Search found 3074 matches

by Tom in D.C.
Fri Sep 13, 2013 6:37 am
Forum: Legacy Batboard Motorola ASTRO (VSELP/IMBE/AMBE) Equipment Forum
Topic: Astro Saber model 1 thoughts ?
Replies: 10
Views: 4213

Re: Astro Saber model 1 thoughts ?

Astro Saber model 1 portables are fine radios. I still have two of them working, one V and one U. The only real problem with them is that they're only capable of 32 channels, which these days probably wouldn't meet most of our needs unless the owner was a non-ham who lived in the boonies where there...
by Tom in D.C.
Fri Sep 13, 2013 6:21 am
Forum: MotoTRBO Portables and Mobiles (4xxx/6xxx) 1.0 Series Subscribers
Topic: Motorola MOTOTRBO SL 7550
Replies: 10
Views: 3835

Re: Motorola MOTOTRBO SL 7550

My new home QTH is on the 11th floor of the building, so I have no trouble accessing our main local TRBO repeater, which is about miles from my place. The single-mode 7550 is a great radio but it's strictly for close-in, low power work. But hey, who in his right mind ever imagined that Motorola woul...
by Tom in D.C.
Wed May 29, 2013 4:26 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Original price for a Saber III?
Replies: 2
Views: 1274

Re: Original price for a Saber III?

Somewhere in my stash of old Motorola brochures is the original Saber III color sheet which gives a base price of $2,875.00. I don't if they loaded the final price with extras like they do today, but the add-on list back then was nowhere near what it is today for the XTS and APX radios.

Regards,
by Tom in D.C.
Tue May 21, 2013 5:00 am
Forum: Vehicle Radio Installs
Topic: 2002 Crown Victoria SWR issues
Replies: 23
Views: 9358

Re: 2002 Crown Victoria SWR issues

FWIW, if you're putting RG-58 on a standard PL259 connector you need the UG-175 screw-in reducer. For RG-8X and RG-59 you need the UG-176 reducer. Thin coax into a PL259 without using the screw-in reducer is definitely not a good idea, especially in mobile installations.
by Tom in D.C.
Sun May 19, 2013 7:12 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Saber information source
Replies: 6
Views: 3889

Re: Saber information source

Great writeup for anyone seeking almost any information about Sabers. If at all possible it should be made a Sticky here.
by Tom in D.C.
Sat May 18, 2013 9:41 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: XTS Vs. APX & Buy Vs. Lease
Replies: 3
Views: 3392

Re: XTS Vs. APX & Buy Vs. Lease

Jim, On the leasing idea, if your agency is a private one and not governmental, then every single cent you spend on the radio system is tax deductible as an ordinary business expense. If you're government then that advantage does not exist for you. In either case the people leasing the equipment to ...
by Tom in D.C.
Tue May 14, 2013 5:18 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Identifying a Radio
Replies: 12
Views: 4207

Re: Identifying a Radio

Off the top of my head that model number sounds like a Motorola series called the Dispatcher. Do a Google search and see if it comes up looking like your radio. The head of the unit, speaker, etc. might be painted black.

Regards,
by Tom in D.C.
Fri May 10, 2013 12:32 pm
Forum: Vehicle Radio Installs
Topic: What is the best UHF connector?
Replies: 9
Views: 5119

Re: What is the best UHF connector?

Some years ago the product manager for LeFebure's CCTV group showed me the quality differences between domestic and foreign made BNC connectors. The domestic units were tight with no side-to-side wiggle between the male and female connectors. The foreign-made units were really sloppy and it was appa...
by Tom in D.C.
Wed May 01, 2013 7:33 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: XTS Li-Ion Battery issue
Replies: 5
Views: 2954

Re: XTS Li-Ion Battery issue

I have the same problem with my APX Impres batteries, but like Gary said, reconditioning them usually fixes
the problem.
by Tom in D.C.
Wed Apr 24, 2013 3:21 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: APX knob
Replies: 33
Views: 12764

Re: APX knob

However you get the fat channel knob for the APX, believe me, it's worth the trouble because it just plain beats the skinny OEM channel knob.
by Tom in D.C.
Wed Apr 10, 2013 8:17 am
Forum: Vehicle Radio Installs
Topic: Antenna placement questions.
Replies: 12
Views: 6308

Re: Antenna placement questions.

Mike, Be advised that Comtelco makes a UHF hockey puck antenna in black or white for about $38 net direct from the factory. I've used them and they work well, plus they claim 3DB gain. In the white version your UHF antenna at least would be hard to see. NMO base too, of course. And I'm curious, too,...
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:41 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Direct Frequency on XTS/XTL
Replies: 9
Views: 2643

Re: Direct Frequency on XTS/XTL

Gary and Will, Clear something up for me. When you check the talkaround box in the CPS does that mean that when you use the talkaround button on the radio that that particular channel will be included when you go to talkaround? In other words, what purpose is served by checking the talkaround box? R...
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:29 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: APX "Mission Critical Wireless"
Replies: 9
Views: 3029

Re: APX "Mission Critical Wireless"

Jeff:

To use the APX fob, does the radio have to be bluetooth equipped?

Regards,
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:35 pm
Forum: Vehicle Radio Installs
Topic: Need some ideas...
Replies: 20
Views: 7296

Re: Need some ideas...

My method of doing personal mobile installations: 1. Save up some money. 2. Get a mobile radio shop or other competent professional to do the work for you. They will cut the roof hole, run the coax properly, install the antennas and, probably most important, install the control cable hidden between ...
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:00 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: 19" rack mounts for radios
Replies: 11
Views: 4741

Re: 19" rack mounts for radios

Dick Robinson at Novex in California. His email is:

jazz101@san.rr.com

His stuff is first rate with fast delivery.

Tell him I sent you (no kidding).

Regards,
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:28 pm
Forum: Radio Programming
Topic: XTS 5000 T/A function
Replies: 8
Views: 2591

Re: XTS 5000 T/A function

Logically it would seem that the transmit PL would change to be the same as the receive PL, otherwise listeners would not be able to receive the simplex transmissions. Does this make sense? I have the facilities to experiment on this but haven''t done so yet.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:07 pm
Forum: Radio Programming
Topic: APX7500 Color Display enable
Replies: 5
Views: 2095

Re: APX7500 Color Display enable

I missed the OP's point that he was asking about an 07 head, which is a nice unit but one about which I have had no experience, so my comments are probably irrelevant.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:41 pm
Forum: Radio Programming
Topic: APX7500 Color Display enable
Replies: 5
Views: 2095

Re: APX7500 Color Display enable

Duplicate post.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:56 am
Forum: Radio Programming
Topic: APX7500 Color Display enable
Replies: 5
Views: 2095

Re: APX7500 Color Display enable

Rich, You probably know that what they're talking about is the screen background color, not a real color display. My two 7500s do it fine, but I'm away from home and can't check my CPS to find what makes it work, which it obviously doesn't on your radio. IIRC there are like two shades of each color,...
by Tom in D.C.
Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:35 pm
Forum: Legacy Batboard Motorola ASTRO (VSELP/IMBE/AMBE) Equipment Forum
Topic: xts/apx vehicle chargers
Replies: 19
Views: 6606

Re: xts/apx vehicle chargers

Jeff,

Wouldn't a plain old dual band mobile antenna do the job? There appear to be a total of
3,298,733 models available, each of which is constantly argued about over on RR (G).

Regards,

Tom, W2NJS
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:49 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: XTS3000 Questions about repair/maintenance
Replies: 23
Views: 6329

Re: XTS3000 Questions about repair/maintenance

Jim, What about a 2500i? One is being advertised as a Q band split with coverage from 380-470. FireCpt, thanks for that tip. I did ask a few of the local hams but they tend to shy away from commerical gear, especially Moto. :( ------------------------------------------------------------------------...
by Tom in D.C.
Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:28 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Moto Alert Monitor and Gamewell
Replies: 9
Views: 2274

Re: Moto Alert Monitor and Gamewell

You don't ordinarily PUT a voltage into an alarm system to activate the system. Rather, the voltage is in the system which is activated by an external contact closure. The external alarm contacts in such an installation can then be supervised from the alarm system. It's the same as any fire alarm sy...
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:36 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Type of Antenna Connection on JEDI Series
Replies: 7
Views: 1939

Re: Type of Antenna Connection on JEDI Series

Indeed, there are varying depths for the pin on various SMA connectors. I recently had an experience where by APX7K went deaf because a new antenna I installed had a female connector that did not quite reach the pin on the radio's antenna connector plug. One thing to look out for is the use of space...
by Tom in D.C.
Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:13 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Type of Antenna Connection on JEDI Series
Replies: 7
Views: 1939

Re: Type of Antenna Connection on JEDI Series

Like Escomm said, there is a male SMA connector on the radio.
So you will need a female SMA connector on the line from the antenna.
by Tom in D.C.
Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:56 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Radio's with no factory tags
Replies: 18
Views: 4409

Re: Radio's with no factory tags

How about if the case was swapped in the field to fix a broken case? I saw a good analogy here about this. Buy the seller, not the product. Do some research. That would apply only in the case of older radios. Newer radios have the tags attached to the radio's chassis, so changing the case does not ...
by Tom in D.C.
Sat Jan 26, 2013 7:16 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Charger issue with APX
Replies: 6
Views: 2179

Re: Charger issue with APX

Have you checked the battery voltage with a DVM when you get the red light? I'm thinking that the battery might be telling you that it's fully charged. If you get something like 8.4VDC on the DVM that would prove the point.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:15 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Portable antenna id.
Replies: 6
Views: 2536

Re: Portable antenna id.

And why put up a thread reference when the thread appears right above your post? I don't get it.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:01 am
Forum: Legacy Batboard Motorola ASTRO (VSELP/IMBE/AMBE) Equipment Forum
Topic: Power supply question
Replies: 2
Views: 2298

Re: Power supply question

Until about a year ago I ran two XTLs (one a high power), one 900 mHz Spectra, and an 800 mHz Astro Spectra in the same carpeted rack, all powered by a 30 Amp. Astron switching supply. I had the high power XTL turned down to 70 watts and it did fine. The Astron sat in the bottom of the rack, behind ...
by Tom in D.C.
Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:02 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Motorola GP360 drains battery
Replies: 4
Views: 1829

Re: Motorola GP360 drains battery

Martin, If I were you, I would remove the battery, then I would remove the chassis from the case and do a continuity check on the power switch which is part of the volume control. These units are known to cause problems. The fact that the radio is drawing 120 mA means that the switch is not shutting...
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:04 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Motorola tabletop L34BCB info
Replies: 3
Views: 1285

Re: Motorola tabletop L34BCB info

It would probably be easier to make it into a GMRS repeater instead of trying to get it down into the 440-450 mHz ham band. The old Motorola units have designed bandwidths and once you go outside them they become bears to get working properly in the newly selected spectrum. To put your radio on GMRS...
by Tom in D.C.
Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:58 pm
Forum: Base Stations, Repeaters, General Infrastructure
Topic: Want to build the repeater
Replies: 12
Views: 2718

Re: Want to build the repeater

Try this site: http://www.repeater-builder.com/rbtip/ Good candidates for conversion to repeater use are heavy-duty mobile radios such as Motorola's Mitrek series. The Mitrek can be converted to a complete repeater in one single transceiver unit. Do a Google search for Motorola Mitrek Repeater conve...
by Tom in D.C.
Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:19 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Saber II Core 6D MURS Programming Isue
Replies: 8
Views: 2499

Re: Saber II Core 6D MURS Programming Isue

You could also try changing the model number from H34 to H33 and then seeing if it opened up the range. This is suggested on the batlabs writeup which you might find helpful.

www.batlabs.com, then go to Model Specific Information and click on Saber I, II, III.
by Tom in D.C.
Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:52 am
Forum: Base Stations, Repeaters, General Infrastructure
Topic: Want to build the repeater
Replies: 12
Views: 2718

Re: Want to build the repeater

There is a website called Repeater Builder, so look it up and see if it helps you. A standard mobile radio is not usually built to withstand the rigors of repeater operation such as continuous transmitting for long periods of time with little or no rest between transmissions. Also, you will need a d...
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:13 pm
Forum: Radio Programming
Topic: Motorola Saber Question
Replies: 12
Views: 3535

Re: Motorola Saber Question

That "AN" is something i've never seen on a Saber 3. It means that the radio is not capable of scanning, and was seen on very, very early Sabers. I've seen it only a few Saber 1 units. As to the three-button requirement I've never seen that, either.
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:03 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: MOTOTRBO wideband VHF antenna
Replies: 4
Views: 1798

Re: MOTOTRBO wideband VHF antenna

There are suspicions and rumors that the TRBO GPS/VHF antenna loses some of its VHF
capability due to the presence of the GPS function. But I don't know of any reason why
a non-GPS antenna would not work well on an XTS radio.
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 24, 2012 8:54 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: 2013 rules change licensing ?
Replies: 9
Views: 2481

Re: 2013 rules change licensing ?

JH, I think you're doing the right thing to let them be. There are a certain number of residual idiots on the planet who are incapable of taking good advice. Let them find out the hard way that the FCC, as with any Federal agency, can come down hard on you if you cross them, especially when you've h...
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 24, 2012 8:48 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: APX 7000 UHF1/VHF antenna
Replies: 12
Views: 5294

Re: APX 7000 UHF1/VHF antenna

No, on the contrary, get yourself a Wouxsun dual band HT antenna. Fits the APX perfectly and there's no SMA adapter needed. Works great, too.

For decent VHF operation you're sort of stuck with a longer antenna no matter what, I've found.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:30 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Need help with saber IIs
Replies: 4
Views: 1354

Re: Need help with saber IIs

The functions you're asking about are set up in the radios' programs, and until or unless you are sure the radios are all programmed the same you can have the problems you're experiencing. If you take the radios to a Motorola shop they can set up the radios so that everything is set the same way on ...
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:28 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Users Going To Narrower Bandwidth Equipment
Replies: 15
Views: 3464

Re: Users Going To Narrower Bandwidth Equipment

I believe that much depends on how much effort (meaning sophistication) the agency's service shop, be it in-house or an outside contractor, puts into their work. The sharp ones know to use different PLs on the inputs and outputs of the repeaters to keep outsiders from kerchunking or otherwise interf...
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:06 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Using a Mitrek as an emergency remote paging base
Replies: 25
Views: 4607

Re: Using a Mitrek as an emergency remote paging base

The OP is running a paging system, and therefore I would assume that the system
is not subject to narrowbanding. Or is it because of the specific frequencies in use?
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:03 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: VHF vs GMRS
Replies: 18
Views: 4245

Re: VHF vs GMRS

Guys, once and for all let's get the MURS NB/WB thing straight so that we don't confuse people. MURS channels 1, 2, and 3 are narrowband. MURS channels 4 and 5 are listed as wideband, but I suppose could be narrowband if the user wished to do it that way. 95.633 Emission bandwidth. (f) The authorize...
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:00 am
Forum: Legacy Batboard Motorola ASTRO (VSELP/IMBE/AMBE) Equipment Forum
Topic: APX and dual band
Replies: 8
Views: 3634

Re: APX and dual band

Seems to me it would be easier if one just avoided the future reflashiing, ordered the radio with two active bands but didn't program one of those bands.
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Dec 06, 2012 9:30 am
Forum: MotoTRBO Portables and Mobiles (4xxx/6xxx) 1.0 Series Subscribers
Topic: FCC Digital System gets "Notice of Violation"
Replies: 6
Views: 3226

Re: FCC Digital System gets "Notice of Violation"

Sounds to me like a very sloppy installation job, that's all, but it does also serve to prove that the FCC actually does field checking in some places. Then too, the lack of an ID'er makes me think that someone "handy" perhaps did a DIY install.
by Tom in D.C.
Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:33 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Will any MOTOROLA radios do PA ?
Replies: 2
Views: 1136

Re: Will any MOTOROLA radios do PA ?

Not by themselves they won't. Motorola makes various accessory units that will enable the use of the radio's microphone for external PA use.
by Tom in D.C.
Tue Dec 04, 2012 11:16 am
Forum: Legacy Batboard Motorola ASTRO (VSELP/IMBE/AMBE) Equipment Forum
Topic: xts2500 programming
Replies: 24
Views: 7384

Re: xts2500 programming

Perhaps this thread should be locked and then made into a sticky as an example for all to see what happens when good advice is ignored and the system administrator kills your radio as a result of an unauthorized affiliation attempt.
by Tom in D.C.
Sun Dec 02, 2012 12:31 pm
Forum: MotoTRBO Portables and Mobiles (4xxx/6xxx) 1.0 Series Subscribers
Topic: XPR 7550 FPP
Replies: 15
Views: 5821

Re: XPR 7550 FPP

"FPP" as a term just means that something(s) can be edited from the front panel. On an APX it means one thing and on a 7550 it means something considerably more limited. Even an old standard Saber has what you might call FPP. Motorola would do well to start modifying the term when they use...
by Tom in D.C.
Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:12 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: What Is Your Prediction For The Post Narrow-Banding Time?
Replies: 57
Views: 13697

Re: What Is Your Prediction For The Post Narrow-Banding Time

Looking from a realistic perspective, if a service (just for example, take the NYPD) were to apply for a time extention and be denied, and were to continue using their wide-band gear past the date just what could the FCC do? I realize they can impose financial sanctions, but what authority does the...
by Tom in D.C.
Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:10 pm
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: M1225 Audio Issue
Replies: 5
Views: 1351

Re: M1225 Audio Issue

I can't tell you exactly how to remedy the lack of audio but I can tell you what happened. Odds are that in the vehicle the radio was set up for a remote speaker and the internal speaker was disabled. This is done via the multipin connector on the back of the 1225. Someone will chime in here to tell...
by Tom in D.C.
Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:24 am
Forum: General Motorola Solutions & Legacy Radio Discussion
Topic: Motorola Maxtrac
Replies: 7
Views: 1780

Re: Motorola Maxtrac

As was suggested above, just check the voltage going to the radio and the antenna's SWR and you'll have the beginnings of a diagnosis of what the radio is doing, or not doing, as the case may be.

Go to advanced search