Spectra / System 9000 DEK Identification Help Needed

[wa8iqo]

I am trying to identify three SPECTRA/Syntor X 9000 style DEK heads and their possible compatibility with my newly acquired SPECTRA Radios. I’ve been all over the WEB including Mikes site and also searched my old service/programming manuals and cant even come close to the part numbers. I kneed to know if there are compatible with my current SPECTRA project. If there not there going on eBay…

DEK INFO:

DEK #1: HLN1365A - (MODE Buttons) “Labeled as System 9000”
DEK #2: HLN2141D - (Status Buttons) “Labeled as System 9000”
DEK #3: HLN6679A - (Message Buttons)

My Current Project:

SPECTRA ID#1: T44KMA7JA9AK – (Working UHF moble, currently programmed with A9 head)
SPECTRA ID#2: D43KMA7JA5BK – (VHF moble, unprogramed listed as A5 head, converting to HAM
band for use with an A9 head)

If anyone’s got any answers or can point me to any newly developed sites regarding these radios that I may have missed, would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks in advanced to all for there time.

[Bill_G]

You can probably get away with not using them since you probably do not have the siren module, or an MDC decoder in your base station. OTOH, if they came as part of a previously functioning package, you may have to reprogram so the radio is not looking for the peripherals and displaying an error.

[linkinpark9812]

I can say 100% that the MODES DEK will work. I have one for my spectra. There are two versions, one is MODE 1 - MODE 8 and MODE 9 - MODE 16. It worked fine for me with the Spectra.
It seems like the Status buttons would also work, since it is labeled as Systems 9000 and the Spectra does support Status MDC messages. I would assume the DEK looks like STS 1 - STS 8.
As for the Message ones, is this like the Message MDC that also is supported on the Spectra? I assume those are labeled as MSG 1 - MSG 8. Does that say Systems 9000 on it too?

Yes, they don't show up on mikes (only siren Button DEK does), but when you search the forums, I found out about how the MODE DEK will work just fine before I bought mine.

Good luck with your project and happy (safe) programming!

[Mike B]

It appears Motorola made special part numbers just for the prepackaged keys installed in the DEKs. The part numbers were different for DEKs with the same keys that were sold for different models (i.e. the Syntor X 9000 status DEK has a different part number from the Spectra status DEK, even though they are otherwise functionally identical). The internal circuit boards inside all these DEKs appear to be identical. If you ordered the mode DEK, all you were getting was a regular DEK with mode keys installed. I never found any source for all these preconfigured key part numbers.

Still, you have to be careful because of the Smart-Status/Message (SSM) units that aren't DEKs, but look like DEKs. The advanced head A7 MaraTrac has a Siren/PA box that looks like a DEK, but it isn't. Sometimes the external relay switch box with the rear DB-25 is mistaken for a DEK because of the similar external styling.

Also on the Spectra, only the A9/B9/C9/E9 heads are always DEK friendly. Any of the other heads with the 8 character alpha displays require certain revision levels to work with a DEK.

[kf4sqb]

To expand a little on what everyone else has already said:

The first you list is a "mode" dek. It is intended to be used by mapping modes to it with the RSS for a "quick access" way of getting to frequently-used channels. For example, you may want to map the first button to channel (or mode) 5, the second to channel 12, the third to channel 26, and so forth. Then, pushing the button will take you to the channel its mapped to. In the example I gave above, pushing the second button would take you to channel 12.

The second you list is a "status" dek. It is intended to be used as a "quick access" to MDC status messages. As with the mode dek above, you map each button to a different message, and pushing that button sends that message.

The third you list is a "message" dek. If it is a Systems9000 dek, and not a Smart-Status/Message unit like Mike mentioned, it is intended to be used as a "quick access" to MDC messages, and works the same as the status dek. If its the SSM unit, I have no idea how it works, or if it is even compatible with a Spectra.

Lastly, as Mike said, all the above dek's, with the exception of the SSM, are internaly and functionaly identical. The only difference is what is printed on the buttons. You can use a mode dek as a status dek, a message dek as a siren dek, or any other dek as any other. You simply program it for what you want it to do with the RSS.

[wa8iqo]

Thanks gang for the insite and fast answes to my questions!

So, just to make shure I understan correctley. The two that are labeled on the back as System 9000, is it safe to assume they are compatible?

The other, can it be determined by a model number on the circuit board or by visually identifying the make up of the internal components?

I just don’t trust that the buttons are for what the DEK was built for as the items were purchased from eBay. I now how Peter is robbed to pay Paul sometimes to make a item whole. The items were purchased over a year ago so I have no on line record of the seller to reference. Just want to be safe and not turn my radio into a paper weight by hooking them together and trying to read the code plug, just to see a big puff of smoke.