Batboard

EDIT: If this belongs in "general" instead of "programming", if a moderator could move it, that'd be great.

I have a few questions about programming a flashport MTS2000 I have. I've been looking around the forum, and can't really find what I'm looking for. I'm having a friend do the programming, because I don't have the RSS required.

Here's the model information:
Model: H01RDH9PW1BN
S/N: 432AVN0***-X
Type: RDUA
DOC/MDC: 10919310***
FCC ID: AZ489FT4781

I'd appreciate any information anyone has, but here's basically what I'm wondering:

-What does the A/B/C switch do on the top? What can this be programmed for? Is it similar to zone setup on the sabers?

-What options do I have for zone/channel mode? Can the channels be setup to be controlled from the keypad?

-What can I program for labels for each channel? 14 Characters?

-There's a small orange button on the top, by the antenna. What's this button do? ****-hitting-the-fan button?

-There's a small green button on the side, above the tx and . and .. buttons, can this be used for anything other than backlighting?

-What're the . and .. buttons above the tx button for? Right now, one's setup as so that when pressed, a "Z" indicator comes on on the screen, and the bottom one is setup for squelch.

-Can the 0-9 buttons be programmed to transmitt DTMF over the air?

-Is there a roger beep option available somewhere in the programming?

-What does the little rotating collar that goes from "O" to "O with a line though it" do? Securenet?

-What scan options can be setup in the programming? Channel? Zone? Bank?

Any help would be appreciated. I read over the overviews both on here and on the batlabs.com model specific information page. Thanks...

I did not take the time to look up your model number, but I'm assuming it is an MTS2000 portable with full keypad and front display.

-What does the A/B/C switch do on the top? What can this be programmed for? Is it similar to zone setup on the sabers?

You can set up the A/B/C switch to command the first three zones. In addition, you do zone selection via a menu -- note that this is the only time that a function can be duplicated on a button or switch and a menu. It is not atypical to put the most used zones on the A/B/C and use the menu for other, lesser used, zones. However, be advised that if you do this, radio will follow the A/B/C switch on power up, not the last zone selected via the menu.

-What options do I have for zone/channel mode? Can the channels be setup to be controlled from the keypad?

Yes, but this is awkward.

-What can I program for labels for each channel? 14 Characters?

The total of Zone Name and Channel Name is limited to 14 characters, and on a radio-wide basis, you can allocate X charcters to zone and the remainder will be available for name. I typically allocate 2 or 3 characters for zone, and name the zones just "1", "2" and so forth. In many applications, zone names aren't helpful and you just set zone name length to 0 and get all 14 locations for channel name.

-There's a small orange button on the top, by the antenna. What's this button do? ****-hitting-the-fan button?

The orange button can be programmed for Emergency (not useful unless you're part of an MDC system with a console that can receive and acknowledge emergency IDs), Volume Test or Light.

-There's a small green button on the side, above the tx and . and .. buttons, can this be used for anything other than backlighting?

Your radio is a B model and there may be some limitations, but in general each of the three side buttons can be programmed for any of the side button functions, remembering not to duplicate a function on both a button and a menu item. Most folks use the green button for Nuisance Delete/Select. In this mode, a short press of the green button is a nuisance delete during scan and a select toggle during scan program.

-What're the . and .. buttons above the tx button for? Right now, one's setup as so that when pressed, a "Z" indicator comes on on the screen, and the bottom one is setup for squelch.

See above. The "Z" (actually, an ersatz lightning bolt) is an indication that the radio is in scan mode, unless there is also a box, in which you are in scan program mode.

-Can the 0-9 buttons be programmed to transmitt DTMF over the air?

Yes and no. Not directly, such as with an ICOM U16. However, you can program a channel for PHONE operation and then program the phone options for live dial.

-Is there a roger beep option available somewhere in the programming?

No.

-What does the little rotating collar that goes from "O" to "O with a line though it" do? Securenet?

The "Concentric Switch" can be programmed for many things. Secure/Clear is an option if you have encryptiion boards installed and some use for them. Many folks use this for a Rpt/Dir selection, so that it can be done by feel.

-What scan options can be setup in the programming? Channel? Zone? Bank?

Too general a question for my "on the run" response. In general, each "personality" can have its own scan list (though in real life lists are re-used for many channels). Each scan list can contain 15 designated members, plus the selected channel. There are priority options, which are self-explanatory. A designated scan list member can come from any zone.

Any help would be appreciated. I read over the overviews both on here and on the batlabs.com model specific information page. Thanks...

You're welcome.