PSR500 Alert Light Problems

[mfn002]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.1; en-us; Vortex Build/FRG83) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

I was recently listening to my 500, when I noticed that a channel set with a bright blue alert light had suddenly changed to a dim red for no apparent reason. I turned the scanner off and back on again, but to no avail. It eventually corrected itself, but it almost did it again, but changed a few seconds later. Oddly, it has only done this on one channel. What is going on?

 

[DaveIN]

Just a guess, but I would verify the blue setting and make sure it isn't set differently by accident, then I would check battery or adapter voltage.

 

[mfn002]

Just a guess, but I would verify the blue setting and make sure it isn't set differently by accident, then I would check battery or adapter voltage.

I doubt that. I haven't edited the channels on that thing in months. I use it to pick up some additional channels that my 996 and 996XT can't pick up. It's hooked up to the factory-supplied AC adapter. I've had the thing for over three years now. As I mentioned before, it once changed colors while the channel was active. Usually, it'll show up and stay there for the duration of the transmission on that channel. It's always the same color: dim red. Also, the UP portion of the round navigation keypad doesn't work anymore. You can press it as hard as you want, but it won't do anything. It's been used alot, so I'm wondering if it is just wearing out.

 

[jimg]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.1; en-us; Vortex Build/FRG83) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

I was recently listening to my 500, when I noticed that a channel set with a bright blue alert light had suddenly changed to a dim red for no apparent reason. I turned the scanner off and back on again, but to no avail. It eventually corrected itself, but it almost did it again, but changed a few seconds later. Oddly, it has only done this on one channel. What is going on?

A few weeks ago, I noticed that some of the colors I had assigned to different talk groups on the Metro Nashville system, were not coming on. I re-programmed the colors for those talk groups, and so far it hasn't done it again. Have no idea why this happened.

 

[mfn002]

It only does it every once in a while, and, as I said before, only on that single channel. But, when it does do it, it will tend to do it every time the channel comes up, as if that is the color set for the alert light. In fact it did it just now. I just noticed something as well. It started after another channel set with a red alert light keyed off. When the problem channel popped up immediately afterwards, the dim red light remained on, but the programmed blue light was flickering over it, in other words, both a dim red and a flickering blue light came on simultaneously.

 

[DonS]

Is the channel which is set for a red LED also set to "latch"? If so, the scanner will go back to the latched red LED when the non-latched channel goes inactive. I would only expect this to happen after the non-latched channel's delay time had expired.

 

[SCPD]

I had the same problem with my 500 after 5 months so I sent it back for repair to GRE.
Now I have a 6 month old GRE 600 that looses volume, it is now at GRE for repair.
I am not too happy with GRE and there quality control.
I sent the 600 in on the 11th of March and today is the 30th......no scanner.

 

[mfn002]

The whole thing is that it has NEVER done this before until a couple of days ago. As I have mentioned before, I have not programmed that thing in months. Right now, the channel programmed with the blue light is still coming up with the dim red light. The other channel I mentioned has a bright red light. Admittedly, it is on pretty much all day and almost every day, hooked up to its AC adapter. I use it to listen to some conventional frequencies that neither my 996T or 996XT will pick up, and my PSR600 before that. Could it be just wearing out?

edingirard, I agree with you that GRE scanners are horrible. I once got a PRO95 that wouldn't re-initialize itself. When I inserted a paperclip into the hole where the reset button is, it would just beep. I also had a PRO96 that had an intense birdie frequency on 867.2000. It so happened that this frequency was one of the trunked system frequencies for a local system. So, after the transmission was over, it would sit there and make a hissing sound until you hit "SCAN".

 

[giessla]

I've had the same sort of problems since getting my psr500. Problem is usually with a BLUE setting but other colors "fade" somewhat at times. Does not seem to be related to any factor I can determine. btw - I don't use a computer to program my radio and only employ the color settings available for direct setting from the scanner.

Giessla

 

[mfn002]

Well, the problem persists. It seems to start doing it after any other channel with a red alert light comes on, and then continues until I turn the scanner off, wait for a while, and then back on again, at which point the problem starts all over again.

 

[TES]

. . . btw - I don't use a computer to program my radio and only employ the color settings available for direct setting from the scanner. . .

Programming via computer or programming via scanner input keys—makes no difference. All possible colors can be programmed from either.

 

[DaveIN]

If you verified the LED alert programming and latch as DonS pointed out, I would suspect a power problem, maybe a regulator has gone bad, or it's a poor solder joint. At any rate it sounds like a trip to service is in order.

 

[gewecke]

I've had none of these problems, SO FAR. I program by hand,and dink and fine tune tg's quite often. I only have a total of about 6 objects set to flash (SHTF channels!) but may not have anything to do with it. My volume control is normal too.
Oh yeah, and I almost never turn it off , because my girlfriend and cats listen to it too! :lol:


73
n9zas

 

[mfn002]

If you verified the LED alert programming and latch as DonS pointed out, I would suspect a power problem, maybe a regulator has gone bad, or it's a poor solder joint. At any rate it sounds like a trip to service is in order.

I think you might be right about the idea of some sort of component failure. I got it for Christmas in 2007, so it's been used alot, although it's been relegated to being used as an additional scanner for receiving frequencies that my two desktops can't pick up after I got my 396XT in 2009. Before that, I tossed it in my backpack when I went to school to listen to it between classes. At least it doesn't have the same volume control problem that my five-year-old 396T has.