Win MDCD Problem

[Mikesuper26]

Hello all,

I own a Grecom PSR 300 scanner. I have it hooked up via a 3.5mm jack from my scanners audio output to the microphone input in the back of my PC, but the application will not pick up any MDC transmissions. Am I missing something? The sound is definitely coming through to the PC, but the application is not logging it. My soundcard is built into my motherboard. I tried e-mailing the developer but the e-mail address listed is coming back undeliverable.

 

[fourthhorseman]

You may need to see if you need the RAW audio VIA discriminator tap...Poss better decode rates..

OR

Be sure your using the correct input weather its the MIC or LINE..do a test to determine..

In XP,,,
right cick the vol icon,
Adjust properties,
VOICE tab,
TEST HARDWARE..

You should be able to see the bars jumping...Be sure to turn off your notebooks,or external microphone..

 

[mikewazowski]

You need to use a discriminator tapped scanner.

 

[DaveNF2G]

The agency you wish to monitor must be using unencrypted Motorola MDC-1200 signaling. It is considered to be almost obsolete, and there are other forms of signaling that sound similar.

 

[mikewazowski]

Encrypted MDC? Pretty sure there's no such thing.

As far as being obsolete, Motorola still includes it on the APX and TRBO line so I'd say it's far from obsolete.

 

[Mikesuper26]

Forgive me - I am a bit confused. I was under the impression that all I needed to do was plug a cable from the scanner to my computer, and it would decode. I do not understand what a "discriminator tapped scanner" is, and how to tell if I have one. Also, I tried plugging in my Icom two way radio and tested the sound by watching the bars go up and down, but it still did not decode.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[mikewazowski]

A discriminator tap basically takes the raw audio from your scanner before any audio processing. There are very few scanners that give you that without hardware modifications.

A discriminator tap is almost a necessity for doing any sort of data processing such as decoding MDC.

Search the Wiki for Discriminator. I'm pretty sure there's an explanation in there.

 

[Mikesuper26]

Okay - thank you. So in other words, without a discriminator tap, there is no way to use the Win MDCD program to decode MDC 1200?

 

[mikewazowski]

Possibly but I think as you've already figured out, not likely.

 

[mule1075]

If this is the program he is talking about you do not need a tap.
antistatic.org - winmdcd

 

[Mikesuper26]

If this is the program he is talking about you do not need a tap.
antistatic.org - winmdcd

Yes - that is the program I am referring too. What type of problem am I having, then? The scanner is connected to the PC via the microphone jack, and the sound is coming through, yet the program will not decode any signals.

 

[mikewazowski]

You don't need a tap however the webpage has this to say:

"A discriminator tap is also not needed, but would probably increase the level of detection."

If the audio levels have been adjusted and it still doesn't work, than he'll probably need a tap.

 

[mule1075]

You don't need a tap however the webpage has this to say:

"A discriminator tap is also not needed, but would probably increase the level of detection."

If the audio levels have been adjusted and it still doesn't work, than he'll probably need a tap.

True i never tried it with a tap just the line in and it worked well.Had almost forgot about the program until this thread popped up maybe i will install it later on and see if i have any trouble with it.

 

[Mikesuper26]

EDIT - As it turns out, I had to mess with the audio driver software. Working perfectly now. No need for a tap. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[poltergeisty]

I knew it! Didn't make sense to me you would need a tap for MDC-1200. Sometimes those decoding programs need a little audio adjustment. And since I was introduced to this I found a progy called WinQuack11. That will work great while listening to Pandora and my scanner at the same time. Cool beans!

 

[Jay911]

I knew it! Didn't make sense to me you would need a tap for MDC-1200. Sometimes those decoding programs need a little audio adjustment. And since I was introduced to this I found a progy called WinQuack11. That will work great while listening to Pandora and my scanner at the same time. Cool beans!

Agreed - If a guy can make software that decodes MDC via your phone's microphone, it's silly to think that a discriminator is required.