GRRR...IPSC issues again

[FMROB]

Someone please tell me if there are known issues in the new firmware 02.40.01 and IPSC? I have a 5 site ipsc system that was running fine until I went to one of the peer repeaters to perform an upgrade. I wanted to add RAS and figured I would do a f/w upgrade to the unit prior to adding RAS. Low and behold as soon as I did the f/w upgrade it no longer joined the IPSC system properly. It would allow traffic out, but once the conversation dropped no traffic could come back in. Obviously, no IP config changes were made at all.

So, today I went to the master repeater and hit it with the newest f/w, and still no change. oddly enough, the only repeater the master will now communicate with is down in a 01.06.11 version. It will not even communicate with the 02.30.12 units.

This crap is trying my patience. I find it amazing that if you need to add or replace a repeater in an existing system, that it should be this much trouble between f/w versions? And I am assuming that this is exactly what the problem is. I can see the repeaters in RDAC is that helps. And even though you cant hear traffic coming thru, if another user is talking on another repeater the lan activity light on the router/switch speeds up, but no voice.

Thanks, Rob

 

[Mars]

RAS: Must be enabled on the MASTER repeater; the peers just follow along. You can't enable RAS on one, individual repeater on a IPSC.

Networking/traffic issue: Check your RSSI Threshold setting (FCC Type 1 compliance) for the channel you're having trouble with. If the value is lower than about -115dBm, this may cause you problems. (When I say lower, I mean WEAKER.)

More reading: http://communications.support/threa...apacity-Plus-Linked-Capacity-Plus-Audio-Holes

 

[FMROB]

Hello. No RAS is implemented yet on the repeaters. Just loading the EID's to get ready to switch the fleet over. Any of the repeaters that have the EID key for RAS is not enabled. None of the radios (about 150) are not using RAS.

I have all the repeaters set at -130 so to avoid the issue. We mostly have FB8 trunking channels, so its not too much of a worry. Everything was working fine with a mix of old firmware versions, and maybe two repeaters with 02.30.12 on them. All issues started with the new firmware to the one peer (which took it off line) and when we hit the master everything stopped working.

Rob

 

[FMROB]

Can I downgrade the f/w with the newer version of software if I can locate an older f/w file?

 

[Mars]

It's possible, yes. But not with CPS.

 

[Mars]

Rob, -130 is your problem!!!! Set it to -100 or disable it all together by setting to -40dBm.

 

[FMROB]

Ok, so I feel like a huge tool. I completely mis understood the audio hole post because we were having the same issue. So ding dong went around and changed all the settings to -130.

I will go back and change to -40 and hope for the best. Thx for the help, it is very much appreciated!

Rob

 

[com501]

This gets a lot of people. Negative numbers, the HIGHER the number the WEAKER the signal will disable the repeater. A NEG 50 signal is STRONGER than a NEG 100 signal. This feature is there to allow FCC compliance with on-channel users. In my office, the noise floor runs at about -115. If I set a radio at -120, it will NEVER key, it thinks the channel is occupied.

This is why it is a very good idea to look at RSSI in RDAC while at the site after everything is set up, so you can actually see what the radio is seeing. If you are intent on using that feature, arbitrarily setting the RSSI at a value below what the site noise is, will render the repeater inoperative. Some sites in our area with broadcast on them are as high as -95dbm on the input to repeaters......

My preference is -40dbm, of course, that pretty much renders the 'polite repeater' option useless.

 

[FMROB]

On the update. That was the issue, spot on. What was interesting is that Moto must have changed something in the new firmware, because at the old values the system was working to some degree. Anyway, -40 makes all happy, lol.

Thank you to all who helped. Rob