Batboard

kinda curious..have a 6 channel maxtrac. is it possible to blank a maxtrac and then initialize as a 16 or 32 channel radio? i am not the best person at bit banging. i had tried doing it that way. also can i add scan to it as well...thanx

Have seen 6 channel maxtracs that had been upgraded to 16 w/scan. Believe this is far
as you'll go without upgrading control board/firmware.

Hi:

Maxtracs are pretty easy to manipulate !

It does require a little time and effort
when / if you desire to upgrade them.

Done properly, they are super radios !

A suggestion:

Start with radios that have a 16 pin
acc'y connector.

If you do not have a Logic Board that has
a 16 Pin connector, I can suggest you try
and find a blank one with the 5.34 Firmware.

From there, if you have a Blank Logic Board
you can then re-initilaize the board with
any Maxtrac personality you wish. If you have
a 6 channel radio, you can easily upgrade it
to 16 or 32 channel radio.

If you decide to go that route, I do have
some detailed instructions on " How To"

There are some specialized steps that one
does have to pay particular attention too.

Monty

A friend and I did this with a 16 pin maxtrac, and with Monty's instructions, and a little time, we were able to upgrade the radios to 32 channels.

It's possible -- and not a newbie thing (not to suggest you are...)

-Alex

Hi Alex:

If you should read this, on a scale
from 0-10, 10 being easy to follow,
0 being horrible, please rate it !

I have sent the instructions to several
persons, and I just thought it would be
a neat idea to get a response from those
who have used and applied the instructions.

So:

Easy to read?

Easy to follow?

Did it work?

Monty

Hey Monty, any chance you could e-mail those directions to me? e-mail address it [email protected] all this help is greatly appreciated...thanks guys!!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: thgiz on 2002-02-26 07:32 ]</font>

Hi:

Check your EMAIL ( NOT THE PRIVATE MESSAGES )

It has been sent....please give them a try
and rate them as to how easy / hard they are
to follow....I may send a copy to the Batgroup if you have no problems.

Hate to take on responsibilities for others
turning thier radios into a paper weight.

MS

Hey Monty!

I think the only confusing parts were where exactly you find the numbers you can't get out of the RSS - The 8 digits on the crystal, and the 7 written on the board. I guessed it was those, but I don't know how it could be explained better - picutre? I guess I had a different idea in my head what I should be looking for.

Other than that - there are things in the menus that let you leave the alignment in, and that's what we did, besdies re-entering the crystal and board numbers.

1 to 10 rating? I'd give it a 8 or 9 because of the guess work on the numbers but they were good instructions.

Thanks Again.

-Alex

Hi:

YES !! Please be Critical as possible...If there is a area you don't like, please do
not hesitate to speak up on that...

I tried to be as self critical as possible, and I too thought about the photos, but that
of course would add more Ink when making a
color copy.

I will make any corrections ( additions )
persons desire piror to submitting a final
copy...

Your comments well appreciated

Monty

Now that is easy!!! i give it a 10!!i blanked 2, 6 channel maxtracs i had sitting around, one being a UHF the other VHF. made them both from 6 channel basic radios to 32 channel beauties. scan, QCII decoding.... also made a 16 channel low band a 32 channel. only took me about an hour to do all three. Thanks Monty!!!

Hi Monty.. I would sure like to have a copy of the procedure..
Thanks Walt

Hi:

I sent you a copy, let me know how
it works out for you.

MS

6 channels to 32 without changing the firmware ? Certainlly have my interest,
got 2 and 6 up to 16 but that was it.

Monty, could you e-mail me the info on the conversion would like to try it out
Ben
[email protected]

Monty, Can you also send me the info.

Thanks very much,

Monty,

I might as well join the rest here, can I also get you to send me the procedure for this manipulation, email addy is [email protected].
Thanks in advance

HI:

For radiosouth.

" Any " of the Maxtracs can be upgraded
to 16 channels.....However, you must have
a virgin or blank board. If you desire
all 32 channels and all the features, you
will need a Expanded logic board with ver
5.34 Firmware.

It is possible to work around a programmed
board, but you must be very savy in hex editing to do it.

For those who wish to make a complete upgrade, I do have a few Factory 5.34 firmware chips, and 16 pin Factory Blank Logic boards availible.

MS

Well, you all have got me interested as well. I've got some 2 and 6 channel radios around here as well. Monty, have you decided whether you will post the instructions or not? If not, just send me a copy so I can see for myself.

Jay

Hi:

I wish I could post them but there are limits
to the system.

If intersted, please email me direct, let
me know who you are.

Its a 3 page wp_doc

MS

Monty thanks for the board replacement info,
very simple, helps to have the service manual and some knowlege of the product, but all in all real good
Ben

Monty, email is on it's way.

On 2002-03-05 09:59, [email protected] wrote:
Hi:

I wish I could post them but there are limits
to the system.

If intersted, please email me direct, let
me know who you are.

Its a 3 page wp_doc

MS

If you want, send me the word document, I think you have my e-mail, and i'll put it into HTML for you, and you can do as you plesae with it, including posting it to the board.

Let me know if you'd like some help with it.

-Alex

Hi there Monty
Could I also get a copy of doing the
Maxtrac upGrade. thanks in advance Raymond

eMail [email protected]

Monte, I would like to try this on some clunkers arround the shop for training.
My problem is I do NOT do Windows and Word.
So when it gets in plain text or HTML I wish to check it out.
Thanks to Monte for his time and effort on this project.

Hi Will:

Email me with your address, I will
try and send a copy with the next major
batch of mail in a few days.

MS

Monty,
Hope you haven't burned out yet. I too would like a copy of the board blanking procedures. By the way the Saber III you restored for me is working perfectly!
[email protected]
Thanks!

it also helps to have a friend that has the Lab RSS that lets you blank a board...

Monty I have a couple of Maxtracs I like to blank. If you could send me the info please [email protected]

Hi:

<b> To also help claify, the instructions
I have made are for boards that are already
<h2>Blank</h2>as in a factory default mode.

The instructions are good for replacing
a old damaged board with a factory blank
one.

Monty

Monty,

Can you also send me the information on manipulating the Maxtrac logic board. I have 3 of the 16 ch radios I wish to convert to 32 ch. I will glady provide you feedback on the results of using your instructions.

Thanks in advance.
[email protected]

HI:

Check your Email !!

If you need any help, please feel free
to contact me...

Also, you might let me know how
you would rate them from 0-10, 10
being ideal, 0 being poor.

I do have some New ones with " Photos"
but are not yet complete

Monty

Hi Monty,

After converting the .doc file to HTML (I don't do MS Word) and reading over the procedure several times, I realized that it was for already blanked boards. Which mine were not. However, once past this little glitch, your instructions were right on target (except one point - the factory tuning info wasn't written on the shield -- it was on a little paper strip stuck on the board inside the VCO compartment, written as one long number.)

I'd give your procedure a 9 out of 10. It would only be easier if someone else did it for me! LOL! Thank you!

-RFB

This is where I had a problem too - need some better way of putting it like... look for the little gray strip with writing on it? I guess a picture might help.

Monty - you want me to make those instructions into HTML????

-Alex

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: alex on 2002-03-15 10:01 ]</font>

Sorry to bring back an old topic, but could I get a copy of those instructions Monty?
I did a boo-boo on a couple of Maxtracs here and would like to get them back to normal.
I have two. One is a 'C3' 72 mode (8 System, 8 Subfleet and 8 Conventional). The other is 'B7' 110 mode (10, 10 and 10).
The C3 didn't have scan, but the B7 did. I tried to pull the C3 prom and put it into the B7 and blank the board to make it a C3 with scan and 110 modes.
Well, that didn't go over too well due to my NON-blanking procedure. I put everything back to normal, but the B7 doesn't have the coventional channels that it once had. It will only allow 'repeater' pairs and not regular simplex modes.
The C3 was also high powered (30 watts?) and the B7 was just regular (15 watts?)...
Let me know how hard it would be to get these things back to normal again. They both work, but I think the tuning info was wrong on them prior to all of my butchering. After blanking the boards (my method) the tuning values were unchanged. It looks to me like someone else tried to blank these and left the default values in the radios. I have a B5 with totally different values (never been messed with). Thanks for the help...
Scott

Monty
Could send me a set of the Maxtrac upgrade Thanks
Ed
[email protected]

Okay, I have the instructions. Looks like I didn't do this. To blank a board and start all over (move it to a 'Max High Sig'), do I need a factory original board? or can I just use the same ole board that's in the radio. I want to add scan, so I'm guessing that the radio is a 'Trunked' radio. Well, if I totally screw the pooch, how much will it cost me Monty? Just to get the radios realigned to be a 'Superior Operating Radio'? Factory original will be fine also...
Thanks,
Scott

You can blank the board you have. You have to blank it with conventional Maxtrac LAB RSS.

To initialize the radio as a trunked radio - you have to use the trunked Maxtrac RSS. Be sure you have the right firmware for the model you are creating. Unlike the conventional RSS which will let you create a radio from scratch, with the trunked RSS you must have an archive file for the appropriate radio model as a starting point.

So I guess that leaves out the putting in scan. The only archive I have of a scan radio is the one that is Type I and conventional only. I wanted to make a Type II radio with scan. The Type II that I have has 'Phone', 'Call' and 'H/L'. The Type I radio has 'Phone', 'Scan' and 'Select'. Man, I should just give up...
Scott

Maybe you can get someone to send you a codeplug.

Otherwise I have heard of (but never seen) a trunked Maxtrac LAB RSS. Maybe someone can advise if you can create a particular trunked radio model from scratch using that.

Monty, please email me the Maxtrac instructions
[email protected]

mostly for rescue 161, scott. if you have any luck with your radio would you let me know how and what you did.. i am waiting for my firmware now ,hln 9435c, its on the way. i hope to do what you are doing thanks jimmy ps my e mail add. [email protected]

HI:

With the popularity of this , I will spend some extra
time, make some changes to the Instructions, and
add the photos.
===================================

And for those who may need it, I do
have the Facotry Firmware IC's @ a Nominal
Cost for those who want to be able to move from
16 to 32 Channels, and have the High-Sig Functions
===================================

And I will add a link to my web site and or submit
it to the Batlab Group as a whole. Should be avaible
in a week or two...Super Bowl is right around the corner
from me, and I will be pretty busy during that time.

Hope everyone was able to save time ( and keep their )
radio in good working order.

I really did not mind fixing them, it was just getting
to repetitive, same old Bat Issue, Same old Bat
Realighment proceedure, same Old Bat Maxtrac / Radius
mobile. ( ref the Comic Bat, for the newer generation ) Not
the Bat here on the Forum !

ALLWAYS REMEMBER TO SAVE THE ORIGINAL
CODE PLUG FOR THE ALIGHNMNET VALUES !!!

Too many persons just [ Blank ] the board without
knowing there are Soft Pot Values that control how
well the radio will function !! And the Factory Default
Settings are horrible, and are just a starting point.

And for those perosns whom may own a GM300 ? Well
Motorola in their wisdom ( Have 2 Different Boards ) and
the Conversion is possible, but a Board Change & Firmware
is needed

And a Special proceedure for reinitalizing them ( NOT FOR THE
AVERAGE PERSON! )

Monty

Well, come to find out that I actually never did black the boards in my two radios. I was using Maxtrac Lab Trunked (version D07.07.29).
I got fed up after trying to blank the boards (Monty's way). Come to find out, I guess there are more options on the trunking side of things, but I don't know for sure. Before putting all of the soft pot values back to their original settings, the radio keeps asking for an archive of the model for that Logic Board. Well, I only have one for the Type I radio and one for the Type II radio.
If anyone can send me a codeplug for model number:
D45MWA5GC3AK
I need the codeplug to have SCAN enabled.
It would also be nice to have 10 Systems, 10 Subfleets and 10 Conventional channels on it.
The one I have does NOT have scan and only has 8,8 and 8.

Thanks for all the help,
Scott

In all these previous posts, no one mentioned once the fact that when you blank the logic board...you BLANK the logic board....all alignments are gone and have to be redone...a very lenghty and meticulous process....
I'd hate to live anywhere around all these hacked up radios !!!

Spurious City!!

mrscott wrote:In all these previous posts, no one mentioned once the fact that when you blank the logic board...you BLANK the logic board....all alignments are gone and have to be redone...a very lenghty and meticulous process....
I'd hate to live anywhere around all these hacked up radios !!!

Spurious City!!

All of my alignments were copied down prior to blanking. So, after reinitializing, the values were 'meticulously' entered back into the radio. Some of the 'previous posts' that you didn't see are the private messages and the e-mails that YOU didn't recieve.
Scott

HI:

Just to make sure we stay on the correct page, my instructions
are targeted more for the Professioanl and experienced hobbiest.

Also, are geared more for the UHF / VHF user.

When it comes to [ Trunking Radios ] there are MANY different
ways to approch those !! And you MUST have a Basic Knowledge
of [ How Too ] the Lab Software from Motorola is LAB USE ONLY,
and you really can make a mess of your radio if you are not familure on the ins / outs of setting requirements in a Trunking radio.

You will need more than just the instructions !!

Virgin Blank Board
Maxtrac Ver 5.00.00 Software
HLN9383A Rom Kit ( Other versions WILL NOT WORK )
HUF3190A Super Unified Chassis Model

With the above, and still following the same path, you should be
able to make it work...

Select Model # D45MWA5GB7AK

MS

Would love to see the document you put together, as I have 1 radio right now I am struggling with... Perhaps a going over with your info will un-brake things

Thanks

addition: my apologies, it's usually a tad bit easier to leave my email address [email protected] vs you havung to lookup my address via my profile.

Wm