Best DMR Scanner
- Thread starter reeceburdon
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- Jan 15, 2007
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The ability of a scanner to accurately trunk track DMR systems is something that potential buyers should be aware of to make an educated choice that works for them in their location. We don't know the OP's location so we don't yet know what would work best for him with the systems in his area.
The Whistler scanners do not include the necessary technology to accurately track DMR/NXDN trunked systems. They will only scan the voice channels, without the ability to decode and use the trunk tracking data from the control channel to follow conversations as they change frequencies.
I have 2 of the TRX series and a lot of experience with them during extensive traveling. In smaller rural systems with not much traffic, and especially non-trunked DMR systems, the Whistlers work extremely well in those situations, but..... If you are in an area where large DMR/NXDN trunked systems are very busy with many users, a large number of talkgroups, and heavy traffic, the Uniden's will make a world of difference.
That's not even remotely related to bashing as you put it. It's not misplaced criticism, and it's not just opinion. It's a matter of well documented fact, based on the design, firmware, and capabilities of the Whistler TRX series. You can find many posts on that, and check note #4 in the RR Wiki here:
DMR - The RadioReference Wiki
I have no doubt that the TRX series works great for you and many others - as they do for me - on certain DMR systems as described above... but it's the same as someone having great results with a Uniden Homepatrol in a heavily simulcast area and insisting to others that it's all they need in that type of RF environment.
Ubbe
Member
That Wiki isn't really accurate about its comment that the best a TRX can do are to decode the audio. TRX scanners do trunk search, as it search thru active calls on voice channels for the TG's you have selected to monitor. If you monitor all TG's it will be an instant process with no delays.That's not even remotely related to bashing as you put it. It's not misplaced criticism, and it's not just opinion. It's a matter of well documented fact, based on the design, firmware, and capabilities of the Whistler TRX series. You can find many posts on that, and check note #4 in the RR Wiki here:
DMR - The RadioReference Wiki
wiki.radioreference.com
DMR holds on to the same channel during the whole conversation. It's the initial time it takes when a TRX scanner comes to a system and needs to decode all active voice channels with conversations to find the correct TG that are the problem. It can take a second or two in busy systems while a Uniden scanner immediatly gets the information from the control channel.
If you have your scanner also scanning other systems it probably doesn't matter if a Uniden miss 10 seconds of the beginning of a conversation during the scan of other system or a TRX miss 12 seconds. The problem are if you have made a hold on the system where a Uniden have instant reaction to each start of a call while a TRX could have a 2 sec delay and miss the start of a conversation, if the channel used happens to be the last one that the TRX scanner checks in a busy system. If it's just one active call in a 4 channel system with 7 voice channels it will be an almost instant reaction as it immediatly skips the control channel and only checks channels that are active with calls.
If Uniden could just fix their DMR decoding issue then I would not need to scan all DMR systems in parallel with a TRX scanner as a backup.
/Ubbe
Not a scanner but my Anytone 878, far more receptive to distant DMR transmissions than my Unidens. Drawback is it doesn't trunk track
I second that. I am a very happy camper with my TRX-1, except the overloading in RF infested regions on VHF High.
Ah and because DCDM is missing. But DSD+ takes care of that.
And mind the simulcast issues...
In a crowded place...
with loaded DMR Tier 3 systems...
and the slightest hint of simulcast...
you should get an Uniden.
Rural monitoring? Weak signals? No heavy use of DMR Tier 3?
Get a TRX.
Not sure? Try an SDR first.
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Hi,
Interesting radio indeed !
Do you have experience about scanning Tier-3 DMR towers with this unit ? Would it stay locked on the control channel forever, like the Anytone 878uv or just hover it for a second then continue its scanning (like a Radioddity Gd77 equipped with the OpenGD77 firmware) ? TIA !
Ubbe
Member
When I had a TIII system still active the CS580 where stuck on the control channel slot and I had to scan just the voice frequency channels like other TII DMR radios. There are some bugs in the radio and I asked Connect Systems if they would be fixed but answer where that there will be no more software development on that radio.
The radio receiver are terrible in that radio, the worst of the radios I have tried, and adjacent channels bleeds over too easily and overloads from signals far from the frequency that makes it loose sensitivity. Also the analog squelch works unreliable, probably because of the RF problem that change the noise level depending of how much other RF signals there are in the air. It's a Baofeng radio with a software specification from Connect Systems.
/Ubbe
The radio receiver are terrible in that radio, the worst of the radios I have tried, and adjacent channels bleeds over too easily and overloads from signals far from the frequency that makes it loose sensitivity. Also the analog squelch works unreliable, probably because of the RF problem that change the noise level depending of how much other RF signals there are in the air. It's a Baofeng radio with a software specification from Connect Systems.
/Ubbe
The CS580 will not do tier-3. You are looking at one of the Uniden radios which start at well over double the Connect Systems CS580. Look at this older RR post. Which Scanner has the DMR III?
