796/296 P25 programming ?

[Mike Alpha]

Well maybe a 796D can't do P25 systems after all! And not because it was designed that way, but because they haven't included the options to do it.

You can select Trunk Type - TYPE2/P25 UHF, but when it asks for the base and offset information, selecting 6.25KHz gives and error and the offset will not accept a number bigger than 3 digits. It will only do 800/900MHz P25 systems in CC Only mode.

I asked the brains trust on RadioReference about it and no one could help. What a waste

Mike

[Bigfella237]

G'day Mike,

I have a BC796D and it's quite happily monitoring the new P25 GRN! From page 7 of the owner manual: "Your BC796D is able to decode all unencrypted digitized voice traffic on either mixed mode or digital-only APCO 25 Phase 1 systems."

It's been a while since I set it up but I'm pretty sure I didn't set any of the base/offset info, just enter through it as everything the scanner needs is transmitted via the ctrl ch data?

As you say, the biggest drawback with the 796D is that it will only do 'control channel only' scanning for Motorola 800 and 900 MHz systems. For UHF systems you will still have to enter ALL the frequencies used by the site (both control and voice/data) to hear all traffic?

Let me know if you're still having trouble and I'll go back into the programming on the 796D and try and re-familiarise myself with it?

Andrew

[Mike Alpha]

G'day Mike,

I have a BC796D and it's quite happily monitoring the new P25 GRN! From page 7 of the owner manual: "Your BC796D is able to decode all unencrypted digitized voice traffic on either mixed mode or digital-only APCO 25 Phase 1 systems."

It's been a while since I set it up but I'm pretty sure I didn't set any of the base/offset info, just enter through it as everything the scanner needs is transmitted via the ctrl ch data?

As you say, the biggest drawback with the 796D is that it will only do 'control channel only' scanning for Motorola 800 and 900 MHz systems. For UHF systems you will still have to enter ALL the frequencies used by the site (both control and voice/data) to hear all traffic?

Let me know if you're still having trouble and I'll go back into the programming on the 796D and try and re-familiarise myself with it?

Andrew

I'm stumped Andrew! I've entered all freqs, set it for Type2 P25 UHF. Haven't entered any base or offset info and still nothing. I'm getting 'DAT' flashing as it monitors the control channel, but side by side with a P25 capable 996 and nothing.

What firmware is your 796 running. I'm running V3.21

Mike

[Bigfella237]

Hmm... I've just had a look through my 796, I have V3.25 firmware. I think there have been several updates since this, mainly involving re-banding which doesn't effect us, but I believe the latest available version is V3.60? I doubt it would be a firmware issue as the owners manual says all 796's will do P25 UHF?

Just to double check your APCO-25 card is installed and enabled, does it flash up on the screen at start-up and if you go into the System Menu, is P-25 Card enabled?

I looked at my trunk settings and I still have the old Type II Base Config settings in there from before P25:

Trunk Type=ON
4: TYPE2/P25 UHF
Base Freq: 413.1000 Step: 12.5 Offset: 723
Base Freq: 415.0000 Step: 12.5 Offset: 748
Base Freq: 415.5750 Step: 12.5 Offset: 380

I think I changed some setting when I changed over to P25 but I can't remember what it was?

I have all the freqs from each site each in their own bank, each freq is set to trunk and I have all the voice freqs locked out so it only scans the control channels. When scanning, M comes up on the screen and when it scans an active CC freq, it pauses and DAT comes up on the screen, if there's no traffic it continues scanning but if there is traffic it changes to the voice freq and shows the talkgroup.

If you are getting the DAT but it's not going to the voice channel, I would say the problem lies with how the voice channels are entered?

Did you ever have it working on the old Type II system? Maybe that would be a good place to start?

Andrew

[Mike Alpha]

Hmm... I've just had a look through my 796, I have V3.25 firmware. I think there have been several updates since this, mainly involving re-banding which doesn't effect us, but I believe the latest available version is V3.60? I doubt it would be a firmware issue as the owners manual says all 796's will do P25 UHF?

Just to double check your APCO-25 card is installed and enabled, does it flash up on the screen at start-up and if you go into the System Menu, is P-25 Card enabled?

I looked at my trunk settings and I still have the old Type II Base Config settings in there from before P25:

Trunk Type=ON
4: TYPE2/P25 UHF
Base Freq: 413.1000 Step: 12.5 Offset: 723
Base Freq: 415.0000 Step: 12.5 Offset: 748
Base Freq: 415.5750 Step: 12.5 Offset: 380

I think I changed some setting when I changed over to P25 but I can't remember what it was?

I have all the freqs from each site each in their own bank, each freq is set to trunk and I have all the voice freqs locked out so it only scans the control channels. When scanning, M comes up on the screen and when it scans an active CC freq, it pauses and DAT comes up on the screen, if there's no traffic it continues scanning but if there is traffic it changes to the voice freq and shows the talkgroup.

If you are getting the DAT but it's not going to the voice channel, I would say the problem lies with how the voice channels are entered?

Did you ever have it working on the old Type II system? Maybe that would be a good place to start?

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, I basically had all those settings you had and still nothing, with card enabled and working. I've got 8 other banks doing Type II with no probs. The only difference is I don't have any TGs entered into the P25 bank, I'm searching only. Are you able to search the banks OK?

Also, do you have all the VFs, including old analogue VFs programmed into your P25 bank or only the P25 digital VFs?

Thanks
Mike

[Mike Alpha]

Well there you go, upgraded firmware to V3.60 and she's now cooking with gas

Didn't have to change a thing. Just ignore base and offset setting and as Andrew said, all the required tracking info is in the Control Channel data stream.

All upgrade info and files here if anyone interested. http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... wareUpdate

Happy New Year!.
Mike

[rustynswrail]

Well there you go, upgraded firmware to V3.60 and she's now cooking with gas
Didn't have to change a thing. Just ignore base and offset setting and as Andrew said, all the required tracking info is in the Control Channel data stream.
All upgrade info and files here if anyone interested. http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... wareUpdate
Happy New Year!.
Mike

Mike,

What is interesting is that no one at Radio Reference knew anything about this firmware upgrade. So much for being the premier site.

R

[Mike Alpha]

Mike,
What is interesting is that no one at Radio Reference knew anything about this firmware upgrade. So much for being the premier site.
R

Exactly Russell. We learned THEM something!

Mike

[Bigfella237]

G'day Mike,

Glad to hear you worked it out! It's interesting that the firmware was holding you up, maybe I should upgrade mine to V3.60 and see if it makes any difference?

Andrew