VX-450 Two-tone page programming

[ralpheburns]

Hello RadioReference -

I'm trying to understand and create 2-tone programming on VX-450 series. I'd love to find a reference that describes the functions in the programming menus to help, but if anyone here can lend pointers then I'd be grateful. I am part of a volunteer fire department and learning by doing. A previous effort to get this to work yielded a lousy success rate when tones actually dropped. The radio was much more likely to beep from tones when it was already on. It seems to me that the tones wouldn't "wake up" the radio from "Duty Off" quick enough to actually work. All this is just a guess for me!

Our department is a merger of two smaller departments, and the dispatch actually pages out both legacy tones on the same dispatch frequency when a call drops.... in effect we have two chances to pick up a 2-tone. Using audio editing software, I find that the tone lengths are 0.75 sec and 1.25 seconds for each pair.

Attached is a mp3 recording of our tones. Also attached are screen captures from CE115 2-Tone Setting and 2-Tone System.

The radios are running the latest v1.29 firmware. Bear in mind that I'm at the bottom of the learning curve with all this, thanks.

Ralph in Colorado

 

[sibbley]

On the 2 tone setting screen, try changing the decode precision back to the default 1.5%.

 

[ralpheburns]

Thanks Sibbley! What does precision actually do? Got any insight for me on the "2-Tone System" menu? What do you do there? I'd love to understand more about it or follow normal conventions there.

 

[sibbley]

Thanks Sibbley! What does precision actually do? Got any insight for me on the "2-Tone System" menu? What do you do there? I'd love to understand more about it or follow normal conventions there.

From the Help file (which is pretty good BTW): In my software 1.5% was the default.

2-TONE DECODE PRECISION

[Signaling] - [2-Tone] - [2-Tone Setting]

This parameter defines the precision of decodable Frequency.

The mis-decoding when the frequencies used near tone can avoid the making this parameter to be small value.

Note: The ability to decode 2-Tone sequence under the noise environment will decline when making the precision to small value.

It is recommended to use in the default condition as much as possible.

Range: "+/- 0.5%" to "+/- 4.0%"


Below is my 2-tone system setup. It works pretty well and almost never misses. I set the orange button as on duty/off duty. With my setup, I can hold on the dispatch channel, hit the orange button "duty off" and the radio is silent till one of the pairs is sent. It's kind of hard to read. I can send you the code plug if you want.

 

[ralpheburns]

Sibby... Would love to get your programming file to compare. Would you PM or me your email address and I can respond with my email address? I'm too new here to PM or email you and would like to avoid posting my email address if possible. Cheerio - Ralph in Colorado

 

[sibbley]

When I go to your profile page I don't get the option to PM you. I attached the file to this post.

 

[ralpheburns]

Thanks Sibbley -

I followed your lead and will see how it goes. I'm wondering:
- how do I estimate transmission lead in & lead out times for 2-tone or if it even matters much? That's not something I can easily obtain from dispatch.

Do you use a DVS-8? I've never been able to get a programmed key to turn playback off while it's playing and instead have to power cycle the radio. Also I'm wee confused about the message playback order... seems tied to the time spacing of transmissions. What I'd really want to do is just play the very last transmission and then turn playback off.

 

[sibbley]

I just left lead in and lead out set at the default.

I didn't buy the DVS-8. I had already decided to buy the Icom F60v which came standard with recording feature. On my F60v, you can simply hit the button again to stop playback. Sounds like the DVS-8 works like my Minitor III. It rolls through each message till it's played them all. If you press the playback button it moves to the next set.

 

[vip3r82]

having the same issue! vx454

my fire dept. has vx354 radios and just now updated to the vx454's, with the 354's when our tones drop the radio will decode and then open up our main fire feq. which both page and main fire feq are the same. the 354 will open up to where we can hear our dispatch give out what our call is.

The vx454's are programmed with the same Feq. and Settings, but will not open up so dispatch can be heard.

 

[vip3r82]

my fire dept. has vx354 radios and just now updated to the vx454's, with the 354's when our tones drop the radio will decode and then open up our main fire feq. which both page and main fire feq are the same. the 354 will open up to where we can hear our dispatch give out what our call is.

The vx454's are programmed with the same Feq. and Settings, but will not open up so dispatch can be heard.

My issue is fixed will post screen shots soon.

 

[sibbley]

Great! Happy to hear you resolved the issue. Looking forward to the screen shots.

 

[vip3r82]

Great! Happy to hear you resolved the issue. Looking forward to the screen shots.

I gotten one of the 15 radios to open up on the main channel after it decodes, and cloned the other 14 off the one I have working but still no luck on the other 14.... as soon as I get this small issue figured out I will post the screen shots.

The funny thing about this, is that even the old radio's VX354, mine and my Chief's radio is setup the same on settings and feq. but his will not open up to hear dispatch after tones are dropped but mine will.

and now I have one firefighter saying that his VX454 will not do anything while it is on the charger...lol

 

[vip3r82]

here are the Screen shots of "MY" radio profile.

Files marked as other is one of the radios that isn't opening up so u can hear E-911 give out the call after radio has decoded. other radio was cloned from my radio profile as well.