BCD325P2/BCD996P2: 996P2 Won't Decode Conventional P25 - Tried Everything - HELP

[JoeBearcat]

Pete, great idea. I tried that early on, no go. BUT, just tried again. It does NOT work with 172.450 as the single trunk frequency, even though I see the signal meter pop up when I TX on the Motorola portable. BUT, it DOES work just fine in single trunk with the trunk freq at 146.420. Same test as conventional otherwise, but great to confirm even in single-channel trunk mode the same frequency-based issue exists. VERY strange.

Same mode? (FM vs NFM)? How are you trying to receive it? Programmed channel? Search?

 

[tvengr]

Pete, great idea. I tried that early on, no go. BUT, just tried again. It does NOT work with 172.450 as the single trunk frequency, even though I see the signal meter pop up when I TX on the Motorola portable. BUT, it DOES work just fine in single trunk with the trunk freq at 146.420. Same test as conventional otherwise, but great to confirm even in single-channel trunk mode the same frequency-based issue exists. VERY strange.

A P25 conventional frequency should not be setup as single trunk. It is not a control channel. Set it up as a conventional P25 frequency. What system is using 146.42? That is in the 2 meter amateur band.

 

[tvengr]

This is definitely a conventional frequency. Set it up as 2 conventional frequencies. One will be an analog only with a DPL of 032. The other will be a P25 digital only with a NAC of 140.

172.4500

032 DPL NAC 140

Fishers Peak

36°33'34.00"N 80°49'22.00"W

NC

The is also a possibility that you have a bad coax cable from your distribution to the scanner. If a connector is bad, the length of cable can act as a trap at certain frequencies.

 

[fulkg1]

Same mode? (FM vs NFM)? How are you trying to receive it? Programmed channel? Search?

Programmed channel. I have tested on a SECOND P2 (replacement from Scanner Master), using a Motorola XPS5000 VHF P25 portable with front panel programming enabled. The bottom line is that these current P2's (the two we have tried at least) STOP decoding P25 audio above 171.200 MHz. 171.200 and below are OK, but above that P25 programmed any way u want to try it, will not decode audio, period. My buddy is sending this SECOND P2 back and getting a refund this time. A VERY strange problem. Have tried even doing the IF shift ON / OFF on these frequencies, just as a try, no good. Thanks.

 

[fulkg1]

This is definitely a conventional frequency. Set it up as 2 conventional frequencies. One will be an analog only with a DPL of 032. The other will be a P25 digital only with a NAC of 140.

172.4500

032 DPL NAC 140

Fishers Peak

36°33'34.00"N 80°49'22.00"W

NC

The is also a possibility that you have a bad coax cable from your distribution to the scanner. If a connector is bad, the length of cable can act as a trap at certain frequencies.

Thanks, but tried everything. Not a signal problem. I have a P25 Motorola portable radio with front panel programming, and any freq above 171.200 will NOT decode P25. Tried every way that exists. All works fine if freq is 171.200 or below!!! A crazy bug for sure. Two new P2 scanners tried, same results on both.

 

[fulkg1]

A P25 conventional frequency should not be setup as single trunk. It is not a control channel. Set it up as a conventional P25 frequency. What system is using 146.42? That is in the 2 meter amateur band.

Thanks for trying to help. But, the 146.42 was for TESTING ONLY, no worries. The latest tests using a Motorola XPS5000 P25 portable in front panel programming mode, reveal that ANY frequency above 171.200 will not decode P25. Change freq to 171.200 and below, and P25 audio decodes just fine. A crazy bug.

 

[tvengr]

Try using the IFX (Intermediate frequency exchange) function on the 172.45 frequency. You may be receiving an image or intermod on 172.45 from a nearby transmitter or transmitters. Your other radios probably use different IF frequencies and would not exhibit the same problem.

 

[fulkg1]

Final report on this one, from a few weeks ago, done with this one, no resolution, and NO RESPONSE to a tech support email to Uniden from several weeks back as well.

The replacement scanner does the SAME thing as prior notes, and Scanner Master had even programmed the 172.450 Blue Ridge Parkway into the second scanner, thinking that I must be doing something wrong LOL. Further testing with the Motorola XTS5000 portable reveals that P25 stops decoding voice above 171.200 MHz!!! Tested every 200 KHz or so, all the way to 172.450. Will NOT decode P25. Works fine at 171.200 and below. DONE. I sold my friend my idle 996XT, which works just fine, and phase 2 P25 is years away here on the main NC state-system.

 

[tvengr]

The replacement scanner does the SAME thing as prior notes, and Scanner Master had even programmed the 172.450 Blue Ridge Parkway into the second scanner,

Did you try using IFX as I suggested in post #47? Being that the replacement scanner is doing the same exact thing, there is a very good possibility that you are dealing with an interference problem.

 

[KevinC]

This is very interesting. I wonder if @ScannerMasterSupport (or some other seller) could pull one from stock and confirm they see the same thing?

 

[KEWB-N1EXA]

Same mode? (FM vs NFM)? How are you trying to receive it? Programmed channel? Search?

Remember On the 996 On a single frequency trunk or any trunk you need to make a Dummy talk Group Called 1 ( Dispatch ) as an Example
If you don't have any talk groups to get the radio to search the system. Just entering single frequency trunk (search) does not seem to work.

Pete N1EXA

 

[tvengr]

This is very interesting. I wonder if @ScannerMasterSupport (or some other seller) could pull one from stock and confirm they see the same thing?

I tried entering the frequency into my 996P2 and didn't see any evidence of a birdie. Unfortunately, I am too far away to try IFX on that frequency. This is a possibility that they are using conventional simulcast.

Remember On the 996 On a single frequency trunk or any trunk you need to make a Dummy talk Group Called 1 ( Dispatch ) as an Example

This is a P25 conventional frequency, not trunked.

 

[ScannerMasterSupport]

I tried entering the frequency into my 996P2 and didn't see any evidence of a birdie. Unfortunately, I am too far away to try IFX on that frequency. This is a possibility that they are using conventional simulcast.

This is a P25 conventional frequency, not trunked.

I have not seen this on a 996P2 myself.

There is a reason why one should program conventional P25 channels in as P25 Single Channel Trunked. This provides the same features as a regular trunking system such as P25 User ID's and enables the ability to program those ID's with alias's. Even though there is no control channel there is underlying data that provides the features.

Try it and see if it works.

 

[dispatch235]

Hmmm.... myself and another gentleman on the forums are also having trouble with the "new" Uniden 996p2's and 536hp's not decoding the MOSWIN p25 system here in MO also...
We have both sent back radios and gotten exchanges that suffer the same problem. I have never had any problems and have programmed dozens of 996-536 radios for people .... so the new chip design/and/or/ firmware has a problem....

 

[Matt5569]

Yeah, the strangest thing I've ever seen lately. It seems purely frequency based, that somewhere above 162 MHz (or at least 172 MHz) P25 decode just stops working. It gets the VA STARS P25 trunked fine at freqs up to around 162 MHz.

Same here my 996p2 will not decode p25 on voice freqs 171.2625 172.4625 171.65 but it will on the voice freq 155.355 on the Lawson Mo moswin system. If the system uses any of those first freqs in 170mhz it will not decode and there is no p25 on screen. But it shows p25 when system is using the 155.355 freq. and decodes just fine. I’ve tried everything I can think of and no go. My 325p2 I bought in January works great on same system. Bought 996p2 last week. Pulling my hair out lol.

 

[Matt5569]

Hmmm.... myself and another gentleman on the forums are also having trouble with the "new" Uniden 996p2's and 536hp's not decoding the MOSWIN p25 system here in MO also...
We have both sent back radios and gotten exchanges that suffer the same problem. I have never had any problems and have programmed dozens of 996-536 radios for people .... so the new chip design/and/or/ firmware has a problem....

Same here my 996p2 will not decode p25 on voice freqs 171.2625 172.4625 171.65 but it will on the voice freq 155.355 on the Lawson Mo moswin system. If the system uses any of those first freqs in 170mhz it will not decode and there is no p25 on screen. But it shows p25 when system is using the 155.355 freq. and decodes just fine. I’ve tried everything I can think of and no go. My 325p2 I bought in January works great on same system. Bought 996p2 last week. Pulling my hair out lol.

 

[Ubbe]

Further testing with the Motorola XTS5000 portable reveals that P25 stops decoding voice above 171.200 MHz!!! Tested every 200 KHz or so, all the way to 172.450. Will NOT decode P25. Works fine at 171.200 and below.

It does receive signal on 172.450, full scale meter, and in ALL audio mode the digital rumble can be heard fine, just no P2 audio decode.

Then it's final, the firmware are broken. It probably disables all formats of digital modes, perhaps even analog sub tones, above 171.200MHz in VHF band.

/Ubbe

 

[werinshades]

This was probably one of those "firmware updates for new hardware" that Voyager Joe Bearcat claimed to be working on some time ago. .

 

[JoeBearcat]

Then it's final, the firmware are broken. It probably disables all formats of digital modes, perhaps even analog sub tones, above 171.200MHz in VHF band.

/Ubbe

We are investigating a hardware or firmware issue that affects P25 decode above 171.200 MHz.

For anyone who has the issue and is willing to help, do you have an older unit that only recently developed this issue or are all the units with issues recently purchased? (after say last fall)

 

[Matt5569]

We are investigating a hardware or firmware issue that affects P25 decode above 171.200 MHz.

For anyone who has the issue and is willing to help, do you have an older unit that only recently developed this issue or are all the units with issues recently purchased? (after say last fall)

I bought my 996 last week, the one I sent back was Purchased on march 22 and both had the same issue. My 325 was purchased in January and it works fine.