KE7FNS wrote: ↑Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:05 pm
So what that means is our radio is simply not programmed correctly. You don't have it set to listen to the response. You can do this a number of different ways, the easiest is to just turn on promiscuous mode that way your radio will always listen to every transmission, no matter which group is is from. But again the issue you are having of not hearing the parrot is because the radio is not programmed to listen to the transmission from the hotspot from the 9990 group. In your codeplug there should be an area for a "receive group list" or something similar where you can specify which group that channel is supposed to listen to, you need to set it to listen to 9990.
Unless the OP is running 3rd party firmware in the radio, the MD-380/390 do not have "promiscuous mode".
I also just tried a test with my MD390, using the menu system to add a new contact "9990 / Parrot" (and then had to figure out how to use contacts for sending). I'd already had a channel configured as BM TG 9 (which I never used as US BM doesn't use reflectors). That got me out of the group with actual traffic (US Nationwide is my normal space).
With "Parrot" highlighted* in the contact list, PTT and mumbling my call sign produced (hard to cut&paste since the page keeps refreshing)
Code: Select all
Local RF Activity
Time (EST) Mode Callsign Target Src Dur(s) BER RSSI
14:02:31 Nov 30th DMR Slot 2 AF6VN 9990 RF 5.8 0.4%
and releasing PTT then resulted in
Code: Select all
Gateway Activity
Time (EST) Mode Callsign Target Src Dur(s) Loss BER
14:02:40 Nov 30th DMR Slot 2 9990 AF6VN Net 6.6 10% 0.0%
14:02:31 Nov 30th DMR Slot 2 AF6VN 9990 RF 5.8 0% 0.4%
(and yes, I did hear my mumble)
Note that my radio was still set for a channel using BM TG 9, and if I were to PTT again, the dashboard would show TG 9 rather than 9990. The private call to 9990 only holds while the screen is on the contact list. I have no channel configured for 9990. I don't know if the group/private hang time settings in the radio affect it. I did not try using a different talk group -- as I understand it, TG 9 acts as a "local" by most repeaters, meant for use when a reflector has been activated -- so should not have any interfering traffic on a hotspot with no active reflectors.
So -- again presuming the MD-380 is similar to my MD-390.
Have a CHANNEL configured for Group type contact TG 9 (and located in some zone) and hotspot frequency
Have a Private type contact "Parrot" 9990 (suggest either first or last contact in list) (OR "manual dial")
Select the zone and TG 9 channel
{optional, may not be needed: PTT to activate TG 9 on BM<>hotspot}
Menu button; Contacts confirm; 1 Contacts confirm; ^ or v to find Parrot contact; with Parrot highlighted: PTT and make some short announcement ("manual dial" could be used here).
Release PTT; should hear announcement repeated back.
I did NOT have to add Parrot/9990 to any receive group list (In fact, since I added Parrot/9990 using the radio "New Contact" menu I could NOT add it to any group list -- that function is not available in the radio itself), nor create a channel dedicated to that contact.
* this is what took me a while to figure out... Selecting "Parrot" and hitting "Confirm" was NOT the action to take; just selecting and PTT is what worked for private call. "Confirm" brought up a sub-menu and "call alert" just made the radio blip the TX and listen for a responder -- not enough to activate the hotspot even. Same problem with "Manual Dial" -- one does not want to "confirm" after entering the 9990; instead just PTT while the entry page is showing.