WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Hi all,

Anybody know how to decode taxi transmissions? Or would I be wasting my time?

Cheers

Something I've always wondered too...

I'm still trying to figure out how to decode POCSAG correctly. I don't have a discriminator output on my scanner but I've been told that you can fiddle with the volume levels and baud rate while using the line in on your sound card and the headphone out jack on the scanner.

Anyone managed to do that?

I'd be interested in mastering the taxi stuff once I get pagers working

I run Linux and there's plenty of open source data decoding apps, just need to try a few different ones.

Bonez wrote:I'm still trying to figure out how to decode POCSAG correctly. I don't have a discriminator output on my scanner but I've been told that you can fiddle with the volume levels and baud rate while using the line in on your sound card and the headphone out jack on the scanner.

Anyone managed to do that?

I've been able to use the PDW program to decode POCSAG transmissions without the use of a discrimator output, it takes patience to get it working correctly. IIRC it took me about two weeks to work it out, now it works good as gold!!

Has anyone got a recording of the "data type" that your taxis network utilises? The one our metropolitan taxis over this end of the world don't use anything that is has been successfully been decoded, i've asked the question in many many places over the years to no success.

Below is a sample of their transmission:
http://www.mehow.id.au/web_files/Silver ... ervice.rar

Thanks for the recording...

I have a feeling ours are similar to that but I should be in bed so don't have time to plug the scanner in and do you a recording right now. I'll try and get a recording up tomorrow of our main company "Swan Taxis" and then we can compare.

Cheers
bonez

radiotech wrote:

Bonez wrote:I'm still trying to figure out how to decode POCSAG correctly. I don't have a discriminator output on my scanner but I've been told that you can fiddle with the volume levels and baud rate while using the line in on your sound card and the headphone out jack on the scanner.

Anyone managed to do that?

I've been able to use the PDW program to decode POCSAG transmissions without the use of a discrimator output, it takes patience to get it working correctly.

Me also. I posted some pics somewhere on this site. Getting the software audio settings and radio volume level synced is definitely a fiddle. I downloaded a free program which shows an oscilloscope view of the incoming audio and adjusted that for maximum waveform without clipping. That helped.

Again I've run out of time and only just got home from work, should have been in bed hours ago - I start at 8am today!

I promise I will get you a recording of our taxi company on the weekend and post it up so we can see if there is any difference!

Cheers
bonez

Bonez take your time, hopefully we can nail this one on the head!! Robbage do you have the name of the program or a download link handy? I wouldn't mind giving it a go, might be able to help fix a few other devices that I connect up and record.

I uninstalled it once I had the settings but I'm pretty sure it was OmniScope. It's shareware with time limit etc.
Also check out this one http://hacca.altervista.org

robbage wrote:Also check out this one http://hacca.altervista.org

That fixed my other problem, thank you very much! =D>

radiotech wrote:

robbage wrote:Also check out this one http://hacca.altervista.org

That fixed my other problem, thank you very much! =D>

Great... what was the other problem?