MCC 7500 Elite Dispatch Help

[code3kid]

Hello,

At my place of work, our MCC 7500 console went down. Once rebooted and logged back in, all the icons and talkgroups are shrunk and compressed in the upper left corner of the screen. The on call IT guy (not a radio tech) is stumped and gone home. We've tried everything we can think of.

Any advice would be very appreciated!

 

[code3kid]

Also we don't have access to the Radio Control Manager screen anymore. It displays "user is not allowed to access this application"

 

[K4EET]

That may be a mismatched monitor resolution to the application. I don't know for sure but did the IT guru try changing the monitor resolution? I don't want to make matters worse so be very careful if you make any changes and don't attempt the change unless you are familiar with how to make it. Also, do you all have a login for Motorola Solutions Support?

Support Hub

www.motorolasolutions.com

 

[K4EET]

The "Get Support" link is found on this MCC 7500 IP Dispatch Console webpage:

MCC 7500 IP Dispatch Console (Discontinued) - Motorola Solutions

While the MCC 7500 IP Console has been discontinued and is no longer available, you can click here to find accessories and replacement parts.

www.motorolasolutions.com

 

[code3kid]

We did try changing the resolution in windows, no change to the program itself, just to the windows OS. And we do not have a login. A contractor set up the system 7 years ago and just gave vague trouble shooting instructions to our IT guys. The main IT boss may have a login but he's not answering his phone. I would think it would be very easy to change the sizing of resources in the program but we cant find anything.

 

[K4EET]

If you have the Windows resolution set back to where it was when you began, have you tried changing the monitor resolution either directly at the monitor's setup buttons or via the monitor's control application? Can you tell me the make and model of the monitor?

 

[K4EET]

With respect to the image being squished up in the upper left corner, it sounds like the monitor itself is at a much higher resolution than the application requires. For example, the monitor may be at a 1024 by 768 resolution whereas the application needs the resolution set to 480 by 320. Note that I am using very old resolutions as the example whereas your resolutions should be much higher.

 

[APX8000]

When you launch through the application, do you have the correct configuration loaded ?

 

[K4EET]

Also we don't have access to the Radio Control Manager screen anymore. It displays "user is not allowed to access this application"

Not sure what happened with your access to the RCM. Lots of things could cause that error message. The static IP of your console may have changed and the RCM application does not recognize that console as an authorized user. But that is just one possible example. Do you all have access to the RCM at another console?

@APX8000 makes a good point above. If it is loading a default configuration file, that could potentially explain the mismatched resolution and the RCM lockout.

 

[code3kid]

When you launch through the application, do you have the correct configuration loaded ?

Configuration as in the view and layout of the talkgroups? There’s only two options for that. And we’re on the only one that resembles what we had before, it’s just super tiny in the corner. We have since messed with the resolution more and it’s gotten better but it’s just not quite the same as before. And it’s an issue that we don’t have RCM anymore so clear emergency alarms and stun or kill radios.

 

[code3kid]

But I don’t think it is the correct configuration actually because we noticed the clock is now in 12 hr instead of 24. We just went with the login info labeled onto the monitor itself

 

[APX8000]

Go all the way back to your Windows Home screen. On your desktop, you should have a red lightning bolt to launch the application. double click that. Then your configuration menu should pop up. How many configurations appear ? If you have more than one, double click the one with the most recent date. Do your resources load correctly ?

 

[scoutcamper]

This all sounds wrong. It sounds like you logged in as a different user than was being used before. I am going to strongly encourage you call in the radio tech that supports your agency. As someone who supports MCC 7500's for a living, there are a lot of headaches you could be creating for your radio tech people right now. There is a reason that most radio support folks don't like IT folks trying to support radio consoles, you should not treat them like a standard PC, Motorola software is somewhat fragile and doesn't like changes.

 

[APX8000]

Agreed. Especially the radio folks vs IT folks. Dealt with that first hand.

 

[K4EET]

<snip> There is a reason that most radio support folks don't like IT folks trying to support radio consoles, you should not treat them like a standard PC, Motorola software is somewhat fragile and doesn't like changes.

Yes, that is a very true statement. The scenario here as I understand it is this:

1. @code3kid is responsible for operations in the dispatch center.
2. The system was installed by a third party contractor 7 years ago.
3. The contractor gave a broad overview class to the IT department who is responsible for keeping the system operational.
4. The system is not maintained by a radio shop.
5. The IT person tried to fix the system last night but couldn’t. Rather than staying on-site to do and call whoever was needed, they went home. In my county, that would probably get you fired. A critical system is not working!
6. @code3kid tried calling a manager for assistance but they did not answer the phone.
7. @code3kid does not have the login credentials for Motorola Solutions Support.

Obviously, @code3kid is in a situation that they should not have to be in. They cannot perform their duties without the RCM and one needs a magnifying glass to view what is on the monitor. I would say some changes to their SOP are needed to make sure the dispatch center has the support they need 24/7/365. If someone dies because a stolen radio could not be bricked, the citizens are going to want one or more people to pay dearly.

Sooooooo… @scoutcamper, your concern is definitely valid. It was a tough call last night but if nobody is going to give me the support that I need, then I need to do something to get the system back online. Granted, this whole scenario should not have gone down the way it did. Someone with the knowledge to maintain whatever critical system goes down should be on call after hours with a maximum response time of two hours.

@code3kid, I hope your upper management via the chain of command will take the necessary steps to insure that this never happens again. If you have any questions about what should have happened last night, let me know.

 

[code3kid]

Update:

Thank you all for the advice!

The main IT guy came in today and got us the RCM screen back using a different user profile under the same password. "astrousr" instead of the username labeled onto the console screen. However was unable to resolve the sizing issue of the resources on the display,

Upon further messing around with the monitor ourselves, we discovered that the issue was finding the EXACT resolution needed to appear properly on this crappy 2009 Elo monitor. Turned out to be 1024 x 768. Any other resolution looked completely wrong.

 

[mastr]

Update...main IT guy came in today and ...was unable to resolve the sizing issue of the resources on the display...
Upon further messing around with the monitor ourselves...1024 x 768. Any other resolution looked completely wrong.

Your "main IT guy" is either lazy or lacking basic skills. One of those issues is more easily addressed than the other.

 

[code3kid]

As to why the resolution changed when the computer rebooted, who knows. I'm pretty sure we tried 1024 x 768 yesterday but I think it may have just been a matter of being on the correct login.

 

[K4EET]

With respect to the image being squished up in the upper left corner, it sounds like the monitor itself is at a much higher resolution than the application requires. For example, the monitor may be at a 1024 by 768 resolution whereas the application needs the resolution set to 480 by 320. Note that I am using very old resolutions as the example whereas your resolutions should be much higher.

Going back to my Post #7, it is ironic that I mentioned 1024 by 768 resolution but brushed it off thinking that was too old of a standard. Little did I know that Motorola would still be using that resolution. Glad you all got the resolution figured out and have the RCM back to operational status.

 

[code3kid]

As to why the resolution changed when the computer rebooted, who knows.

Going back to my Post #7, it is ironic that I mentioned 1024 by 768 resolution but brushed it off thinking that was too old of a standard. Little did I know that Motorola would still be using that resolution. Glad you all got the resolution figured out and have the RCM back to operational status.

Thanks a bunch, K4EET. You were right on the money.