Batboard

Hi Guys,

After many-many years of searching, I finally got a Motorola MIB, the so-called Mostar Interface Box. Now I can start to play with some Mostars after all these years of planning. Unfortunately I live in the EU where the Mostars are unknown and where no technical assistance is available from 'Moto' dealers.

I have googled the last few days but did not find any source to get the Mostar service manuals in any electronic format like DjVU or PDF.

Maybe some of you could give me a helping hand.

VHF or UHF manual would be the best to have but I think the 800 MHz version would be a nice start to figure out where the tuning parts are located inside the radio

Thanks in advance!



Regards,

Tom, HA5BRG

Tom,


At least on the open web, this was all I was able to locate:

01. The Mostar Mobile (Batlabs Page): http://www.batlabs.com/mostar.html
02. Mostar Information and Programming Source: http://www.brinkleyelectronics.com/mos/mostar.html
03. Mostar Speaker/Amplifier - Instruction Manual (Model # HSN1000A): http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/ACC_ ... r_user.pdf
04. 800 mhz Motorola Mostar Radios HAM?: https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?thread ... ham.19023/

Based on the age of the Mostar Radio Series, you probably have one of two choices. Watch-out for documentation on eBay, or reach-out to a long time Motorola Dealer in the United States. When I was in college (SIUC), there was a Motorola Shop just south of the Carbondale - Roy Walker Communications (http://roywalkercomm.net/) in Makanda, Illinois. They helped me on several radio-related projects during my time in Southern Illinois. They 'may' still have the manuals on the Mostar Series - no promises though. We're talking a radio that's over 35 years old. They may have already disposed of the docs, as it's doubtful anyone is using a Mostar Radio in any commercial capacity - especially after the FCC Narrow-banding of 2013.

At any rate, Good Luck!

- trg,

Thank you very much for your help. I have checked all these links and Ebay as well. I did find some 800 MHz manuals for a reasonable price, so I think I'll get them from Ebay. I hope the 800 MHz version is not totally different from the VHF/UHF manuals.

PS: the MCX100/Syntor is also reeeaaallly old from the stone age, but some websites has the manuals for those in electronic format

The Mostar Radio Series is definitely what some would call vintage, compared to the Moto gear of today. It was synthesized though, so it wasn't 'rock-bound' or didn't require crystal elements for each channel. I don't recall if it programmed via RSS (Radio Service Software), or if it required the classic suitcase programmer. I guess it must use some flavor of RSS, if you found a MIB for it. I saw a few of them cross my bench back in the mid-1990's, but usually for minor things like a defective microphone or a dirty volume control. Since we were a G.E. Shop at the time, and only had a franchise license for the Motorola Radius product line, we didn't get much for the Motorola Branded or 'mainline' products.

Just the same, due to maintenance contracts, we saw a variety of Moto Gear: Sabers, Spectras, Maxtracs, & MTXs, as well as the older stuff: Motrans, Mocoms, Motracs, Moxys, and a few railroad PT500s. Throw-in Midland, E.F. Johnson, Fujitsu, & even Uniden Force radios to round it all out. Looking back, we took care of a lot of different radio types. I wonder what happen to all of that documentation? It was a small library to sure.

Even when radios are no longer mainstream, and are considered obsolete, I've always thought the related documentation should be archived electronically or imaged, whether it's sale's literature, operator manuals, or the complete service manuals, along with their service bulletins. Too often, I've found someone is looking for something like yourself, and there's not a single resource readily available. If only I had a time machine, I know right where to get it.

MOSTAR used the R1801 suitcase programmer to burn a 16-pin DIP code plug. We learned to never burn a batch of CP copies until you had thoroughly tested every possible option in the first one. MOSTAR and its econo-sibling TRAXAR had frequency synthesizer circuitry reputed to be VERY microphonic, especially on 800 trunking. Those models were too old to have used software RSS, they are among the very last mobile radios that still used a hardware test set.

Was it the Motorola or G.E. Suitcase programmer, which used a Casio Computer, ZIF Socket for the PROMs, and a thermal printer for the printed data? I haven't used one since 1994/1995. And you're right about not burning a batch of the PROMs, until you were absolutely sure everything was programmed & working correctly in a 'test' radio. Talk about memories coming back.... no pun intended!

I know some of the early G.E. MLS mobiles & MPD portables had to be programmed with the G.E. Suitcase programmer. I think some of the early E.F. Johnson & Fujitsu radios required external PROM programming as well. Throw-in the early analog cellphones (AMPS) with dual NAMs, and we've really gone back in the Way-Back Machine. Next, we'll be talking about MTS/IMTS Phones & Charlie's Angels!

Time sure has flown.

I have some Mostar manuals but they are packed away in boxes and I would have to dig them out and scan them, so it would take some time.
I won't be able to even look for them until at least next week, but I'll see what I can do. Do you have the radios already, and if you do what model numbers?

My radios are on the way with Ebay. One is a D44TLA7000BK, the other is a D43TLA7000BK. I think these will arrive next week.

It would be a big big big help if you could scan the documents, or just take some close shots of the pages with a smartphone or a good quality digital cameta.

Lots of misinformation is floating around the internet about programming the Mostars. Conventional Mostars can be programmed using:

The R-1801 suitcase programmer with the appropriate software / programming adapter card / cable.
The Epson HX-20 laptop and the appropriate tapes / cables
with a slow PC running the DOS based software and the Mostar Interface Box (MIB) and cables

More info at: http://brinkleyelectronics.com/mos/mostar_faq.htm

The 800 MHz radios were total dogs, the VHF / UHF ones actually work pretty well and just keep on running. HA5BRG send me a PM or email and I will take some pictures of the pages you need if I can lay my hands on the proper manuals.

Andy Brinkley wrote:...HA5BRG send me a PM or email and I will take some pictures of the pages you need if I can lay my hands on the proper manuals.

Hi Andy,

I have read several comments and posts from you here, you are always a trustful source of information when it comes to old Moto-gear. Thank you for dropping by I will send you a PM right away and I hope that we can figure out something.

This is why I like this place. Everyone is helpful and kind, this is the real ham spirit


Tom

Looked through the boxes where I thought I had them, no luck. I'll keep looking, pretty sure I saved a bunch of them.

jackhackett wrote:Looked through the boxes where I thought I had them, no luck. I'll keep looking, pretty sure I saved a bunch of them.

Thank you very much for your efforts

Hey Guys,

Did anyone have some time to take a look at the manuals for the Mostars? My VHF and UHF radios arrived last week and I can't wait to start working on these beasts

Tom

Tom

I posted on the other Moto site that I had found the following Mostar Manuals
68P81062E95-0 450-470
68P81064E25-0 150.8-174
68P80101W01-0 Supplement
and some FTR Notes and some other stuff
that I am willing to scan in my free time however that may take awhile

73

800 Mostars had a rash of bad plating which would grow whiskers inside the shielded areas. When a Trunked Mostar would quit working, taking the castings out and cleaning them thoroughly would fix the problem so that the radio would lock again and be on frequency.

kd5ual wrote:Tom

I posted on the other Moto site that I had found the following Mostar Manuals
68P81062E95-0 450-470
68P81064E25-0 150.8-174
68P80101W01-0 Supplement
and some FTR Notes and some other stuff
that I am willing to scan in my free time however that may take awhile

73

Oh that would be great. Extremely great! I'd prefer starting with the VHF manual since my VHF radio is the newer, display model with a channel rocker button and a red display.


HA5BRG, Tom

Hello Guys,

I have fired up the Mostar RSS and tried to read/write the radio (with a 8 MHz 80286 CPU PC) but I got stuck at this point.

The RSS is asking me to:

'Short Self-Test Pads and turn on the radio'


Where sould I look for the self-test pads and how should I short them? Without a manual, this is P.I.T.A.


Thanks in advance.