DLR1020 end of messages cut off

[W6VVM]

I just brought a couple of these in to evaluate and possibly purchase more for an application they seemed perfect for. I had read complaints about the voice delay which did not worry me as I'm used to that with any digital LMR equipment I've ever used. Furthermore, the talk permit tones typically do a great job of preventing users from cutting off the beginning of a message.

The one issue I am seeing that may be a deal breaker, is that the end of messages are being cut off. I've tested the radios with a half dozen users and everyone seems to have the same issue. When they release the PTT at what seems like the right time (after they are finished speaking into the radio) the transmission drops, and whatever audio the vocoder in the transmitting radio was still encoding, drops. This results in the last one or two syllables being cut off. It is not inconsequential. If a user reads a series of numbers, there is a likelihood that the last number will not be heard.

I asked MSI tech support about it and they suggested this is a training issue. I counter that this seems like an easy firmware fix to implement - have the radio hold Tx for an additional 500 ms after PTT is released. I have used Motorola DMR and P25 radios which of course have a voice delay but this has not been an issue; those radios seem to do a good job of continuing to encode and transmit any audio that was captured right up until PTT was released. I understand this is an entry level radio compared to DMR and P25 equipment, but the 900 MHz FHSS seems perfect for my particular application, from a coverage perspective.

I've got a cable on the way so I can hopefully open CPS and check to make sure FW is up to date, just to check that off the list.

Does anyone else use these radios? Or perhaps the more fully featured DTR600/700 series? I'm wondering if this is an issue anyone else has had to overcome.

 

[W9WSS]

When I was in the trade, I had customers with the Motorola dealer equivalent of the DLR1020 which was sold by a non-exclusive Motorola dealer. I wouldn't sell the equivalent model, rather, I'd take theirs in trade for upgraded models that didn't have so many problems.

 

[W6VVM]

When I was in the trade, I had customers with the Motorola dealer equivalent of the DLR1020 which was sold by a non-exclusive Motorola dealer. I wouldn't sell the equivalent model, rather, I'd take theirs in trade for upgraded models that didn't have so many problems.

It's a shame these radios have a reputation for problems. There simply doesn't seem to be an alternative for 900 MHz FHSS in a small form factor.

I'd gladly pay more. Wish there was a higher tier option, like the SL7580 that did FHSS. It actually makes me wonder how much of the excellent inside coverage these DLR's have, is related to the frequency hopping, and how much of it is related to the characteristics of the 900 MHz band.

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

Or perhaps the more fully featured DTR600/700 series?

I programmed and deployed a fleet of DTR700s at my old workplace. I do not recall this being an issue. Sorry to hear your DLR1020s aren't working out.

 

[alcahuete]

It actually makes me wonder how much of the excellent inside coverage these DLR's have, is related to the frequency hopping, and how much of it is related to the characteristics of the 900 MHz band.

It's the FHSS. It uses about 26 MHz, and where a building, ship, etc., might not be open at one frequency, it might be on another. I have compared them directly to 900 MHz DMR/P25 radios, and the DTRs win hands down. It isn't a huge difference, but they still win.