XTS5K won't decode ASTRO Emergency while scan is turned on

[sethcwilliams]

I've added emergency signaling to my fleet of XTS5K / XTL5K / XTL Consolettes. I'm using ASTRO signaling for all channels EXCEPT for the one channel that I actually scan (a mass notification channel that broadcasts to outdoor warning system speakers and is analog using PL). For some reason, when scan is turned on in the XTS5Ks they won't decode an emergency sent from the XTL mobiles or consolettes. They will, at all times minus the "ignore" time for decoding an emergency from a radio that recently broadcast one, decode emergency signaling from other XTS5Ks regardless of the scan being on or off. If I send an emergency from a consolette, an XTS5K with scan turned on will ignore it but if I turn scan off after the initial send it will pick it up on the next (polite or impolite) retry. I didn't test as much mobile to mobile, but if I remember correctly the mobiles and bases behaved the same way. With scan turned on the XTLs ignored emergency signaling from each other and from the XTS5Ks. I've found nothing in the CPS settings or help files that I can reason would cause this difference in behavior between handhelds and mobiles/bases.

To summarize:

XTS5K with scan on -
will decode emergencies from XTS5Ks
will not decode emergencies from XTL mobiles and bases

XTS5K with scan off -
will decode emergencies from XTS5Ks
will decode emergencies from XTL mobiles and bases

XTL5K with scan on -
will not decode emergencies from XTS5Ks
will not decode emergencies from XTL mobiles and bases

XTL5K with scan off -
will decode emergencies from XTS5Ks
will decode emergencies from XTL mobiles and bases

Some of the basics:

Host: R11.00.03
DSP: R11.00.03
XTS5K Flash: 580088-001482-1

Scan list is fixed, consists of one channel, has no priority and is only user selectable “on/off”. I’m running three personalities, ASTRO RX only, analog RX only, and ASTRO TX/RX. All personalities are conventional, no trunking involved. I’m not decoding or encoding selective calls. The only signaling currently in use are ASTRO IDs and emergency encoding/decoding. I don’t run ACKs, the emergency broadcast is one way only and is only meant as an attention getter for priority messages.
This seems like it should be such an EASY fix but for some reason I just don’t get it. With basically mirrored settings in the handhelds and mobiles, why would the two behave differently? If anybody’s got a quick kill for this, please send it my way. If it’s really simple, send a slap along with it, read my signature block, and don’t be surprised! Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here hanging out drooling on myself or staring at a radio or crying etc etc etc….

[alex]

Seth,

You should start by looking at creating a guard channel for the radios to operate on for an emergency. IF the radio trips and emergency it goes to that guard channel and broadcasts an emergency beacon there. At dispatch or other location someone is there with a portable on that guard channel ONLY that is responsible for getting the emergency alert signals.

The problem with Astro signaling is that it is *VERY* fast. Enough so that unless you probably pad it with a lot of pretime scan will not pick it up.

You can also look at and compare the scan sample rate times between the portables that do work.

I know that I have no problems getting MDC emergency's while in scan - a lot of the FF's here trip them automatically.

I would strongly advise that you look into a guard channel and a dedicated "emergency" radio.

-Alex

[sethcwilliams]

Alex,

I apologize, I think my post might not have been as straight forward as it should have. The situation is to send emergency on the selected channel only. The fact that I'm scanning is kind of anecdotal. I scan a mass notification channel that's only initiated from a single control center. There will never be an emergency signal sent on that channel and an emergency won't be received on any channel because of scanning. I send emergency on selected, and that would only be intended for users on the same net (i.e. fire for fire, security for security, etc.) It's just that when I turn the scan function on, the emergency signal sent on the selected channel isn't received by other radios on the same channel. The scan and emergency signaling actually have nothing to do with each other (save for one causing the other not to work). Again, ALL the radios receive all emergency broadcasts //ADD// from radios on the same channel //ADD// provided the scan function is turned off. I hope it's a little more clear, but I may have just dumped mud in a puddle. If I did I damn sure apologize!!

[alex]

Alex,

I apologize, I think my post might not have been as straight forward as it should have. The situation is to send emergency on the selected channel only. The fact that I'm scanning is kind of anecdotal. I scan a mass notification channel that's only initiated from a single control center. There will never be an emergency signal sent on that channel and an emergency won't be received on any channel because of scanning. I send emergency on selected, and that would only be intended for users on the same net (i.e. fire for fire, security for security, etc.) It's just that when I turn the scan function on, the emergency signal sent on the selected channel isn't received by other radios on the same channel. The scan and emergency signaling actually have nothing to do with each other (save for one causing the other not to work). Again, ALL the radios receive all emergency broadcasts //ADD// from radios on the same channel //ADD// provided the scan function is turned off. I hope it's a little more clear, but I may have just dumped mud in a puddle. If I did I damn sure apologize!!

I think what you maybe are trying to say is that when you scan and you press emergency, it transmits on the channel it is currently receiving on as opposed to the selected channel?

-Alex

[sethcwilliams]

HA, nope "I suck again!!"

There's no activity on the scanned channel during any of this. In fact, it's only activated for weekly tests and maybe an occasional missle coming out of Iran. (glad that hasn't happened yet!) Even still, under scan settings my designated talkback for voice and data is the selected channel so that shouldn't be an issue. It's literally that if scan is turned on (and inactive) that the handhelds will no longer decode emergency from bases and mobiles, but they still decode emergency from the other handhelds regardless. doesn't make any since to me. Mobiles and bases, while scan is turned on but inactive, will not decode emergency from any radio.

[sethcwilliams]

To follow up, and demonstrate just how UN-thorough I can be..... Right in the ASTRO 25 CPS help file, under emergency RX, it says in plain English "will not decode emergency signaling while radio is in scan mode". So much for my good idea, good thing neither are absolutely critical. If the two are mutually exclusive, at least I can give people a choice and let them select it. Thought I'd drop back in and post this in case anybody else was in the same boat. It appears that this applies to MDC as well as ASTRO signaling.