Uniden Or Whistler For DMR?
- Thread starter JASII
- Start date
- Status
Owning both both x36's and both TRX's they handle Trunking in different ways from what has been explained on here.
#1 Uniden follows control channel data for DMR trunking and you have to have the LNC in the right order
#2 Whistler you enter all frequencies for a trunking system and the Whistlers scan all Frequencies looking for a Talk Group.
With 1 and 2 out of the way they both decode DMR the same just in different ways.
Some have had driver issues with the Whistlers taking 30 plus seconds to see the scanner where the Unidens work out great with the drivers but you pay extra for a DMR key per scanner.
#1 Uniden follows control channel data for DMR trunking and you have to have the LNC in the right order
#2 Whistler you enter all frequencies for a trunking system and the Whistlers scan all Frequencies looking for a Talk Group.
With 1 and 2 out of the way they both decode DMR the same just in different ways.
Some have had driver issues with the Whistlers taking 30 plus seconds to see the scanner where the Unidens work out great with the drivers but you pay extra for a DMR key per scanner.
racingfan360
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2005
- Messages
- 1,166
Like buddrousa, I own both BCDx36HP and TRX units. My views (I'm sure others will have different opinions):
- Overall, the Uniden is a superior scanner for functionality/ease of use/software vs the TRX....the Uniden is a 'proper' high-end scanner: sometimes the Whistler feels a bit more like a prototype.
- Both are good at decoding conventional DMR repeater signals, with excellent voice decode quality.
- The Uniden is superior for properly decoding and following the various types of DMR signalling (Trunked, XPT, TIII etc).
- However, the Whistler is superior for DMR Simplex/Uplink signals where the Uniden really struggles here, in particular on VHF channels.
- Relative to the TRX-1, the 436 eats batteries like they're going out of fashion.
- I prefer the ease with which recording is enabled on the TRX (it just works), but the recording capabilities and ease of playback on the Uniden is better.
- The Whistler is really only gered up for scanning channels - it has very limited tools and functionality to make it easy to search for new channels. As a proper high-end scanner, the Uniden is much better here.
- I won't comment on price, as only you can make a judgement on what you're prepared to pay for what features.
Overall for DMR decoding, if the DMR simplex issues were resolved, and you don't mind swapping batteries more often, then I'd vote for the Uniden every time.
- Overall, the Uniden is a superior scanner for functionality/ease of use/software vs the TRX....the Uniden is a 'proper' high-end scanner: sometimes the Whistler feels a bit more like a prototype.
- Both are good at decoding conventional DMR repeater signals, with excellent voice decode quality.
- The Uniden is superior for properly decoding and following the various types of DMR signalling (Trunked, XPT, TIII etc).
- However, the Whistler is superior for DMR Simplex/Uplink signals where the Uniden really struggles here, in particular on VHF channels.
- Relative to the TRX-1, the 436 eats batteries like they're going out of fashion.
- I prefer the ease with which recording is enabled on the TRX (it just works), but the recording capabilities and ease of playback on the Uniden is better.
- The Whistler is really only gered up for scanning channels - it has very limited tools and functionality to make it easy to search for new channels. As a proper high-end scanner, the Uniden is much better here.
- I won't comment on price, as only you can make a judgement on what you're prepared to pay for what features.
Overall for DMR decoding, if the DMR simplex issues were resolved, and you don't mind swapping batteries more often, then I'd vote for the Uniden every time.
Ubbe
Member
After the latest whistler firmware upgrade I would say that BCD536HP and TRX-2 are pretty much equal in their decoding of DMR repeaters. The TRX-2 displays private radio-radio conversations as hex digits. When there is a conversation on each timeslot the TG delay time are disabled in TRX-2 and the monitoring and display information jumps like crazy between the two conversations and makes monitoring impossible.
And as already stated, the TRX-2 feels and looks like a prototype someone built at home. There are screws protuding everywhere and the keypad is a joke. The rotary knob increase frequency digits when turned CW, as it should, but everywhere else in alphatags and menues it goes backwards that are extreamly annoying when trying to edit and handle it without remote software.
The BCD536HP feels and looks like a professional unit and the TRX-2 is more of a home built project but their DMR decode capabilities are pretty much the same with the systems I monitor.
/Ubbe
And as already stated, the TRX-2 feels and looks like a prototype someone built at home. There are screws protuding everywhere and the keypad is a joke. The rotary knob increase frequency digits when turned CW, as it should, but everywhere else in alphatags and menues it goes backwards that are extreamly annoying when trying to edit and handle it without remote software.
The BCD536HP feels and looks like a professional unit and the TRX-2 is more of a home built project but their DMR decode capabilities are pretty much the same with the systems I monitor.
/Ubbe
In a fair comparison it should be mentioned that the Uniden falls sort with conventional DMR monitoring. Yes you can put in frequencies as DMR in a conventional "system" but you can only set the color code for them. You cannot set a slot or talkgroup. To do that you have to use the DMR One Frequency system type which operates like a trunked system. You create your talkgroups and then put all frequencies into a site. It then scans all the frequencies and looks for a match. This method can cause missed conversations as it scans over every frequency. This could be corrected or changed in a future firmware hopefully.
Trunking though I can say I am very pleased with it so far on all accounts. P25 simulcast seams to be the best I've ever heard in a scanner.
Trunking though I can say I am very pleased with it so far on all accounts. P25 simulcast seams to be the best I've ever heard in a scanner.
I beg to DIFFER with you I have 8 DMR conventional REPEATERS I monitor with no problem.
You are confusing CONVENTIONAL with SIMPLEX AS THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.
Yes the UNIDEN may have trouble with SIMPLEX BUT I have like I said 8 DMR repeaters with BOTH SLOTS USED THAT I ENTER FREQUENCY COLOR CODE TIME SLOT and TALK GROUP with no problems.
You are confusing CONVENTIONAL with SIMPLEX AS THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.
Yes the UNIDEN may have trouble with SIMPLEX BUT I have like I said 8 DMR repeaters with BOTH SLOTS USED THAT I ENTER FREQUENCY COLOR CODE TIME SLOT and TALK GROUP with no problems.
I am absolutely NOT confusing SIMPLEX. I am very aware of the difference. I am only speaking of repeaters here. Sure you can enter the TG/TS/CC if you set them up as DMR one frequency. But you cannot just sit on one frequency like that and monitor a single TG/TS. Yes you can monitor it but the scanner will look at ALL 8 of your repeater frequencies to find a match for the TG/TS you are monitoring. Which means it has to stop on every frequency it sees data on and check for a match to the TG/TS you are monitoring. Which in turn leads to potentially missed comms.
Now if you know have a way figured out that works differently and can explain it or share screenshots WITHOUT USING ALL CAPS or assuming I have no clue what I'm talking about or that I don't own one and know what I see in the software I will gladly and amicably listen to anything you have to say and welcome input.
Keep in mind I am not saying that you CANNOT use DMR in conventional mode, just that (from what I see in the software) you cannot set the talkgroup and slot there. Just color code.
And in DMR one frequency if you create one system and one site with your 8 frequencies YES you can set talkgroups and time slots but you can't set them to a certain frequency. It will scan all 8 and look for what you are holding on.
I welcome your feedback on how you accomplished this. Either here or via PM if that's more appropriate so we don't hijack this thread further.
Astro_Spectra
Member
It being the Uniden or Whistler?
Yes I am using 1 channel trunking as it works better as our local dealer has set the repeaters to send data burst that lock up SDR's and also give my MD380s a fit also this happens about every 20 seconds for about 2 seconds. But setting the scanner up this way works very well and does not hang. My x36's and my 996P2's handle these DMR repeaters better than either one of my TRX-s.
So are you creating one system with all 8 frequencies in one site or 8 systems each with one site/one frequency and the talkgroups used on that frequency?
3 systems 2 with 3 sites and 1 with 2 sites where the system = a county and sites = local repeaters for that county
You're probably doing something wrong. With a true trunked system, you have a control channel or two that you monitor, which broadcast which talkgroups are being broadcast on which voice channels. The control channel(s) broadcast continuously, and the voice channel(s) broadcast as needed for voice traffic. You don't need to put the voice channels in the site list, just the control channels. The data broadcast on the control channel tells the scanner what frequency and timeslot the scanner needs to tune to to hear a given voice transmission.
I'd have to figure out the best way to do that. I have 6 conventional repeaters to monitor which make 12 channels. Several of them also handle registration of the radios. So it gets stuck on those. I'd have to create 6 systems to monitor those it sounds like.
We're not talking about trunking here. The scanner treats DMR One Frequency like a trunked system in that you create a system with sites and departments like a trunked system.
This is not a trunking site or system it is a different repeater in different towns PD UHF FD VHF
Site 1 TS1 cc1 SHERIFF DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 1 TS2 cc1 SHERIFF INTEROP LINK TO CITY 1 TG
Site 2 TS1 cc1 CITY POLICE DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 2 TS2 cc1 CITY POLICE INTEROP LINK TO COUNTY 1 TG
Site 3 TS1 cc1 CITY FIRE DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 3 TS2 cc1 CITY FIRE LINK TO COUNTY FIRE 1 TG
By the way your website times out. This is how we setup stuff in the Radio Shop I help out at.
Site 1 TS1 cc1 SHERIFF DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 1 TS2 cc1 SHERIFF INTEROP LINK TO CITY 1 TG
Site 2 TS1 cc1 CITY POLICE DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 2 TS2 cc1 CITY POLICE INTEROP LINK TO COUNTY 1 TG
Site 3 TS1 cc1 CITY FIRE DISPATCH 1 TG
Site 3 TS2 cc1 CITY FIRE LINK TO COUNTY FIRE 1 TG
By the way your website times out. This is how we setup stuff in the Radio Shop I help out at.
I get what you're saying now. My problem is that what I'm trying to monitor is setup less cleanly. For example its more like this:
I want to monitor security at a site and they have two "channels" setup like this
FREQUENCY 1 - CC 1 - TS 1 - TG 1 = Channel 1
FREQUENCY 2 - CC 1 - TS 2 - TG 1 = Channel 2
So in this situation I'd have to have multiple frequencies per site.
I guess what it seems like others are missing is that DMR One Freq still operates like a trunked system.
Were you saying MY site times out?
Your internet site times out sets and says waiting for site and times out.
Yeah It is just very slow right now. I am redoing it.
If TG 1 is the same (say podunk PD dispatch) for both, you have 2 options:
1. If both freqs are broadcast from the same tower, create a DMR One Freq system with one site, add both freqs to the site, and create TG 1 under a Department in the system.
2. If the freqs are broadcast from different towers, create a DMR One Freq system with two sites, add one freq to each site, and create TG 1 (and any other talkgroups) under a Department in the system.
If TG 1 on one frequency is not the same as TG 1 on the other frequency (say Pudunk PD dispatch on Freq 1 and Humpville PD dispatch on Freq 2), then you need to set up two entirely separate systems. One system will have a site with Freq 1 and TG 1 defined as "Podunk PD Dispatch", and the other will have a site with Freq 2 and TG 1 defined as "Humpville PD Dispatch".
Do not put multiple freqs in a single system if the talkgroups are not defined the same way on each freq.
- Status
Similar threads
SDS100/SDS200:
Log talk groups and radio ID
