XTL 2500 MPL encode with hard code RX PL possible?

[moetorola]

Birken, did you figure out how to implement the MPL's on Motorola to work for ya.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Well, the MPL encode works fine, it is just that when you enable the MPL encoding scheme you effectively make the channel CSQ and that is a minor annoyance. I thought I had heard that in R15 or R14 you could get around this limitation but it was a misunderstanding on my part so I just took this opportunity to answer peoples' questions about why I wanted it that way.

 

[moetorola]

Hmm Must be your firmware. It works on my XTS2500 with the latest FW.

If they/ you are ok with CSQ, I guess that will have to do.

To bad Firmware refreshes are not free as on APX.

But if you open a case with Motorola, there is a chance they will give you the FW updates for free.
They have done this a couple times for us.

 

[tsunami_australia]

We do program a channel per tower for smaller customers but larger customers get MPL or whatever their radio calls it because

That is why zones were introduced. Slice into regions by zone then mountain by channel. I understand the origins of the system but does that mean we should all be embracing B&W television technology for day to day tv because that's what people were used to? Technology evolves, it is up to us to evolve with it or get left behind.

Our statewide services here (voly fire, paid fire, ambulance, SES etc have MASSIVE numbers of channels and talkgroups. They'd go completely mental having to remember subtones etc. SO much easier to divide the state into 4-5 regions (or more) and then group the channels per area (local area). EG the NSW Rural Fire Service has NESW (north east south west) zones among others like fireground stuff and then for our region at least the first 18 odd channels are the name of the area (local council area or merged council area) which then votes several channels from within the 200 odd channels for that region/zone.

So we only have to remember our local channels should something go bung and keep the radios on the local vote. Since basically all the radios statewide are a mimik, it is drop dead easy to change to another area just by rolling the dial when responding out of area. If we go 1000km south we select the new zone then roll the dial to that area's channel and off it goes like we were in our own area. Then they have all the trunked systems setup in their own zone(s) as well like the fireground stuff. This is how I've seen it done everywhere in the last 15+ years.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Hmm Must be your firmware. It works on my XTS2500 with the latest FW.

Can you get me a screen shot of how it works with you?

 

[4n6inv]

Hmm Must be your firmware. It works on my XTS2500 with the latest FW.

If they/ you are ok with CSQ, I guess that will have to do.

To bad Firmware refreshes are not free as on APX.

But if you open a case with Motorola, there is a chance they will give you the FW updates for free.
They have done this a couple times for us.

I had a similar situation with Motorola several years back, where a firmware bump was needed to make the radios do what they specified in the contract. Long story short; I had to raise hell with them and talk to a bunch of different people, but they eventually relented and sent me a USB dongle with 76 bumps for free. It was frustrating, but I wouldn't take no for an answer. My classic line to them was: "Your mistake; my problem, huh?"

As far s the thread; I can definitely see the benefit of MPL for us hamsters. Imagine a zone with your most used repeater pairs, then imagine several different zones with all of he repeater splits? MPL? Oh, yes!

 

[moetorola]

Can you get me a screen shot of how it works with you?

What exactly kind of screen shot do you want? It works exactly and looks exactly like described. It works fine on my radio (no carrier squelch, like you have). Only difference is I have the Latest FW and CPS.

As in post # 2 Nothing to it, but to Name the MPL alias whatever you want. Set you PL codes appropriately.
Add another MPL and repeat the above.
I can put up to 64 entries. Which should be enough from the Link you shared.

I have giving you Examples in a few of my post's of programming.


You getting MPL in the MENU on the screen correct?

 

[moetorola]

You had said, quote.
"Well, the MPL encode works fine, it is just that when you enable the MPL encoding scheme you effectively make the channel CSQ and that is a minor annoyance".

How did you test it to know it is CSQ.

Can you post a screen shot of one of your MPL list's?


Additionally:

What FW is in the radio/s?
And What CPS ver. are you using?

This information is now a must, if you read in the yellow box at the top of the page.

 

[tsunami_australia]

Is this what you are asking for?

 

[Birken Vogt]

Actually I was thinking of a screen shot from the programming software.

Just to be sure we are talking the same language, I need to be able to enter the RX PL in the channel field and never change from what is programmed in the channel, and have the TX PL be the one selected by the user from the MPL table.

It sounds like Moetorola is speaking of programming an RX tone in the RX portion of the MPL table. This does not work in our situation because every channel has a common PL output for each repeater but between different channels this output PL is always different.

I know it is CSQ because when you check the MPL enable box, the RX squelch type in the channel becomes greyed out, and the RX squelch type in the MPL list has to be set to something, so it is set to CSQ. In practical application when a vehicle that has 2 radios transmits on the other radio, the Motorola makes noise because it is CSQ.

Thanks for the continued help
Birken

 

[tsunami_australia]

Actually it will work, just have that common repeater tx tone as a common rx tone (same rx tone for *ALL* MPL entries. MPL will override channel settings for tone (when you click MPL enable for the channel it greys out the tone options). I will try and get a demo screen shot of what it seems you're asking for tomorrow. But essentially....
Toneset | RX Tone | TX Tone | TA Tone
tower 1 | 103.5hz | 107.2hz | 103.5hz
tower 2 | 103.5hz | 110.9hz | 103.5hz
tower 3 | 103.5hz | 67hz | 103.5hz

Above shows ALL tone selections/choices sharing the EXACT same RX and TA tone regardless of channel/selection/MPL/whatever but then the tower selection is achieved by changing just the tx tone for each entry to select your site.

I'm sure this has been shown earlier and I'm sorry but if you cannot get your head around this illustration I've no easier way of showing you how it can be done. We've all learnt what your setup is and all agreed you should have no issue as the system allows it (even if it is a bodgy method) meaning that you have some major issues with your radios or comprehension of how they work if you cannot get this now.

What we can all assure you is that there is nothing blocking what you're attempting other than your own imagination (excluding any REALLY early firmware versions as noted above).

As has been asked, WHAT IS THE FIRMWARE VERSION? My handheld and mobile are running v12/r12 and MPL is fine with them. My mobile 5000 in the car is on 10-11 somewhere and still fine with it. The only reason I enabled MPL was amateur repeaters and the odd time that we do want to go subtones on CB to eliminate trashy interference (tempted to say screw it all and go P25 on CB though that's not legal). Means we can hit the MPL button and go from CSQ/usual tx tone to another selection on the fly and rather than stating tone just say "roll the dial 3 times" and all end on the same tone.

 

[tsunami_australia]

Hopefully these will help a little. The first three are some stuff I was mucking with to show a working config and the fourth is a demo for you to show you how you would achieve what you want.