MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

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g8tzl2004
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Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

I've just acquired an MCS2000 Model 1 VHF radio.

The radio powered up BUT there was no RX audio when you TX'ed a signal or used the monitor key to open the SQ - there was NO white noise. The radio was RXing ( yellow LED) - just no RX audio. I though it might be an accessory pin out issue with the internal speaker so tried a known good accessory plug from another radio ...but still no audio.

When I was playing with the various front keys (including monitor), the audio suddenly returned and I could hear white noise and RX signals. I was unsure why the audio suddenly returned but thought it might be a programming issue or intermittent hardware problem - but at least the radio was making a noise.

I tried using DOS RSS but got codeplug too new so used CPS R02.02.00 and was able to read the radio. I made some amendments and wrote the CP back to the radio. BUT I was back with the no audio problem. I checked out all the various parameter but everything seemed OK...but still no RX audio.

So I switched back to DOS RSS (R05.07.00), got a good CP from another identical radio and cloned it to the radio - and it worked perfect - good RX audio.

My question is - can a corrupted codeplug cause intermittent RX audio or was it something else? The cloning process resets all the trunking paras to default...I am only using the radio in conventional mode and no channel was set up for trunking but the radio was originally used for trunking so maybe setting all the trunking para to default helped?

Anyway, I'm hoping it was a corrupted codeplug. Any thoughts?
Jim202
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Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by Jim202 »

Without seeing the codeplug, my first guess is the RX is tone squelched and playing around with the buttons, you managed to get it into a carrier squelch mode.

Loading the DOS codeplug, it was probably set for carrier squelch.

If this is not the case, have no idea what is different.

Jim
g8tzl2004
Posts: 1128
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

The CPS codeplug contained no tone squelched channels only carrier squelched...but maybe the corruption changed things.

One of the front keys seemed a bit odd - the "scan" key was progged as "Chan" even though there were up/down channel keys - so I think that there was some corruption in the key assignment.

I've come across similar issues in the past. I had a Model 2 MCS2000 with very very early firmware. When I read the codeplug, all the front panel keys were in the wrong place - although I managed to figure out which wrong key you had to program to get the correct key!!! I always thought this was due to a firmware/RSS mismatch...but maybe it was due to some CP corruption. A few years later I was programming another MCS2000 and although the front keys were all originally in the correct position, after I made lots of changes to the CP and wrote back the changes, the front key positions were all wrong. I had saved the original CP so I started again with the original CP and everything was OK and the front keys were back in the correct position!!!

So I'm thinking that the original owner of the MCS2000 corrupted the CP. Thankfully using DOS RSS to write back on identical CP seems to have solved the no audio problem. I much prefer the MCS2000 DOS RSS rather than the Windows CPS...especially as the DOS RSS gives default values in the Help Pages where the CPS does not!! So DOS RSS makes it easy to get all settings back to the default values. As long as you have a good DOS RSS Codeplug, its very easy to revert back to using DOS RSS rather than CPS and get around the "CP too new" issue. Click on Clone, Click on Copy Serial, Click on Partial Clone (to reset any trunking data to default) and then write CP to radio ( I think thats what I did!!!).
g8tzl2004
Posts: 1128
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

The CPS codeplug contained no tone squelched channels only carrier squelched...but maybe the corruption changed things.

One of the front keys seemed a bit odd - the "scan" key was progged as "Chan" even though there were up/down channel keys - so I think that there was some corruption in the key assignment.

I've come across similar issues in the past. I had a Model 2 MCS2000 with very very early firmware. When I read the codeplug, all the front panel keys were in the wrong place - although I managed to figure out which wrong key you had to program to get the correct key!!! I always thought this was due to a firmware/RSS mismatch...but maybe it was due to some CP corruption. A few years later I was programming another MCS2000 and although the front keys were all originally in the correct position, after I made lots of changes to the CP and wrote back the changes, the front key positions were all wrong. I had saved the original CP so I started again with the original CP and everything was OK and the front keys were back in the correct position!!!

So I'm thinking that the original owner of the MCS2000 corrupted the CP. Thankfully using DOS RSS to write back an identical CP seems to have solved the no audio problem. I much prefer the MCS2000 DOS RSS rather than the Windows CPS...especially as the DOS RSS gives default values in the Help Pages where the CPS does not!! So DOS RSS makes it easy to get all settings back to the default values. As long as you have a good DOS RSS Codeplug, its very easy to revert back to using DOS RSS rather than CPS and get around the "CP too new" issue. Click on Clone, Click on Copy Serial, Click on Partial Clone (to reset any trunking data to default) and then write CP to radio ( I think thats what I did!!!).
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Bigred
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What radios do you own?: Junk that comes and goes...

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by Bigred »

No RX audio could also be the radio was set for handset and there was no mic or mic wasn't on hook. This would route audio to mic connector pin 8 only. When you were pressing buttons did you happen to get into the user menu and change things?
Lots and lots of watts...
g8tzl2004
Posts: 1128
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

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Last edited by g8tzl2004 on Sun May 01, 2016 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
g8tzl2004
Posts: 1128
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

Re: MCS2000 Model 1 - Intermittent RX audio - codeplug corrupted?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

Yes, that could be it!!! Handset was part of the Menu option. Maybe I switched off the Handset when I was "experimenting" so got audio but then it defaulted back to Handset on when I reprogrammed the radio!!

Anyway, the radio is working OK now and at least I can use DOS RSS!!

Another funny - when I change channels, all my other MCS2000's give a single audible "beep" sound for each press of the channel key - but the new MCS2000 gives a double "beep boo" sound ...why????? Maybe its a firmware issue - I could not find any RSS field which changes the type of audio beep.
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