Will this Astro Spectra go up to 486 MHZ?

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 6:51 am

I am looking at this radio.....however, I am wondering if I might be able to force this radio up to 486 MHZ.
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RADIO INFO:

This radio is rated 450-482 MHz.

CPS programming allows programming down to approximately 442 MHz. Radio has been tested satisfactorily @ 446 MHz in both analog and IMBE/Astro modes. It has also been tested on 444/449 repeater pairs.

Thanks for viewing the auction. You are bidding on an Astro Spectra UHF mobile radio. This is the full featured W9 model. It has the following features:

40 watts of RF power
IMBE (Astro) equipped
Remote (trunk) mounted
255 channels
11 character backlighted VFD display
Siren / PA capable
Secure capable (not equipped)
Flashport upgradeable
and many many more!
Radio firmware specifics:

Model #: T04RKH9PW9AN

Host Version: 11.13.00.00
DSP Version: I08.02.08
Flashcode: 580001-040000-6
1 megabyte VOCODER

This flashcode breaks down to the following features:
Q806/G806 IMBE / APCO-25 Digital Operation
H14/G114 Digital ID Display
H868/W298 Conventional Multikey and Analog Conventional MDC OTAR
H35/G48 Conventional Operation
Q352 Soft ID
Items included in the auction: Motorola Astro Spectra mobile radio, remote control cable (HKN4356b), speaker (leads will be cut, sorry), microphone, mobile mounting bracket, power cord, and (of course) the W9 HCN1078x Astro Control head.

willbartlett · Post by **willbartlett** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:15 am

Due to component tolerance variations in the VCO board, it may or may not. I would think it might, but YMMV. I have noticed a +/- 3 mhz difference in most spectra VCOs when put out of band. isn almost all cases, a 450-482 radio will operate 5 mhz BELOW the 450mhz mark at 445mhz, whether it will go to 442 or 441 is 50/50 proposition. As for the high side, I'm not really sure. I've never had cause to recieve higher than 483.5375. on TX, I haven't ever run above 469.xxx.

want to listen to Nemlec?

Will

Post by **alex** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:47 am

First, make sure that you post in the right forum.

Secondly, I would think that you could ask the seller that question. He's someone who is quite knoledgeable about those radios, and can probably test them for you.

Infact, he might even reply to your post here.

-Alex

10-95 · Post by **10-95** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:48 am

I have a 450-482 split that I have taken down to 441.000 and up to 488.00 with no problems but I guess it just like playing the lottery. I've seen some that would not go more than 3 Mhz +/-. I actually have a low 403-433mhz Astro that works fine up to 443.00 receieve and 448.00 transmit so I guess it may just depend on the vintage of the radio.

Good luck, but I think you should be o.k.

Frank

Motofanatic · Post by **Motofanatic** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:43 am

alex wrote:First, make sure that you post in the right forum.

Secondly, I would think that you could ask the seller that question. He's someone who is quite knoledgeable about those radios, and can probably test them for you.

Infact, he might even reply to your post here.
-Alex

Alex is right. In fact if you ask nicely, he might even test it for you and verify that it goes up to 486 or 487 or whatever it "tops-out" at.

-Motofanatic

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:11 am

want to listen to Nemlec?

Will

No. I want to be able to listen to and transmit on Wolcott.

....not to mention some of the Southwestern Norfolk County towns are going digital in the next few years.

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:13 am

alex wrote:First, make sure that you post in the right forum.

Is this not the right forum to inquire about a Motorola Astro Spectra????

Post by **alex** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:36 am

BPDUnderground wrote:
alex wrote:First, make sure that you post in the right forum.

Is this not the right forum to inquire about a Motorola Astro Spectra????

It is - but you posted in general origionally, and I moved your post here, hense the comment.

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:30 pm

Joe: I woudn't count on that radio to be reliable on Wolcott.

Post by **batdude** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:29 pm

radio in question was tested SAT on 487.9875

40w rf

squelch open @ 0.22uv
full quieting @ 0.30uv

doug

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:28 pm

alex wrote:
BPDUnderground wrote:
alex wrote:First, make sure that you post in the right forum.

Is this not the right forum to inquire about a Motorola Astro Spectra????
It is - but you posted in general origionally, and I moved your post here, hense the comment.

Oh, okay....I can't remember what I had for lunch today much less where I posted this.....thank you for taking care of it.

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:32 pm

RKG wrote:Joe: I woudn't count on that radio to be reliable on Wolcott.

If so, I still have the 110w analog Spectra in the old '95 Crown Vic to fill the void. My big concern is Franklin PD/FD and other area towns federally mandated to go P25 sometime in 2007.

This would be more of a monitoring radio than anything.

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:33 pm

batdude wrote:radio in question was tested SAT on 487.9875

40w rf

squelch open @ 0.22uv
full quieting @ 0.30uv

doug

Okay, so this means it MAY or WILL work right? (Techies help me out here.)

Am I to assume this is done using the "shift keying" as in the older Spectras or do I have to get way in over my head with this hex stuff?

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:15 am

No one is federally mandated to shift to P25-capable equipment by 2007 or any other date. What is happening is that some of the federal grants out there cannot be used for radio acquisitions unless the equipment is P25-capable, a fairly stupid requirement since most of the grantees are running conventional analog and will for the foreseeable future. By the time, if ever, that these rural departments go digital voice, the equipment they have purchased now with their grant money, for two or three times what conventional stuff costs, will be out of date, no longer supported, and no longer flashable to digital. The result is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars.

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:09 am

I read an article in the paper a few weeks ago that Franklin was trying to get more money through an over-ride so they can finish up swapping their analog equipment for digital equipment for the switch to digital in 2007. The FD has dumped all of their HT1000's for XTS series radios and from what I gather, the PD is almost out of HT1000's. They run or ran MCS2000 Model I radios in the trucks and cruisers, not sure what they are running now, but I would have to say that the MCS2000 days are numbered.

I'll have to see if I can find the article on line somewhere. 401 gets the same paper I do, he may remember the article.

Personally, I don't think the FPD deserved to get off of the old 39.200 lowband they were on prior to 1998.

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:13 am

Found the archived article about Franklin PD/FD being "federally mandated" to go digital in 2007.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRe ... leid=62100

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 3:33 pm

Couldn't read the article without a subscription. In any evert, if the article says "federally mandated," then it is misinformed (likely because its source was misinformed).

BPDUnderground · Post by **BPDUnderground** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 11:16 am

That is a good possibility.

Will this Astro Spectra go up to 486 MHZ?

Will this Astro Spectra go up to 486 MHZ?

..

Wolcott

Re: ..

Digital -2007

Article

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