The Official Latest G4/G5 Firmware and PPS Thread

[BSchaner]

Yes I am certain, I reprogrammed the pager a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

 

[Steve2003]

I definitely noticed this as well. The the order of the talkgroups on each of the channel knobs after programming ends up being the order in which you added it to the group id settings page. The order you set them when defining the knob seems to be ignored.

Are you certain that was the order programed into the pager? (Just thinking the PPS list might have been changed, post programming.)

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[David_Oney]

So recently I discovered that when programming my G4 off the new PPS and firmware for the order in which the Talkgroups are added into a knob position, that the order in which they appear on the pager is not the way its set on the PPS. Thus made me think that priority would not work correctly. I haven't tested this long but it seems that it doesn't affect the priority but it throws you off to see a different order on the pager than the one that its supposed to be. The order it does show on the pager is the order in which the TGID was added to the PPS.

This is what I mean:

Order in pps:
64F911
64E911
64P911
64FRED
64FBLUE
63FWHITE
64OCEMS
64P164
64SPEV1
AirLZ1
Pentwater PD
Hart PD

Order on Pager:
64F911
64FRED
64E911
64OCEMS
64P911
64P164
64SPEV1
64FBLUE
64FWHITE
AirLZ1
Hart PD
Pentwater PD

Anyone else have this problem?

We are aware of this issue engineering have told us it is a visual bug and unit should work as programmed.

 

[BSchaner]

Alright thanks for letting us know. However you may want to look into it affecting the performance. So far while I've paid attention to who is talking and so forth, if you turn the pager on to a channel knob, priority works fine. But once you change from that channel knob to another and then go back it seems the priority order goes the opposite direction from what it should be (reverse order ie. bottom ID is to top ID). I haven't studied this theory for too long but priority does seem to mess up once the channel knob is changed.

 

[IAmSixNine]

Was it ever covered if / when the phase 2 update becomes available if it will be a user upgrade option or do the units need to go back to unication? I was asked this at work and didnt have an answer.
Im assuming with many of them out there Unication is working on a way for users to do it in the field.
BUT with it costing $150 im sure there has to be some tight registration and serialized accountability with it.

 

[troymail]

Last I heard from my vendor, Unication was planning on a user solution that didn't require sending the unit(s) in -- sense I got was the more work it was for the vendors, the closer to MSRP ($150) is would be - so, for us and them, their planning/hoping it will be a user upgrade.

To be more specific - the user upgrade option wasn't yet ready but they were working on it --

 

[mdsxfire]

Just wondering if the phase 2 upgrade is definitely coming out. I see there are some decent deals on the dual band G5 pricing with a free desktop charger (only till December 15) and don’t want to order them have the upgrade not happen

 

[troymail]

Just wondering if the phase 2 upgrade is definitely coming out. I see there are some decent deals on the dual band G5 pricing with a free desktop charger (only till December 15) and don’t want to order them have the upgrade not happen

Nothing is certain until it is released -

It certainly "seems" that the Phase 2 solution is nearing release. However, lots of folks have been waiting quite some time and been told it would be released long before now.

I am sure Unication will get this done - but when it will be reality and how well it works will not be known until it is in the hands of general users ...

 

[LEH]

PPS diagnostics

I have seen a couple of messages in several threads about the 'diagnostics' in the PPS. I have the V00-03-09-_R02 version of the PPS and I do not see an option for diagnostics. Has it been dropped (one of UnicationDave's posts says it "should be in the PPS..."

I would like to look at what is there and see if it can help me get two P25 systems running.

 

[troymail]

I have seen a couple of messages in several threads about the 'diagnostics' in the PPS. I have the V00-03-09-_R02 version of the PPS and I do not see an option for diagnostics. Has it been dropped (one of UnicationDave's posts says it "should be in the PPS..."

I would like to look at what is there and see if it can help me get two P25 systems running.

I had not noticed that setting either until I saw a post yesterday.

I looked around and found a checkbox for Diagnostics at the bottom of Tab 6 (Pager Function List Settings). Not really sure what it does...yet.

There is also diagnostic software that came with the latest PPS which I have tried but didn't seem to work as easily as I had hoped.

I am now wondering if you have to use BOTH the setting and the software to do captures to send to Unication (that was never mentioned before).

 

[LEH]

I have played with the diagnostics (now that I found them) a bit. I tried doing an export with the channel on one of the two systems I have not been able to receive. I exported both the DSP and AP logs. The AP log at 2k seems to be an empty folder.

The AP log pegged in at 7.2 Meg.

I renamed the AP log file, changed the channel to a system I am receiving and reran the DSP. This time the file came in at 7.0 meg. I have some software that can 'usually' compare files though large files and especially large files with symbols over readable text takes time. It has been sitting saying "not responding" for close to an hour so I am guessing it is hung up (first time I have tried to compare a large file using Windoze 10).

So one thing I am sure of, each system will provide different readings. I am going to run this on each channel and see how much the file size changes. More later.

 

[troymail]

I have played with the diagnostics (now that I found them) a bit. I tried doing an export with the channel on one of the two systems I have not been able to receive. I exported both the DSP and AP logs. The AP log at 2k seems to be an empty folder.

The AP log pegged in at 7.2 Meg.

I renamed the AP log file, changed the channel to a system I am receiving and reran the DSP. This time the file came in at 7.0 meg. I have some software that can 'usually' compare files though large files and especially large files with symbols over readable text takes time. It has been sitting saying "not responding" for close to an hour so I am guessing it is hung up (first time I have tried to compare a large file using Windoze 10).

So one thing I am sure of, each system will provide different readings. I am going to run this on each channel and see how much the file size changes. More later.

My experience in the past was similar - sometimes it seems like it worked and other times, not at all. I experimented with running the software as an admin (which I shouldn't have to do for various reasons).

I have an email in to David asking for help but so far no response. I'd like to be able to get consistent captures with the diagnostic software (along with feedback from Unication that the captures are good - even if they don't understand the problems being worked and/or how to fix it) since when I travel, I'm only in some areas for brief periods.

To be honest, based on my previous experiences, I'm not even convinced they are even interested in solving these odd issues.

 

[LEH]

My experience in the past was similar - sometimes it seems like it worked and other times, not at all. I experimented with running the software as an admin (which I shouldn't have to do for various reasons).

I have an email in to David asking for help but so far no response. I'd like to be able to get consistent captures with the diagnostic software (along with feedback from Unication that the captures are good - even if they don't understand the problems being worked and/or how to fix it) since when I travel, I'm only in some areas for brief periods.

To be honest, based on my previous experiences, I'm not even convinced they are even interested in solving these odd issues.

I can see some inconsistency in the AP logs file size, IF the AP diagnostics is reading only the current channel information. I say this because I have a multi-user system that I have put each user on their own channel. Two of my AP log files from this system were identical in size. Looking at the channel setting, they have the same number of talk groups (the other I monitor has more TG's and is only slightly larger).

From some old coding days, I have some robust software that can open almost any file. There is a fair amount of ASCII text in the AP log file though without really looking at it, it is not easily discernible.

 

[W8VI]

To be honest, based on my previous experiences, I'm not even convinced they are even interested in solving these odd issues.

I agree with your statement and I've just about given up hope of ever seeing a Hold or Pause function. When Phase II is rolled out I believe that Unication will stop improving the G4/G5 and focus their efforts on designing a G6 or whatever is in the planning stage.

Evidently the scanner market is not large or important enough to devote any time or assets.

As they say - we should get the hint that "It is what it is"

 

[mdsxfire]

Does anyone know if there was/is any beta test of the phase 2 firmware going on. The unication website says it was gonna be ongoing in the 4th quarter of 2017 for a possible release 1st quarter 2018, 4qtr is just about over.

 

[OregonScanner]

Yes. See this post in this thread:

https://forums.radioreference.com/unication-forum/360451-p25-phase-1-2-a-2.html#post2845170

 

[troymail]

I agree with your statement and I've just about given up hope of ever seeing a Hold or Pause function. When Phase II is rolled out I believe that Unication will stop improving the G4/G5 and focus their efforts on designing a G6 or whatever is in the planning stage.

Evidently the scanner market is not large or important enough to devote any time or assets.

As they say - we should get the hint that "It is what it is"

To be clear, my comment was in reference to the fact that the Unication G4/G5 does not appear to work on all P25 systems. That's a big problem given that most outlets they are offered through tell you that these radios are not returnable (at least, that's what mine vendor's policy is). You really don't want to get one of these only to find out it doesn't work on the system you are trying to monitor. Imagine being frustrated over the simulcast reception issues on a scanner and thinking that a Unication will solve that for you only to find out when you buy one that it doesn't work at all on that same system.

I think for one system, the Unication wouldn't even lock onto a control channel. I cannot recall what I saw in Norfolk (probably the same thing). Maybe Lynn (LEH) can advise/confirm.

"Feature additions" fall into a completely different category. Addition of new features is going to go where their market is - and that isn't the scanner market.

 

[mdsxfire]

Yes. See this post in this thread:

https://forums.radioreference.com/unication-forum/360451-p25-phase-1-2-a-2.html#post2845170

Not sure if I missed it in the database, does anyone know if that’s a motorola, Harris or what type of phase 2 system Plano uses?

 

[trido]

Looks MOTO to me.

System ID WACN
3BA BEE00
[

QUOTE=mdsxfire;2853087]Not sure if I missed it in the database, does anyone know if that’s a motorola, Harris or what type of phase 2 system Plano uses?[/QUOTE]

 

[IAmSixNine]

Plano aka PAWM system is a Motorola system simulcast with i think 4 or 6 sites. Its mixed Phase 1 and Phase 2 with a slow migration to Phase 2.
Its also rumored that Collin County which is on a legacy Type 2 system will possibly join them and make this a larger system.