

Could this be the firmware upgrade? Any known problems?

Thanks all

 

[jtwalker]

I would look for other possibilities. Seriously doubt firmware totally wiped away reception of an 800 p25 system.

 

[wyomingmedic]

That's the thing. It didn't wipe away reception. Still receive just fine.

I just no longer get any RSSI data.

 

[jtwalker]

Oh, well I guess that is a possibility although I haven’t heard anyone else complain about it. I haven’t put latest FW on because it didn’t fix anything I cared about.

 

[wyomingmedic]

Hmm. Maybe I can try to roll back to the previous. See if that fixes it

 

[u2brent]

Or try reinstalling the new version just for laughs.
Also could be a csj issue rearing its head as well.

 

[KevinC]

Hello all,
I have an SDS100 that I have owned since they came out. I generally upgrade the firmware every couple revisions. Nothing major.

I have been using it on a local Phase 2, 800mhz system for a couple years. Single site. Great signal strength. Never have a problem.

Recently, I upgraded the firmware and now seeing NO info on the RSSI graph and numeric display. None whatsoever. I am in an area with a rock crushing signal, so I KNOW there is good coverage here. Same place it has always received well.

I reset and re-wrote the radio. No change. I also tried receiving an adjacent phase 1, 800mhz system up the road that I am very used to. Again, no RSSI graph or numeric indicator.

Could this be the firmware upgrade? Any known problems?

Thanks all

Did the RSSI issue start immediately after the update or did it start some time after you updated?

 

[wyomingmedic]

Did the RSSI issue start immediately after the update or did it start some time after you updated?

I want to say it was immediately. I first noticed it a couple hours later

 

[Ubbe]

Are the signal strength indication gone on all channels, even pure analog ones?

Signal strength indicators only show values when squelch are open, but you have reception so it must be some sort of bug that have happened. Program the control channel in quick save memory as Analog Only and you should hear the audio data and also have signal strength indicators. Then change that quick save programming from Analog Only to All in its Audio Type setting and see if it still show signal strength in analog and after a second or two it should switch to digital mode and check if the signal strength then disappears.
Set squelch to 0 and see what happens then.

/Ubbe

 

[wyomingmedic]

Okay, I have found the solution!

After trying everyone's suggestions here, I found that the RSSI meter did not work on analog either. Then, when I took of the antenna, my reception of the local trunking sites was identical to when I had the antenna attached. Like I said, I have a very strong signal here.

So I took the scanner apart and went snooping. I found the thread here regarding cold solder joints that affect received signal strength.

I fired up the dissecting scope and, using the pictures here, referenced the connector and found that YES, I had 4 pins that were floating, right where everyone else has had the problem as well.

Using my finest soldering tip, I was able to reconnect the pins.

Everything works perfectly now! The pin failure just happened to coincide with the same day I did the firmware update.

So for future forum searchers, rssi problem, go looking for the loose/cold solder connections. Most folks probably don't have the tools to fix it at home but if you do it is an easy fix.

Thanks all!