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Repeater Transmitting DTMF Tone Daily

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R

R8000

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KK6ZTE said:
It's a bug in the firmware in the 8150 causing the 0 tone to be sent on powerup until the TOT expires. Update them all as you can.

Checksum: E282
Version: 1.07

Released 4/28/09 is the newest firmware.
Click to expand...

Bingo !

Thanks for the info. As I said in my previous message, we ran into this same problem in the past with EMS agencies firing up the rig's master switch and clogging up the channel until the radio timed out.
 
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KK6ZTE

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Not my personal experience so don't thank me. Info was passed on to me by County Comms as it still happens once in awhile but not often.
 
kenwoodgeek

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Okay, very good info, but something still doesn't add up. This tone we're getting is lasting 30 seconds, not the 60 seconds all the 8150s are programmed for, although it was probably about 60 seconds when we have heard it in the past.

I walked the lot with the bus keys and powered up every 8150 to check the firmware. None began transmitting the tone at power up. All, except for one, are running version 1.05, and the one is running 1.06. Were either of these the troubled firmware version, do you know?

Also, where could I obtain this newest firmware? I have firmware for the 8180s and NX-800s, but not these.
 
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KK6ZTE

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That doesn’t rule it out. It’s not something that happens every power up or you would have run across it a long time ago.

update the older one and see if it occurs again. Send me a message with your email and I can send you the firmware
 
ladn

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kenwoodgeek said:
I will also report that today's recording session was a fail. It happened this morning. I had my scanner back at base recording the input frequency, but going back and listening to it, nothing. So, if this is an external transmission, it was not close enough for my scanner to pick it up.
Click to expand...
Next step is to either change the scanner location or try a different antenna.
 
kenwoodgeek

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I have an update. It would appear the problem does originate in one or more of our TK-8150 radios. After watching one of the bus cameras and listening to the audio the camera picked up from the radio, the tone that is being transmitted is 0, the same tone mentioned above in the firmware glitch.

Right now I'm trying to narrow it down to a specific radio, but unfortunately, it hasn't happened the last two days. I figure the easiest way is to wait until the tone is done and then call out and ask which driver just started their bus. Also working on updating the firmware on them, but one was giving me an issue.

If worse comes to worse and I can't get the firmware updated, we'll have to see about getting some more NX-800s in from other locations and replace them all. No one likes the 8150s, anyway. All they're good for is hobby use, in my opinion.
 
A

a417

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can't you just check radio codesums to look for offending units? it's relatively easy on kenwoods (drivers can be coached thru it probably) or just a walk thru the yard after everyone is back.
 
kenwoodgeek

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Is that the same as checking firmware versions? Because I did do that. They're all running the same version of firmware (1.05), except for one (1.06), but I don't know which version of the firmware was the trouble one. If 1.05 was the one, then basically all of them are plagued with the bug.
 
A

a417

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KK6ZTE said:
It's a bug in the firmware in the 8150 causing the 0 tone to be sent on powerup until the TOT expires. Update them all as you can.

Checksum: E282
Version: 1.07

Released 4/28/09 is the newest firmware.
Click to expand...
 
RFI-EMI-GUY

RFI-EMI-GUY

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Are the videos in the buses tied to a GPS clock? Could you just roll back through the video on each bus to the time in question and see if the bus had been started? Also battery condition might be triggering a weird boot up. Check logs for hard starts.
 
kenwoodgeek

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Sorry for the late reply.

That is a very good idea with the bus video, and I actually thought of it. The DVRs themselves do not have the GPS enabled, but the buses do have separate GPS modules. The system works pretty well; I might just have to have them pull the GPS from last Monday, because the sound has not happened since then.

It'd be cool if I could get the video for the bus in question and watch it to see if it caught the radio doing anything odd, but the DVRs don't actually start recording until at least 30 seconds after ignition, so that would be useless.
 
RFI-EMI-GUY

RFI-EMI-GUY

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How many buses do you have out there? Assuming there is no sidetone from the DTMF, the bus that is doing it wont have the sound on the DVR, and from what you said, the DVR wont be running at the moment that bus starts. So, you could rule out all the buses that actually hear the DTMF. This might require a couple iterations, because late started buses wont hear it either. But you could go down the list. Or simply make a recording and ask drivers if they heard it and rule out their buses.
 
A

a417

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For all this hunting the problem, you stated earlier you already checked the firmware numbers once...I'd walk thru again and update all those 1.05 & 1.06s to 1.07 and see if the problem goes away. You have confirmation that you're getting a symptom that was resolved in a buggy firmware, yet you're still running the buggy firmware.

Flash them all to the same level, and move on.
 
kenwoodgeek

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We have about 120. And those are good ideas.

Yes, and I am going through and updating the firmware, now. It was just taking me a little while because one of the 8150s was giving me some trouble writing the new firmware, so I was hoping that, in the meantime, the sound would happen again and I could track down a particular radio and actually catch it putting out the tone. I resolved the issue, and I have one radio running the new firmware, so far. I'll continue working through them and hope the new firmware actually fixes the issue.
 
kenwoodgeek

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Yes, very much so.

Something interesting. I was standing up at the front counter with the boss yesterday. He turned his portable over to our neighboring channel, St. Charles, to call one of our drivers doing one of their routes. Immediately, we heard it. 0 tone being transmitted, but for a whole minute. They have probably twice the number of TK-8150s that we do, but that gives me extra confirmation that these radios are to blame.
 
A

a417

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kenwoodgeek said:
Yes, very much so.

Something interesting. I was standing up at the front counter with the boss yesterday. He turned his portable over to our neighboring channel, St. Charles, to call one of our drivers doing one of their routes. Immediately, we heard it. 0 tone being transmitted, but for a whole minute. They have probably twice the number of TK-8150s that we do, but that gives me extra confirmation that these radios are to blame.
Click to expand...

  1. Reach out to St Charles
  2. Identify the problem for them
  3. Fix the Problem for them.
  4. ????
  5. $$$PROFIT$$$
 
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