P25RX Firmware Updates / Testing

[phillydjdan]

Just ran into an issue. I attempted to enter a 500 MHz control channel and write it to the device, and I got an error message that it is invalid frequency and now I can't get the device to respond or PC to recognize it. I tried several USB ports and no dice.

 

[freqseeker]

The P25RX doesn't support 500MHz. See page 2 of P25RX User Manual for supported bands. Not sure why it would cause what you are experiencing though.
I had a hard lockup one time that required a hard firmware reset (not sure what else to call it). See page 21 in the manual for instructions to recover. Make sure you have a backup of your work. I'm sure Todd will chime in soon. Try a different USB cable if you haven't already.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[btt]

Just ran into an issue. I attempted to enter a 500 MHz control channel and write it to the device, and I got an error message that it is invalid frequency and now I can't get the device to respond or PC to recognize it. I tried several USB ports and no dice.

I tried re-creating this issue by entering an invalid frequency, but I didn't get the result you did. It used a default frequency instead. Try the method freqseeker mentioned to get the device ready to program (hold the TG button down while powering the device. Keep holding for 10 seconds until the leds come on). Then try loading the firmware from an "Alt Testing" version 2021-01-30_2134 from the web site. This version will reset the configuration to defaults. After that, you can downgrade to the version that you were using: i.e. version _1304. Let me know if this doesn't work. Also feel free to direct e-mail.

 

[GTR8000]

UHF coverage ends at 490 MHz? That's bizarre, considering the PLMR T-Band spectrum in the U.S. extends up to 512 MHz, and there are a number of P25 and DMR systems above 490 MHz that wouldn't be compatible with this device. Is that a hardware issue, or a conscious decision to cut coverage off 22 MHz shy of where it actually tops out in the band?

 

[btt]

UHF coverage ends at 490 MHz? That's bizarre, considering the PLMR T-Band spectrum in the U.S. extends up to 512 MHz, and there are a number of P25 and DMR systems above 490 MHz that wouldn't be compatible with this device. Is that a hardware issue, or a conscious decision to cut coverage off 22 MHz shy of where it actually tops out in the band?

It is due to the combination of the VCO frequency range ( > 3 GHz ) and the dividers that produce the LO. It was designed for narrow-band performance. The bands have gaps in-between. It is just the way it worked out for this hardware. I haven't heard of anyone needing that range until now.

 

[phillydjdan]

I tried the hard firmware reset and it did not work. When I open the Config software and do the 10 second hold, the unit is recognized by the Config software, it goes into firmware update, writes the new firmware, but then when the device restarts I get nothing. Power LED is lit but the PC doesn't indicate the USB reconnected. I have tired going back several versions and it does the same thing. If I try to simply restart the Config software and do the 10 second hold, it simply goes through the firmware check and stalls again upon power cycle.

500 MHz is big in the Philly/NJ/NY area here. In fact, my county uses 500 MHz frequencies exclusively. What I was attempting was to program a DMR system here that uses a mixture of 460 and 500 on several sites.

Here's a video of what it's doing:

 

[kruser]

I tried the hard firmware reset and it did not work.

I've had issues with the USB connection being lost during a firmware update and after the new firmware fully installed.
I must power cycle my P25RX during and after a FW update to get it going again.
That's always worked for me. I don't need to give it much time either when the connection is lost with the BTConfig software. When my connection drops, I'll usually wait 10 to 20 seconds before pulling and re-jacking the USB cable for a power cycle leaving BTConfig running the entire time.

On the final stage of a FW update, the P25RX LED is normal indicating it's receiving the system I'd put in but no communications with BTConfig.
Once I power cycle the P25RX one last time, it then connects to BTConfig and works just fine.
Do you have other USB ports you can try? I've had issues with some USB 3.0 or 3.1 ports using an ASMedia USB 3.1 chipset.
When I moved the P25RX to another port that uses an Intel chipset, the P25RX worked fine.

You may want to play around with USB ports if your computer has several. Mine is an ASUS board so it has several USB chipsets on the board.
Hopefully you will find a port that gets things going for you.

edit: the USB ports that ended up working well with my P25RX are Intel chipset ports rated for USB 2.0 speeds.
This ASUS board has USB 3.1 ports that use both, an ASMedia and Intel USB 3.1 chipset controller also. All of the USB 3.1 ports had issues with the P25RX locking up after a few seconds to several minutes.
Using a USB 2.0 Intel port is what fixed my P25RX.
I also had some luck using a 2.0 speed external hub but that was still not perfect but did run for hours before locking up.

 

[shirsch101]

Todd,
What changes were made in the latest firmware update?

 

[phillydjdan]

I tried other USB ports. I've even tried another computer. Same results.

 

[btt]

I tried other USB ports. I've even tried another computer. Same results.

It is probably some kind of talk group flash corruption that the device is not handling correctly. Hopefully you have a backup of your talk groups. I put a new version on the web site that will reset the configuration and erase the talk group / roaming flash memory. Version "Alt Recovery 2021-01-31_0752". Do the 10-second button hold method to get the device ready for new firmware. During the update, this version will hang. After it hangs, wait around 10 seconds before cycling power and re-starting the BTConfig software.

 

[phillydjdan]

Tried that to no avail. FWIW it appears that the main Configuration tab has blank fields for CC freq and Ref freq when it loads, the Talkgroup Editor tab is unpopulated. It appears as if the Config app is completely blank and devoid of any data. I have a hunch that the main Configuration is the culprit and likely was corrupted. I don't think the roaming or talkgroup files are the issue. I think it's hanging up while reading the main Configuration off the device. Is there a way to force write everything at default values and start as if this unit was never used before?

 

[btt]

Tried that to no avail. FWIW it appears that the main Configuration tab has blank fields for CC freq and Ref freq when it loads, the Talkgroup Editor tab is unpopulated. It appears as if the Config app is completely blank and devoid of any data. I have a hunch that the main Configuration is the culprit and likely was corrupted. I don't think the roaming or talkgroup files are the issue. I think it's hanging up while reading the main Configuration off the device. Is there a way to force write everything at default values and start as if this unit was never used before?

The "Alt Recovery" version should have put everything back to defaults including the configuration. You can do this manually in the bootloader mode (leds flashing rapidly) with the commands: 'clear_sys' and 'clear_configs' using a terminal emulator. I'll send you a return label and follow-up with an e-mail.
-edit: check your e-mail for another possible recovery method.

 

[btt]

Is there a way to force write everything at default values and start as if this unit was never used before?

Please check your e-mail for a way to do this.

It appears as if the Config app is completely blank and devoid of any data. I have a hunch that the main Configuration is the culprit and likely was corrupted

The configuration flash is protected by a 32-bit crc value. It will be reset to default values if the flash memory is corrupted. The roaming flash records have 32-bit crc values individually. The talk-group flash records do not have crc protection, but there is a sanity check on power-up initialization that should detect some type of flash group corruption. I will look into adding crc protection to TG records as well.

 

[GTR8000]

It is due to the combination of the VCO frequency range ( > 3 GHz ) and the dividers that produce the LO. It was designed for narrow-band performance. The bands have gaps in-between. It is just the way it worked out for this hardware. I haven't heard of anyone needing that range until now.

Well, hopefully anyone in the NJ/NYC/Philly area, where there are numerous P25 and DMR systems that operate above 490 MHz, are aware of this limitation before purchasing this device, especially if attempting to program channels >490 results in the device locking up as Dan's apparently has. I just browsed your website, and the fact that UHF coverage stops at 490 MHz it nowhere to be found except in the User Manual. It would probably be a good idea to list the frequency ranges more prominently, perhaps with a disclaimer that entering an "out of band" frequency may result in devices locking up with no easy method of recovery.

 

[btt]

Well, hopefully anyone in the NJ/NYC/Philly area, where there are numerous P25 and DMR systems that operate above 490 MHz, are aware of this limitation before purchasing this device, especially if attempting to program channels >490 results in the device locking up as Dan's apparently has. I just browsed your website, and the fact that UHF coverage stops at 490 MHz it nowhere to be found except in the User Manual. It would probably be a good idea to list the frequency ranges more prominently, perhaps with a disclaimer that entering an "out of band" frequency may result in devices locking up with no easy method of recovery.

The UHF certainly doesn't stop at 490 MHz. Here are the ranges:

Frequency Coverage Summary
130 to 245 continous coverage P25 VHF
256 to 327 continous coverage P25 VHF/UHF
380 to 490 continous coverage P25 UHF
763 to 824 continous coverage P25 UHF
849 to 869 continous coverage P25 UHF
894 to 960 continous coverage P25 UHF

As I already mentioned, I tried to reproduce the issue that Dan experienced by entering an invalid frequency. It does not result in a device lockup here. The bootloader is still functional and we have established that Dan can still load firmware. Clearing all flash to default values did not help. It appears that entering the invalid frequency was somehow a coincidence with some other type of hardware issue. HW issues are very rare. There has only been one case of an actual HW issue so far that I can recall (a bad solder joint). I have issued a pre-paid return label for Dan. I'll do whatever I can to make this right. I take good care of those who are supporting this project. Like I said before, I had no idea that 490 to 500 MHz was in wide use. I will put it somewhere prominent on the web site as you suggested. Thanks for your input.

-edit: The product web page has been updated to show the frequency coverage.

 

[kruser]

The UHF T band can go from 470 MHz up to 512 MHz.

 

[phillydjdan]

I really appreciate the time Todd is taking with this. We are emailing back and forth, but it looks like a return is going to be needed for this issue, as it seems to be hardware related. It's not stopping me from ordering a 2nd unit as soon as he has em ready! I plan on deploying both units for private online feeds that I know it will work well on. Just gotta remember to stay away from 500 MHz lol. For what it's worth, in the Philly area it works great on Phase 1 and Phase 2 systems as well as DMR Connect +. It's a badge of honor if you can get a scanning device to work at all in the Philly area with all the RF and LSM issues. As I think I have said before, the P25RX is perfect for those that just want a scanning device they can set and forget. It's not designed for folks that like to tinker with buttons and knobs. As a sort of tester, the fact that I broke it doesn't mean its garbage. It only means I poked just the "right" spot. Isn't that what beta testing is for?

 

[phillydjdan]

And his persistence pays off! Todd was able to send me a firmware update that fixed the problem. I am now back in business and working great again. Whew!

 

[btt]

Thank you Dan! I really didn't think there was an issue with the recovery process, but you managed to prove that wrong. I will address this in the "tips and tricks" section of the website soon. Thank you for working with me to figure this out!

 

[phillydjdan]

Btw, just wanted to post a follow-up. The Philly area has been in a winter weather event for the past day and a half, and the P25RX is handling the load with the PA StarNet P25 Phase 2 system. Very busy with DOT plow crews and such, and it is still going strong. I have mine setup to switch between the local VHF site and 800 site, as they use dual band radios and can affiliate with either one. If you would like to listen in for the rest of the day here is the link. The slight noise you hear in the background is due to the USB sound card, not the P25RX.

http://173.75.215.7:12345/special