Need newbies guide to servicing astro digital saber

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:44 am

Hi
Got a UHF astro saber with no receive. H04RDC9PW5AN
Have a moto detailed service manual. No info in there on operating
the radio outside of it's case. No I'm not buying a special jig!
No problem powering regular sabers outside the case.
Must need some kind of extender cable to probe rf board on the side
that plugs into the vocon.
This radios transmits with good audio. Just absolutely dead on receive.
I can hear first LO on scanner. No reaction to 73.35mhz like other radios.
Must be second IF problem.
This is going to be interesting.

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:17 am

Guess no one is up to this challenge.

willbartlett · Post by **willbartlett** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:37 am

I'be poked around the side you're looking at, trying to solve a power supply problem on the vocon board. I think I made a cable just for it. You can get the parts from Mouser. I can't remember the spacing, but it shouldn't be too expensive. 1mm pitch?

Will

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:04 am

Hi Will
Do you mean that little interconnect header that connects the vocon to the rf board.
I'll have to check mouser and maybe build a extension cable.
Tell you the truth after reading the manual really good I'm not awfuly sure that the problem lies in the rf or the vocon.
The astro is a digital radio even in the analog mode.
I guess the problem could be in the vocon.
I'm covering new ground for me at least.
Thanks

Microwave Mike · Post by **Microwave Mike** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:06 am

A quick way to see if you have any Rx action is to inject the correct Rx
frequency and see if the Green RX led on top is on. Even if you don't have
audio demodulated the green light will be on. This will test to see if the Rx section is working. If the light is not on then you might be in the market for a New RF board.
I assume that TX is OK and on frequency.
If the TX is off frequency so will the Rx side. They both use the same master osc. and are adjusted together.

good luck

mm

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:27 am

Well I guess that answers that. No green light.
Transmit has good audio and is on frequency.
RF board anyone? Astro Saber UHF range one 403-470.
Thanks

Microwave Mike · Post by **Microwave Mike** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:33 pm

Well it may be the Rx VCO. Sealed under a metal can.
Best to look for a Rf board for your band split.

Good Luck

mm

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:56 pm

Aren't the receive and transmit vco the same? The radio transmits.
I can hear the receive LO with a scanner.

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:13 am

Found one of the data lines on the vocon that is shorted. These data lines are fed data from the rf boards abacus chip. It's not a hard short, about 22 ohms. Checked the cap on the line, it's not that. That's all there is up to the adsic chip on the vocon.

Does anyone follow me here?

Moto wants $200 for that chip so that's the end of that. As far as the rf board, I haven't tried that on a good vocon yet.

Leadenwah · Post by **Leadenwah** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:16 am

These seem like good points being made. I have a similar problem, but with an 800 Digital Trunking AS II. I hear all of the button response tones, the power up self-check tone, key error tones, etc. From the LCD I can see that it is scanning and when it stops on an active mode, but not receive audio. I do not get the green LED activated at these times.

Is there an enable/disable option in the RSS for the Green LED or does that cover Red and Green ?

Digital audio is not enabled because these trunking sytems are completely analog.

If I can hear these tones, then the speaker must be OK, right ?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated,

Geo.

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:49 am

Hi
Do you have a way to read the radio with rss? I'm not sure about the led disable. My green light works, only time I see red is when it transmits. You should see red when there is a signals received.
Does the top button on your radio open the squelch? My radio has plenty of white noise like when the squelch is open. Since you are hearing tones your audio power amp is working.
Check pins 1 and 2 on the connector between rf and vocon. I got the low impedence on pin 2 on the vocon side. Pins 1 and 2 are the ones nearest the edges of the boards. These should be high impedence data lines. ie megohms.
Let me know what you see there.

Leadenwah · Post by **Leadenwah** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:35 am

Thanks a lot for the tips.

Yes, I can check within the RSS. On a conventional 800 mode there was open squelch noise when the button programmed for MON was pressed. Transmitting isn't a concern since this is just for monitoring and the radio is programmed for receive only although I don't recall that as an actual choice, it is in practical terms a receive only radio.

I will check those pins you had mentioned. I've been in several Jedis, but never an Astro Saber so I am going to take that in very careful steps.

Thanks again for your help.

Geo

Leadenwah · Post by **Leadenwah** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:30 pm

I received a suggestion that perhaps the AS II 800 was not receiving trunked audio because the " Digital Key " might be missing.

The radio receives fine in Conventional, but will scan, stop on active talk groups, but will not produce audio.

Is the Digital Key in the firmware, the Flash Code or in RSS ? System keys are present, but have seen no reference to Digital Key in the RSS.

Geo

saberjerk · Post by **saberjerk** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:47 am

Well if it receives in conventional mode there is probably nothing wrong with the rf board.
I don't know anything about system keys, sorry.

Need newbies guide to servicing astro digital saber

Need newbies guide to servicing astro digital saber

RXXXXXXXX astro

OHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOO RX

update

Astro Saber RX Problem

Is " Digital Key " in Firmware, Flash or RSS ?