MSF5000 VHF CXB KEEPS RESETING.WHERE DO I LOOK FIRST? HELP

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Philadelphia
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MSF5000 VHF CXB KEEPS RESETING.WHERE DO I LOOK FIRST? HELP

Post by Philadelphia »

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A MSF5000 VHF CXB STATION AND WHEN TURNED ON IT JUST KEEPS RESETING... THE VCO'S BOTH TX & RX DO LOCK UP THEN IN 15 SECONDS THE RECEIVE VCO LIGHT GOES OUT AND THEN CONTROLLER RESETS... A ERROR D85 SHOWS UP ON THE READOUT... CAN ANYONE GUIDE ME A LITTLE ON WHERE OR WHAT TO DO FIRST...THANKS
PHIL
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xmo
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Post by xmo »

You could start by fixing your stuck CAPS lock key....

Then you will need to reload the station codeplug - if you don't have a known good codeplug file from this station you may have to start with the default codeplug that comes with the RSS.

d85 = Bad codeplug checksum on SSCB
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batdude
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...

Post by batdude »

what is the origin of this repeater?


i bet there is no station eeprom in it



d
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Philadelphia
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Post by Philadelphia »

Thank you I'll start there...Phil
Philadelphia
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Post by Philadelphia »

Well it came from a government auction...I thing it had FBI or Secret Service VHF Freq's in it ... I has a MARTI and the line PTT light is allways on...
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Post by Philadelphia »

I can read and program it OK
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kcbooboo
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Post by kcbooboo »

If it was missing the EPROM, it wouldn't program the VCOs, light the LEDs, or show the error code. Unless there was something special added to them, there's no reason to pull them when getting rid of the station. Remember, this is a CXB which means PC-programmable with RSS. A CLB station would have the code plug data in an EPROM.

When you first plug the unit in, the display will show the firmware versions of the SSCB, TTRC, and secure module, in that order. Depending on the combination of versions, choose the correct default code plug and load it into RSS. Typically this would be CONV.DEF if both versions are 3.xx, or CONV_3.DEF if they're 5.xx. Program in a pair of frequencies and force it into the station - it may take more than one try to get it accepted and have no more errors. Then adjust the two VCOs and continue from there.

I'd also disconnect the MRTI because you should NOT have any PTT indication when the station is just sitting there. Get the basic radio working first, then add unknowns to it.

Bob M.
Philadelphia
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MSF5000 VHF CXB Problem

Post by Philadelphia »

Thank you Bob for the very nice reply...

I will work on it today...

I will go through the generation of a new code plug...just a note...

The VCO's DO NOT have any tuning adjustments...have you seen this before...is this common in the VHF stations or is it because its a newer version??

Again thank you... Phil
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kcbooboo
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Post by kcbooboo »

Yup, you're right, the VHF VCOs don't have anything to adjust. The UHF ones do, and that's all I've worked on, so it's just something you do to the station anytime you plug a metering set into it.

The new codeplug doesn't need much done to it except entering a frequency, but you WILL have to search through the station options menus and make sure you have selected whether you have a tone board (TTRC) or not, and whether you have a secure board or not. Just make sure you use the correct version codeplug. The RSS help text tells you which codeplug name to use for the firmware combination in your station.

One other thing to check are the jumpers on the SSCB and TTRC if present. Most can be set to their normal position. Unfortunately, the manual and board silk-screen are very poor in this regard since they don't clearly show you which way is the normal position. But I'm sure you can figure it out.

I had one station that had a similar error - bad checksum in user area - and I didn't know what to do nor how it got that way. It also had version 3 firmware - this was an early station. I think someone tried programming it with a version 5 codeplug, then gave up. I ended up jamming a V3 codeplug into it several times before it finally realized I was serious, then all the errors went away. I got newer firmware and put a V5 codeplug into it and it's been working fine ever since.

Let us know how you make out.

Bob M.
Philadelphia
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MSF5000 VHF CXB It's Working Now...Thanks To All

Post by Philadelphia »

MSF5000 VHF CXB It's Working Now...Thanks To All

The station has a bad MARTI TTRC Kernal Board... it hooks to the TTRC control board when the MARTI interconnect is used...as soon as I pulled it out and jumpered the board fo normal use everything went normal...Thanks again...Phil

PS... I created a new codeplug using the convdef files and it worked great...
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kcbooboo
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Post by kcbooboo »

You gotta love it when a plan comes together. Glad it was relatively simple. I think the primary indication was the constant PTT signal you had. Whether or not that was causing the reboot or not, it doesn't matter now that you've disconnected it. You might have been able to read the codeplug and write it back, and that might have cleared the error, but creating a new one from CONV.DEF is really the right way to go, as it also sets the proper default values for everything in the station.

May the force be with you !

Bob M.
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