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XTS5000 Non-Affiliate Help

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Thegoodkid

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OK, so I have my XTS 5000 M2 7/800 MHZ (If that's important) set up for non affiliate for my local county. And it works amazing. My local county (Don't really want to say.) uses a single site system "C4FM" and the radio works just fine, but when I try to use it on the Hamilton county simulcast the radio misses transmissions about 95% of the time. Sometimes it will show channel activity, and sometimes... sometimes will unmute. I don't think the radio is out of aliment because I can pick up a county over 40 miles away, on top of that the radio will work on the Madison county simulcast just fine. (These systems are linked and have the same SID and NAC) If I'm in Hamilton county in between towers (So heavy simulcast distortion) the radio will work about 50% of the time.) I've checked my channel ID's with unitrunker 851.00625 & 762.00625 but no dice. I have also tried 851.00000 as well. My local county, which is on the SAFE-T system which is /\/\, Radio reference shows Hamilton county is also /\/\ but I don't believe that since the previous system was Harris EDACS (And I think they would want to stay with the same dealer.). One last detail, If I'm at home at AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD the radio unmutes, the radio will play audio like there's no tomorrow. If I can get it to unmute I can all but take the antenna off and it still works. I've had the radio about a month and still can't figure this out.
 

rescue161

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How is the Channel spacing, offset and bandwidth set? Make sure the spacing is 6.25 kHz and the bandwidth is 12.5 kHz. Try changing the Digital Modulator Type to CQPSK for the simulcast systems.

Is Astro 25 Omnilink checked? How is the Coverage Type set? Is Motorola Prop Features checked?

Otherwise, as you know, this radio is Phase I only and if the systems that you're monitoring has the talkgroups set for Phase II, you will only hear traffic if someone with a Phase I radio affiliates to the system on that talkgroup. We set all of our talkgroups to Phase II even though a lot of our radios are Phase I only. That way, we don't have to do anything special in the future when they decide to upgrade radios.
 

wardaddy

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For Hamilton County, open the Trunking System in CPS. In the ASTRO 25 tab, what do you have for the Site ID?
 

Thegoodkid

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Rescue161
My Channel spacing is set to 6.26 Khz and my bandwidth is set to 12.5 Khz. My modulator is CQPSK. I tried Smartzone but then I would't get any audio, and no Moto prop features is not set. I did try it, but it didn't help.

I know these radios will work because I have seen XTS 1500, 2500, 5000 as well as XTL and APX's and EFJ's

WarDaddy
My site id is 01 but I did try 03 as that is the Hamilton tower site id. I have a subscriber radio right next to me and it works fine, it's a XTS 1500
 
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wardaddy

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The Site ID should be set to 03. I'm assuming you have separate Trunking Systems configured for each site, correct?
 

Thegoodkid

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No. I only have the Hamilton County one. When I tried that I was just messing around and thought I'd try that. When I tried the Madison County Simulcast it worked just fine under the Hamilton County system, I only changed the talkgroup and CC.

Something I might add is the fact that Hamilton county also has a SAFE-T Tower, which works fine.

BTW: Hamilton County's system is. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=5737 Since it's a simulcast, all the traffic goes through all the sites in the county. I have confirmed this with SDRTRUNK. I don't know if this helps but I tried typing in a frequency on a conventional personality with digital CSQ and when the traffic rolled around to that frequency it worked just fine, and the NAC is 264
 
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wardaddy

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I know this sounds counterproductive, but you might have better luck just deleting the Trunking System for Hamilton County and starting from scratch. Start out by adding just a couple of TGs and see if you can get it to work, then add what you need from there. It will ultimately take less time than attempting to troubleshoot this issue over the internet. You mentioned that you previously programmed the Madison County site, which is why I asked if you had separate systems for each site.
 

Thegoodkid

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I can try that. I have created the trunking system three times already. I just find it strange that the radio will only sometimes work, and when it does IT DOES. How intermittent it is so frustrating. I will try something new like I put in the WACN-ID and the radio started showing channel activity, and it started working. then the next day it quit. It still shows channel activity but no voice. Then I put in the correct channel ID's and the radio worked amazing, then kinda stopped. Now it's down the conditions for it to work.
 

Thegoodkid

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OK. I created a new trunking system and tried it, still nothing. I tried with Moto prop features and without, I tried WACN-ID, I tried different channel id's and nothing other than the occasional burp of audio. I would just do the conventional scan but since Hamilton has about 10-15 frequencies that's not really possible, I know I it's better that what I have now but still. I don't want to read a subscriber radio (before anyone asks) but I think that would give me the missing link.

While I was typing this Hamilton had a call on fire dispatch and the radio worked! I'm going to see if it does it again in a different location.

Update: I moved it and it didn't work. That was just a one off thing.
 
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OK. I created a new trunking system and tried it, still nothing. I tried with Moto prop features and without, I tried WACN-ID, I tried different channel id's and nothing other than the occasional burp of audio. I would just do the conventional scan but since Hamilton has about 10-15 frequencies that's not really possible, I know I it's better that what I have now but still. I don't want to read a subscriber radio (before anyone asks) but I think that would give me the missing link.

While I was typing this Hamilton had a call on fire dispatch and the radio worked! I'm going to see if it does it again in a different location.

Update: I moved it and it didn't work. That was just a one off thing.

to be on the SAFE SIDE i would STOP what your doing maybe find someone who knows how to program radios for Non-Affiliation i think in time your going to affiliated to that radio system then own a brick.
 

Thegoodkid

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(No offence to you.) I know how to keep it from affiliating. When ever I try a new codeplug I take off the antenna and check that it doesn't affiliate. The big thing is to not park on a talkgroup.

I'm just guessing there is a setting that I'm missing. That's why I was asking on here, there's usually someone who has had to deal with this before and fixed it.

Do you know of anything, or any tips?
 
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(No offence to you.) I know how to keep it from affiliating. When ever I try a new codeplug I take off the antenna and check that it doesn't affiliate. The big thing is to not park on a talkgroup.

I'm just guessing there is a setting that I'm missing. That's why I was asking on here, there's usually someone who has had to deal with this before and fixed it.

Do you know of anything, or any tips?

i would be willing to look at the code plug just not into telling someone how to do it this way i'm not the one who will get into trouble when your radio does Affiliate and you own a brick.
 

ElroyJetson

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DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
As long as you're only referring to talkgroups from a trunked scan list, slaved to a conventional channel that you select, that's guaranteed safe, no affiliation.

As long as you never set the radio to a talkgroup DIRECTLY. Set it only to conventional channels which have mode slaved scan enabled. The mode slaved scan list contains the trunked groups of interest.
 

Thegoodkid

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That's what I have always made sure of.

I think the problem has been fixed but I have thought the same thing about 5/6 times in the past, but this seems promising. I will post tomorrow if it's fixed or not.
 
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