P25RX Firmware Updates / Testing

[Vermonster]

Have you tried using underscores instead of spaces?

That's exactly what I tried, but apparently failed, to point out.
If there is an underscore instead of a space then the logfile is created and the contents are correct.
If there is a space in the directory path (folder name) then it appears the logfile is not created.

 

[btt]

That's exactly what I tried, but apparently failed, to point out.
If there is an underscore instead of a space then the logfile is created and the contents are correct.
If there is a space in the directory path (folder name) then it appears the logfile is not created.

Thank you for figuring this out. I'll try to figure out how to handle the spaces. Not sure why that isn't working.

 

[pcman67]

If you are running your P25RX on Linux, we could use a writeup for our wiki on how to accomplish this. Same goes for Macs. I know this was discussed earlier in this thread. Such details are always welcome

Mike

Here is a small write up for the Mac for your Wiki that might help any future Mac folks who want to run the P25RX software on it. Of course feel free to modify what I type here for clarity and brevity.

Tips for running BTConfig on the Mac:

Make sure Java is installed on your Mac prior to running BTConfig (latest version is recommended). Download the BTConfig.exe program from the BlueTail Technologies website. Rename the downloaded BTConfig program with a .jar extension (from the .exe extension it originally had). If you try and double click in the BTConfig software at this point, MacOS may block or prompt you to run the software since it’s from an unidentied developer (based on your current Mac Gatekeeper security settings) To remedy this, Control-click the BTConfig program, then choose Open from the shortcut menu.
Click Open. The app is saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it in the future by double-clicking it just as you can any registered app.

It will now run and look and function just like it does on Windows and Linux platforms. As of BTConfig 2021_03_25_0703, all known Mac specific bugs have been fixed and should perform identically to the other platforms it runs on.

When using a MacBook laptop and the P25RX together, I also recommend plugging the P25RX into a USB port on the opposite side of the MacBook from the power adapter. I don’t know why, but on certain random MacBooks, this seems to prevent very rare and sporadic lockups. Maybe I’m imagining this, maybe it is specific to a certain type of MacBook model, but it just seems to run better when the P25RX is plugged into a USB port furthest away from the charging cable (power source).

Hope this can be useful and can help out other potential Mac users down the road.

 

[ka3jjz]

Yes let me put this into the wiki later today. Nice work, and it should be helpful to Mac users

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

All done. Still looking for Linux instructions, and do be sure to mention what Linux flavor you're running. If there are variations then they can be accounted for too

Tips for running BTConfig on the Mac - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Mike

 

[epersson]

So, (don't laugh or make snarky comments as I would) I want to say a sad temporary good bye to everyone, I am heading to NH tomorrow from So FL and we don't have any trunking systems (save the Portsmouth Shipyard which is dead silent), So I can't enjoy or contribute to the P25 threads with 1st hand experiences any longer. I will contribute when I get back down here in the fall. So fair weather listening all! Its a great product!!!

 

[Vermonster]

So, (don't laugh or make snarky comments as I would) I want to say a sad temporary good bye to everyone, I am heading to NH tomorrow from So FL and we don't have any trunking systems (save the Portsmouth Shipyard which is dead silent), So I can't enjoy or contribute to the P25 threads with 1st hand experiences any longer. I will contribute when I get back down here in the fall. So fair weather listening all! Its a great product!!!

Don't' leave the P25X in FLA. See if you can monitor MSCOMMNET (Maine) from your location. Also plenty of new DMR sites cropping up every day. Also (preliminary), the P25X seems to do pretty well on the northern NH simulcast, non-trunked, NHSP sites.

 

[btt]

So, (don't laugh or make snarky comments as I would) I want to say a sad temporary good bye to everyone, I am heading to NH tomorrow from So FL and we don't have any trunking systems (save the Portsmouth Shipyard which is dead silent), So I can't enjoy or contribute to the P25 threads with 1st hand experiences any longer. I will contribute when I get back down here in the fall. So fair weather listening all! Its a great product!!!

Thank you for all the help debugging/improving the firmware while you were in FL! Have a nice trip back to NH.

 

[epersson]

Don't' leave the P25X in FLA. See if you can monitor MSCOMMNET (Maine) from your location. Also plenty of new DMR sites cropping up every day. Also (preliminary), the P25X seems to do pretty well on the northern NH simulcast, non-trunked, NHSP sites.

Oh... it's coming back went back with the car yesterday. I may try Mass SP and Shipyard at least to give it a workout I'm in a hollow so bad reception in general.

 

[epersson]

Thank you for all the help debugging/improving the firmware while you were in FL! Have a nice trip back to NH.

I'll be back to haunt you.. ;-)

 

[detroit780]

I do not have a unit yet, so I thought I'd look at the software on my MacBook. No issues after renaming it with the JAR extension. However does it need to be hooked up to the P25rx in order to import the talk groups I downloaded from RR? I. renamed the DSD download to .DSD but when I click on import nothing happens. Just was curious to set up a file but it looks like I have to wait till I receive a unit or something isn't correct?

Thanks

 

[btt]

I do not have a unit yet, so I thought I'd look at the software on my MacBook. No issues after renaming it with the JAR extension. However does it need to be hooked up to the P25rx in order to import the talk groups I downloaded from RR? I. renamed the DSD download to .DSD but when I click on import nothing happens. Just was curious to set up a file but it looks like I have to wait till I receive a unit or something isn't correct?

Thanks

Try lower-case .dsd for the pattern match. The other thing you can do is change the "Files Of Type" to "all files" and navigate to your file. It should work without being connected.

 

[detroit780]

Try lower-case .dsd for the pattern match. The other thing you can do is change the "Files Of Type" to "all files" and navigate to your file. It should work without being connected.

I never get to to the point of import I just click on import csv file and nothing happens. So I downloaded it on my Microsoft Surface and it is the same. Click import and nothing. It does say stays discovering device so I thought maybe it's tied up looking for the unit?

 

[btt]

I never get to to the point of import I just click on import csv file and nothing happens. So I downloaded it on my Microsoft Surface and it is the same. Click import and nothing. It does say stays discovering device so I thought maybe it's tied up looking for the unit?

I apologize. I'm not sure what I was thinking. The import does write to the P25RX flash memory, so it does need to be connected to a device.

 

[detroit780]

Ok not a problem. It is a quick import so not s big deal I'll wait till I get mine.

Thanks

Les

 

[Cheeseburgers]

Oh... it's coming back went back with the car yesterday. I may try Mass SP and Shipyard at least to give it a workout I'm in a hollow so bad reception in general.

MSP is a smartzone system

 

[W0RS]

Control channels in roaming is limited to 16, I know this has been talked about but I can't find it. Is the limit 16 or can it be increased? I travel between Springfield Missouri and Omaha Nebraska. If I include all the primary and secondary control frequencies it adds up to more then 16...

 

[btt]

Control channels in roaming is limited to 16, I know this has been talked about but I can't find it. Is the limit 16 or can it be increased? I travel between Springfield Missouri and Omaha Nebraska. If I include all the primary and secondary control frequencies it adds up to more then 16...

I increased max control channels to 64 in testing version 2021-04-07_1653.

 

[kruser]

I'm not sure when this issue started but I cannot mute encrypted talkgroups.
I toggled the button to enable encrypted audio output on and off and tested it with both settings but encrypted audio is still passed.
I use the PC Speakers for audio as I don't have any suitable BT devices or amplified speakers available that I can jack into the P25RX line out jack.

I started monitoring a TG on a Phase I 800 MHz system that has some encrypted users as well as a bunch of in the clear users. Hearing the encryption goblly gook spoils monitoring the TG though as the encrypted users can carry on for several minutes at times!

I'm using the latest BTCONFIG FW from Apr 9th V-1155. I honestly did not enable the TG in question in any earlier FW versions so I can't say if encryption was ever muted with any older version or if this just started recently. Normally, I lockout TGs with encryption as most have all users encrypted but lately I've been finding many users are in the clear when I happened to enable the same locked out TGs on a Uniden model.

And I'm not talking about the tiny few millisecond snippets of encryption you sometimes here until the radio detects the ENC flag, this is entire conversations between users that are still passing encrypted audio on the P25RX.
The same users audio is muted and the TG allowed to continue scanning on Uniden models.

Other than the above, my P25RX has been working very well.
Thanks Todd!

EDIT: I went back to FW 2021-04-01 0938 but Encrypted audio is still passed to the computer speakers regardless of the setting to mute it under the Advanced settings on BTConfig.

 

[btt]

I'm not sure when this issue started but I cannot mute encrypted talkgroups.
I toggled the button to enable encrypted audio output on and off and tested it with both settings but encrypted audio is still passed.
I use the PC Speakers for audio as I don't have any suitable BT devices or amplified speakers available that I can jack into the P25RX line out jack.

I started monitoring a TG on a Phase I 800 MHz system that has some encrypted users as well as a bunch of in the clear users. Hearing the encryption goblly gook spoils monitoring the TG though as the encrypted users can carry on for several minutes at times!

I'm using the latest BTCONFIG FW from Apr 9th V-1155. I honestly did not enable the TG in question in any earlier FW versions so I can't say if encryption was ever muted with any older version or if this just started recently. Normally, I lockout TGs with encryption as most have all users encrypted but lately I've been finding many users are in the clear when I happened to enable the same locked out TGs on a Uniden model.

And I'm not talking about the tiny few millisecond snippets of encryption you sometimes here until the radio detects the ENC flag, this is entire conversations between users that are still passing encrypted audio on the P25RX.
The same users audio is muted and the TG allowed to continue scanning on Uniden models.

Other than the above, my P25RX has been working very well.
Thanks Todd!

EDIT: I went back to FW 2021-04-01 0938 but Encrypted audio is still passed to the computer speakers regardless of the setting to mute it under the Advanced settings on BTConfig.

New version available 2021-04-10_0908. This version no longer temporarily disables talk groups when encryption is detected. The audio should mute if configured that way, but will continue to receive the encrypted communications instead of returning to the control channel. This should work the same way for phase 1 and 2. There isn't much going on here with encrypted, so it isn't tested yet. The "auto disable encrypted" option in the talk group tab should still work, but has not been verified. The talk group log should show (ENC) for talk groups with encryption.