MDC PTT-ID on XTS3000-II: sends but not receiving.

[Mars]

Companding is to two-way audio what single-ply butt-wipe is to the mens’ room: It doesn’t belong and only a real tool would think others should be using it.

It’s like MODAT. Play with it once. Blow into the microphone a few times. Turn it off and never use it again.

 

[AV8R]

I haven’t heard the derogatory slang “tool” used in about 30 years.

 

[AV8R]

Well have a radio now with H14 (advanced LCD display) option, and sure enough, the PTT menu is now there that wasn’t on the other XTS3K radio. It can send it’s PTT-ID and the call alias to my Kenwoods just fine as did the radio without H14. Problem is, neither of the Motos set up for PTT MDC signaling can receive and post their IDs to each other. The only difference I see on the H14 enabled Moto is that there is now a VIEW soft menu on the LCD. I can go to the CALL submenu and scroll through the ID table and it’s PTT ID aliases. But unfortunately, nothing happens then receiving a MDC transmission.

Perhaps I haven’t set this up right yet, or maybe analog radios mode doesn’t work for PTT-IDs?

So sad, the old analog TK-x180 Kenwoods work perfectly with each other and receiving from the Motos. That being said, not until Kenwood programming version 89d and firmware v1.2 did MDC work on these TK-x180 radios, so it was a more recent upgrade.

The only video I could find with IDs working was this one (it’s paging)

 

[AV8R]

Here’s another example
Note the window program WinMDCD
Looks like he has PTT ID (just the ID not the caller alias) working on Tx keying.
Wonder what I’m not doing right

 

[bstafford]

Here’s another example
Note the window program WinMDCD
Looks like he has PTT ID (just the ID not the caller alias) working on Tx keying.
Wonder what I’m not doing right

Didnt watch the videos but as i stated previously, the XTS series can display IDs but will not show an alias on receive. The names programmed into the call list and you can see in the call menu are for just that, a way to select people to call. It will not show the names of the IDs it receives, just the raw ID.

If I am mistaken in what you are asking and your problem is that it is not showing even the decoded numeric ID, then you need to adjust Alternating Message or the Temporary Message display time in the Advanced tab. Also go over the the PTT tab and make sure ID Display and scan ID Display are checked and the Prefix characters is set to 4.

 

[AV8R]

@bstafford,
- Changed Alternating and Message display times from default of 1000 to 5000 ms
- ID Display, Scan and Prefix were already checked and prefix=4

Now, the two XTS3K UHF 520 MHZ radios I have with H14 (Display&Menu/PTT ID menu) can now pass their Primary ID when the PTT. button is held in for a couple of seconds or more (does not for a quick click). Thank you for the missing settings.

The one radio (from Canada and is UHF 470MHZ) without H14 can send it’s Primary ID, but not receive others (as expected). Again, the audio Tx/Rx works great across all 3 Motos (XTS3K) and 3 Kenwoods (TK-8180, 3180, 3160).

All 3 XTS radio’s can successfully send and display their Primary ID and Call ID alias onto the Kenwoods TK-x180 UHF 520 MHZ radios.

The remain missing piece to this MDC interoperability puzzle, is that the Kenwoods IDs do not post/display on any of the Motos.
Does anyone have success with this?

Again thank you CS for the helps thus far.

 

[AV8R]

In summary:
Good: Kenwood <=> Kenwood. (Primary ID and Caller Alias)
Good: Moto w/H14 <=> Moto. (Primary ID only)
Good: Moto w/H14 => Kenwood (Primary ID and Caller Alias)
Bad: Kenwood => Moto w/H14 (nothing displays)

So, the Kenwoods work nicely with each other. The Motos with H14 advanced LCD display option work nicely together. As intended I’m sure. The issues surface going cross platform where only half of it works. This is what I mean as interoperability.

Who knows if either Kenwood or Moto ever intended or tested these to work outside their own platform. One might think MDC1200 would be an interoperable communications protocol, but how it gets implemented and configured by each platform may be a grey no mans land - due to the many variables involved: firmware, programming s/w, GUI, timing and signaling settings, channel/frequency setup, etc.

Am I the first to try and communicate this MDC cross platform application?
(Maybe not working cross platform is a marketing strategy)