Batboard

I am a non radio techie who has been programming my agencies radios for a number of years. We recently began purchasing XTL2500 mobiles for our cruisers and I have been unable to connect with the radio. I am using a Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 with the Astro 25 Mobile CPS version 11.00.00. I am using a RIB box and the same cable I have been using for my Astro Spectras for a number of years (tried serial and USB with no sucess).

1. Do I need a new cable for the XTL2500?
2. I read in one of the forums about previous versions of CPS or Tuner software causing conflicts. I also have Astro Spectra CPS version R05.02.00 installed on the same computer, will this cause a conflict?

Sorry if this a basic question, but this is a collateral duty that I got stuck with, and although I enjoy it, I have no background in radio programming.

Thanks for any help.

Mike

Mike-

Yes, you will need a different cable for the XTL2500. There are two cables, one for the W-series (Spectra-style) heads and one for the O-series (Odyssey - new style). You can find the part numbers by searching here on the board. I'm guessing you're using the W-series heads, and plugging into the DB25 on the radio deck? I don't think there's anywhere you could interface a Spectra cable to an O-series XTL2500. Also, the Astro 25 cables are RIBless, so you won't be needing that RIB. There are two versions available - USB and Serial. The USBs write quite a bit faster, but seem to have more weird issues. I have both.

No, you should be fine with Astro Spectra and Astro 25 Mobile on the same machine. The big issue is that you can't have multiple versions of one CPS package (say, R10 and R11) installed simultaneously. There are some esoteric reasons why you'd want the older stuff too, but they most likely won't be a factor for you.

Be aware, the newest version of Astro 25 Mobile is R12.00.00 (maybe .01 by now). If you get any new radios, you'll need to upgrade your CPS. Your department should have a subscription with Motorola, which will get you new versions via download and/or CD in the mail. If you don't have a current subscription, I'd suggest going ahead and getting one.

In case you end up with some portables, the XTS2500/5000 cable is different as well...

Good luck!

There are a couple of ways to program the XTL series radios. I have been using the new round mic cable connector
programming cable. This works well for the M5 and O5 series control heads. Part number is HKN6184A for the USB
RIB-less version. Just make sure you point the computer port to the USB connection. It is the last selection all the
way to the bottom of the list. As I go back and forth between the serial port and the USB ports on different radio
programs, I sometimes forget to make sure I have the correct port selected.

There is also the ability to program the low and mid power XTL radios from the rear 26 pin accessory connector.
This connector is the funky looking one that has one side of the shell larger than the other. Good news here is that
is a direct RS232 interface. You can make your own cable or buy (I hate that word) from Motorola. This rear
accessory cable is not available on the 100 watt high power versions. There is however the DB25 connector on
the trunk mount versions. I haven't had time to explore building a cable for this connector yet.

Jim

JMD105 wrote:I am a non radio techie who has been programming my agencies radios for a number of years. We recently began purchasing XTL2500 mobiles for our cruisers and I have been unable to connect with the radio. I am using a Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 with the Astro 25 Mobile CPS version 11.00.00. I am using a RIB box and the same cable I have been using for my Astro Spectras for a number of years (tried serial and USB with no sucess).

1. Do I need a new cable for the XTL2500?
2. I read in one of the forums about previous versions of CPS or Tuner software causing conflicts. I also have Astro Spectra CPS version R05.02.00 installed on the same computer, will this cause a conflict?

Sorry if this a basic question, but this is a collateral duty that I got stuck with, and although I enjoy it, I have no background in radio programming.

Thanks for any help.

Mike

Thanks for all your help! I will be checking on the newest release and ordering the cable directly.

There is a big with the CF-30 when programming, you need to shut OFF the wireless antenna switch before reading or writing.