Batboard

OK. I figured out what to change in R02.02.00 CPS for the MCS 2000 to operate in the 900MHz amateur band.

This modification should allow receive down to 927.0000MHz, and transmit up to 903.9875MHz.

In the MCS2000.exe file, use your favorite hex editor (I prefer Hex Workshop) to search for the following hex values:

AC3CC335 (represents 901987500)

Replace it with

2CC1E135 (represents 903987500)

Then

9428BB37 (represents 935.012500)

Replace it with

C0E54037 (represents 927.000000)

Please make sure you search the ENTIRE document for the original values, as they may appear more than once. If I recall correctly, one value appeared twice, the other only once. Just save the file (make sure to save a backup copy!) and then launch the CPS. Read your radio, and you should now be able to enter receive frequencies from 927.0000 through the commercial frequencies, and transmit frequencies up to 903.9875.

Enjoy.

The procedure should be the same for the MTS 2000. I'm glad this helped someone!

Are there multiple places that must get patched for each model radio that's covered by the program, or does one change do every model? I realize that the older programs usually only covered one model line, so this wasn't an issue.

It was SOOOOOOOOO nice of Motorola to make the limits an exact 12.5 kHz channel frequency. Sure made it hard to find references to 896, 902, 935, and 941.

Thanks for the info.

Bob M.

With Hex workshop or any decent hex editor, just do a search and replace of all instances as originally described. I actually opened mine up a bit wider by a couple of megs, just in case.

This fix also worked on CPS ver 12.00.00 for the XTL-1500 Mobil.
Thanks, TR

Thanks for this post, it worked for me. There was one entry for the first value and two for the second.
Rich

Thanks for this info...works great!

Question? How does one generate the hex values to search for from the decimal values or frequency in MHz? IE: AC3CC335 (represents 901987500)

The standard hex coverters don't seem to jive with the values listed above.

I just used the Base Converter tool bundled with Hex Workshop set to Intel and Unsigned Long. Works every time.

motorola_otaku wrote:I just used the Base Converter tool bundled with Hex Workshop set to Intel and Unsigned Long. Works every time.

Thank you...I was using something much simpler that didn't have such a utility.

I tried this on CPS version R01.10.00 . I found both strings and modified them with Hex Workshop. I saved the file as MCS.exe ... it told me MCS.exe already exists...replace it? and I said yes.

I started MCS and the band limits are still the stock limits.

Why didn't my mods take effect?

Forgive me, I've programmed GTX's and modified ODB files in RSS, but never before in CPS.

Thanks all of you for your help!

N5LS wrote:Why didn't my mods take effect?

You missed a location or two.

This is why I don't like giving paint-by-numbers bandsplit hack instructions for modern CPS - the offset locations change with each version. The only sure-fire way to do it (and this applies to Astro Mobile and Portable AND Astro25 mobile and portable too) is to do the math with Base Converter to figure up your new and old values, then search the entire .exe file replacing as you go. If you're worried about accidentally overwriting a bit of random code all you have to do is grab the 4 bits before and after your target 4-bit range and plug them into Base Converter to see if they represent an actual frequency. Many of them will not jive with any known bandsplit limit, but as long as they're an actual Hz frequency and not a random integer you're safe.

Thanks, motorola-otaku,

I actually searched the ENTIRE exe file with Hex Workshop, going 4 bits at a time. I'm fairly certain that I got ALL the old bandsplit strings and replaced them. I checked and rechecked. I used the "search" function to locate the old strings (using the base converter to find out what those strings should look like).

Someone on the air locally here suggested that I have to first change the name of the existing mcs.exe file to something else, like mcs.bak, BEFORE writing the new exe file to my hard drive, for the changes to work. Could that be? I re-checked the modified file I wrote to the hard drive and it is still as I wrote it, so it didn't revert back to stock !

Hex Workshop should give you the option to create a .bak backup file when you save your changes. As long as you didn't move or copy the original .exe file from its original location any changes you make will "stick" as soon as you save.

Thanks again, Otaku,

Well, It did "stick". All the changes I made are OK. But the CPS Still wont recognize the new band edges. I must have missed an offset somewhere. Thanks for your help!

I know this is an old thread, so I hope someone is watching it...

I'm wondering if editing is only needed for 900 MHz Amateur, or if I need to do this as well for VHF and UHF Amateur. If I'm going to go through the trouble, I may as well do it all at once...

I do know for a fact that editing is needed to push the VHF down to 144. Done it, works great.

146 to 144 for certain VHF radios, and 450 to 440 for S-split UHF radios. Same methods apply for searching and editing the bandsplit values as for 900.

OK - well, band plans are secondary to my new main problem now... I was writing a codeplug to the MCS2000 when the battery in my RIB gave up the ghost. Needless to say, I now have a doorstop. Any way to resurrect this radio, short of paying Motorola to do it?

Yes, but you need a DOS RSS-saved codeplug or a s-record for that radio, and MTSX Lab R03.00.00. Actually any s-rec or DOS codeplug matching your model of radio will work, but you'd need to do a full service alignment afterward of course.

motorola_otaku wrote:Yes, but you need a DOS RSS-saved codeplug or a s-record for that radio, and MTSX Lab R03.00.00. Actually any s-rec or DOS codeplug matching your model of radio will work, but you'd need to do a full service alignment afterward of course.

I currently have neither... well, actually, I DID save the codeplug first - before modifying it - so I have the archive. If anyone wants to contact me off-list with ideas/suggestions/help, I'd be MUCH obliged!!

n9wys <(at)> ameritech <(dot)> net