HT1250 - what did I find?

[bezking708]

Hi all,

I was looking for a way to determine the firmware version installed in my HT1250 without reading it with CPS. I powered on the radio and immediately pressed the button directly below the PTT 5 times rapidly, and I seem to have accessed some hidden menu. I was apparently being given the option to change the channel spacing and some other setting involving DTMF, CSQ, HHS, CMP, and LLE. Does anyone know what this is used for?

Thanks!

[n7maq]

Hi all,

I was looking for a way to determine the firmware version installed in my HT1250 without reading it with CPS. I powered on the radio and immediately pressed the button directly below the PTT 5 times rapidly, and I seem to have accessed some hidden menu. I was apparently being given the option to change the channel spacing and some other setting involving DTMF, CSQ, HHS, CMP, and LLE. Does anyone know what this is used for?

Thanks!

Sounds like a service menu.

Jim

[Bill_G]

Confirmed it happens with mine as well. Appears to be a test mode of some kind since it has more "programmed modes" then I have programmed, and does not tx/rx on the correct freqs I have prog'd. It also does not retain any changes I make. I'll check with our pager / portable guys tomorrow to see if they are aware of this menu. I'll also check to see what freqs it is operating on. I do not have to immediately press side button 2, nor do I have to do it very rapidly. But the window seems to close within 30 seconds after power up, I cannot press any other buttons before pressing #2 five times, and no other buttons respond in a similar way.

[bezking708]

I signal-stalked all the frequencies. Even though there are 14 "channels" you can select before it bonks you with UNPROGRAMMED, 1-7 are the same as 8-14. My 1250 is a 403-470 split, and the following are the frequencies:

• 403.025
• 415.025
• 425.025
• 436.025
• 449.025
• 460.025
• 469.975

If anyone with a different split can confirm that these channels run the full range of the radios, I think we may have found the tuning menu...

[N4KVE]

Like Jim said, it is the service mode. Reads you the model #, ser#, firmware & flashcode. It's been on most if not all portables for the last 15 years or so. I don't think it makes changes, but I could be wrong here. Just tells you what you have. Good for checking the ser# if the tags are missing. GARY N4KVE

[akardam]

Reads you the model #, ser#, firmware & flashcode.

Not going to read the flashcode on a HT1250 (since they don't use them). Also pretty sure this doesn't read out any of the other usual bits of information - my HT1550's display is fubar'd so I can't confirm 100%. Read on...

This isn't tuning mode, per se, since that is entered when you connect to the radio with the Pro Series tuner software. However, this does allow you to conduct RF tests in the absence of a computer and tuning software, and in this respect it is basically identical to the RF Test Mode that exists on essentially all recent Motorola radios (Jedi, Astro, Astro25, etc).

From the service manual:

RF Test Mode
When the radio is operating in its normal environment, the radio's microcontroller controls the RF channel selection, transmitter key-up, and receiver muting. However, when the unit is on the bench for testing, alignment, or repair, it is removed from its normal environment and cannot receive commands from its system. Therefore, the internal microcontroller does not key the transmitter or unmute the receiver. This prevents the use of a normal tuning procedure. To solve this problem, a
special “test mode” is incorporated into the radio.

Note 1: On VHF/UHF, LTR models, the radio must be in either conventional or LTR mode.
Note 2: The test mode procedure that follows assumes that the Customer Programming Software Front Panel Access screen has both the FPA and RF TEST boxes selected. Select from the programming screen to enable or disable certain features of the radio RF test mode.
- FPA entry not selected blocks all test modes.
- FPA entry selected and RF TEST not selected blocks RF test mode.
- FPA entry selected and RF TEST selected enables all test modes.

To enter the test mode for a display radio:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Within ten seconds after the self test is complete, press 'side button 2', shown in Figure 4-1 on page 4-3, five times in succession.
3. After “CSQ CHXX SP25” appears on the display, the radio is on channel XX (see Note on following page), carrier squelch mode, 25 kHz channel spacing. Each additional press of 'side button 2' (see Table 4-3 on page 4-5) scrolls to the next channel spacing, and a corresponding set of tones are sounded. Refer to Figure 4-4 on page 4-4 for test
mode information for a four-line display radio.
4. Press 'side button 1' to scroll through the test environments listed in Table 4-1 on page 4-4.
5. Press 'side button 2' for 3 seconds to switch the radio to the control head test mode. 'LCD Test' appears on the display.
6. Press 'side button 1' to turn on all the dots of the first character. Another 'side button 1' press turns on all the dots of the next character, continuing until the last character is reached.
7. Press 'side button 1' at the end of the LCD test to activate the 'Icon Test'. The next 'side button 1' press turns on the first icon.
8. Press 'side button 1' at the end of the Icon Test to activate the button test. Pressing any side button (except 'side button 1'), or any keypad button during the LCD test or Icon test immediately activates this test. A good button press is verified by a chirp.
9. Press 'side button 2' for 3 seconds in the control head test mode to return the radio to the RF Test mode.
10. Turn radio off to exit test mode.

[bezking708]

Very cool - thanks all and especially Akardam for the instructions.

[jhp]

Almost every Motorola radio has a hidden way to access the CPS entries and these are mostly used by Technicians to easily place the radio in "test" mode faster than reading them. Works great for testing Passport or Smartzone radios that don't have conventional channels.

And almost all of these sequential button taps are in the Service Manual of the specified radio.

Let me know when you find out the sequence to un-ESN-kill a HT1250LS+ I've been looking for that one for 5 years now....having to spend $$flat$$ rate for every kill is pain

[RADIOMAN2002]

If you remove the Passport board does radio work? I have a similar but opposite problem. I re-cased a ht1250 ls+ for a friend, I took out the Passport board, which he no longer need or wanted and which was not stunned or killed. I used the same display with a new standard keypad (that replaces the Passport board) and now I don't have receive audio or a display, I replaced the display ( interesting to note that the part number is the same for the one installed in the Passport radio and the new one)and a new standard keypad. I have a display, TX audio and PTT OK, but I still have no RX audio. Tones and beeps are OK and I hear unsquelched audio very low when monitor button is pushed. I suspect that in order for the Passport board to stun or kill the radio, the TX/RX audio paths, and maybe the PTT line have been broken somewhere in the radio. I am going to do some research and swap different parts among Passport and a standard radio to determine what does what.

[Bill_G]

jumpers in the radio have been removed to route signaling through the passport brd.

[RADIOMAN2002]

I figured as much, which ones (numbers)and where are they located?

[RADIOMAN2002]

Ok, no jumpers. Just had to update the firmware of the radio.