Pro 106 Keeps losing frequencies

[Viper334]

This is my first post so go easy, and yes I did a search for this but didn't find my particular issue. If I missed it a helpful link would be appreciated.

My Pro 106 is programed with both P25 digital and conventional frequencies, but every once in a while the scanner will for lack of better terms dump all of the digital channel information. The conventional channels still scan, and the names programed in for the digital channels are still there the frequency information is just gone. Luckily I have a file saved and can just re-upload it to my scanner using Win 500 making everything work again. Has anyone else experienced this???

 

[krokus]

This is not just a scan list being turned off?

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[KC0CSE]

This is my first post so go easy, and yes I did a search for this but didn't find my particular issue. If I missed it a helpful link would be appreciated.

My Pro 106 is programed with both P25 digital and conventional frequencies, but every once in a while the scanner will for lack of better terms dump all of the digital channel information. The conventional channels still scan, and the names programed in for the digital channels are still there the frequency information is just gone. Luckily I have a file saved and can just re-upload it to my scanner using Win 500 making everything work again. Has anyone else experienced this???

Mine does this too....every so often ...why?....good question...scan list ? no....have to re-program and I'm good to go for another maybe month...

 

[hiegtx]

See this thread, and see if, perhaps, you see an EEPROM error. While that thread (originally) was about the PSR-600, the same would apply to all the GRE manufactured units (PSR-500/ -600), PRO-106, and PRO-197.

 

[stlouisx50]

Thank you for making this post. I asked this question about a month ago and people though I wasn't saving the entry or that it was just me.

I too experience conventional frequencies vanishing, Trunked Frequencies vanishing, talk groups vanishing. I was also having an issue with my scanner beeping and flashing fast. Showing a charging issue, even though I have never charged the batteries inside my unit. In order to resolve that problem I had to with the charging alert. I had to set the charge time to 0.

As far as vanishing frequencies, some days I'll wonder why it's so quiet and come to find out, yup the frequencies are gone.

 

[Viper334]

See this thread, and see if, perhaps, you see an EEPROM error. While that thread (originally) was about the PSR-600, the same would apply to all the GRE manufactured units (PSR-500/ -600), PRO-106, and PRO-197.

I hope its not this. I did buy the scanner off of ebay (maybe the seller knew about this), and it has worked fine for several months and now this. Mines not losing it everyday like others, but maybe once every two weeks. I will have to check for the EEPROM error when I get home from work today.

Also if it is the EEPROM error is this something that I can have fixed (or is it worth it price wise?). The local Radio Shack is full of a bunch of morons that know nothing about sending it off for repairs (I have asked before for a different scanner) so I would have to find a store with a knowledgeable manager.

 

[N1BHH]

Frequencies don't just disappear, they may become inactive, but they don't disappear. When you say you are losing them, have you tried stepping through the programming to see that they are programmed? It could be that there is inactivity. You must always save your files, that is a given. Download from the scanner and see that everything you programmed is in there. Using Win500 is easy to use and you can double check whatever you put in there. If the radio just doesn't hear activity, either the frequencies don't have activity on them or they are the wrong frequencies.

 

[stlouisx50]

Frequencies don't just disappear, they may become inactive, but they don't disappear. When you say you are losing them, have you tried stepping through the programming to see that they are programmed? It could be that there is inactivity. You must always save your files, that is a given. Download from the scanner and see that everything you programmed is in there. Using Win500 is easy to use and you can double check whatever you put in there. If the radio just doesn't hear activity, either the frequencies don't have activity on them or they are the wrong frequencies.

I hate to argue, but YES they do. I have had it happen more than a hand full of times. I have programed in the MSHP's VHF trunked system. 3 active control channels. I then go a while hearing the MSHP no issues. Then all of a sudden I won't hear a thing so I go looking through the scanner and tune to the MSHP saved TG. The first indication is that there is no RF showing up on the meter. So I go in and look under frequencies. Sure enough 01,02,03 all show 000.0000, Fact.

I have also stored frequencies that I saved from searches. I wonder why I haven't heard those too. Sure enough they are gone. They were there before. I used the search feature to see if they are anywhere in the scanner. No where!

 

[Viper334]

Frequencies don't just disappear, they may become inactive, but they don't disappear. When you say you are losing them, have you tried stepping through the programming to see that they are programmed? It could be that there is inactivity. You must always save your files, that is a given. Download from the scanner and see that everything you programmed is in there. Using Win500 is easy to use and you can double check whatever you put in there. If the radio just doesn't hear activity, either the frequencies don't have activity on them or they are the wrong frequencies.

They are truly disappearing as best I can tell. After this happens and I hook it to Win500 and pull the information off the scanner they are not there, it is really weird. Once they are gone and you look in the scanner at the frequency it has been reset to the default, and doesn't even show it as a P25 system anymore, the names of the channels are still there but zero frequency information. They are programmed and saved correctly when it is working, and there is plenty of activity and I know 100% it's the right frequencies. I hear lots of traffic, again when it works. Just every once in a while when I turn it on poof they are gone.

Is this similar to others experience that say you have the same problem?!?

 

[stlouisx50]

They are truly disappearing as best I can tell. After this happens and I hook it to Win500 and pull the information off the scanner they are not there, it is really weird. Once they are gone and you look in the scanner at the frequency it has been reset to the default, and doesn't even show it as a P25 system anymore, the names of the channels are still there but zero frequency information. They are programmed and saved correctly when it is working, and there is plenty of activity and I know 100% it's the right frequencies. I hear lots of traffic, again when it works. Just every once in a while when I turn it on poof they are gone.

Is this similar to others experience that say you have the same problem?!?

100% exactly. You may think this is nuts, but there was a period where I though someone was coming in my apartment deleting things out of my scanner, or maybe the wife. But then thought to myself why the hell would someone do that! Then I though maybe I accidentally deleted the stuff. But there's no way I did because you have to confirm things when you delete them. It's doing it on it's own!

 

[Viper334]

See this thread, and see if, perhaps, you see an EEPROM error. While that thread (originally) was about the PSR-600, the same would apply to all the GRE manufactured units (PSR-500/ -600), PRO-106, and PRO-197.

Just an update, I performed the eeprom memory test mentioned in the link above a few times, and did not get any errors.

 

[hiegtx]

Just an update, I performed the eeprom memory test mentioned in the link above a few times, and did not get any errors.

There was a comment in the original thread about someone running the test multiple times, getting errors at times, at times none shown. Hopefully, you do not have that problem, but it was worth checking.

 

[Viper334]

There was a comment in the original thread about someone running the test multiple times, getting errors at times, at times none shown. Hopefully, you do not have that problem, but it was worth checking.

Yeah I hope not, I may run it a few more times just to satisfy myself, from what I have read its a problem you really don't want. I am open to any ideas and thank you for the suggestion.

 

[SCPD]

Sounds like you may have gotten a bad scanner. I have a 106 & programed it manually & I have not had any problem like that. If you know some one who can program it manually do that & see if it happens again.

 

[stlouisx50]

Sounds like you may have gotten a bad scanner. I have a 106 & programed it manually & I have not had any problem like that. If you know some one who can program it manually do that & see if it happens again.

It's possible. I have had it working flawlessly for about a month now. I'm sure it will drop them again soon. It's frustrating if you store a frequency that's not listed in the database and you can't remember what it was.

 

[SCPD]

I have never used soft ware to program my scanner's. But when I programed them, I had to push SAVE TWICE to save the DIGITAL frequency's in the banks & saved folders. Don't know if soft ware does that for you? ,On Analog , when you program it & push save ONCE it's saved to the bank. I do be leave that you have to push SAVE twice for digital. Good luck !

 

[Viper334]

I have never used soft ware to program my scanner's. But when I programed them, I had to push SAVE TWICE to save the DIGITAL frequency's in the banks & saved folders. Don't know if soft ware does that for you? ,On Analog , when you program it & push save ONCE it's saved to the bank. I do be leave that you have to push SAVE twice for digital. Good luck !

I will give it a try next time it loses it again, but I don't think the software is the problem. Plenty of people use Win500 to program and don't have issues like this.

 

[dispatch235]

I have the same issue with both my pro 106 and 197. I have both p25 trunk systems and conventional and the problem is as someone else stated just the digital freq.disappear. Used to happen every couple weeks but hasn't reoccurred for a couple months after having them a year. I use win 500 but have programmed it manually also and still lost the freqs.


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[SCPD]

dispatch235 : WOW, that is strange. I have never had that problem " YET " & I have had my 106 for 4 yrs now. If you find an answer to that please post it.

 

[lynxrufus]

The problems and phenomena described in this thread are consistant with memory wear. Some may not want to believe it, but flash memory can tolerate only a finite number of write/read cycles.

This is a well known problem, not subject to debate. Frequencies are truly disappearing.

When rewriting from a program like Win500, bad memory locations are locked out and everything is fine for a while.

Additional write/read cycles can lead to information loss, requiring another total rewrite. The thing to do (short of replacing the flash memory- if that's possible), is to eliminate unnecessary write/read cycles.

Turning the scanner off and on requires a write/read cycle. Owners of base/mobile scanners can leave the scanner on all the time (I do this, although the degree to which it extends memory life may be minimal). For owners of portable scanners, leaving it on all the time may be difficult.

Memory testing requires read/write cycles and therefore is not a good idea. Memory is tested anyway (and bad sectors locked out) when a write is done. Additional memory testing only increases memory wear.

How long flash memory will last will depend on many factors. In many cases it will last as long as the device. Designers hope that it will. A certain amount of memory loss can be tolerated (everything will be fixed by a complete memory rewirite). We can hope that none of our scanners reaches the point that there is not enough good memory left.

Stop testing memory. It's destructive.