Batboard

I need some help, I have a XTS3000 UHF with noisy TX, this is my personal radio I use at work. Motorola released a SRN about this problem about 2 years ago, stating that it only effected the UHF XTS’s not VHF or 800 and the fix was to install an insulator. I ordered the “insulator” (just a small piece of plastic that went over the RF deck) and installed it. This did NOT fix it. The problem goes on…The PD department I support, just placed 700 new XTS3000 UHF into the field, well guess what they have the same problem. Motorola did NOT install these insulators in the new units, even though they were aware of this problem. Yes, this does have some high visibility at Motorola, but my question is… has anyone else had this problem and what was the solution? Thanks for reading this….

I had the same problem with my other AS3 I use to have, once a insulator was put in, it worked well....

made it needs another insulator? my friend said that mine took at least couple to get it right......., just thought I throw my experince too....

I have the same problem in several UHF XTS3k's but in my application the radio is used as a RF driver for an external 10 watt PA so there is no antenna at the radio end except for a well grounded and seperated avionics antenna after the 10 watt PA.

Anyone have the service bulletin number for this or know exactly what the insulator insulates.

Mike

The insulater goes between the control board and the shield of the rf board. It is a grounding issue. Is it static or is it popping noise? If it is popping you can try to bend the bottom corner of the rf shield cause it is moving in there. It is true some of the insulators work and so dont even though they are all supposed to be the same.

Mike M

Are you using the XTS3000's with XTVA's or are you hooking up to the radio directly? If you are hooking up directly to the antenna connector are you getting power from the aircraft or battery? I would like to see photos of your installation on the aircraft if possible we are thinking of going with an XTVA on an aircraft. Your thoughts would be of great help.

Thanks,

No XTVA, we use just a XTS3000 modules as an exciter for a multimodule airborne radio so no radio case antenna or battery is even used but the noise is a combo of popping and scratchy.

Our radio is a complete color LCD panel mount avionics setup but there are no internal photos available at this time, it does cross-band and in-band repeat and relay from all possible operating modes, analog, digital, secure analog and secure digital ETC., to any other mode in all XTS flavors.

The xts3000 drives an 10 watt power amp board then on to a tri-band avionics antenna. Standard avionics Do-160 rating using the aircraft power bus but it is highly filtered to get the DO-160 rating. Even on a bench test setup my tech sees the radios breaking up with a clean 28 volt supply into either an 30 dB 150 watt attenuator or into the R2670 analyzer. This is on occuring on the UHF modules.


Mike

OK.. so the problems continues. We have 4 of our radios back at Motorola, we have NOT heard back yet! To answer some of the questions that the other members have posted about this..
1) The DSP is A08.03.01 and rev. R07.14.00.
I have tried one insulator... still have the noise. I have tried 3, still have the noise... I have tried 5.. but this tends to make the PTT stick. I have noticed that on Low Power the amount of noise is less. I have tried both with a short duck/whip and into the service monitor. I have been told by other radio departments that support a PD, that Montorola ended changing out the front cover? Any ideas there? Also keep in mind that these radios (800 of them) were deliver in January of this year and my personel UHF XTS that is 3 years old has the same problem! I will have one of the radios with me at Dayton if anyone wants to hear the noise.
Thanks for all of the hints.. I will keep you all posted when we hear back from Motorola. Reese

to rOF:

Good question... and no your not an a-hole. We purchased these with grant money that allows us to talk to some allied agencies that we couldn't before with our Sabers. Now why XTS's w/o Project 25? Well we do have one Project 25 channel, we are going to build out more channels and with the XTS's we can upgrade thoes radios! But that still doesn't answer why Motorola is selling radio that HAVE noisy TX audio!

http://www.mhztel.sm/cd_info/tib/etc034.pdf

i don't know if this will help you but I was looking at the Moto TIB list and came across ETC034 only because the PWB lookes identical to my UHF XTS3K's so I went ahead and built up the solder at the tabs and fitted a conductive pad as indicated using some conductive matting material and I also tightened the hold down tabs and it fixed my nois problems. I was able to VIB my radios at over 3 G's and no TX breakup.

Mike

mike m has the right idea it is a grounding issue. i know from experience, i have done enough of them for motorola. try building up the solder on the tabs of the rf bd,tighten up the clips on the shield, use the black insulator that motorola suggests, if there is a notch on the bottom edge of the rf shield file it down till it is flat, file the tabs on the casting around the vocon bd so that the tab is at a 90 degree angle to the casting. the rsc in rockford ( now elgin ) never put the pads in the radios but if it works what could it hurt? you are, for sure, not the only one with this problem. if you cant resolve the problem then do what the BIG customers do ( LAPD, New York,etc. ) does complain to motorola enough till they cut you a deal or they fix it. good luck!!! if you have any questions email me i'd be happy to help.

Well, I really don't want to get into having to fix 800 of these radios. they are NEW.. We are putting a lot of pressure on Motorola to FIX these! My main goal of this original post was to find out if any other agencies were having the same problem we are. thanks Reese

yes several, and big high profile ones too.

to; radioracer.... WHO?

Is there anything new on this issue?