Following ProVoice with one scanner and DSD

[wwhitby]

Folks:

I got a "one scanner, one laptop" solution working for demodulating a ProVoice trunked system. The laptop is my Dell Mini 1012 netbook running DSD from a persistant USB Ubuntu thumb drive. The scanner is my early production (F1.0 boot loader) PSR-500.

I remembered that early on the PSR-500 would stop on ProVoice talkgroups, but would not demodulate them. This didn't last long, since quite a few folks complained to GRE about it and GRE blocked ProVoice talkgroups from showing up in one of their early CPU updates. I was able to find the old v1.0 CPU firmware that GRE had made available, and I was able to successfully load it into my PSR-500. I also verified that I could go back and forth from v1.0 to v1.8.

Next, I added a true discriminator tap to my PSR-500 using TP4 on the circuit board. I then loaded up CPU v1.0, and hooked the PSR-500 up to my netbook with an iMic. I was very happy to find that as the PSR-500 stopped on a ProVoice talkgroup or ICall, the audio was demodulated by DSD! Analog talkgroups didn't pass through, however, but that wasn't much of a concern since there are few public safety analog talkgroups left on my local ProVoice system.

It worked fairly well, but I did notice a problem where the audio through DSD started out garbled but would decode properly as the transmission got longer. I also noticed this when I had used a conventional scanner scanning the system's frequencies when I had gotten DSD working on the netbook.

I don't know if the newer PSR series (the ones with the F1.4 bootloader) will accept the v1.0 CPU update, but I was told by the fella who sent me v1.0 that it wouldn't brick your radio if it did not work - the radio just wouldn't accept it. So, if you have a later production PSR-500 or 600, try at your own risk. Maybe we need to get GRE to make blocking ProVoice talkgroups a user selectable feature in the next firmware update?

Good luck!

Warren

 

[blantonl]

Does anyone know if the PSR-300/PSR-400 radios had earlier firmware versions which allowed tracking of ProVoice talkgroups on that radio platform?

Warm regards,

 

[mel1718]

Is a true discriminator tap needed? I am getting nothing from DSD using PC/IF on a Pro-106 scanning in conventional mode.

Thanks!

 

[wwhitby]

I haven't tried it, but I don't think that the PC/IF connection gives you the discriminator output that DSD requires.

I can always try it tomorrow and let you know.

Warren

 

[Mike_G_D]

Is a true discriminator tap needed? I am getting nothing from DSD using PC/IF on a Pro-106 scanning in conventional mode.

Thanks!

The PC/IF port on the GRE PSR500/600 and Radio Shack Pro-106/197 is NOT a discriminator tap! It is logic level data input/output for controlling and interfacing with the scanner as well as a switchable source for the processed data output of the radio's INTERNAL trunking control channel decoder that works with Motorola and EDACS control channels.

For DSD usage you would still need to tap the discriminator directly as wwhitby did.

-Mike

 

[mel1718]

I added the tap and can now pick up Montgomerys provoice (conventional mode only) Thanks!

 

[blantonl]

On my PSR-600 with boot loader 1.4 - I'm unable to load Firmware version 1.0 into the radio. It just gives an error and clears out the existing Firmware version.

Anyone know if it is possible to restore boot loader version 1.0 to a radio?

I totally agree with the original OP - the scanner manufacturers should really consider making it an option to toggle digital reception of digital talkgroups for EDACS systems.

 

[wwhitby]

I added the tap and can now pick up Montgomerys provoice (conventional mode only) Thanks!

When the system isn't too active, you can use another scanner to feed Unitrunker and press the scan key to follow the traffic. I was doing that Friday night when I finally got DSD to work.

Besides F1.0 bootloader PSR-500s and 600s, I don't know of any other scanner that will receive ProVoice talkgroups. The PRO-92 will briefly stop on a PV talkgroup, but them resume scanning. I've tried my old BC-245 and it wouldn't display PV talkgroups.

I totally agree with the original OP - the scanner manufacturers should really consider making it an option to toggle digital reception of digital talkgroups for EDACS systems.

I 1,000,000% agree with you Lindsay.

If anyone has any pull with GRE or if GRE owes them a favor, ask them to add a toggle to allow ProVoice reception on the next CPU update. I'd personally like that, so I don't have to keep switching back and forth between CPU versions.

Warren

 

[wwhitby]

Playing with my "downgraded" PSR-500, i've discovered that saving to the V-Scanner feature, either through the scanner, or though software don't seem to work that well. I've had my scanner reset back to the factory defaults several times.

However, when I upgraded back to v1.8, the V-Scanner worked fine with no problems.

YMMV....

Warren

 

[radioman2001]

Now that's a man that take his scanning seriously. I love it!!! LOL

 

[wwhitby]

Now that's a man that take his scanning seriously. I love it!!! LOL

Me too! I wear the title "Comm Geek" with pride!

 

[warrior420]

where do you find the bootloader version? when i power up holding pgm it shows up boot f1.1 , and when i power up holding nothing it briefly flashes dsp loader and dsp boot f1.0, am i good to go with this unit?

 

[wwhitby]

where do you find the bootloader version? when i power up holding pgm it shows up boot f1.1 , and when i power up holding nothing it briefly flashes dsp loader and dsp boot f1.0, am i good to go with this unit?

Looking at the release notes with CPU upgrades, it looks like there were four boot loader versions: 1.0,1.1, 1.3, and 1.4. The instructions with the upgrades say to use one CPU upgrade version for 1.0 and 1.1 bootloader versions, and another CPU upgrade version for 1.3 and 1.4.

I don't have a bootloader 1.1 version to test on, but I was told by the fella who provided the CPU v1.0 version that if the bootloader wasn't early enough, v1.0 would not load and most importantly WOULD NOT brick your radio. He said the upgrade would just fail.

So, go ahead and give it a try and let us know what happens.

Warren

 

[warrior420]

Its CONFIRMED, F1.0 will load up with bootloader 1.1 . Time to get this beast tapped. Would adding a 100k ohm resistor and 10uf capacitor make any difference in decoding error rate you think??

 

[Astrak]

Its CONFIRMED, F1.0 will load up with bootloader 1.1 . Time to get this beast tapped. Would adding a 100k ohm resistor and 10uf capacitor make any difference in decoding error rate you think??

Try it direct first, you can always add those in later.

 

[wwhitby]

Try it direct first, you can always add those in later.

I agree. I'm getting good reception without the capacitor and resistor, although the beginning of each transmission is garbled. The garbling also happens with my BC245 and BC235, so I think its got to be either my iMic, or my netbook, or DSD and not the scanner

I would then try adding the capacitor and see what happens. If there is no difference, you can always cut it out.

Its CONFIRMED, F1.0 will load up with bootloader 1.1 . Time to get this beast tapped.

Good news. It looks like bootloader 1.3 and 1.4 are the only bootloader versions that will not work with the v1.0 CPU upgrade.

Let us know how your demodulating with DSD works out.

Warren

 

[kruser]

Help Finding CPU v1.0

Anyone tell me where I can find the old CPU v1.0 firmware?

I have a 500 with boot loader f1.1 and would like to give this a shot but I'll be darned if I can find the old file.
GRE only has from about v1.4 up to the latest availabel on their site.

Thanks for any help!

 

[wwhitby]

Send me an email, and i'll send you v1.0.

Warren

 

[kruser]

Send me an email, and i'll send you v1.0.

Warren

Email sent via the email link on this site.

Thanks Warren,

Steve

 

[SCPD]

1.0 firmware bootloader

warren i have a psr 500 and uP boot ver f1.1 and uP appl ver 1.8 is there any way you can send me the 1.0 firmware i am decoding provoice over here but i want to beable to have the scanner to stop on calls that are provoice with the talkgroups displayed if you could sir please and thankyou

email is

kd5loh@aol.com