BCD996T signal strength meter flashes

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blueline_308

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Since day one, while scanning/searching 800 trunked systems, digital, analog or mixed modes, my 2 week old 996's signal strength meter flashes...about once per second...sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. The only time it does not, is when you hold on a control channel. Close call, WX priority and other priorites, tone out are all turned off. Is anyone else experiencing this as well. Is this the way it is supposed to work or not.

Often while listening to an I-Call, I only hear half the coversation, while the other half stops on the TG, and if not in I-Call only mode, you hear what sounds like an open carrier but no voice. If in I-Call only mode, it holds on the TG, but nothing at all is heard. Could the two be related?

All input is appreciated.
 

tonsoffun

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Could it be when it is scanning ,you see the signal meter pop up when it hits the control channels.
Thats what it seems like it does on my 396 and when it stops on voice transmissions.
 

wolter

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My 396 does it as well when ID Scanning/Searching, even when only one system is enabled. The flashing stops during voice transmission. This happens with all trunk system types. But it doesn't happen when a CCh is found during a Custom Search with C-Ch Only enabled.

Do you notice it cutting off the beginning of transmissions when ID Scanning/Searching?
 

blueline_308

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Yes Wolter I do...even when held on a digital TG, the beginning of the transmission is chopped off sometimes...and not on any particular system, but not every time...search or scan is the same. I have adjusted the P25 levels and digital AGC, but nothing seems to help.

Jim
 

UPMan

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When the system hold time elapses, the scanner exits the system, does some brief housekeeping, then resumes system scan. This is what makes the SS meter flicker. If you routinely scan the single system, consider making a secondary copy of it with the System Hold Time set to some high number.
 

blueline_308

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Does the hold time also explain why the first part of digital transmissions are someyimes not heard (unmuted) and / or why sometimes only half of a I-Call conversation is heard?

I have also noticed that on some I-Call conversations, that two TGID are displayed, seperated by a hyphen...what does that mean? Is it the two radio ID that are communicating?
 

UPMan

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If an I-call occurs between two individuals who are affiliated with two different intellipeaters, you will only hear one side of the i-call (no need for the local repeater to xmit the local side of the conversation...presumably the person talking can hear themselves).

Yes, that would be the ID's of the two parties.
 

blueline_308

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OK, that makes sense. But I still wonder why it hesitates to decode the begining of some digital transmissions. Maybe a firmware issue or a hidden setting. Which reminds me...is there some 'secret' key combinations that can access some hidden settings. I love to experiment :)

Jim
 

UPMan

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If the scanner misses the original channel grant, then it won't know of the communication until the next update (updates occur every 1-2 seconds). So, if the scanner is checking another system, "housekeeping," receiving interference preventing continuous control channel decode, or on another channel when the original grant occurs, you could miss the first part of a communication.
 

ofd8001

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It probably doesn't affect what happens, but this is one of them "kinda neat to know things."

I have my 396 connected to one outside antenna. I have my 996 connected to another outside antenna (different brand antenna). If both scanners are listening to the same channel, and one signal strength meter shows 2 bars, and the other shows 4 bars, does that mean the 4 bar antenna is "better"? Or is that one of the "that's not a fair test because the signal strength meters aren't 'calibrated' the same?"

Thanks!
 

n5gqb

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blueline308
kinda sounds like the problem I'm having...randomly missing the first few seconds of a digital transmission, even while monitoring just one system with light traffic.
sly
 

wolter

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UPMan said:
When the system hold time elapses, the scanner exits the system, does some brief housekeeping, then resumes system scan. This is what makes the SS meter flicker.
Would this also cause it to miss a part of a transmission, or cause a delay in decoding? If so, this would explain why my local P16 system sounds so horrible. I'll try your suggestion of increasing the hold time.
UPMan said:
If the scanner misses the original channel grant, then it won't know of the communication until the next update...
This does not explain why it frequently fails to decode while sitting on one channel.
 

RocketNJ

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UPMan said:
If an I-call occurs between two individuals who are affiliated with two different intellipeaters, you will only hear one side of the i-call (no need for the local repeater to xmit the local side of the conversation...presumably the person talking can hear themselves).

Yes, that would be the ID's of the two parties.

Upman, on our SZ4.1 system if there is only one user in coverage of an IR system and he is transmitting, the IR repeater still keys up and transmits. Only if no one is affiliated for that site on that talkgroup will it not bring up the tx.

Not sure how the Moto SZ 6.x or SZ 7 systems work in that regards.

What if during an i-call one side was encrypted and the other wasn't? That would yield only one half of the audio.
 

UPMan

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My understanding is that that is not the case during i-calls, but is the case during normal talk group traffic. However, this could be something that might be configurable on the system, so the standard "YMMV" could very well apply.
 

slicerwizard

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UPMan said:
When the system hold time elapses, the scanner exits the system, does some brief housekeeping, then resumes system scan. This is what makes the SS meter flicker.
Sounds like some OSW's would be lost. I'd call that a design flaw.

If you routinely scan the single system, consider making a secondary copy of it with the System Hold Time set to some high number.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have the firmware take in to account that it is only scanning a single system and act as if the System Hold Time was infinite?
 

slicerwizard

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RocketNJ said:
What if during an i-call one side was encrypted and the other wasn't?
Pretty sure that's impossible. When private calls are initiated, they're set up as either clear or coded (encrypted). Both radios have to agree on the mode.

Same goes for group calls; all replies have to match the mode used by the initiating radio. If they don't, they'll get rejected and will have to wait until the call drops. Then they can initiate their own call.
 

RocketNJ

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I do know on our system group calls can be encrypted on one side of the conversation only. The users may not be keying up during the TG hangtime (2 seconds) though. I'll have to test to see if the responding radio gets "bonked" if it keys up during the hangtime.

As far as the i-call, our subscribers are not programmed for i-call. Maybe the IR does operate differently during an i-call vs group call.
 

slicerwizard

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RocketNJ said:
I do know on our system group calls can be encrypted on one side of the conversation only. The users may not be keying up during the TG hangtime (2 seconds) though. I'll have to test to see if the responding radio gets "bonked" if it keys up during the hangtime.
It will get rejected. Rejection 2C12 or 2C18, depending on the originator's mode.
 

GiJo01

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This is what mine is doing ?

Hello I would like to know if you fix the problem with your radio ? I have the same radio and it's doing the samething you describe here. If you did fix it please send me a Email on this and how to fix it. And to let you know I am very new to this stuff Thanks Martin GiJo01@yahoo.com P.s The Database that I used to get all my channels was ( Ohio Pickaway ) and I Copy and Paste off of here and I put them in with VRC996............




Since day one, while scanning/searching 800 trunked systems, digital, analog or mixed modes, my 2 week old 996's signal strength meter flashes...about once per second...sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. The only time it does not, is when you hold on a control channel. Close call, WX priority and other priorites, tone out are all turned off. Is anyone else experiencing this as well. Is this the way it is supposed to work or not.

Often while listening to an I-Call, I only hear half the coversation, while the other half stops on the TG, and if not in I-Call only mode, you hear what sounds like an open carrier but no voice. If in I-Call only mode, it holds on the TG, but nothing at all is heard. Could the two be related?

All input is appreciated.
 
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