Standard-Horizon GX3000 Squelch - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Small Boat Electrical
  Standard-Horizon GX3000 Squelch

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Standard-Horizon GX3000 Squelch

BellBoyBob posted 07-30-2008 12:05 PM ET (US)
Hi all. During the last couple of cruises I have taken on Lake Ontario, I noticed a peculiar [malfunction or problem] with my VHF radio. I have the Standard Horizon GX3000S mounted on the inside of the cabin bulkhead. On the helm, I use their remote (RAM) mic connected to the external speaker, also mounted on the helm. This way, I can secure the radio by disconnecting the RAM mic and stowing it in the locked cabin. As I monitor radio transmissions with the USCG or transmit and receive transmissions from the CG, the incoming transmissions are interrupted at regular two-second intervals. In other words, I hear conversations and every two seconds, the transmissions are interrupted by a very short silence. The [repetition] of this [problem] is very steady. I suspect it might have to do with a conflict between the squelch settings of the interior GX3000S and the exterior RAM mic. Because I need to have an incoming transmission to check this and do not have an extra radio to call myself on, I cannot be sure if this is the problem.
Have any of you experienced this [problem]?
Thanks,
Bob
DeeVee posted 07-30-2008 09:05 PM ET (US)
Bob,
It sounds like you may unknowingly have a priority scan set. I have a Standard Horizon that I commonly have set with scanning of channel 16 and two other channels, but have a priority scan of a 4th channel that I usually use to communicate with my brother-in-law while fishing.
I noticed that when a particular channel is receiving, that I will continue to get the same interrupted silence you describe, unless I press the "scan" button, which defeats all scanning.
It will probably take getting the book out to clear this up. I hope this helps.
Doug
Chuck Tribolet posted 07-30-2008 10:14 PM ET (US)
I have an SH Matrix GX3000S also, and it does something very similar.
If I set the squelch correctly (just above white noise),
I sometimes get a small burst of white noise every couple of
seconds. It happens on multiple channels. I do have an
extension speaker but I don't have a RAM mike. I've been
suspecting something to do with the other electronics (FF,
GPS) on the boat.
If I turn the squelch way up (about 12 o'clock), it goes away.
I don't think I have a priority channel set.
I'll play with it later this evening.

Chuck
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-02-2008 01:07 AM ET (US)
I couldn't reproduce the problem that night in the garage.
We were out today, but it didn't happen (weekday, light VHF
traffic which may be of some significance.

Chuck
jimh posted 08-02-2008 08:40 PM ET (US)
My first guess would also be that the cause of the regular interruption of the manually selected receive channel is due to some scan setting, however, if that is not the case, it could also be caused by some high-power local transmitter generating interference. See if the problem occurs in all locations. If you observe this problem in a variety of locations, it is unlikely that it is being caused by an external signal.
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-03-2008 11:10 PM ET (US)
We were out today, and my problem is related to my fishfinder.
Turn the FF off, problem goes away as soon as the FF shuts
down. Fishfinder is a Humminbird Matrix 47 3D. I replaced
both the radio and fishfinder a few weeks apart recently (FF
first)
The good news is that I don't need the FF most of the time
and can just turn it off.
The bad news is it could be something coming back through the
power lines, or it could be cross-talk between the transducer
cable and the VHF coax, both of which run through the same
tunnel from console to transom. I do have another VHF
antenna and another rail mount (I THINK) and could run
an experiment with that, and the coax run over the deck.
What's really crazy is that it's only occasionally. It can
be provoked by turning the squelch down and back up, but only
occasionally. And sometimes it will start up of its own
accord.

Chuck
BellBoyBob posted 08-04-2008 11:09 PM ET (US)
I have found what is causing the issue with my SH radio. It centers on the dual watch feature. For some reason, when the dual watch application is initiated and, for example, the weather channel is being monitored with channel 16, the transmission is interrupted with the regular interval of a short silence.
Any ideas on this?
Thanks,
Bob
BellBoyBob posted 08-05-2008 05:12 PM ET (US)
I spoke to SH technical assistance today regarding the dual watch intermittant receiving disturbance. I was told that the interruption of transmission is due to the dual watch mechanism "checking" the other channel for activity every second. According to the radio design, this is normal. The idea being that the weather channel could be understood even though the radio was leaving the WX channel every second to jump to the default channel (16). To avoid this and be able to monitor one or more channels, I need to program them into the scan's memory. So, that solves it...
Best,
Bob

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Standard-Horizon GX3000 Squelch
BellBoyBob	posted 07-30-2008 12:05 PM ET (US) Hi all. During the last couple of cruises I have taken on Lake Ontario, I noticed a peculiar [malfunction or problem] with my VHF radio. I have the Standard Horizon GX3000S mounted on the inside of the cabin bulkhead. On the helm, I use their remote (RAM) mic connected to the external speaker, also mounted on the helm. This way, I can secure the radio by disconnecting the RAM mic and stowing it in the locked cabin. As I monitor radio transmissions with the USCG or transmit and receive transmissions from the CG, the incoming transmissions are interrupted at regular two-second intervals. In other words, I hear conversations and every two seconds, the transmissions are interrupted by a very short silence. The [repetition] of this [problem] is very steady. I suspect it might have to do with a conflict between the squelch settings of the interior GX3000S and the exterior RAM mic. Because I need to have an incoming transmission to check this and do not have an extra radio to call myself on, I cannot be sure if this is the problem. Have any of you experienced this [problem]? Thanks, Bob
DeeVee	posted 07-30-2008 09:05 PM ET (US) Bob, It sounds like you may unknowingly have a priority scan set. I have a Standard Horizon that I commonly have set with scanning of channel 16 and two other channels, but have a priority scan of a 4th channel that I usually use to communicate with my brother-in-law while fishing. I noticed that when a particular channel is receiving, that I will continue to get the same interrupted silence you describe, unless I press the "scan" button, which defeats all scanning. It will probably take getting the book out to clear this up. I hope this helps. Doug
Chuck Tribolet	posted 07-30-2008 10:14 PM ET (US) I have an SH Matrix GX3000S also, and it does something very similar. If I set the squelch correctly (just above white noise), I sometimes get a small burst of white noise every couple of seconds. It happens on multiple channels. I do have an extension speaker but I don't have a RAM mike. I've been suspecting something to do with the other electronics (FF, GPS) on the boat. If I turn the squelch way up (about 12 o'clock), it goes away. I don't think I have a priority channel set. I'll play with it later this evening. Chuck
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-02-2008 01:07 AM ET (US) I couldn't reproduce the problem that night in the garage. We were out today, but it didn't happen (weekday, light VHF traffic which may be of some significance. Chuck
jimh	posted 08-02-2008 08:40 PM ET (US) My first guess would also be that the cause of the regular interruption of the manually selected receive channel is due to some scan setting, however, if that is not the case, it could also be caused by some high-power local transmitter generating interference. See if the problem occurs in all locations. If you observe this problem in a variety of locations, it is unlikely that it is being caused by an external signal.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-03-2008 11:10 PM ET (US) We were out today, and my problem is related to my fishfinder. Turn the FF off, problem goes away as soon as the FF shuts down. Fishfinder is a Humminbird Matrix 47 3D. I replaced both the radio and fishfinder a few weeks apart recently (FF first) The good news is that I don't need the FF most of the time and can just turn it off. The bad news is it could be something coming back through the power lines, or it could be cross-talk between the transducer cable and the VHF coax, both of which run through the same tunnel from console to transom. I do have another VHF antenna and another rail mount (I THINK) and could run an experiment with that, and the coax run over the deck. What's really crazy is that it's only occasionally. It can be provoked by turning the squelch down and back up, but only occasionally. And sometimes it will start up of its own accord. Chuck
BellBoyBob	posted 08-04-2008 11:09 PM ET (US) I have found what is causing the issue with my SH radio. It centers on the dual watch feature. For some reason, when the dual watch application is initiated and, for example, the weather channel is being monitored with channel 16, the transmission is interrupted with the regular interval of a short silence. Any ideas on this? Thanks, Bob
BellBoyBob	posted 08-05-2008 05:12 PM ET (US) I spoke to SH technical assistance today regarding the dual watch intermittant receiving disturbance. I was told that the interruption of transmission is due to the dual watch mechanism "checking" the other channel for activity every second. According to the radio design, this is normal. The idea being that the weather channel could be understood even though the radio was leaving the WX channel every second to jump to the default channel (16). To avoid this and be able to monitor one or more channels, I need to program them into the scan's memory. So, that solves it... Best, Bob