What Should I Do With My Defective TRX1? Any Suggestions?

[Rishayan]

About 2 years ago, I bought another TRX1 from Amazon, but, as I am collector of radios, and have so many other things that I am doing in my life, I didn't open the package until about a year later. When I did, I found the radio to be defective on, at least, two counts. 1. the UHF band from about 406 to 470 Mhz reads off frequency. and 2. the radio does not decode P2 transmissions. It works just fine with P1 TRS and on the VHF and 800 bands. As I travel a lot, and am intensely in to radio propagation studies, this radio does not really serve me too well, for it's defects. I hate to sell it, because I just don't like selling defective junk, especially expensive defective junk. Is there any way that I can repair some of these defects through their online app, or should I just throw this lemon into a drawer and forget about it??

 

[a417]

Are you attempting to listen to P2 transmissions in a simulcast environment?

 

[trentbob]

So buying the radio and not opening it and examining it for a year, there's always a good risk that it may not end well..

Did you do any research on the radio before you purchased it? Just a simple Google search would have revealed many radio reference posts that the radio does not do well on Phase 2 p25 simulcast systems, people say that they've done things to fix that but.. I've never been able to, nor has anyone I've known.

Since you are a collector of radios, the radio does perform well on certain digital systems like type ll smart Zone systems and has reasonably good VHF reception, don't know what your situation is with UHF.

Trying to get it repaired so that it will work on phase ll simulcast isn't possible but there are some adjustments that some people have made including location in relation to a systems sites, that have reportedly improved things but again, I've never experienced that.

If you need reliable P2 simulcast reception there are other options of scanners, pagers and SDR setups.

Good lesson learned, if you purchase a radio, get it from a reliable source that will give you a 30-day return policy and check the radio out before the 30 days is up.😉

 

[a417]

Calling some of those issues 'defects' is a tad disengenous, too. If it was an SDS that was designed to work within a simulcast environ, I'd agree that there's possibly a defect...but the TRX line wasn't.

It's like saying "the fuel I put in my car is defective, because my car doesn't run anymore" knowing full well you grabbed a green handle and put in ultra-low sulfer diesel fuel instead of premium unleaded. In actuality you used an incompatible product.

 

[palmerjrusa]

About 2 years ago, I bought another TRX1 from Amazon, but, as I am collector of radios, and have so many other things that I am doing in my life, I didn't open the package until about a year later. When I did, I found the radio to be defective on, at least, two counts. 1. the UHF band from about 406 to 470 Mhz reads off frequency. and 2. the radio does not decode P2 transmissions. It works just fine with P1 TRS and on the VHF and 800 bands. As I travel a lot, and am intensely in to radio propagation studies, this radio does not really serve me too well, for it's defects. I hate to sell it, because I just don't like selling defective junk, especially expensive defective junk. Is there any way that I can repair some of these defects through their online app, or should I just throw this lemon into a drawer and forget about it??

How did you determine your TRX1 was off frequency?

 

[trentbob]

How did you determine your TRX1 was off frequency?

Maybe, the step size is incorrect?

 

[palmerjrusa]

Maybe, the step size is incorrect?

Could be.

I own a TRX1 so would be interested to know.

 

[trentbob]

Could be.

I own a TRX1 so would be interested to know.

Yeah I haven't picked up my TRX 1 in about 5 years but I do remember something about people asking overseas about a firmware update that would expand the ability to adjust step sizes to accommodate their frequencies.

Who knows, let's see if the op replies.

 

[tvengr]

With PLL circuits using a master reference oscillator crystal, it is unlikely that just UHF would be off frequency. Frequency errors would be greater at 800 MHz. Can you please attach your configuration file for us to take a look at it to make sure that it isn't a programming issue. Which system is giving you problems?

 

[Rishayan]

Are you attempting to listen to P2 transmissions in a simulcast environment?

No, it's not that, because I have another TRX1 that I put side by side with the defective one, and set the both on scanning the same P2 system, and the older one picks up many talkgroups loud and clear with no problems, and the defective one just sits there, silent. I know about the TRXs problem with simulcasts, but, without a doubt, this TRX1 is simply a lemon!

 

[tvengr]

Please read my previous post #9. You may have missed it since we both posted about the same time.

 

[Rishayan]

So buying the radio and not opening it and examining it for a year, there's always a good risk that it may not end well..

Did you do any research on the radio before you purchased it? Just a simple Google search would have revealed many radio reference posts that the radio does not do well on Phase 2 p25 simulcast systems, people say that they've done things to fix that but.. I've never been able to, nor has anyone I've known.

Since you are a collector of radios, the radio does perform well on certain digital systems like type ll smart Zone systems and has reasonably good VHF reception, don't know what your situation is with UHF.

Trying to get it repaired so that it will work on phase ll simulcast isn't possible but there are some adjustments that some people have made including location in relation to a systems sites, that have reportedly improved things but again, I've never experienced that.

If you need reliable P2 simulcast reception there are other options of scanners, pagers and SDR setups.

Good lesson learned, if you purchase a radio, get it from a reliable source that will give you a 30-day return policy and check the radio out before the 30 days is up.😉

Yea, I know!....what are you going to do with idiots like me!😊!...No, it has nothing to do with the TRX1's problems with simulcast, as I said in another reply, I have another TRX1 that I put side by side with the defective one, and set to both to the same P2 ( non simulcast) system PA STARnet, and the older one picks up P2 talkgroups just fine, and the newer defective one...nada..not a peep! And on UHF it is reading the frequency, for example, the frequency 461.3000 as 461. 303125, or exactly 3.125 Khz high. It does receive the DMR or NXDN or analog signals OK on the incorrect frequency, it's just a pain in the a.. to have to retune the search frequency 3.125 Khz lower to see what the actual frequency is, every time I receive a new signal when I am DXing in new areas( as just recently I was in Harris County Texas). I made the grand mistake of bringing the newer defective TRX with me, hoping that it might work better in another area outside of here in PA, but nope, it could hardly pick up any talkgroups on the Texas WARN TRS system( a mix of P1 and P2 TGs). I was very close to Bush airport when that United plane went off the runway, and although I was able to hear a little of the action, I was mostly left out of the action on the P2 talkgroups. It was a good thing that I also brought my Icom R30, which does excellent on P1 transmissions, or I would have been left completely out in the cold monitoring Houston''s very active crime scene. Although the defective TRX does fine with monitoring central Pennsylvanias P1 TRS systems, even simulcast, for some reason, it just couldn't latch on very well to the P1 transmissions on the Texas WARN system. So I had to use the R30, which does a fine job, and is quite sensitive with good digital audio on monitoring the P1's. Although , of course, it doesn't do trunking, you just have to put all the freq.s in a memory bank, and let it quickly scan though the channels, to more or less follow a conversation. ""If you need reliable P2 simulcast reception there are other options of scanners, pagers and SDR setups.""....yea I know, I also have a couple SDS100's. Although I wanted to bring one of them, but after investigating on the airline's websites, I seen that they can be really picky allowing several Li-ion polymer batteries to be brought. As these batteries are quite expensive for the SDS100, I just didn't want to risk confiscation at the TSA checkpoint. I already have had problems with the TSA jerks at the Harrisburg airport, who one time wanted to confiscate cash money out of my wallet. And at another airport, they wanted to confiscate my packs of AA batteries.!!!

 

[Rishayan]

How did you determine your TRX1 was off frequency?

It's only off frequency on the UHF band. Believe me, I know the correct frequencies of most of the transmitters in my local area, which I have been monitoring since the time they used two cans and a string!. I have been buying SW and UHF VHF and amateur radios for the last half century, and without any doubt, more and more of these Chinese made radios are being sold defective. This TRX1 one isn't the first expensive radio that I have bought that reads off frequency. I once bought a Tecsun SW radio that was off frequency on all the AM and SW bands the radio had. Poor quality control on these products.

 

[Rishayan]

Could be.

I own a TRX1 so would be interested to know.

Well, I highly doubt that. I don't think they have a 3.125 Khz step size option on this TRX radio. Besides, my other TRX1 reads all the frequencies correctly. If I had the schematic of the radio, and the right equipment and tools, I probably could retune the capacitor for that band inside the radio...but, I don't think it's worth it. I just have to grin and bear it, my error of waiting so long to check the radio after buying it!. Today, after every radio I open the box up, quickly check all the important functions, before storing it for later use. I just put too much confidence in Whistler's products!!!...Big mistake!

 

[Rishayan]

With PLL circuits using a master reference oscillator crystal, it is unlikely that just UHF would be off frequency. Frequency errors would be greater at 800 MHz. Can you please attach your configuration file for us to take a look at it to make sure that it isn't a programming issue. Which system is giving you problems?

Well friend, I don't have that much knowledge of PLL circuits. My electronic knowledge is back from the early 70s when I was in electronics school, and you could adjust the tuning capacitors to fix this type of problem. But, oh well, I guess I'm a little outdated. But I assure you, I know what I am talking about!. Below 406 Mhz and above 470 Mhz, the frequency readout is correct. For example, here in my area, we have P1 TRS transmitters on 501.6125 Mhz and others in the UHF "T"" band, and it reads the frequencies correctly. But on all the local DMR and analog transmitters on 451, 452, 453, 462, 463, etc. Mhz it reads 3.125 Khz high. When I was just in Houston, it was the same thing. Yet, the transmitters on 700 and 800 Mhz, it read the exact correct frequency( as well as those on VHF).

 

[tvengr]

And on UHF it is reading the frequency, for example, the frequency 461.3000 as 461. 303125, or exactly 3.125 Khz high.

Is Zeromatic enabled? When doing a search, the scanner can stop on a frequency that is not the true center of the frequency you are receiving.

 

[tvengr]

TRX-1 manual says 3.125 KHz steps are available in UHF band. When doing a search, the scanner can very well stop on a frequency 3.125 KHz higher before reaching the true center frequency of what you are receiving.

 

[Rishayan]

TRX-1 manual says 3.125 KHz steps are available in UHF band. When doing a search, the scanner can very well stop on a frequency 3.125 KHz higher before reaching the true center frequency of what you are receiving.

Oh really? I didn't know that.....Yes, I have zeromatic engaged. On all other bands, in search mode, it stops exactly on the right frequency, but not on UHF. If, for example, the station on 461.300 is transmitting, it will stop on 461.303125 every time. If I manually lower the frequency to 461.300, the correct frequency, the audio stops coming through. When I return to the wrong frequency, 461.303125, the audio starts coming through again. When I program the frequency into a memory bank, I have to program the 461.303125 frequency to hear it, because if I program the correct frequency, 461.30, no signal or audio is received. Strange enough, when I import a UHF DMR TRS from the library, it does seem to function OK stopping on the talkgroups. I am assuming that the library has the correct frequencies programmed into it. However, on the TRX, when it stops on a talkgroup, it doesn't show what frequency it is actually receiving. However, when I manually program the frequency into the memory, I have to program the erroneous frequency, 3.125Khz higher than the actual, to hear anything. .. Go figure!

 

[Wackyracer]

Are the configurations clones? if not make them clones, then Swap cards, and antennas and see if the problem follows the cards and antennas, then just swap the antennas...Let us know what happens. You can always send it to whistler to be fixed at your expense.

 

[trentbob]

Yea, I know!....what are you going to do with idiots like me!😊!...No, it has nothing to do with the TRX1's problems with simulcast, as I said in another reply, I have another TRX1 that I put side by side with the defective one, and set to both to the same P2 ( non simulcast) system PA STARnet, and the older one picks up P2 talkgroups just fine, and the newer defective one...nada..not a peep! And on UHF it is reading the frequency, for example, the frequency 461.3000 as 461. 303125, or exactly 3.125 Khz high. It does receive the DMR or NXDN or analog signals OK on the incorrect frequency, it's just a pain in the a.. to have to retune the search frequency 3.125 Khz lower to see what the actual frequency is, every time I receive a new signal when I am DXing in new areas( as just recently I was in Harris County Texas). I made the grand mistake of bringing the newer defective TRX with me, hoping that it might work better in another area outside of here in PA, but nope, it could hardly pick up any talkgroups on the Texas WARN TRS system( a mix of P1 and P2 TGs). I was very close to Bush airport when that United plane went off the runway, and although I was able to hear a little of the action, I was mostly left out of the action on the P2 talkgroups. It was a good thing that I also brought my Icom R30, which does excellent on P1 transmissions, or I would have been left completely out in the cold monitoring Houston''s very active crime scene. Although the defective TRX does fine with monitoring central Pennsylvanias P1 TRS systems, even simulcast, for some reason, it just couldn't latch on very well to the P1 transmissions on the Texas WARN system. So I had to use the R30, which does a fine job, and is quite sensitive with good digital audio on monitoring the P1's. Although , of course, it doesn't do trunking, you just have to put all the freq.s in a memory bank, and let it quickly scan though the channels, to more or less follow a conversation. ""If you need reliable P2 simulcast reception there are other options of scanners, pagers and SDR setups.""....yea I know, I also have a couple SDS100's. Although I wanted to bring one of them, but after investigating on the airline's websites, I seen that they can be really picky allowing several Li-ion polymer batteries to be brought. As these batteries are quite expensive for the SDS100, I just didn't want to risk confiscation at the TSA checkpoint. I already have had problems with the TSA jerks at the Harrisburg airport, who one time wanted to confiscate cash money out of my wallet. And at another airport, they wanted to confiscate my packs of AA batteries.!!!

It's actually all In good fun. Glad you took it the right way, I couldn't resist.

Yeah we're in the same age group, I graduated high school 1971 but was swl, CB and slide rule dial monitoring in the mid-60s LOL. Dad and uncle were both ham radio operators.

As you can see I'm from Bucks County and STARnet is pretty useless to me, even our state park rangers are encrypted. I guess I could listen to DOT.

My entire area is tdma Phase ll.. police are of course, encrypted.

You're being honest by not selling the radio to someone unless you basically give it away, I don't use my TRX 1 anymore, but I'm not going to sell it. Nifty little radio since it was the GRE PSR 800, good luck trying to figure out the steps issue..

You got some good people here on your thread.. Bob.