BTT: Open-source projects.

[rr60]

Todd, I really enjoy my P25RXII. Godspeed. I would be interested in future crowdsourcing.

 

[cheif]

I would be to.

 

[Mophead]

Ditto

 

[brndnstffrd]

Just like many others have stated, I too appreciate the top notch support you have given over the past couple years. I haven't posted much lately, although that is mostly due to me not even needing to. Life has been busy, but also my unit has been performing flawlessly aside from the hiccup, which you remedied far faster than I even expected. The way I see it, no news is good news. While I only have one device, your level of support has made me a believer of not only this specific product, but your abilities and the support you will offer for any other products you make. As others have said, if I had the means I would love the opportunity to offer a substantial investment, as I'm sure with the right capital and resources, you could far exceed all of our expectations.

I had been hoping to pick up a p25RX II, although I was holding off due to the current state of everything. I suspect many others are in the same boat. While this doesn't help you to pay the bills, slow sales doesn't necessarily point to a lack of interest in the product. Keep us updated!

 

[ra7850]

Todd,

If you have any left for sale please let me know, I would like to purchase one.

Robert

 

[rhicks6000]

Todd thank you for putting out great product. I've had my P25RX-11 for almost a week now and have really enjoyed it. Thanks again

 

[dustinsterk]

Hi @btt, I was looking at your P25RX-11 or the Uniden SDS100 for my next scanner (coming from an old Pro-96). Other than the screen (which I see is now remedied by the Wio Terminal work), my only concern is long term support. From my research you have been extremely invested in your product and this forum for feedback. This thread makes it seem for the long term the SDS maybe a better option, any thoughts on that (obviously I know there is no magical crystal ball to predict the future)?

 

[FreqNout]

Sorry for the slow down in Java software development. Because of the supply chain issues, I have to keep searching for solutions. In this case, the solutions require reworking everything around parts that are available. This all has to be done on a very limited budget and has to be done quickly (takes all my time). I am currently working on getting the firmware ported and working on a part that is available. I am also working on a new product design. Prototype boards have been ordered. Can't wait to say more about it! I still have plans to bring the P25RX, P25RX-II, and future developments together with unified firmware, and software. I know it looks pretty bleak right now (supply chain, inflation, etc), but I have a plan to get the cost down on the new product and add several new features at the same time. So far, so good! I hope to have more to share soon.

The above post may help answer your question about future support.

 

[btt]

Hi @btt, I was looking at your P25RX-11 or the Uniden SDS100 for my next scanner (coming from an old Pro-96). Other than the screen (which I see is now remedied by the Wio Terminal work), my only concern is long term support. From my research you have been extremely invested in your product and this forum for feedback. This thread makes it seem for the long term the SDS maybe a better option, any thoughts on that (obviously I know there is no magical crystal ball to predict the future)?

Hi @dustinsterk,
Thank you for the post. I think the answer really depends on what you are really looking for. If you want a hand-held portable with a display and internal battery in a nice packaged product, then the SDS-100 is probably a good choice from what I understand. As for support, I can't really speak to that for the SDS100. I'll let others speak to the differences between the P25RX and the SDS100. I consider the P25RX a portable receiver, but I've come to the understanding on RR that most people think of something very specific when they hear the word portable in the context of a P25 receiver. (handheld, display, battery).

I do plan to continue work on the software / firmware for the P25RX/P25RX-II receivers regardless of what happens. If I end up having to go back to work for someone else, then these efforts will obviously be greatly slowed down. Development will continue. The new product I'm currently working on will be a less expensive option (some new features, some features removed). It will not have a display, but it will have an integrated battery.

 

[FreqNout]

(some new features, some features removed). It will not have a display, but it will have an integrated battery.

Will the Wio Terminal still be a display option? Please please please

 

[btt]

Will the Wio Terminal still be a display option? Please please please

It should still work. I'll update on that later. It will still support USB-serial communications. A new feature is support for the USB standard CDC-EEM (Ethernet emulation model) on a 480 Mbps interface. The USB CDC-EEM class makes all the headaches related to serial ports go away and allows a network interface to be used with TCP/IP/UDP frames. Much nicer! This will allow for instantaneous configuration updates, monitoring of everything including RF spectrum (with the 480 Mbps rate).

 

[dustinsterk]

It should still work. I'll update on that later. It will still support USB-serial communications. A new feature is support for the USB standard CDC-EEM (Ethernet emulation model) on a 480 Mbps interface. The USB CDC-EEM class makes all the headaches related to serial ports go away and allows a network interface to be used with TCP/IP/UDP frames. Much nicer! This will allow for instantaneous configuration updates, monitoring of everything including RF spectrum (with the 480 Mbps rate).

Thank you for the reply @btt! Now I am excited to hear more about this new product....maybe I should wait until you unveil it before I purchase my next scanner. Any idea on timeline?

 

[btt]

Thank you for the reply @btt! Now I am excited to hear more about this new product....maybe I should wait until you unveil it before I purchase my next scanner. Any idea on timeline?

Regarding timeline, I have RF boards ordered for initial testing. I have a few digital boards I'm currently working on and testing. I have everything on the way to build 10 prototypes. Those should arrive within 2 weeks or so. It will probably be 3 weeks before I start seeking some RR feedback on how to proceed. I will go ahead and share some more details now that I am about 95% confident this is going to work as intended. (The digital board is currently sampling analog from an IF tap of a P25RX-II and delivering samples over UDP to a working P25 decoder running on Linux machine).

I am going to keep one surprise for later, but I probably should get some details out now so I can determine if I'm going in a completely wrong direction.

Features:
-Lower cost than the current design.

-Options for a single P25 band with a very good front-end pre-selection option before the LNA. The first run will support either the 780 MHz or the 850 MHz band. I will share frequency response of the band pass filters later. They are very good and will eliminate cell phone downlinks from reaching the front-end. I plan on having other options for 450-470 MHz and VHF option at a later date. I may also offer an option for a filter bypass so you can tune the entire range with your own external filters.

-Bluetooth has been removed for this design. There is a 3.5mm audio jack that will be capable of driving 32-ohm-type ear-buds / headphones. I intend to supply ear-buds with the product.

-Same final IF filter as the P25RX-II

-rechargeable lithium-ion battery with integrated USB charger (or faster charge with external charger), easy to replace/swap, inexpensive standard solution.

I should also mention that I have only been able to get the USB CDC-EEM driver working on Linux so far. I haven't located any working drivers for Microsoft or Mac for this standard yet. If you know of a solution (even a pay-for solution), let me know about it. I really don't want to support RNDIS (proprietary Microsoft), but I will consider it later if no CDC-EEM driver can be located. Linux is plug-and-play with CDC-EEM. Once I'm ready to order parts, I will be asking to see if there are enough interested parties to cross a threshold for a large parts order. If there is enough interest, then there will be a discount offer for a pre-pay/crowdfunding option. This could help to acquire an inventory of parts and to get the final cost down.

 

[dustinsterk]

Regarding timeline, I have RF boards ordered for initial testing. I have a few digital boards I'm currently working on and testing. I have everything on the way to build 10 prototypes. Those should arrive within 2 weeks or so. It will probably be 3 weeks before I start seeking some RR feedback on how to proceed. I will go ahead and share some more details now that I am about 95% confident this is going to work as intended. (The digital board is currently sampling analog from an IF tap of a P25RX-II and delivering samples over UDP to a working P25 decoder running on Linux machine).

I am going to keep one surprise for later, but I probably should get some details out now so I can determine if I'm going in a completely wrong direction.

Features:
-Lower cost than the current design.

-Options for a single P25 band with a very good front-end pre-selection option before the LNA. The first run will support either the 780 MHz or the 850 MHz band. I will share frequency response of the band pass filters later. They are very good and will eliminate cell phone downlinks from reaching the front-end. I plan on having other options for 450-470 MHz and VHF option at a later date. I may also offer an option for a filter bypass so you can tune the entire range with your own external filters.

-Bluetooth has been removed for this design. There is a 3.5mm audio jack that will be capable of driving 32-ohm-type ear-buds / headphones. I intend to supply ear-buds with the product.

-Same final IF filter as the P25RX-II

-rechargeable lithium-ion battery with integrated USB charger (or faster charge with external charger), easy to replace/swap, inexpensive standard solution.

I should also mention that I have only been able to get the USB CDC-EEM driver working on Linux so far. I haven't located any working drivers for Microsoft or Mac for this standard yet. If you know of a solution (even a pay-for solution), let me know about it. I really don't want to support RNDIS (proprietary Microsoft), but I will consider it later if no CDC-EEM driver can be located. Linux is plug-and-play with CDC-EEM. Once I'm ready to order parts, I will be asking to see if there are enough interested parties to cross a threshold for a large parts order. If there is enough interest, then there will be a discount offer for a pre-pay/crowdfunding option. This could help to acquire an inventory of parts and to get the final cost down.

Very cool, thank you for sharing! I am trying to imagine the product and it looks like this will be a perfect portable device (minus the screen). I assume programming will be via USB as is today with the P25RX-II, what chipset are you using where you have issues finding a USB CDC-EEM driver? Example: realtek-rtl-8153-driver-osx-info.md

 

[dustinsterk]

Also, interested in being an early adopter as long as it supports P25 Phase II (since all of my area run these systems).

 

[btt]

Very cool, thank you for sharing! I am trying to imagine the product and it looks like this will be a perfect portable device (minus the screen). I assume programming will be via USB as is today with the P25RX-II, what chipset are you using where you have issues finding a USB CDC-EEM driver? Example: realtek-rtl-8153-driver-osx-info.md

I already have the driver implemented for the device side. Linux kernels all have it enabled by default. I need drivers for Windows and Mac.

 

[dustinsterk]

I already have the driver implemented for the device side. Linux kernels all have it enabled by default. I need drivers for Windows and Mac.

edit:
For reference, this is the Linux driver source:

linux/drivers/net/usb/cdc_eem.c at master · torvalds/linux

Linux kernel source tree. Contribute to torvalds/linux development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

This is the USB standard

https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/CDC_EEM10.pdf

Maybe I am missing something but for windows it should be included in the OS:

Generic USB-EEM Network Adapter
Driver files: C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\usbnet.sys

For OSX:
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEEM.kext

 

[btt]

Maybe I am missing something but for windows it should be included in the OS:

Generic USB-EEM Network Adapter
Driver files: C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\usbnet.sys

For OSX:
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEEM.kext

From my understanding, Microsoft never did get that driver to work correctly since the standard was released. This is hard to believe since they had the most input to the standard and it is by far the most simple implementation possible. I can confirm that Windows 10 does not work out of the box. There are documented big-endian/little-endian issues with their implementation. The Linux driver has worked for me since 2011/12 when I first implemented the device-side driver on a project. I tried Mac, but I didn't get it to work. I think it did add a network interface, but there was an issue with the IP adress or routing. I will try that again and see if I missed something.

 

[btt]

I found a driver for Windows 10/11. I don't know the pricing yet, but I have an inquiry in to this company:

USB network drivers for Windows 10 and 11

Network drivers for devices compliant to the USB Ethernet emulation protocols.

www.thesycon.de

I tried Mac again. The network interface gets added. I add a route to the interface, but I see no response for a ping. I will have to dig into that one some more. It looks promising.

 

[radio3353]

Regarding timeline, I have RF boards ordered for initial testing. I have a few digital boards I'm currently working on and testing. I have everything on the way to build 10 prototypes. Those should arrive within 2 weeks or so. It will probably be 3 weeks before I start seeking some RR feedback on how to proceed. I will go ahead and share some more details now that I am about 95% confident this is going to work as intended. (The digital board is currently sampling analog from an IF tap of a P25RX-II and delivering samples over UDP to a working P25 decoder running on Linux machine).

I am going to keep one surprise for later, but I probably should get some details out now so I can determine if I'm going in a completely wrong direction.

Features:
-Lower cost than the current design.

-Options for a single P25 band with a very good front-end pre-selection option before the LNA. The first run will support either the 780 MHz or the 850 MHz band. I will share frequency response of the band pass filters later. They are very good and will eliminate cell phone downlinks from reaching the front-end. I plan on having other options for 450-470 MHz and VHF option at a later date. I may also offer an option for a filter bypass so you can tune the entire range with your own external filters.

-Bluetooth has been removed for this design. There is a 3.5mm audio jack that will be capable of driving 32-ohm-type ear-buds / headphones. I intend to supply ear-buds with the product.

-Same final IF filter as the P25RX-II

-rechargeable lithium-ion battery with integrated USB charger (or faster charge with external charger), easy to replace/swap, inexpensive standard solution.

I should also mention that I have only been able to get the USB CDC-EEM driver working on Linux so far. I haven't located any working drivers for Microsoft or Mac for this standard yet. If you know of a solution (even a pay-for solution), let me know about it. I really don't want to support RNDIS (proprietary Microsoft), but I will consider it later if no CDC-EEM driver can be located. Linux is plug-and-play with CDC-EEM. Once I'm ready to order parts, I will be asking to see if there are enough interested parties to cross a threshold for a large parts order. If there is enough interest, then there will be a discount offer for a pre-pay/crowdfunding option. This could help to acquire an inventory of parts and to get the final cost down.

1. If I understand what you wrote correctly, having to choose between the 780 MHz band OR the 850 MHz band is a non-starter for me. I have systems in both bands near me.
2. The audio out impedance must work with a PC audio in jack, not just for driving earbuds/speaker or again a non-starter for me.
3. Battery is of no use to me. I don't use as a portable.

Looking forward to more details on this design.