PSR800 'patch' explanation

[tilt404]

I just went through the manual again and didn't see any mention of 'patch' showing on the display between TGRP and psdr. I only saw it once yesterday during a EMS patch to a hospital. So maybe someone here can explain this?

Then last night my scanner started acting nuts. Kept showing different TGID numbers with the same TGID name. I formatted the card today as specified by GRE. Uninstalled the software and installed it again. Did the CPU/DSP/Software updates released today. All was well for a while but then start to do it again...

On the same TGID, so I'm wondering if its something odd the system I'm monitoring is doing. I have no idea. It will stop on TGID 12 with the name, but then 'patch' will flash to the right of TGRP on the display and the TGID # will change between 11 and 12 but the TGID name will stay the same. I remember this also happened when listening to the EMS patch last night, the talkgroup changed between the hospital and ambulance.

I've only had this scanner a month and have been away from scanning for quite a while but never saw a 'patch' behavior in the local P25 system here for police and fire. I don't know what they would be using it for since its in the TGID's for police. Last night it showed 4 different TGID #'s for this same TGID name. Which was even more confusing.

So I'm just asking if anyone else has seen this and what could be happening. It seems its not so much a problem with the scanner. Although I never in the past month had this problem, or activity on that talkgroup that has been causing the trouble. Last night the activity began and so did this odd behavior. Maybe not so odd but new to me. Thanks.

 

[tilt404]

I just noticed seeing 'patch' on the display again this morning but on another system now too. Still don't know why this is happening suddenly and can't find any explanation in the manual why 'patch' is on the display. Just trying to understand.

 

[KevinC]

It's happening because 2 TG's are patched at the console. Pretty common practice. In your example above TG 11 and 12 were patched.

If an agency is "short" a dispatcher they might patch 2 TG's, it makes it seamless for the units in the field. They don't have to switch channels as the dispatcher talks and receives on both at the same time.

The control channel sends out the information that lets the subscribers know that a patch is active and your scanner is letting you know.

 

[tilt404]

Ok, thank you. I just don't know why I haven't noticed it before. I thought it was maybe something I had changed. It makes it really hard to track RIDs though since I don't know what TG they are coming from when it just shows one TG name yet several RIDs with it. I wish GRE would of put it in the manual though, explaining each thing that shows up on the display.

 

[KevinC]

In your software on the "Advanced" tab what is "MOT Status Bits" set to?

 

[tilt404]

Its set to ignore.

 

[KevinC]

Okay, if you set it to "Use" the scanner should behave differently.

 

[tilt404]

Even if the system is P25 Phase 1 / CQPSK - Phase II?

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6305


I will try it out and see how it goes. I remember I had it set to use once and then I never heard any EMS patches. Thank you for explaining what takes place though when patches are done. I was only use to seeing them on EMS between the hospital and ambulance. Never seen them on PD dispatch before.

 

[KevinC]

I'm not sure if that setting affects P25 or not, someone else may hopefully chime in on that one.

 

[tilt404]

Ok, its mainly on that P25 system I'm having the trouble with TGID 12 showing a patch with 11, 13 and 14. So for the one TGID name, I will often see 4 different TGID numbers for it in the audio files, making things very confusing. It would be nice if in the audio file viewing it said patch so then I would know. For a while I've been seeing this in the audio files where a TGID name will have 2 different TGID numbers showing. I guess its been patch behavior all along since I usually see it in the morning when I look over the night's audio files, so I wasn't there to see it on the display if 'patch' came on.

The confusion started when this one TGID 12 became active the other night too since its usually very dead and only saw it active once or twice in the past month. There was an event taking place here called the zombie walk, and PD units were there to keep the street closed for the 1,000 or so people/zombies to walk. So it seemed like a rarely used TGID for PD, maybe a special events TGID. Maybe they were patching main dispatch onto that one they were using. The other TGIDs that showed up on it were the other main dispatch TGIDs for PD.

 

[kikito]

The confusion started when this one TGID 12 became active....

Unless I'm missing something, I think you're just complicating matters unnecessarily. The radio seems to be doing what is supposed to do when it encounters a patch involving any of the TGs you mentioned. I see it on our local P25 system also.

 

[tilt404]

Unless I'm missing something, I think you're just complicating matters unnecessarily. The radio seems to be doing what is supposed to do when it encounters a patch involving any of the TGs you mentioned. I see it on our local P25 system also.

Its just that this is the first time i've seen it on this system, so that's why I've been confused. But I'm starting to understand thanks to the help here. Its encrypted also, so leading to even more confusion since I can't even hear what is being said. I just track RID's on the system though so I'm starting to catch on now.

 

[tilt404]

Turns out, something was corrupted in the memory card or the programming of the system. That caused all this patch mess I found. More and more problems began to show up recently leading me to revert back to the previous non-beta firmware, delete all my trunk systems, format the SD card, uninstall the software and start all over. Now all is well and I don't get any more patches on the display for that system anymore since they don't use them like I thought. Not on this system anyway. RIDs are showing up again in the audio files too which is nice. Before I would be lucky to see 5 out of 100. All is well now thankfully. Just goes to show the strange things that can happen when things start to go wrong.

 

[Kel]

So if I set my Status Bit setting to use it will show Patch on the display?

 

[n4yek]

never mind, answered my own question