Force a Failsoft?

963Expert · Post by **963Expert** » Mon Feb 25, 2002 11:58 pm

Okay this is really off the wall. . . .
I have several Visar 800's and MTX-800's. As we all know, there is no way to make them do conventional 800 or simplex.

I couldn't sleep one night and started reading help files in the RSS. Then I read that the radio goes to simplex on the failsoft frequency. So, I thought, I'd try and program a failsoft frequency and a bogus system and have a great little talk-about simplex 800! Good plan, didn't work. I forgot about "out of range". Needless to say, I went back to bed.

Anyone have any ideas on how to trick the radio into believing that it's in failsoft?

Kel

Post by **wavetar** » Tue Feb 26, 2002 5:12 am

It would have to be a very fancy trick. Some quotes from one of my old training maunuals:
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"To be sure the radios will not operate in failsoft when going out of range, a sub-audible data handshake is activated on each voice capable channel when repeaters go into failsoft."

"The units only become operative & stay operative as long as they receive the sub-audible failsoft data word."

"The mobile operator is informed of failsoft by the automatic sounding of an audible alert tone every 10 seconds."
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So, at the bare minimum, you would need a trunking repeater sending out this data on the frequency you wish to operate on, and you would hear the failsoft tone every 10 seconds on all the radios. Not very practical, but it was a good thought!

Todd

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Tue Feb 26, 2002 3:53 pm

Hello.

The failsoft tone is nothing more than low speed data, the repeater will send failsoft on controller failure, however, the correct PL and low speed ID on ANY repeater will work.

Check the early service manuals.

TNX.

Nand · Post by **Nand** » Tue Feb 26, 2002 4:41 pm

963Expert · Post by **963Expert** » Thu Feb 28, 2002 11:01 pm

Only a couple of times have I heard a system go into failsoft and I remember the steady carrier and the beep.

I thought it was odd that the RSS help file stated that it operated in simplex. I didn't check any other help files, I was merely looking at the Visar and having little experiance with the Visar, I thought it was something unique to them. That was the only reason I started thinking about it more, was the "simplex" in the help file.

Would be a neat trick. Perhaps someone with more time on their hands than I can figure out a hack to do it.

Thanks for the input,
Kel