Pro-163: What's happening with my audio?

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peeta725

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Hey everyone,
I'm having a lot of difficulties scanning (and broadcasting!) my local Sheriff's Office. They are on a statewide 800 system that is a Motorola Type II SmartZone. I have programmed just the control channels for the site closest to me in bank 1 and the second-closest site in bank 2 as the PRO-163 documentation says. I always scan both banks. I only have it programmed to pick up on two TG's, the SO Dispatch and the HP's local channel. HP comes through fine all the time; it's the SO that I have problems with. Here's a sample of the troublesome audio: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuQzziS2po2BsQPsRgUGcGq4h5U7 . It's incredibly random as other times, you can hear traffic on the TG clear as day. However I would say this happens more than clear traffic. I know for a fact that it is traffic that is just somehow not being picked up by the scanner as sometimes this static will happen, then you hear a reply from another unit clear as day, then the static may happen again. Sometimes you can deduce that it was obviously dispatch that was calling a unit but other times you can hear dispatch just fine so it doesn't seem to be unit-specific. I cannot for the life of me figure out what is causing this nonsense. I appreciate any help y'all can give.
 

Spitfire8520

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It sort of sounds like a rebanding problem, but you should be running into the problem with all talkgroups that have programmed in that case. What happens with a rebanding issue is that the trunking tables are not properly set, so the scanner is effectively sent to the wrong frequency to listen for traffic. The scanner would appear to be jumping back and forth between the control channel and the voice channel when the talkgroup is active.

Are you using software to program the scanner?

Is the system programmed with the rebanded trunking tables?
 

peeta725

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Are you using software to program the scanner?

Is the system programmed with the rebanded trunking tables?

I am not using any software to program it. I'm not sure what software is compatible with this model and I'm not sure what cable(s) I would need for that.

I am unsure if the unit has been rebanded or not; I got it from a family friend whom I am no longer in contact with.
 

Spitfire8520

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Unfortunately I do not think that you can do rebanded tables without the necessary cable and software. You can find more information about software on the PSR-300/400 Software and USB Support page and cables on the Connecting scanners via USB page.

Generally, one would probably get the RadioShack cable, but the Whistler cable might also work. There also appears to be an aftermarket option available on the above page.

The well known software that people use are:

All of the software should come with some type of trial to test out their functionality. Any of the software should also let you import from the RadioReference Database that you get for being a Premium Subscriber. This feature should automatically handle stuff like rebanding for you.
 
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peeta725

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Unfortunately I do not think that you can do rebanded tables without the necessary cable and software.

I was also under the impression that the scanner unit had to be at a certain firmware level to support rebanding or is it all done in the programming as you've suggested?
 

Spitfire8520

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I was also under the impression that the scanner unit had to be at a certain firmware level to support rebanding or is it all done in the programming as you've suggested?

Unfortunately I have not used the Pro-163 so I do not really know about the firmware version. It might just work with whatever version is currently on the scanner. Ultimately you will need to program the rebanded trunking tables using software.

It probably would be a good idea to just go with the latest firmware if it is not too much trouble. The latest version is 1.10 and you can verify the version by pressing '3' on the welcome screen. http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...4046-radio-shack-pro-163-firmware-update.html thread has a link to 1.10 for Boot version 1.01. The Pro-163 Yahoo Group also has the latest firmware if you join it.
 

peeta725

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Alright I'll give all that a shot when I get back to my setup this weekend. Appreciate it!
 

peeta725

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Unfortunately I have not used the Pro-163 so I do not really know about the firmware version. It might just work with whatever version is currently on the scanner. Ultimately you will need to program the rebanded trunking tables using software.

It probably would be a good idea to just go with the latest firmware if it is not too much trouble. The latest version is 1.10 and you can verify the version by pressing '3' on the welcome screen. http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...4046-radio-shack-pro-163-firmware-update.html thread has a link to 1.10 for Boot version 1.01. The Pro-163 Yahoo Group also has the latest firmware if you join it.

Update: I don't want to jinx it but it seems to be working now. I ordered the cable off of Valley Enterprises and used some demo ARC300 to import and upload. I've been listening for about 30 minutes now and have yet to have the issue reoccur.

I really appreciate your help!
 
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