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Please help.. Pl tone issue is killing me!

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mslawson

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Mar 27, 2013
Messages
6
Location
Los Angeles, ca
Hello Radio Reference world...can someone please help me with an issue I'm having??? It's driving me nuts because I can't figure it out!

I recently obtained a Ma-Com Orion 100w low band mobile radio. I am using the "ProGrammer" R20C05 software to program it.

My use for the radio is to monitor and sometimes transmit on the California Highway Patrol channels (I am in law enforcement as my profession and radio is a hobby of mine).

The issue is with the PL tones on the Orion, or as Ma-Com calls them in the software, RX CG and TX CG (channel guards).

I'll take one frequency as the example (I know the issue is happening on this channel for sure, not sure about others yet). The CHP South Los Angeles channel receives on 39.2200 Mhz and the input frequency is 42.0800 Mhz. Both the RX and TX frequencies use 192.8 as the PL tone / CG tone. I know for a fact this information is correct for 2 reasons - 1. I obtained the data from a radio tech at CHP, 2. I have a Motorola HT1250 low band portable with the same data programmed and can transmit and receive on the channel just fine.

THE ISSUE: When I program the Orion with an RX freq of 39.2200 and set its CG tone to 192.8, I do not receive any audio. The radio is receiving the transmissions because I can see the busy orange light come on on the control head, however the radio does not unmute so I can hear the traffic. If I reprogram and take the RX CG out, and/or press the "clear" button on the control head so it opens to CSQ, I receive just fine.

Is there some setting preventing the radio to unmute with that PL? Someone had mentioned the "hookswitch disable CG" setting under Keypad Options. I tried this, I checked the box (which I believe means if the mic is off the hook then the CG is removed and goes to CSQ) and it worked. You might ask why do I need the PL/CG for the RX channel, and the answer is that at times I may transmit on this channel to talk with CHP field units. If I transmit on simplex/direct, then I will be transmitting on 39.2200 with no PL/CG tone, therefore the field units will not hear me because their radios are receiving with the PL/CG tone.

Even more weird, when I transmit from my HT1250 on simplex (direct from the HT1250 to the Orion) on 39.2200, AND THE ORION HAS THE CG CODE ON 192.8, it DOES receive the transmission and unmutes. So it will not unmute when receiving audio from CHP on that freq (39.2200 192.8) but it will when receiving the simplex transmission next to my portable.

Any ideas? Is the radio not receiving the transmission strong enough from CHP to break through the PL tone or something? If that was the case, then why can I hear the CHP transmissions clearly when the radio is on CSQ?

Thank you so much for any help. I am open to any ideas, this is driving me nuts.
 

richard630

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Sep 16, 2014
Messages
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For hookswitch Disable CG:
When it's checked, the radio will not decode Channel Guard when the microphone has been removed from the Hookswitch.

When it's uncked, the radio will continue to decode Channel Guard even when the microphone is removed from the Hookswitch.

This option is only operable when a portable radio is connected to the mobile vehicular charger
 

rbrtklamp2

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Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
847
Location
Dupage County, Illinois
It kind of sounds like a squelch issue. Can you lower the squelch setting, of so you maybe able to rx again.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

Thunderknight

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Jan 31, 2008
Messages
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Location
Bletchley Park
Probably the PL deviation level from the CHP base is too low (or way high and being distorted, but low is more likely) for your Orion to decode.
 

Fowler

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Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
181
Location
FL
If you have a scanner that can decode PL tones program it and see what you get from CHP dispatch
 
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