SDS200 rebooting while monitoring LTR system

[W1KNE]

So one of the local Utilities here runs a LTR passport system. I listen the one primary channel conventionally (can't trunk track LTR passport). So yes, along with the voice I get the occasional squelch bursts. However, recently when I am monitoring it, the scanner will just randomly reboot itself! I listen to any other system, such as the P25 system from the next state over, conventional, analog trunks. You name it, no issues. But this one channel is causing this strange, random reboot. It doesn't matter if I have the channel in using the FL, or if I manually tune it with Quick Search. I am thinking maybe a firmware glitch? I highly doubt it's the power supply, as it only happens with this one system. (And the PS lives on a UPS),

 

[n1chu]

Where? What system? What frequency? And any other parameters you believe may also need to be considered... intent here is to rule out birdies or the such... maybe another SDS200 will be affected likewise?

 

[jonwienke]

First thing to try is to change the SD card.

 

[K8EAA]

Agreed.

 

[n1chu]

Symptoms do not suggest SD card. But swapping it out, or at least reformatting it can be done without expending too much time.

I believe whenever some new issue pops up we a quick to blame the SD card. Some say we aren’t blaming the card, just eliminating one possible cause. That may be so, and I believe some issues WERE caused by a corrupt card, but my personal experiences with both the BCD436HP and the BCD536HP have been free of SD card problems. I’ve had both since they were first released. (The constant reports from others scared me into acquiring a couple of spares but I’ve never had to use them.) I’ve also have two SDS200’s and one SDS100 since they were first released without SD card issues. Guess I’m just lucky? Doubtful. If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all! I believe the vast majority of these four SD card scanners have had no issues with the cards. We only hear of the problematic few, and perpetuate this “corrupt” adjective, giving all SD cards a bad name. I think this needed to be said and would appreciate hearing from others who agree. But it’s time to get back to helping fix this latest dilemma so I will return the thread to its rightful owner.

 

[jonwienke]

I've seen cards cause that problem, and even odder ones.

 

[fxdscon]

Symptoms do not suggest SD card.

A lot of strange symptoms that have been reported here didn't suggest anything normally associated with the SD card, but that turned out to be the problem many, many times over... going all the way back to the Home Patrol 1.

.

 

[kruser]

I had a department on our statewide system that would not scan on one of my 536HPs.
I could use Sentinel or the scanners menu and toggle the quick key for that department on and off but it still would not scan this one department.
When I'd toggle it on/off, I could look at the favorite list file with a text editor and the quick key setting for that department was definitely changing from on to off or off to on as I'd toggle it from Sentinel or the radios menu.

I got it working by creating a new favorite list of the same system but I really wanted to figure out why the original favorite list was not working.
I ended up setting up a new card and then writing my favorite list (including the one that did not work correctly) to the new card.
The new card worked just fine and my department that was stuck off was again working as it should.
I was able to delete the newly created system I'd added as a new favorite which did not contain any of my customized changes that the original had.

I was still curious as to why this one department failed to toggle on from off even though it said it was on in a text editor. So I ran the card through a few different test routines including windows built in chkdsk and let it scan all sectors, used and unused. No errors ever found.
After those tests, I did do a full format of the card and let Sentinel write my favorites back to it and the department that would not toggle before was now working as it should.
I still did not trust that card so it was placed into a Panasonic Network (IP based) security camera where it has recorded live video 24x7 for over a year now. The card still records and plays back the video just fine to this day.

So... the problem I was having was indeed a problem with the SD card as swapping it out fixed the problem.
The card was a 32 GB SanDisk High Endurance card at that but it did not see a lot of writes in the scanner as I don't do any audio recording in that radio.
This one made me a firm believer that the SD card can definitely cause odd or unwanted behavior.

 

[W1KNE]

10-4 on the SD card suggestion(s). As an initial step, I wiped the card, windows level formatted it, and rewrote it. Just to see if that works. If it does not, I'll swap the card to test.
Thanks.

 

[W1KNE]

So I figured this out. Turns out, the replay recording doesn't like the frequent LTR type bursts. When I disabled the replay, it never rebooted, at all.
Turn it on, within 15 minutes, it rebooted.

To N1CHU, for your curiosity, it's National Grid's LTR out of Fall River on 472.7500.

 

[jonwienke]

So I figured this out. Turns out, the replay recording doesn't like the frequent LTR type bursts. When I disabled the replay, it never rebooted, at all.
Turn it on, within 15 minutes, it rebooted.

That doesn't rule out a card problem. If the scanner is crashing when writing, the card should be at the top of the suspect list. I'd try re-enabling Replay with a fresh card, and see if the problem recurs.

 

[W1KNE]

That doesn't rule out a card problem. If the scanner is crashing when writing, the card should be at the top of the suspect list. I'd try re-enabling Replay with a fresh card, and see if the problem recurs.

Correct. If anything it points it more towards the card, which is why I pointed it out. I will replace the card at some point. For now I will just live it with this way.

 

[nessnet]

Correct. If anything it points it more towards the card, which is why I pointed it out. I will replace the card at some point. For now I will just live it with this way.

I would do it sooner vs later. Think of the 2nd card as a back-up. It is a matter of when, not if a card (or hard drive, etc) will fail.

 

[W1KNE]

Update to the update to the update. Brand new out of the wrapper SD card had the same issue after 30 minutes running with replay turned on.
I've shut off the replay and can live with that.