NT5D
Member
I saw an old post, 2006 or 2007 I think, that stated that the UT-122 P25 module would not work above 760Mhz. Does anyone know if that is still true today? I would like to know this upfront before I shell out $200 for that option.
R2500 and P25 Frequency coverage
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LesWurk
Member
Icom has a firmware update for the problem.
http://www.icom.co.jp/world/support...500_PCR/2_10c/IC-PCR1500_2500_FIRMUP_210E.pdf
http://www.icom.co.jp/world/support...500_PCR/2_10c/IC-PCR1500_2500_FIRMUP_210E.pdf
I run PCR2500's (v2.1) with the UT-122 installed.
Before rebanding was complete for the Illinois Starcom21 system (the only 800-P25 in my area), there were some channels that were unavailable. Now that rebanding is complete and all towers are 866MHz and down, I can receive the Starcom21 frequencies used.
P25 (as well as <50MHZ and >1300MHz) is only available on the left receiver, so I set it up to simply scan the 5 voice channels for my local tower and the mobile repeater analog. The right receiver just scans my local analog VHF/UHF channels. Using two band-tuned antennas helps out a lot.
I've played with some of the available P25 trunking software, but quite honestly the receiver is 95% reliable simply scanning 6 or 7 frequencies. I've pretty much decided that the overhead involved in following specific talkgroups isn't worth the effort. The downside is that I get all traffic from my local tower. The upside is that I get all traffic from my local tower. Also, not being limited to a list of talkgroups, I hear some interesting (but often unknown) traffic.
If something big goes down on a talkgroup that isn't normally present on my local tower, some local Starcom21 user will get nosy and register their radio on the group, so I hear that traffic as well.
It also works quite well for distant VHF/UHF P25 traffic.
The control head display can be set to display both TGID and UID's. Using Icom's PCR2500 software, it displays both with aliasing and logs them on my PC. The software is stable, although the documentation is "translate well from Japanese it is".
If your needs are simply scanning, the R2500 can be a bit unhandy. If you are a RR broadcaster, sending TGID and UID isn't an option. RS or Uniden make better products for those markets. But, I also use mine for spectrum analysis, recording and RF troubleshooting, and for that is is the best I've found. Typical Icom; the front end is spectacular from 350KHz to 900Mhz.
Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10, with the proviso that I have unusual needs.
Before rebanding was complete for the Illinois Starcom21 system (the only 800-P25 in my area), there were some channels that were unavailable. Now that rebanding is complete and all towers are 866MHz and down, I can receive the Starcom21 frequencies used.
P25 (as well as <50MHZ and >1300MHz) is only available on the left receiver, so I set it up to simply scan the 5 voice channels for my local tower and the mobile repeater analog. The right receiver just scans my local analog VHF/UHF channels. Using two band-tuned antennas helps out a lot.
I've played with some of the available P25 trunking software, but quite honestly the receiver is 95% reliable simply scanning 6 or 7 frequencies. I've pretty much decided that the overhead involved in following specific talkgroups isn't worth the effort. The downside is that I get all traffic from my local tower. The upside is that I get all traffic from my local tower. Also, not being limited to a list of talkgroups, I hear some interesting (but often unknown) traffic.
If something big goes down on a talkgroup that isn't normally present on my local tower, some local Starcom21 user will get nosy and register their radio on the group, so I hear that traffic as well.
It also works quite well for distant VHF/UHF P25 traffic.
The control head display can be set to display both TGID and UID's. Using Icom's PCR2500 software, it displays both with aliasing and logs them on my PC. The software is stable, although the documentation is "translate well from Japanese it is".
If your needs are simply scanning, the R2500 can be a bit unhandy. If you are a RR broadcaster, sending TGID and UID isn't an option. RS or Uniden make better products for those markets. But, I also use mine for spectrum analysis, recording and RF troubleshooting, and for that is is the best I've found. Typical Icom; the front end is spectacular from 350KHz to 900Mhz.
Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10, with the proviso that I have unusual needs.
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