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XTL/XTS5000 Problems with DPL Squelch on XTS 5000

ramal121

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Odd, but I don't have any suggestions. My thoughts though is if a radio loses DPL decode (without hearing the turn off code) it will coast for a time before it mutes the speaker. Your drop outs happen very quickly. I can't see how the radio can lose DPL decode, mute the speaker, and then reacquire it and open the speaker in that time frame. Or, maybe my thinking is way off base here.

I have had Motorolas in the past that are picky decoding DPLs and assurance of a properly aligned radio is your first bet. I also wonder about the repeater. It would be nice to see the DPL waveform for proper deviation and compensation.

Weird that when the radio decides to do it it's through the entire transmission. Maybe you just have a buggy unit.
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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Is it a simulcast system?
Nope. Very simple one-repeater VHF duplex system. In any case I'm sending the radio back as the alignment values on the spec sheet did not match the alignment values loaded into the radio, so I'm guessing the issue was the radio was out of alignment... It's really weird that it only happened on this one channel, though.
 

prcguy

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Nope. Very simple one-repeater VHF duplex system. In any case I'm sending the radio back as the alignment values on the spec sheet did not match the alignment values loaded into the radio, so I'm guessing the issue was the radio was out of alignment... It's really weird that it only happened on this one channel, though.
If someone can put it on a service monitor you will know exactly what's going on within a minute. I can check or align it but I'm 3k mi away.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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Nope. Very simple one-repeater VHF duplex system. In any case I'm sending the radio back as the alignment values on the spec sheet did not match the alignment values loaded into the radio, so I'm guessing the issue was the radio was out of alignment... It's really weird that it only happened on this one channel, though.
I am guessing your seller cloned one radio into another including tuning values. A very common problem. Probably off frequency a bit or the VCO tuning is off.
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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As much as I’d love to figure out exactly what’s wrong with this radio, it’s already been too much of a time sink. In the end, I just need push the big button on the side and tell dispatch what I’m doing, and if my radio doesn’t work find another one that does. But right now, out of alignment sounds right and I wish I had a service monitor right now… Anyone have 4k they want to give me?
 

MTS2000des

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Cobb County, GA Stadium Crime Zone
As much as I’d love to figure out exactly what’s wrong with this radio, it’s already been too much of a time sink. In the end, I just need push the big button on the side and tell dispatch what I’m doing, and if my radio doesn’t work find another one that does. But right now, out of alignment sounds right and I wish I had a service monitor right now… Anyone have 4k they want to give me?
Any radio being used for life safety should be vetted by a qualified person with the right equipment and provide positive documentation of any service needed/performed. Buying radios off Ebay is fine for hobbyists, hams and media folks, but anything used for fire, law or EMS needs to be the real deal. It can cost you or someone else their life or limb and ask yourself it you're willing to gamble with that.
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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Any radio being used for life safety should be vetted by a qualified person with the right equipment and provide positive documentation of any service needed/performed. Buying radios off Ebay is fine for hobbyists, hams and media folks, but anything used for fire, law or EMS needs to be the real deal. It can cost you or someone else their life or limb and ask yourself it you're willing to gamble with that.
The whole reason I’m buying my own radio is because my ambulance company won’t provide us with our own. And I agree, not having a working radio is detrimental to my safety and my patients’ wellbeing, but I don’t have any other option….
 

prcguy

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The whole reason I’m buying my own radio is because my ambulance company won’t provide us with our own. And I agree, not having a working radio is detrimental to my safety and my patients’ wellbeing, but I don’t have any other option….
My son-in-law is a fireman/medic and has done some part time ambulance work in your area. I gave him a radio because the company didn't have any hand helds to pass out.
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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My son-in-law is a fireman/medic and has done some part time ambulance work in your area. I gave him a radio because the company didn't have any hand helds to pass out.
Practically none of the private companies in the area do. It’s fine for non-emergent work, but when I'm away from my truck on a 911 call and I need police presence NOW, not having a radio isn't great...
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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Alright, I'm giving this one last go before I throw in the towel and just live with it.

I've had an ongoing issue when trying to operate an XTS5000 on a duplex analog VHF system for work. No encryption, no digital, just old school FM. The channel I'm trying to operate uses DCS squelch #263. Every 10th or so transmission, it cuts "in and out," and occasionally doesn't play at all. The red LED indicator light is flashing, though, so I know that the carrier squelch is still picking up the transmission. The cutting in and out never starts in the middle of a transmission, though. Either the entire transmission is perfectly fine, the entire transmission cuts in and out, or the entire transmission doesn't break DCS squelch.

This problem has been replicated with two separate XTS5000s, both tuned and aligned.

I've found that the only fix to this problem is removing DCS squelch. If I only use carrier squelch, all the audio comes through loud and clear. None of the other settings in CPS have any effect--MDC signaling, squelch muting (I wouldn't expect this to have an effect on DPL squelch anyway), ultra narrow intermediate freq filter, and squelch fine tune. The channel operates on 12.5 kHz spacing, which is correctly programmed.

This problem happens regardless of proximity to the repeater. Additionally, this doesn't happen when I tune in to other channels using DCS squelch--on the contrary, everything works perfectly. The radio has been recently (<1 month) tuned and aligned on a service monitor. None of the mobile or (rare) portable radios used by the company have ever had this issue. FWIW, all of the other radios on both the working channels and the problematic channel are Taits and Kenwoods, not Motorolas.

Now this wouldn't be a problem if the repeater didn't send out an obnoxious sounding DCS cutoff code at the end of every transmission, which means listening to the channel with just carrier squelch makes me want to rip my hair out. But given that I don't have a ton of other options and I don't have the time to troubleshoot this for all of eternity, I want to see if there are any other opinions or suggestions out there before I raise the white flag. My last guess would be that the radio is misinterpreting a cutoff code, but I otherwise have no idea what's going on. If anyone has any ideas at all, please let me know!
 
Last edited:

mmckenna

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Has the repeater been given a good PM'ing? If it's out of alignment, it can hose things up. Your radio just might be noticing it more than the others, or since you are sitting in front of it, you notice it more?
 

ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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Forgot to post examples. Here's what it sounds like when it cuts in and out.
 

Attachments

  • examples.zip
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ferryside

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Feb 6, 2023
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Has the repeater been given a good PM'ing? If it's out of alignment, it can hose things up. Your radio just might be noticing it more than the others, or since you are sitting in front of it, you notice it more?
I mean, I use the radio all the time on the job whether it's my own portable or a built-in mobile. I've never noticed this issue on any of the radios except for the one I'm troubleshooting right now.
 
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