Batboard

Hi
My XTS3000 will not power up. When I turn it on the green led comes on and the screen goes into self test. After about 1 second the radio goes dead. I have tried a new battery and the same problem. I tried to read the radio but that failed as well.

Any help would be appreciated.
Regards
Andrew

What band is it in?
HOST/DSP revision?
Model number?
Flashcode?
Software your using?

What were you last doing with it before it stopped working?

If its used to monitor a trunking system, sounds like it got zapped.

I would have to agree with PJ, if your not getting an error code it sounds like it may have been zapped.

Does it go blank entirely, or does it do a self-test loop (displays self test, reboots, displays self-test, etc... etc...)?

Sure sounds like it was inhibited...

My experience with an inhibited radio (it was an MTSX series, not XTS however) was that the radio WOULD boot up and look/act normal, it just wouldn't receive anything. You'd just think the radio went dead and wasn't receiving squat.

How does the XTS series act?

Also, were you affiliating to the system with your radio, assuming you aren't an authorized user? If so, that's a pretty good way to get your radio inhibited by the system admins.

bellersley wrote: How does the XTS series act?

Exactly what he described. The LED lights and has a moment of display activity for the self test then shuts down.

Same with Astro Spectra

Actually, it was the exact same with a couple of MTS2000 units I tested with years ago...normal wake-up, then dead...no lights, no display. Also the same for CM/CP200 series radios.

bellersley wrote:My experience with an inhibited radio (it was an MTSX series, not XTS however) was that the radio WOULD boot up and look/act normal, it just wouldn't receive anything. You'd just think the radio went dead and wasn't receiving squat.

I've seen what you describe above when the system in the radio is set-up as "PTT-ID trunking" instead of "Message trunking" or "Transmission trunking", with the radio set to "auto affiliate". You don't hear squat unless the radio can affiliate with a valid ID. I'd say you weren't inhibited, but rather just 'shut out' of the system.

Todd

Just reprogram with saved code plug you should be fine! unless you are using the latest cps! I believe that with the newer CPS once the radio has been killed only the system administrator call wake the radio up! correct if I am wrong!

Matt

MotoTech wrote:Just reprogram with saved code plug you should be fine! unless you are using the latest cps! I believe that with the newer CPS once the radio has been killed only the system administrator call wake the radio up! correct if I am wrong!

Matt

You are correct. I believe it has been the last 2 versions of CPS for the XTS series have this patch, not sure about the latest RSS for the other models. He will find out quickly enough once he tries to re-program it.

Last two version, as in R04.01.02 and R04.01.04, or major revisions R03 and R04?

Thanks to all for the fast replies.

I do have one trunking channel programmed into the radio (which I have never monitored before). And I think it may have been zapped. My friends Kid was playing with the radio so I don’t know if he tried to transmit or it was zapped with just affiliating. I am using version 3.0 cps. I was able to load a saved codeplug today. When I tried to read the radio it would not read but accepted the codeplug ok. Anyway I’m happy now but I will have to look at stopping the radio from affiliating.

Thank you all and regards
Andrew

Do a search here in the board about trunking and affliation. I think within a couple of post, you will be able to program it without a problem. However, just by monitoring a trunked system, its possbile to still get zapped. Just depends on how the radio and the radio system are setup.

INHIBITED, hahahahahhahahaha, guess you should have gotten permission to be on the sys.

SG

No doubt you'll come across this on other posts, but if you are going to monitor a trunked system the best bet is a scanner. Failing that, if you are of the "it has to be motorola" type, you'd be best programming it for SmartNet, affiliate On PTT, and disabling the PTT. It's still not 100% surefire, but it's about the best you're going to do with a Motorola. Remember, they were never made to be used as a scanner, so you have to take what you can get.

Bottom line, you're best off with a scanner if all you want to do is monitor.

tvsjr wrote:Last two version, as in R04.01.02 and R04.01.04, or major revisions R03 and R04?

Last 2 versions....not major revisions.

Does any one have any solution for this problem yet? I think I have one of these dead units. Called the Depot, Out of warranty last August $350.00 flat repair cost.)

STX Man wrote:Does any one have any solution for this problem yet? I think I have one of these dead units. Called the Depot, Out of warranty last August $350.00 flat repair cost.)

If you have a saved codeplug of the radio before it was inhibited, you can 'revive' the radio simply by cloning the codeplug back into the radio. This only applies if the CPS (both to save the codeplug & do the cloning) is older than 4.01.02, as was mentioned earlier in this thread. If you do not have or cannot locate a suitable codeplug, then you are S.O.L. The depot generally won't even repair them if they've been inhibited.

Todd

"The depot generally won't even repair them if they've been inhibited."

As well they shouldn't, as the rest of us pay for this.

I suspect the depot also gets very nosy about how this radio came to be inhibited.

Yes, they do, and as Martha would say, "That's a good thing."

They don't really get 'involved' per se, they just send the radio back with a note to the effect that the radio was inhibited, and to contact your system administrator to 'find out why'.

Todd

Thanks for the all replies.

Does any one know how the "Affiliation" work? If the radio is programed not to transmit, how can it get zapped?, or how does the system know the radio is out there?
I do want to use this radio as a scanner. The BCD 396 I just bought, does not scan encrypted channels.

Thanks

Scanning encrypted channels? I hope you meant DIGITAL channels...

All it takes is one accidental transmission/affiliation and the illegal ID can be captured by the system admin. and then set up to be inhibited. Two things usually catch my eye:

If you were scanning digital talk-groups with an analog ID, the system will reject it and log it or,

You used an ID that wasnt being used an it was logged as an illegal affiliation attempt.

Another way is if you duped an ID and it showed up on the system where it shouldn't be.

Either way you should be using a scanner like others have advised.

d119, yes the system is digital P-25, and DES-OFB encryption.

Mark (KS4VT), do you know of any digital scanners that would scan encrypted channels? As I mentions earlier, I just purchased the latest Bearcat Digital 396 scanner, (that was before I found out about the encryption), but no luck.

Thanks.

here we go again....
it is a violation of Federal law to intentionally intercept encrypted transmissions not intended for you. no scanner is capable of decoding AES-OFB, etc.
Law enforcement/public safety systems that utilize encryption do so for a reason: to keep YOU out. all the political opinions aside, it IS illegal to attempt to intercept them and you are just asking to go to Guantanamo Bay if you think it's cool to tote that XTS5K or whatever, which a stolen system key and monitoring (or attempting) to monitor encrypted traffic.
it isn't cool and hopefully this discussion will end because this is going nowhere. bottom line if you aren't authorized to be on a system DANGER WILL ROBINSON steer clear. If you are contact the system admin they will do for you what you need done.

WC4RAV

Some one (who probably had no idea what he was talking about) told me this is only the case for the federal agencies. I suppose there have been previous discussions about this in the past.
The only thing I don't understand is, until 6 months ago before an agency (local PD) changes the system, you can monitor the freq. legally, as soon as they go digital, everything changes.
If in fact there has been previous posts about this, do you know where I can find it? like to learn more about it.

Thanks.

This is the case for any governmental agency.

Besides, the keyspace for DES is 2^56 = 72,057,594,037,927,936 possible keys. How exactly do you plan on finding the appropriate key?

Digital does not always imply encryption. There are plenty of non-encrypted or only partially-encrypted digital systems out there. If you don't like the fact that your local PD uses full-time encryption, you need to take the issue up with your elected officials.

I guess you could make S-rec backups of a radio written with 4.01.04 and jam that back in when it gets inhibited...

Not that you should be playing with such things etc etc blah blah

andrew, you will be a lot better of with an inexpensive digital scanner, like a Radio Shack PRO-96, as opposed to attempting to use a Motorola 2-way radio. You can get yourself into really deep hot water if you try to use a commercial portable radio to listen to trunked systems for which you are not an authorized user.

STX Man wrote:d119, yes the system is digital P-25, and DES-OFB encryption.

Mark (KS4VT), do you know of any digital scanners that would scan encrypted channels? As I mentions earlier, I just purchased the latest Bearcat Digital 396 scanner, (that was before I found out about the encryption), but no luck.

Thanks.

No scanner is capable of decrypting an encrypted converstation. It's a violation of Federal Law to attempt to intercept as others have mentioned.

Forget about the encrypted conversations as they are secure for a reason.