TUNE mode / flex step issue : need help

[radioman253]

My PSR 500 is great, but the TUNE mode is a pain on some freq ranges.
An example of this is the 138 to 144Mhz range that the Ontario Bell Fleetnet system operates on.
With Flex-step turned on in settings menu, I can press the Pause button and manually tune to for example 142.110Mhz but when a signal is present, TUNE mode will only stop on
142.1125Mhz.
This is a big pain as I miss half of the action on various bands that I am searching.
The 420Mhz range is also a problem,but this time because the signals I am trying monitor
use 12.5Khz spacing but the radio will stop on for example 420.490 when I it should have stopped on 420.4875.
Is there a setting for the TUNE mode in the Func/Glob settings that would cure this???

Any one else having this problem?

fYI : I am using the latest firmware..

 

[scanfan03]

Is zeromatic on?

 

[radioman253]

re: how to turn off Zeromatic function in TUNE mode

I set up a limit search (141Mhz to 144Mhz)and turned Zeromatic off.
For some reason it worked much better and found more active/DX freqs than when it was in TUNE mode scanning the same range of freqs.
In Limit Search mode,however it still locked onto 142.4375 instead of 142.4400 etc.
I am still not sure how to turn off zeromatic in Tune mode.
I looked in the user manual on page 71 as well as tried to a tweak a couple of the FUNC/ GLOBAL Expert settings but no luck.
Couldn't turn off the zeromatic in the general SWEEPER function either (accessed by pressingFUNC/SCAN)
I can turn off Zeromatic just fine when creating a SWEEPER object though.

Has anyone else had this problem??

My 296d uniden has no problem with this sort of thing, as you just set it to search in 5Khz steps and let her rip...

 

[S-man]

I have the same problem too and I have contacted GRE about this. The PSR-500 is configured to step at 12.5kHz steps in this portion of the band which is a USA band plan and not a Canadian band plan which steps at 5kHz. They are looking into to a possible fix but I was told it may not be possible without messing other things up. We might just have to live with it.

 

[radioman253]

re: flex step and sweeper/TUNE mode

thanks for the response S-man
I'll just have to use limit search with zeromatic off, and use my296d for other searches
Kind of a bummer but i'll live.
Otherwise this is an awesome radio...
I only wish I had a PSR before most of the local systems went either Moto iDEN or
encrypted. Hope it takes a while before the MOTOTRBO and Kenwood steal the rest of the
good listening eh!

 

[pathalogical]

thanks for the response S-man
I'll just have to use limit search with zeromatic off, and use my296d for other searches
Kind of a bummer but i'll live.
Otherwise this is an awesome radio...
I only wish I had a PSR before most of the local systems went either Moto iDEN or
encrypted. Hope it takes a while before the MOTOTRBO and Kenwood steal the rest of the
good listening eh!

Is this just when you do searches ? Are the OPP control channels able to be entered as per the database ?

 

[S-man]

Yes you can enter the OPP frequencies as per the database but make sure you turn ON the Flex-step option first. Some of the frequencies may be a little less sensitive if its not a 12.5kHz step but it is minimal. I still hear the Fleetnet system very well. You will notice the scanner stop on the 12.5kHz stepped frequencies during search mode but you can still hear the audio. The frequency just shows up on the display in correct (ie 143.520 may show up as 143.5125).

 

[radioman253]

re: flex step/ TUNE mode

To get around this problem
I made one limit search object with Zeromatic on for 141-144Mhz
and a second one same range with Zeromatic off

Works quite well!

Same thing with Sweeper, make 2 objects, one with Zeromatic ON and another with Zeromatic OFF.
Your mileage may vary but this works for me.


But in TUNE mode, Zeromatic cannot be turned off
Same goes for the Sweeper accessed by FUNC/SCAN

Trunking and conventional programming of Fleetnet works great on the PSR 500 and with FlexStep set to ON,all necessary 5Khz spaced channels can be entered easily.