AOR DV1 and P25 Phase 1 & 2

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Alex_S

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My research has shown my that the DV1 is not a trunking-type scanner. But I am interested in it anyway. I have the Uniden portable 436 and looking for monitoring digital amateur radio modes and P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2. I see that Phase 2 isnt done right now by the radio.

Does anyone know when it (Phase 2) will become available for this radio? I'm brand new here to these forums but not to scanning, so please be gentle. Alex.
 

MStep

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My research has shown my that the DV1 is not a trunking-type scanner. But I am interested in it anyway. I have the Uniden portable 436 and looking for monitoring digital amateur radio modes and P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2. I see that Phase 2 isnt done right now by the radio.

Does anyone know when it (Phase 2) will become available for this radio? I'm brand new here to these forums but not to scanning, so please be gentle. Alex.

First of all, welcome to the RR forums Alex, and specifically here to the AOR group. There are some amazing folks here that can help answer practically any question you have about the DV1 and its operation.

You are quite right that the DV1, which was introduced last year, does not do P25 Phase 2. It does Phase 1 and those other modes such as DMR, D-Star and others which are used by both amateur radio operators, businesses, etc.

So the big question is when and if P25 Phase 2 will become available. Based on the best information that I have, along with information compiled from other sources, it would appear the sometime in March (next month), AOR is going to focus on attempting to provide that mode via a firmware upgrade. Whether they will actually be able to do that without making some hardware modifications to the receiver are uncertain at this time. So one way or another, there are no guarantees.

Nor is there any guarantee that if this cannot be done via a firmware upgrade, whether AOR will provide a hardware modification to exisiting users who would likely be interested. If they do, this would likely be something you would have to pay to have done at one of their facilities.

Incidentally, I assume you do not have the radio yet. Make sure you read as many of the posts here on the forums about the radio. If you are in the states, you'll want to look at the posts involving repair issues for radios purchased from dealers abroad.

My experience with the radio itself was very good. But yes, for folks here in the states, where use of P25 seems to be more significant than in Europe or Asia, P25 Phase 2 would be a very welcome addition.
 

Alex_S

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First of all, welcome to the RR forums Alex, and specifically here to the AOR group. There are some amazing folks here that can help answer practically any question you have about the DV1 and its operation.

You are quite right that the DV1, which was introduced last year, does not do P25 Phase 2. It does Phase 1 and those other modes such as DMR, D-Star and others which are used by both amateur radio operators, businesses, etc.

So the big question is when and if P25 Phase 2 will become available. Based on the best information that I have, along with information compiled from other sources, it would appear the sometime in March (next month), AOR is going to focus on attempting to provide that mode via a firmware upgrade. Whether they will actually be able to do that without making some hardware modifications to the receiver are uncertain at this time. So one way or another, there are no guarantees.

Nor is there any guarantee that if this cannot be done via a firmware upgrade, whether AOR will provide a hardware modification to exisiting users who would likely be interested. If they do, this would likely be something you would have to pay to have done at one of their facilities.

Incidentally, I assume you do not have the radio yet. Make sure you read as many of the posts here on the forums about the radio. If you are in the states, you'll want to look at the posts involving repair issues for radios purchased from dealers abroad.

My experience with the radio itself was very good. But yes, for folks here in the states, where use of P25 seems to be more significant than in Europe or Asia, P25 Phase 2 would be a very welcome addition.

Thank you very much for that information mstep. I did read many of the posts on this forum and you seam to have a very good overview of this receiver and its operation. And i also like the fact that you are very enthusiastic about the DV1 receiver. If you don't already work for AOR they should really hire you to represent them here. I know that Uniden and several others have there own reps on the boards and its always good business practice to have someone out there for there product. Im taking everything under consideration and hope to be a regular here. I do have the Uniden portable 436 which I also like very much. If you here anthing else about the Phase 2 P25 on this radio, please let us know.
 

MStep

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Thank you very much for that information mstep. I did read many of the posts on this forum and you seam to have a very good overview of this receiver and its operation. And i also like the fact that you are very enthusiastic about the DV1 receiver. If you don't already work for AOR they should really hire you to represent them here. I know that Uniden and several others have there own reps on the boards and its always good business practice to have someone out there for there product. Im taking everything under consideration and hope to be a regular here. I do have the Uniden portable 436 which I also like very much. If you here anthing else about the Phase 2 P25 on this radio, please let us know.

Thanks for those kind words Alex. Just so there is no confusion, I do not represent AOR here on the forums. although I am enthusiastic about the DV1. Also, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that I currently do not have my own DV1. I did have one for a while--- if you read the threads here, your are likely familiar with my story. I did get your email, but thought that I would answer some of your questions here so that we could all share the information.

I do have access to a friend's DV1 when he is out of town. I've forwarded several suggestions to AOR in Torrance, CA, regarding some of the operating anomalies and also suggesting improvements that could be made in the operating manual to clarify some of the finer points about the receiver.

The manual, while nicely done, overlooks some of the "nuances" in receiver operation. Once I get my own DV1, I would like to continue to work on improvements to the operating manual which would be of benefit to all users of this receiver.

You can also check the AOR website for firmware updates, which seem to be done once or twice a month, regarding the status of the P25 Phase 2 inclusion. I am not privy to what AOR is planning; I know they would like to do this via a firmware upgrade, but some of the folks who are more familiar with the actual electronics of the unit tell me that a hardware change may be required. I have inquired as to whether existing DV1's would be hardware upgradable, but I've heard nothing back from AOR at this point. Based on all the information I've been able to collect for a myriad of sources, I would not expect any announcement to be made about additional modes of digital operation until sometime in mid-March. Of course, AOR could surprise us all and announce something much sooner. Or there may be no announcements at all, but I do know that a lot of folks here in the states have been asking about Phase 2. Apparently P25 is much more common here in the U.S. as opposed to in Europe or Asia.

I also have the Uniden 436 (and the 536) and like them very much. The DV1 makes a great "companion" receiver to those more conventional trunking scanners.
 

dudekindjack

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Still not heard anything back on my repairs on mine yet. Just check in in to let everyone know more about turn around time if you have send something overseas to get repaired if you live in states.
 

KeithKenobi

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How can you tell if a signal is phase 2? How does the DV1 behave? One system here decodes the audio but there is an annoying digital burst every half second or so interrupting the voice.
Keith
 

MStep

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How can you tell if a signal is phase 2? How does the DV1 behave? One system here decodes the audio but there is an annoying digital burst every half second or so interrupting the voice.
Keith

Give me a couple of days to get my radio back again, and I will attempt to investigate that and answer your question.
 

dudekindjack

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Still not heard anything on my ar-dv1 being repaired. No emails, phone calls, nothing. Been 4 weeks so far . They received it a week after I sent it out in mail.

Hopefully they do the P25 phase 2 upgrade while it's there if it requires sending it to them.
Just updating my status on turn around.
 

MStep

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Still not heard anything on my ar-dv1 being repaired. No emails, phone calls, nothing. Been 4 weeks so far . They received it a week after I sent it out in mail.

Hopefully they do the P25 phase 2 upgrade while it's there if it requires sending it to them.
Just updating my status on turn around.

Thanks for that update. Your experience should serve as a caveat to those who purchase unblocked radios for use in the United States--- as you first pointed out, you can't have your radio repaired in the U.S. at the facility in Torrance, CA. It has to go back to Asia.

At this time, for example, the only radios that Amazon sells are the unblocked versions from a third-party seller overseas. They do not sell the U.S. version, as of the date of this post.

If you are in the U.S., the only two authorized dealers for AOR that I am aware of is Scanner Master and Universal Radio.

In terms of any P25 Phase 2 availability, I am told that is not likely to appear until sometime in late March or April. It's possible that they may be able to do it with firmware, but more likely would require a minor hardware modification in the radio.

In any event, please keep us posted regarding your repair.
 

FrankNY

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Forgetful?

If you are in the U.S., the only two authorized dealers for AOR that I am aware of is Scanner Master and Universal Radio.
You didn't forget HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) and The Ham Station, did you? :)

Here's a complete list of U.S. and Canadian AOR dealers, which also includes some government-only resellers.

http://www.aorusa.com/aboutus/dealers.html

Regards,

Frank.
 
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MStep

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You didn't forget HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) and The Ham Station, did you? :)

Here's a complete list of U.S. and Canadian AOR dealers, which also includes some government-only resellers.

DEALERS | AOR U.S.A., INC. Authority On Radio Communications

Regards,

Frank.

Thanks for that info Frank. When I spoke to a rep at AOR, he only mentioned Universal and Scanner Master, but I guess folks interested can also check those other dealers as well.
 

FrankNY

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Thanks for that info Frank. When I spoke to a rep at AOR, he only mentioned Universal and Scanner Master, but I guess folks interested can also check those other dealers as well.
Just trying to keep you honest, young fellow, that's all. :)

HRO has 13 retail stores scattered around the country and The Ham Station is located in Evansville, Indiana, where I once spent six weeks on business many years ago, but that's another story entirely.

Both HRO and The Ham Station carry the AR-DV1.

Hope to hear soon that you've gotten yourself a new unit.

Regards,

Frank.
 

MStep

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Just trying to keep you honest, young fellow, that's all. :)

HRO has 13 retail stores scattered around the country and The Ham Station is located in Evansville, Indiana, where I once spent six weeks on business many years ago, but that's another story entirely.

Both HRO and The Ham Station carry the AR-DV1.

Hope to hear soon that you've gotten yourself a new unit.

Regards,

Frank.
Yes Frank, my unit arrived yesterday. It was ordered through Universal. It is the U.S. version, so I don't have to worry about warranty coverage--- it can be serviced at the AOR facility in Torrance, CA, should it every require same.

As you have probably gathered from other threads, I am now experimenting with marlbrook's software package, which includes memory management AND computer control of the radio. I also use Butel's program, which just does memory management right now. Hopefully, sometime after the weekend, I'll be able to get some info posted here on my impressions of the marlbrook (also known as Ash-By) package.

For now, I'm just trying to get comfortable with the receiver itself. Last night I did a little listening on 75 meters. Today, I'm just experimenting with some of the digital modes.

As per Steve Sherman's recommendations, I'll be ordering up a preselector (most likely the MFJ-1046)--- at the moment, I'm using the radio with a discone antenna. When the weather gets a little warmer, I want to string up a random-length longwire in the backyard for improved SW reception.

Thanks again for doing some fact-checking for me.
 

dudekindjack

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A advantage having a export version over the United states version is,, the u.s. version does not have the voice inversion in it, if I remember correctly. That could be a deciding factor if you want an export model also .
 

AA6IO

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I spoke to Jeff recently at the Ham Station and he said they were no longer handling the AR-DV1. Also, I live a few miles from Anaheim HRO and they do not have the AR-DV1. Perhaps things have changed very recently, but I also thought that Universal and Scanner Master actually have the radio for sale.
 

MStep

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A advantage having a export version over the United states version is,, the u.s. version does not have the voice inversion in it, if I remember correctly. That could be a deciding factor if you want an export model also .

Yes, that is very true, and everyone has to weigh carefully the advantages of one over the other. I was perfectly happy with the export version that I had purchased from Amazon, until I found out that the warranty would not be handled in the United States.

Having had the export version for about a month, I found that there was really nothing to hear on the cellular bands, and that there was no voice inversion being used in my area. Other areas of the country might be different. I understand that there are places where voice inversion is still being used.

On the other hand, the fact that the receiver can be used to pick up cellular frequencies possibly does permit a certain amount of signal intelligence to be carried out, either as stand-alone, but more likely with ancillary equipment designed for that purpose.

So there is a trade-off, and everyone has to make that decision on an individual basis.
 

MStep

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I spoke to Jeff recently at the Ham Station and he said they were no longer handling the AR-DV1. Also, I live a few miles from Anaheim HRO and they do not have the AR-DV1. Perhaps things have changed very recently, but I also thought that Universal and Scanner Master actually have the radio for sale.

Thanks for that update Steve. Not sure if it involves profit margins or other factors, but I understand that there have been a few defections of dealerships here in the U.S. from the AOR line over the past several years. I know that Universal and Scanner Master still offer the radio based on verbal confirmation from both companies--- I have not had an opportunity to contact other dealers regarding their status, although you have confirmed the situation with HRO.
 

wwaring

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Dear All--I need help. 1) I cannot figure out how to make the DV1 operate correctly in APCO P-25 Phase 1 (common in New Orleans). Do I enter the control channel or one of the talk channels in a VFO and choose the P25 mode? I know the dv1 is not a trunking radio. But can I enter the control channel and the talk channels into a Bank and scan the Bank? Do I not enter the control channel, but only the talk channels? 2) Also, with respect to 500k to 30m I use a Pixel Loop--a great antenna which works great on all of my other radios, but I get gibberish on the dv1--even when the modes are correct? Do I have a defective radio? 3) On firmware updates, is the latest version "all inclusive" or do I need to perform the updates one by one? Thanks, wwwjr
 

freqseek

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you want to just enter all the voice channels, no control channels (you will hear annoying data like
sound). I don't have a DV1, I am basing this on experience with other AOR products
 
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