GRE Releases PSR-500/600 CPU Firmware U1.7

[jnewell]

All this time waiting for an update for THAT?

How lame.

Without getting upset this time, I agree. I opened a ticket with them a while ago and tried to get them to add the much needed P25 Encryption Mute/Mask feature Uniden has had for ages now. GRE did not listen, and it was not just myself asking for it. They even told me it is requested all the time. What a shame! It would be a complete scanner if it had that feature. I guess they do not care about what the customer wants or in my case NEEDS, as my long list of P25 stuff is encrypted 80% of the time.

Phil

Honest question for information only, no flames or even flammables in sight. Which other scanners currently provide this ability?

 

[DaveIN]

Honest question for information only, no flames or even flammables in sight. Which other scanners currently provide this ability?

I think that company called Uni.. somthing has a few. Wiki, wiki, wiki...

 

[SOFA_KING]

I laughed when I read this, don't take it SO personal it's the internet. Plus, if you read #2 as it is typed he said "I'd read back..." "I'd" as in the contraction "I would." He didn't say, "you should" but just "he would, if he were you." Since this is a public forum, rdale has just as much right to "tell" you as you have to ignore him. If he's harassing you just notify an admin.



Just using my right to an opinion, but seriously don't take this personal, it's just the internet and it's just scanning.

OT: What about an option to mute OTAR? I get more OTAR in South Texas than P25 encryption. I believe this has been requested also.

Well Internet or not, respect is the rule around here, but I hear ya... Enough said.

OTAR mute or MDC1200 mute would be good as well, but eventually most analog OTAR is going to be gone when it is all replaced by P25 (at least for fed coms). P25 mute/mask is a priority to me. Still, I would like that MDC1200 mute too. Both make noise on my scanner nearly all day. I do get some clear coms, and I want to hear those, but it gets so bad some days I start locking out channels or lists. That is not what I want to do. It just gets to be too much noise. What a waste of an otherwise good scanner.

And I understand wanting to know P25 encryption is there too, unitcharlie. I suggested the scanner stop scanning on a P25 channel with encryption and only emit a quick double low tone "boo boop" while covering the encrypted noise just so you know there is activity and can catch a clear reply (if there is one). Maybe a selectable option to have it continue scanning would be good to save wasted scan time, but I too would like the option to know if there is activity instead of skipping on by.

New Uniden scanners mute P25 Encryption.

I'm done posting about this feature here on this thread. Let the thread be about this upgrade. GRE didn't care and the issue is dead. I wish I had hope for the inclusion of some mute features, but at this point I do not. I will not buy any more GRE scanners (and I really wanted at least two more...oh well!).

Phil

 

[heinz_david]

I got it working now.

How did you get it working? I have the same problem......

 

[DaveIN]

There are two copies of the program in the zip file. If you look at the instructions, it will tell you which one to use on your radio.

 

[Squad10]

OT: What about an option to mute OTAR? I get more OTAR in South Texas than P25 encryption. I believe this has been requested also.[/QUOTE]


Before Customs and ATF went P25, I almost ordered the following to try to mute their OTAR on a dedicated re-key channel base receiver:

Motorola MDC-1200® ANI Packet Squelch Module


OTAR was really annoying to hear. I'll listen to encrypted P25 anytime before OTAR.

 

[texasemt13]

Before Customs and ATF went P25, I almost ordered the following to try to mute their OTAR on a dedicated re-key channel base receiver. OTAR was really annoying to hear. I'll listen to encrypted P25 anytime before OTAR.

Yeah, I wonder how long the "pre-programmed amount of time is?" Sometimes, I get one unit rekeying, and others must be a whole team at once (5 or 6 in a row). At that point I usually do a temporary L/O (and probably miss some good stuff, as SOFA_KING suggested).

I have mixed emotions about all these agencies converting to P25 (holding on to the past maybe?), but I know that if it was the norm in my area I'd need the mute option also.

 

[Squad10]

Yeah, I wonder how long the "pre-programmed amount of time is?" Sometimes, I get one unit rekeying, and others must be a whole team at once (5 or 6 in a row). At that point I usually do a temporary L/O (and probably miss some good stuff, as SOFA_KING suggested)

This is what the manual says about pre and post MDC1200 timing:

Tone Detect Time: This time is programmable for 0.00 to 0.99 seconds. This is the length of time that the burst tone must be present prior to the BTD-2 decoding the tone. Midian recommends setting this to at least 0.30 to avoid falsing.

Repeater Hang Time: This time is programmable for 0.0 to 9.9 seconds. If set to 0.0 the Hang Time is disabled. This sets the amount of time that the BTD-2 must see a loss of COR prior to resetting the Monitor/Squelch Output and the PTT Hang Time Output. The purpose is to keep the repeater active, so that it does not go inactive during a conversation.

 

[ve9arb]

Trying to UpGrade to 1.7

Upgrade fail with following remarks from scanner:

Invalid runtime code detected

the radio is sounding a tone and
heap error of FFF8FF : FFFF

I have tried both ver and neither worked. H E L P ! ! !

Arthur
VE9ARB

 

[Highpockets]

Upgrade fail with following remarks from scanner:

Invalid runtime code detected

the radio is sounding a tone and
heap error of FFF8FF : FFFF

I have tried both ver and neither worked. H E L P ! ! !

Arthur
VE9ARB

I don't know if this matters, but, on the GRE site it says "USA Version" this is a guess on my part.

 

[ve9arb]

You may be right but the settings in this update refer to canadian settings and as such I figured this update would apply to my radio as well. My model version of the PSR-500 is PSR-500C and so you may be right. Guess I may have to wait to see if a canadian version will be available. Thanks for the suggestion.

Cheers

Arthur
VE9ARB

 

[DonS]

GRE didn't care and the issue is dead. I wish I had hope for the inclusion of some mute features, but at this point I do not. I will not buy any more GRE scanners (and I really wanted at least two more...oh well!).

GRE did (does) care about it. However, as mentioned in the posts pro92b referenced above, there are some problems with implementing it in the current PSR-500 family hardware.

Here's some more detail on the difficulties described in those posts:

The primary problem is code space. That is, at present, "P25 encryption muting" won't fit in the hardware where it needs to run. In order to implement the feature, substantial effort is required - not just for the feature itself, but to move other functionality around so that the desired feature would even fit in the hardware. Moving that other functionality, in order to make room, involves substantial risk - the risk that these changes would cause many other "things" to break.

It's not merely a matter of "let's add P25 encryption muting to this one module, because we know how to do that". Instead, it's that, preceded by "let's move a bunch of functionality from one place to another, and add all of the internal communications required to handle that 'move', hoping we don't break anything or run into any other roadblocks in the process, and hoping that the internal communications can even handle the moves in the first place".

 

[bravo14]

How did you get it working? I have the same problem......

First I turn off my radio. Than I turn off my computer took out the usb cord from computer. I turn on computer on and waited for a few mints and than I put the usb back in the computer and turn on radio and hit pgm button while turn on radio. I forgot to hit prgm button that is why I had the error.

 

[DaveIN]

You may also want to update your USB PC/IF cable drivers if you haven't done so: GRE 30-3290 USB PC/IF Driver - Powered By Kayako SupportSuite

 

[Jay911]

So my scanner will not take the 1.7 firmware (DSP CF1.3, firmware CF1.6) and I presume that's because it's Canadian. It does show "Bandplan: Canada" on the expert menu, so I presume I have those fixes already applied in CF1.6. Anyone know if the EDACS channel numbers are reported properly in CF1.6? 'Cause I plan to go do some Unitrunker work with this radio next week in EDACS territory near here.

 

[SOFA_KING]

GRE did (does) care about it. However, as mentioned in the posts pro92b referenced above, there are some problems with implementing it in the current PSR-500 family hardware.

Here's some more detail on the difficulties described in those posts:

The primary problem is code space. That is, at present, "P25 encryption muting" won't fit in the hardware where it needs to run. In order to implement the feature, substantial effort is required - not just for the feature itself, but to move other functionality around so that the desired feature would even fit in the hardware. Moving that other functionality, in order to make room, involves substantial risk - the risk that these changes would cause many other "things" to break.

It's not merely a matter of "let's add P25 encryption muting to this one module, because we know how to do that". Instead, it's that, preceded by "let's move a bunch of functionality from one place to another, and add all of the internal communications required to handle that 'move', hoping we don't break anything or run into any other roadblocks in the process, and hoping that the internal communications can even handle the moves in the first place".

OK, Don. Too much work and they do not want to spend the money to even try. Is that about it?

Like it or not, P25 is on the rise and encryption is as well. P25 encryption apparently works well because it is being used much more often than analog encryption. People are even reporting local and county PDs using P25 encryption quite often. When people get tired of all that noise, they are going elsewhere. Is that what you want? What a shame! It didn't have to be that way. Great scanner otherwise, but that noise gets to fatiguing the ears and ruining the listening pleasure. It was a mistake to not put the feature in, and I think it is a mistake to ignore the wishes of the customers. I'm not a Uniden fan (due to spoon feeding features one model after the next at $500 + a pop), but what choice does anyone have? GRE blew it!

Phil

 

[rdale]

(Raises hand)

Press the L/O button and you won't hear the encryption.

 

[scannerfreak]

OK all, that's enough about encryption. Lets get back to discussing the current firmware. Thanks!

 

[Highpockets]

(Raises hand)

Press the L/O button and you won't hear the encryption.

Let me say this, some of the departments that encrypt around my area encrypt the dispatch and not the cars, it would be nice if we could at least listen to half of what's going on rather then lock out the channel and hear nothing.

Why do you insist on always throwing gas on the fire when someone post what they feel is a good idea, one user even asked you nicely not to do so.

 

[DesertRatt]

No Sweeping Encryption Under the Rug!!!

OK all, that's enough about encryption. Lets get back to discussing the current firmware. Thanks!

The lack of encryption is about discussing current firmware