Ghetto method for CTCSS determination

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High_order1
Posts: 210
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2002 10:39 am

Ghetto method for CTCSS determination

Post by High_order1 »

Just like it says. I know a hundred ways to pull a freq out of a radio I can't read, but how, without a service monitor or expensive gear, can you determine the tone / DCS? I know some ham radios are capable of doing it, but I am hoping for a ghetto trick or shareware solution.

Thanks in advance,

-Shawn
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Victor Xray
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Ghetto method for CTCSS determination

Post by Victor Xray »

There are several older-model (cheap) scanners out there that decode PL. Ask over at RR for more info.
emsbuff3240
Posts: 423
Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:23 am
What radios do you own?: Centracom Gold Elite, XTS5K 4K

Re: Ghetto method for CTCSS determination

Post by emsbuff3240 »

-Jon
Will
Posts: 6823
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Ghetto method for CTCSS determination

Post by Will »

Way way back in the early '70's, we used the o' scope. The recovered PL tone from a receiver on the verticle input and a audio oscillator on the horiz. input. Tuned the audio osc. to get a circle on the scope.

This got us in the 'near field', then we used the PL tone encoder test set with the correct PL tone reed to double check the circle on the scope.

Today most scanners have the PL/DPL search feature.
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