Can't get Decoder programs to work ???

[Saint]

:?:
I have a bc250d scanner with a discriminator tap and a 2 level data slicer and have not been able to get any of the decoder programs to work, I have a 950 mhz computer running Windows XP home, I made a boot disk to boot up the machine into DOS at startup. I have the data slicer on com 1 and I have tried com 2 and I run slicer.exe to see what kind of signal I have and I only have spikes at the right hand side of the screen so It looks like I have a bad signal. I have tried to change the volume and tried to move my antenna but it has no effect on the signal. I have tried T4win, Etrunker, and Treport Programs and have had no luck getting any of the programs to see any kind of signal. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the problem could be or how to fix the situation I find myself in.
Steve

 

[RolnCode3]

The volume knob should have zero effect on your tap output (AFAIK).

T4Win uses a cable direct from the tap to a mic input on the computer, no slicer is necessary. A version of trunker also has soundcard support, which works great.

Also, just because slicer only shows spikes toward the right side doesn't mean it's not correct. Mine looks exactly like that as well. Did you read the html documentation for slicer? If you're getting what's shown as a good signal, then no prob. If not, there's a few remedies suggested. Can you post a pic of your slicer signal?

 

[Saint]

re-decoder setup

The volume knob should have zero effect on your tap output (AFAIK).

Ok I thought that was the case

T4Win uses a cable direct from the tap to a mic input on the computer, no slicer is necessary. A version of trunker also has soundcard support, which works great.

I'll have to get a adapter for one end of my cable so it will fit into my Tap.

Also, just because slicer only shows spikes toward the right side doesn't mean it's not correct. Mine looks exactly like that as well. Did you read the html documentation for slicer? If you're getting what's shown as a good signal, then no prob. If not, there's a few remedies suggested. Can you post a pic of your slicer signal?

I tried to get the programs to show me a signal of some kind but no such luck, I know that there is a new program comming out soon UniTracker so mabe I'll have better luck with this program, I'll keep playing around with it and go back and read the instructions again. Would you happen to know were I can get the version of Trunker that I can run from my soundcard, I don't know what one does this, I'll use this untill I get things figured out.
Thanks for the information.
Steve

 

[loumaag]

Re: re-decoder setup

I tried to get the programs to show me a signal of some kind but no such luck, I know that there is a new program comming out soon UniTracker so mabe I'll have better luck with this program, I'll keep playing around with it and go back and read the instructions again. Would you happen to know were I can get the version of Trunker that I can run from my soundcard, I don't know what one does this, I'll use this untill I get things figured out.

Steve,
If you aren't getting any results from your current tries with T4Win or Trunker, UniTrunker isn't going to help you any more. There is something wrong with your setup. If T4Win doesn't show any waveform in the waveform display, then you aren't getting anything from your tap. In answer to your question about MTrunker32, you can find it by following the link in the very first post of the thread Ported DOS MTrunker to WIN32 located in this forum.

 

[Saint]

re-decoder programs

Thanks Lou for the information, I downloaded the trunker program that will work off my soundcard, I have to buy a adapter to use it. Also I tried the slicer program and it shows that I am getting a signal from com 1 and my data slicer, but I guese I am not getting the signal from my data slicer to the programs for some reason. ?? I have my data slicer on DB9 com 1 and I have it connected to my discriminator tap and I go into DOS and start the programs and I get no signal comming from the data slicer to the program. I'm wondering if it's because I am going to DOS and this is why I'm not getting the signal to the program, but as I said when I run slicer.exe I get a signal and it shows up on the DOS screen ??.
Steve

 

[BANDIT]

Steve, did you set your trackenv.txt enviornment. And put the file trackenv.txt in your root directory. This is the file that tells trunker where port and line, CTS, DSR and the voice scanner is located. Try starting trunker with a dos batch file.

SET TRACKENV=C:\TRACKENV.TXT
TRUNKER

You need to do this if your running trunker in a DOS window by droping from windows, and also if your booting from a DOS disk.

 

[Saint]

re-decoder programs

Steve, did you set your trackenv.txt enviornment. And put the file trackenv.txt in your root directory. This is the file that tells trunker where port and line, CTS, DSR and the voice scanner is located. Try starting trunker with a dos batch file.

SET TRACKENV=C:\TRACKENV.TXT
TRUNKER

You need to do this if your running trunker in a DOS window by droping from windows, and also if your booting from a DOS disk.

Thanks Bandit and others for all your help But nothing is working,I'll wait till I get a adapter to try with my sound card, I'm sure these are all good programs but for some reason I can't get them to work, I remember years ago strugling with DOS porgram and this is why I went to Windows, I guess I don't have the patients any more, but thanks anyway.
Steve

 

[click23]

You said that you had used T4Win, but didn't say if you used the data slicer with it. With T4Win you do not need a slice just with the tip to the discriminator and the barrel to the ground. Not sure if that is how you wired it or not. :?:

Robert

 

[Saint]

RE-TRUNKER PROGRAM

I made a TRACKENV.TXT file and put it in c:\, this is what I have in the file
TRACKSLICERPORT=COM1
TRACKSLICERPIN=DSR
TRACKSLICERMODE=INVERT
TRACKSCANPORT=COM1
TRACKSCAN=BC245
TRACKSCANPARK=142.965
TRACKSCANBAUD=3600
TRACKSLICERMODE=NORMAL

I am using a BC250D scanner radio and when I start trunker it says in the Status: Line
sig?inv

And thats it ??
Steve

 

[Saint]

re-t4win

You said that you had used T4Win, but didn't say if you used the data slicer with it. With T4Win you do not need a slice just with the tip to the discriminator and the barrel to the ground. Not sure if that is how you wired it or not. :?:

Robert

I used a data slicer with it, I have to wait untill I get a adapter so I can just use a line from my soundcard to the discriminato Tap.
Steve

 

[SCPD]

Re: RE-TRUNKER PROGRAM

I am using a BC250D scanner radio and when I start trunker it says in the Status: Line
sig?inv

And thats it ??
Steve

Steve. Have you actually tried changing the invert setting in trunker?? If not, maybe reverse the wiring in the line from your discriminator tap tp your slicer. If this doesn't work, then there maybe many other reasons why, but usually its something as simple as you may need to invert the signal ( basically means reverse the lines polarity.

Dave

 

[BANDIT]

I noticed you have two TRACKSLICERMODE lines in your inviornment file. Is that just a type error or are they really there? You only need one. Also if you switch bands, sometimes you will have to change the normal to invert. As scannsw said you can change the NORMAL, INVERT while trunker is running by hitting the C key and going to the configure menu.

 

[DaveH]

Re: RE-TRUNKER PROGRAM

I made a TRACKENV.TXT file and put it in c:\, this is what I have in the file
TRACKSLICERPORT=COM1
TRACKSLICERPIN=DSR
TRACKSLICERMODE=INVERT
TRACKSCANPORT=COM1
TRACKSCAN=BC245
TRACKSCANPARK=142.965
TRACKSCANBAUD=3600
TRACKSLICERMODE=NORMAL

I am using a BC250D scanner radio and when I start trunker it says in the Status: Line
sig?inv

And thats it ??
Steve

Steve,

I notice from your file that TRACKSLICERPIN=DSR.
Are you sure the slicer you have uses the DSR pin?
Most of them I've seen use CTS. Check this one. If it's wrong, you will get nothing.

Dave

 

[Saint]

problems with decoder porgrams

:?

I notice from your file that TRACKSLICERPIN=DSR.
Yes the slicer is DSR I got it from dataslicers.com and it came with a note saying this.

Ok I’ll try the invert setting and see if this will help me.

I'm going to Radio Shack to get the adapter to see if the discriminator tap will work with my soundcard, this will tell me if it’s good or not.

two TRACKSLICERMODE lines in your environment file
It’s amazing I missed this, thanks for catching this for me.

Also I'm trying to set the program up to listen to the Fleetnet system in Ontario Canada, I put 142.965 into one of the banks of my scanner and listen to the data frequency. This is one of the control chanels for one of the towers.
Steve

 

[loumaag]

Hmmm, are you really trying to control a BC245? Or any radio, or are you just trying to monitor via Trunker. All of the "TRACKSCAN..." variables deal with the controlled radio. Until you can get Trunker (or anything to work) try not using any "TRACKSCAN..." variables and don't hook up a controlled radio. Once you get Trunker (or whatever) working, then start playing with trying to controll a radio. I will tell you that controlling the radio on the same port as the slicer is on is tricky (not impossible).

Let me tell why I think you didn't read the Trunker Docs carefully. 3600 is not a valid baud rate for communicating with a radio through the serial port. Additionally, you would not park the controlled scanner on a data channel, it would be parked on something that never makes a sound.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Let me tell why I think you didn't read the Trunker Docs carefully. 3600 is not a valid baud rate for communicating with a radio through the serial port. Additionally, you would not park the controlled scanner on a data channel, it would be parked on something that never makes a sound.

I've been figuratively biting my tongue during this whole discussion.

I know he didn't read the docs because it's Saint - a guy whose idea of research is to send messages to the world asking questions. Don't believe me? Search out his postings. Almost every one can be answered by, "RTFM," "use a search engine," or "look it up."

 

[Saint]

re-dave

Let me tell why I think you didn't read the Trunker Docs carefully. 3600 is not a valid baud rate for communicating with a radio through the serial port. Additionally, you would not park the controlled scanner on a data channel, it would be parked on something that never makes a sound.

I've been figuratively biting my tongue during this whole discussion.

I know he didn't read the docs because it's Saint - a guy whose idea of research is to send messages to the world asking questions. Don't believe me? Search out his postings. Almost every one can be answered by, "RTFM," "use a search engine," or "look it up."

DAVE is a guy that just does not like anyone to ask a question, all you have to do is look at the posts from Dave, the person that knows everything and would not want to share anything with anyone, the person that likes to put people down. And this is a juy that puts people down because we just ask guestions.

 

[SCPD]

Re: re-dave

DAVE is a guy that just does not like anyone to ask a question, all you have to do is look at the posts from Dave

Saint,

Dave has been very helpful with answers to my questions. I just checked his post history and he very definitely does the same for others. Keep in mind that Dave comes from an academic background so the word "research" means something to him.

The folks in this thread have given you accurate advice. It's up to you take the all information - including documentation and other online sources - into account when doing your own research.

If you are running Trunker with a data slicer, try the invert option. It's only a few keystrokes away. Here's an extra bit of technical advice: I use 1/8th inch audio plugs for everything - including discriminator audio. For some reason, some folks have adopted the habit of using 3/32nd inch audio plugs for discriminator audio. Then when they want to try decoding the signal using the computer's sound input, they have to run down to Radio Shack to get an adapter.

Good luck in getting your decoding station up and running. If you get stuck, take a break and then try again. When you're out of options, post your questions here. We'll do our best to answer.

Who knows, maybe your next post will be an answer to someone else's question.

-rick

 

[scanfan03]

I probably shouldn't even bring this up, I shouldn't have to but here it goes. Saint, please refrain from name calling, that will get Lindsay on you so fast, you won't know what hit you. Then he will ban you and you won't be able to take advantage of this great site, this is just a warning. I'm not trying to flame you. Just letting you know.