Batboard

I have a 1250 VHF running on a simple conventional dispatch system. No MDC signalling, or QC signalling or trunking. Is it possible to set the radio up with CPS to emit a sidetone when the PTT buton is pressed? If so, could you explain how in detail? Thanks in advance.

If you are not using any of those systems, why would you want a sidetone and to answer your question I don't believe so in the CPS, but I am a novice. Maybe someone can confirm or denying my answer.

I am with captain, believe you must enable signalling (MDC) in order to select either the short side tone, which will tell you when it is clear to tx voice, or the long one, that will sound as long as there is a pretime plus the signalling.

I guess you could always just set up some random MDC code, make the pretime really short/nonexistent and then set up the sidetone if you wanted that.

In response to the Captians statement about why would you want one, without using MDC. I found that some users start talking before they even push the PTT. Setting up a bogus MDC, allows you to set a sidetone which will slow down some users, allowing a repeater to open, and you can hear their complete message.

My 2 1/2 cents worth.

garyf, i agree with you 100% on that. that's the exact same reason that i have our radios set up for pre & post MDC. it helps 'most' users, but i still have a few hooples that talk while it's beeping. the tail squelch lets everybody else know when the person that's currently transmitting is over (we don't say over or "k" or anything), but again that only helps 'most' users. this one guy picks up the radio, starts talking, pressed the ptt, radio is beeping, he's still talking, then he lets the button go. if i'm standing next to him when he does that i heard everything he said, but the radio on my belt went something like "...at the office." then i give him a dumb look and say something like you might wanna say that again over the air this time. this same guy will pick up his radio and push the ptt while the other person is still talking. like it's a full duplex telephone or something. good luck in training your group of morons. i'm having limited success with mine.

I see, makes sense.

I have this same problem with cops...the PD had all the radio's tones muted...and they clip themselves off all the time and blame the radios!

Anyways, in CPS, add a MDC system. Make up whatever number you want.

You have a choice of long or short PTT tone. The long one will tone as long as you have the PTT pressed until the data is sent. The short one will not beep until the very last sec after the data is sent. Some people who are annoyed with the tone like the short one. Make two identical channels....and have different beeps for each and try them out for a week...then go and kill the other channel when you make your descion

Can the volume of the sidetone be turned down? We just got some new 1250s from our dealer (first time using pre-MDC) and the sidetone is way too LOUD.

We are a university public safety department and we have been going on some noise complaints from the public. It turns out the 'noise' they complain about is from our radios.

read the radio, go to the radio configuration and go to the alert tones tab and uncheck the fixed volume box and check the offset volume box and set it to -30 or -20 or whatever gets comfortable.