Batboard

Hello:
I'm in the process of taking a Motorola maxtrac 16ch 42 to 50 MHz American version lo band 60 watt mobile to a Canadian Maxtrac Hydro Division MAX99 mobile by blanking and conversion.
I do have everything to do this as ive done it before several years back.
So needed firmware and software is all taken care of.
But years back when I did this mod I always blanked the logic bd fully but later read others doing a blanking option with save tuning data which would be nice as then id only need to check calibration rather than go through the whole process.
Since first process of the mod is to simply create a canadian hydro division special purpose 99ch max99 maxtrac in the same band of 42 t0 50 I should if I'm correct blank logic bd save tuning data and be further ahead by saving the data.
( Im using the same 16pin logic bd and power amp with the conversion so both would be matched and calibrated from its original build)
But heres my question.
I'm given the option to :
Blank logic bd with normal code plug save tuning data.
Or
Blank logic bd with extended code plug save tuning data.

Can someone tell me the difference between a normal code plug and an extended code plug and whats considered an extended code plug ?
After I get the maxtrac converted to a canadian hydro MAX99 model ill then do the mods to take it to the HAM 6 meter band 50 to 54 MHz .
Last few I did a few years back actually got the MAX99 to cover up to the 54 MHz but still worked down almost to 43 megs so you got dang near the 42 to 50 business band split minus the 42 meg but had the entire 6 meter ham band 50to 54 mhz as well.
Rx sensitivity was adjusted to favor the 50 to 54 mhz 6 meter ham band but sensitivity wasnt too bad going down into the 43 MHz area and back up to 50 MHz and got really good in the 50 to 54 MHz 6 meter freqs.
Wattage varied from pa to pa some did 60 watts at mid 52 meg and going up or down from there still stayed at or above 50 watts at the lowest and highest freqs so again wasn't bad actually good considering the out of band and extreme band with added during the mod process.
Anyway I got one on the bench I'm going to burn proms for and create the MAX99 and would like to know the differences and options that blanking with normal code plug and saving the tuning data versus blanking with extended code plug saving the tuning data actually means and what its differences are.
Thank you
Satelite

Been a couple years since I had to do any of the 99 ch conversions, but I think what you want to do won't work.
The "option" to save or not save the tune data I *think* is done on the initialization.
So, lets say you blank in LAB, I believe you have to init in LAB or the tuning values are lost when you exit that RSS and run the 99 ch RSS.
That is what I found anyway.
But, I ALWAYS do the cal and alignment anyway.
For the 99 ch you would have to use the extended codeplug.
What I always do is BLANK in LAB, but initialize in the regular RSS.
You have more options that way.
If you can get it to work the other way, post that because that sure would save some time.

Hello:
Yes if I was blanking a 99ch maxtrac id suspect id blank and save tuning values with extended code plug per the extra memory but I actually blanked a USA 16ch version so I went ahead and tried blanking with extended option but the lab informed me error extended blank not accessible due to normal code plug.
So I did back up and chose the blank conventional code plug and save tuning data.
I'm thinking that it did save the tuning values on the logic bd itself blanked the rest of the info.
I think this because when I did reinitiate with the Max99 rss it popped in the control panel the model number and never did take me into the enter crystal data or steering voltage or wattage stuff just asked for the serial number and it initiated and display came on with one programmed freq.
So I programmed the 99 chs as a test and yes they were there in the radio and wattage was set yet at 60 watts plus freq was close enough that it had to of used the prior data by leaving it on the same logic bd blanked in my mind but I did fine tune the freq.
The reason I wanted to save the tuning data in my case was it was already a lo band 42 to 50 set up that the logic bd and rf bd were already calibrated and I was simply blanking to get rid of the 16ch and go to 99 ch operation as a 42 to 50 split .
Then I did the Ham 6 meter mod to move the radio up into the 50 to 54 meg 6 meter band.
I was surprised that with this radio I converted that I was able to get the rx and tx steering voltages set that the radio actual locks up on tx and rx from 42 megs all the way up to 54 megs so it still has the lower 42 to 50 biz band freqs and the 50 to 54 six meter ham freqs.
Last one I did I recall I couldn't get below 43 megs but it tuned from 43 to 54 megs so you didn't have the bottom 1 meg area of 42 megs for biz band if you were licensed there.
I still need to mod the power amp since I'm getting 60 watts at 50 MHz and it goes down to 20 watts at 54 MHz and also drops to 15 watts at 42 megs so power amps in need of a bit of help but then that is a known 6 meter mod that needed done with any maxtrac 6 meter conversion.
I suspect ill most likely get it to do (35 watts at 42 megs) (50 watts at 50 megs ) ( 60 watts at 52 megs ) ( 50 watts at 54 megs ) if I do my part in tuning the pa s output to do 60 watts at 52 mhz.
I do expect the wattage to change across that large of a spread.
The rx sensitivity is great at 52 megs after doing the rx mods and still pretty dang good at 54 megs but at 42 megs yeah well its usable at .4 microvolts but really improves at 45 megs at .3 micro volts sensitivity and at 52 megs gets with the program a .25 micro volts.
So I did already try my question got my answer attempting it .
Thank you for the reply.
Satelite

Lab can save and write the tuning data into the radio when you blank it.

A "normal" code plug only occupies the 512 bytes of EEPROM inside the CPU chip. That's also where the tuning data resides. It writes out 64 blocks of 8 bytes.

An "extended" code plug occupies the CPU and also the 2048 byte external EEPROM. It writes out 320 (64 + 256) blocks of 8 bytes.

A 99ch MaxTrac has 8096 bytes of external EEPROM. Lab doesn't know anything about that, so it will blank just 2048 bytes of the external EEPROM.

RSS will manage the EEPROM as you enter modes. Depending on signalling options, some could fit inside the CPU but once that limit is exceeded, they all go into the external EEPROM. On the 99ch MaxTrac, they ALL go into the external EEPROM.

I'd recommend that you go through the alignment screens and write down all the settings, then do the fastest "blank" that Lab can do: normal without retaining tuning data. Then initialize the radio with the 99ch software and enter the tuning data that you previously wrote down. That software will eventually write out a boatload of code plug data, 1088 blocks (1024 + 64). That will over-write any previous wasted initialization attempt that Lab may have done.

Bob M.