Pro 96 Firmware Upgrade Tower 701

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mikejeffdfd

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OK I HAVE READ ALL THE POST ON RADIO SHACKS NEW FIRMWARE UPGRADE, CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THEY HAVE ENTERED THE CITY LIMITS WITH THE PRO-96 (WITH FIRMWARE UPGRADE) SCANNER AND RECEIVED CONTINIOUS UNGARBLED RADIO TRANSMISSIONS??/ I CURRENTLY HAVE A UNIDEN 296 AND EVEN AFTER THE FIRMWARE UPGRADE BACK IN FEBRUARY FROM UNIDEN THE RECEPTION IS STILL BAD, I HAVE E-MAILED UNIDEN THE PAST 2 WEEKS TO FIND OUT IF THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM THAT THE RADIO SHACK ENGINEERS HAVE SOLVED, BUT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE YET, i AM CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF A PRO-96 BUT I NEED SOME ASSURANCES THAT THE NEW RADIO SHACK FIRMWARE UPGRADE IS WORKING WELL WITHIN THE CITY BEFORE FORKING OUT 400 BUCKS!!!!
 

rananthony04

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I came across this post while browsing the RR main page. I though I was the only one with the garbled transmission problem. I hear everyone else talking about how much better the upgrade is for the Pro-96. Not so much for me. For instance, while monitoring the LAPD channels today, i would be abruptly interrupted by a garbled transmission, much like the sound as if you didn't have the pro-96 set correctly to decode digital transmissions. I would then have to hit MAN and then press the up or down arrow to be able to continue listening to that channel, it is SO irritating. I am considering uploading the 1.2 DSP back into the scanner, it seemed to work lots better. Anyone else in the same situation?
 
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rdale

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It's not completely clear, but MUCH better than before and much better than the Unidens right now.

Not sure what the LAPD post is referring to - LAPD is not on a CQPSK simulcast trunked system so that's not relevant.

If you read the 1.3 REPORTS thread, you'll see everyone in Detroit says it's notably better.
 

rananthony04

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I am very much aware that LAPD is not on a CQPSK simulcast trunked system, I was only posting my comments because mikejeffdfd was describing exactly what I was also experiencing.
 

code6

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1.3 firmware

I have had the same problem with LAPD dropping out with 1.3 firmware,I switched back
to 1.2 version and the problem vurtually went away so the 1.3 version is causing the
problem of P25 transmissions to drop out frequently.The upgrade did what it was supossed
to do, but this problem is a side effect.One That is not worth the upgrade IMO.
 

mikejeffdfd

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As The Maker Of This Post, When I Listed City I Meant For Detroit Problems In Decoding The Garbled Transmissions, So With That Has Anyone With A Pro-96 With The Firmware Upgrade Been In The City Of Detroit Limits And Received Noticeable Improved Reception On A Consistent Basis, Or Even If You Monitor Not Far Outside The City Of Detroit And Had Problems Before The Upgrade Is The Improvement Worth Forking Out 400 Bucks. Thanks Wayne Oakland & Macomb Counties Please Respond.
 

rdale

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"So With That Has Anyone With A Pro-96 With The Firmware Upgrade Been In The City Of Detroit Limits And Received Noticeable Improved Reception On A Consistent Basis,"

YES. Read any of the posts about Detroit / Pro96 in the Michigan section here, or the Radio Shack forum.
 

bigbluemsp

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mikejeffdfd said:
As The Maker Of This Post, When I Listed City I Meant For Detroit Problems In Decoding The Garbled Transmissions, So With That Has Anyone With A Pro-96 With The Firmware Upgrade Been In The City Of Detroit Limits And Received Noticeable Improved Reception On A Consistent Basis, Or Even If You Monitor Not Far Outside The City Of Detroit And Had Problems Before The Upgrade Is The Improvement Worth Forking Out 400 Bucks. Thanks Wayne Oakland & Macomb Counties Please Respond.

Macomb doesnt' know fully because they just started testing their platform.

Oakland is 800 Analog and from my house the signal is much better but when they go to Open Sky it will be useless since it is unmonitorable.
 

MetalManMI

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mikejeffdfd said:
i AM CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF A PRO-96 BUT I NEED SOME ASSURANCES THAT THE NEW RADIO SHACK FIRMWARE UPGRADE IS WORKING WELL WITHIN THE CITY BEFORE FORKING OUT 400 BUCKS!!!!

Well...really, I think the only one that can answer that is you. Why? Because, even with the DSP firmware v1.3 upgrade, the reception is far from perfect where Detroit's system is concerned. It is improved...but far from perfect.

What I have found so far is, if I am moving in a vehicle (inside or near the city limits) with the 800mhz rub-duck, the Pro-96 still easily looses the signal. Utilizing an outside antenna on the vehicle doesn't seem to help much. However, if I am stationary, the reception seems quite solid (nearly perfect). Again, this is an improvement from the previous DSP firmware versions. Monroe county is rock solid now (as perfect as it gets), even when 10+ miles outside of the county line, moving or stationary (receiving from the Flatrock tower).

As I said, I think only you can decide if the Pro-96 with DSP v1.3 is worth $400 to you. RS has a return policy if it doesn't meet your expectations.
 

proquist96

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1.2 is better for LAPD

I had the same problem with 1.3, switched back to 1.2 and decodes digital much better. Im in Newport Beach and get all digital LAPD divisions even with a 800 mhz rubber duck. Also does anyone know how to receive the Orange County, CA "Green" channels or is it impossible to get them anymore.
 
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MetalManMI

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proquist96 said:
I had the same problem with 1.3, switched back to 1.2 and decodes digital much better. Im in Newport Beach and get all digital LAPD divisions even with a 800 mhz rubber duck. Also does anyone know how to receive the Orange County, CA "Green" channels or is it impossible to get them anymore.

Hi proquist96, welcome to the RR forums.
Your CA specific question might be better answered in the California Radio Discussion Forum (this is the Michigan Radio Discussion Forum).

As an update to the 1.3 Detroit area reception, I am still finding that the scanner has a real hard time holding the transmission/signal on the Detroit system (even while well inside the city limits). Again, better than before, but still a long way from 100% satisfactory.
 
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