Digital A/S vs A/S?

[WCHija]

What is the difference?
How do I tell the difference?
Will adding a HRN-6014A VHF wideband RF board that is selling on ebay for $22 make a A/S into a Digital A/S?

[Batwings21]

Okay, we need more information, all astro sabers/ xts3000's/ astro spectra's can be made capable of digital, it depends on flashcode and firmware version, that information is contained in the vocon board, not the rf board.
Get the flashcode for you radio and the firmware version and post it here.

in general a digital radio will have a dsp starting with I or N and analog will have A or M. The revision number will tell you whether it is VSELP or IMBE. Flashcode tells you what features you have, but is easily manipulated, so when buying a radio or assessing what you really have, firmware host and dsp is the needed info.

[jmr061]

What are you asking exactly? An Astro Spectra is an Astro Spectra period. Its the flash and host/dsp that determine if it has analog only, vselp or imbe operation. The board you are referring to is a wideband RF board. Those are old. The newer 2.5khz channels will program into and astro spectra with an A revision RF board. You need a C revision or later RF board and host of 9 something (I don't recall the exact #s off hand).

Jason

[WCHija]

Thanks, to clairify my first question is what is the difference between the radios marketed as "Astro Spectra" and the radios marketed as "Digital Astro Spectra"? If I understand you correctly the only difference is the flash code which permits digital operation.
As for the board, I was hoping to upgrade a 148-174mhz AS to 136-174 using the board I mentioned or something like it. For $22.00 it seemed like a good deal, but too good to be true.

[jmr061]

The splits for a VHF Astro Spectra are 136-162 and 146-174. The RF board is the same for both.

Jason

[WCHija]

Ok, thank you.

[Batwings21]

The flash tells you what options it has, digital being one of those options,but the radio has to have the firmware to back it up