ASTRO Spectra, use A7 or W7 on radio with W9 installed?

[W1HVN]

Is it possible to take an ASTRO Spectra Mid Power small chassis unit with a W9 head, and tell it has an A7/W7 head? Second part to this question, can an A series head be used on a ASTRO model instead of a W? Is there a physical difference between the W and A or is it just a difference in the model number?

Thanks.

[jmr061]

You can change heads on an astro spectra only if you force an s-record or dos archive from a donor radio that has the settings you want including the proper control head. An A series head will NOT work on a W series radio. The only exception to this is an SMD type A9 head which you can swap out the firmware chip inside to make it a W9 instead of an A9. This is not possible with the other heads.

Jason