XT scanners and UHF trunk systems

[garys]

This is driving me crazy, but I don't know if I'm doing something incorrect or if the XT works differently than the earlier DMA scanners.

I'm trying to program in the Edison, East Brunswick, and Somerset County, NJ UHF trunk systems. Using the information in the RR database and the RR downloads for ARC XT, I put in the Base, Offset, and Channel spacing information. I also use the Calculate Upper Frequency function in ARC XT.

Two things happen, which I don't understand. First, the Lower and Upper Frequencies will change when I upload them into the scanner. Not all of them, but some of them. What I think is happening is that the firmware in the scanner is "correcting" the information to comply with the firmware algorithms.

Since I'm not New Jersey right now and won't be again for a couple of weeks, I can't immediately verify if this will work or not.

The other thing that seems to be happening is that the custom band plan information sometimes just disappears from the scanner after programming.

Can anyone give me an idea what, if anything, I might be doing wrong?

I've also done some programming using Freescan, but the results seem the same. Which is why I'm putting this in the Uniden forum, not the software forum.

 

[kilowa22]

This is driving me crazy, but I don't know if I'm doing something incorrect or if the XT works differently than the earlier DMA scanners.

I'm trying to program in the Edison, East Brunswick, and Somerset County, NJ UHF trunk systems. Using the information in the RR database and the RR downloads for ARC XT, I put in the Base, Offset, and Channel spacing information. I also use the Calculate Upper Frequency function in ARC XT.

Two things happen, which I don't understand. First, the Lower and Upper Frequencies will change when I upload them into the scanner. Not all of them, but some of them. What I think is happening is that the firmware in the scanner is "correcting" the information to comply with the firmware algorithms.

Since I'm not New Jersey right now and won't be again for a couple of weeks, I can't immediately verify if this will work or not.

The other thing that seems to be happening is that the custom band plan information sometimes just disappears from the scanner after programming.

Can anyone give me an idea what, if anything, I might be doing wrong?

I've also done some programming using Freescan, but the results seem the same. Which is why I'm putting this in the Uniden forum, not the software forum.

You should put the data in directly to see what happens:

Menu -> Program System -> Select System -> Edit Site -> Edit Band Plan -> Custom -> Band Plan 1

as you put in the data for each band plan any frequency changes will be immediately displayed.

You may need to set a step for a frequency range:

Menu -> Settings -> Band Defaults -> Select Frequency range -> change mode & step
Some programs can help you do this.

 

[garys]

You should put the data in directly to see what happens:

Menu -> Program System -> Select System -> Edit Site -> Edit Band Plan -> Custom -> Band Plan 1

as you put in the data for each band plan any frequency changes will be immediately displayed.

You may need to set a step for a frequency range:

Menu -> Settings -> Band Defaults -> Select Frequency range -> change mode & step
Some programs can help you do this.

I've done this, except the band defaults, which I always leave at "auto". I'll take a look. What about polarity?

 

[UPMan]

For UHF, polarity will be + (so far, anyway).

Are you verifying that the band plan is in there after programming? If so, how are you verifying that it is disappearing? If it is by reading it out using software, there could be a bug in the software. I'd manually check the scanner to see that it is still there (or not).

There is no reason for the information to disappear, once there (other than by being overwritten by a subsequent load or manually changed by you...which you would probably have noticed yourself doing).

 

[garys]

For UHF, polarity will be + (so far, anyway).

Got it, thanks. It's interesting that neither application that I am using enters polarity. I'm sure they'll catch up at some point.

Are you verifying that the band plan is in there after programming? If so, how are you verifying that it is disappearing? If it is by reading it out using software, there could be a bug in the software. I'd manually check the scanner to see that it is still there (or not).

I have manually checked and it isn't. I'm more than a little convinced that it's a matter of PEBKAC, not the scanner or the software.

I've used both Freescan and ARC XT.

There is no reason for the information to disappear, once there (other than by being overwritten by a subsequent load or manually changed by you...which you would probably have noticed yourself doing).

Add to this a computer crash and reinstall of OS and applications. Some of the data files from ARC XT didn't like to be copied over from the old HD, and none of the profile files came over intact. Apparently Butel includes path information in the profiles and even if I changed that, it didn't translate properly.

Again, operator error ranks high in my differential.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

[W2SJW]

Go to the top of the NJ section and enter the scanner programming files thread. Grab my latest FreeScan file in the very first post & let me know if those systems will upload fine for you from my data...

 

[Butelsoftware]

I'm trying to program in the Edison, East Brunswick, and Somerset County, NJ UHF trunk systems. Using the information in the RR database and the RR downloads for ARC XT, I put in the Base, Offset, and Channel spacing information. I also use the Calculate Upper Frequency function in ARC XT.

ARC-XT will import the correct UHF settings for you from the database so you dont need to input them manually. Are you using version 1.5?

Gommert
Butel Software

 

[garys]

ARC-XT will import the correct UHF settings for you from the database so you dont need to input them manually. Are you using version 1.5?

Gommert
Butel Software

1.5 Build 1. I gave it a try and it did indeed import the correct settings. I don't recall if I originally used the import feature or entered them manually. I'm going to keep testing and see what's going on.

As I said, operator error is usually #1 on my list of potential causes.

Well, I think I figured it out. Operator error. Apparently, when I was updating the systems I wasn't saving them properly in that the system name I gave them was not the same one that the .pfl file was looking for. So, I had Edison.rsf and Edison_1.rsf saved as systems, but the profile loaded the original, and not the updated one. It seems that ARC XT does has sort of automatic new name function where it adds _1, -2, etc. Which I didn't realize.

I updated the profile to the correct systems and reloaded my 396XT. All loaded properly so now I'm going to load the corrected profile into my 996XT to make sure that's right too.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

 

[ECHO3]

I use ARCXT 1.5. When entering the custom bandplan for Bucks County M-TRS as it appears on the rr.com database on line 1 the software adds the 25 step to line 2 and fills in a 760 offset on lines 2-6. I haven't programmed the scanner yet, but I suspect I should just ignore the unwanted software additions.
Custom Frequency Table for Uniden Scanners:
Lower Base Frequency: 501.0375
Upper Base Frequency: 510.5125
Offset: 380 + Polarity
Spacing: 25.00