XTS5000 OUT OF RANGE

[Jack]

Someone brought in an XTS5000 with a problem I haven't seen before. The radio is programmed appropriately and is active on the system. I checked to make sure that it had a digital ID and all that, and it does. Anyways, what's happening is that every once in a while I get an out of range indicator. It will not go away until I turn the radio off and then back on. Even then, it's hit and miss. When it IS in range, I get an RSSI of 148 (I'm right by the tower). It's got all the appropriate control channels in it, and I went over those 3 times just to make sure. I even removed ALL of them except for the one close to me and I still intermittently see this problem. In addition to this, I've loaded what I know to be a good working codeplug on the radio and I still see the issue. I'm wondering if you all might have an idea of what's going on.

model: H18UCF9PW6AN
Flash: 540008-000482-4

[Einstein]

Someone brought in an XTS5000 with a problem I haven't seen before. The radio is programmed appropriately and is active on the system. I checked to make sure that it had a digital ID and all that, and it does. Anyways, what's happening is that every once in a while I get an out of range indicator. It will not go away until I turn the radio off and then back on. Even then, it's hit and miss. When it IS in range, I get an RSSI of 148 (I'm right by the tower). It's got all the appropriate control channels in it, and I went over those 3 times just to make sure. I even removed ALL of them except for the one close to me and I still intermittently see this problem. In addition to this, I've loaded what I know to be a good working codeplug on the radio and I still see the issue. I'm wondering if you all might have an idea of what's going on.

model: H18UCF9PW6AN
Flash: 540008-000482-4

I would give the radio a complete alignment. It just could be on the fringe of locking the ref. osc.

[Tom in D.C.]

At this time I'm making use of a loaned 800 mHz Astro Saber 3 that's programmed with digital trunked systems. With the radio on and the antenna removed I get that OUT OF RANGE reading, too. In my case it has to mean no signal/lack of signal. Anyway, I tell you this FWIW.

Regards,

[Pj]

Wouldn't be the first time that an antenna or even the antenna connector went south (since everyone uses an antenna as a carry handle). Program up a receiver to listen on one of your simplex channels and play with the antenna to see if your hearing poping when tx'ing.

Other than that, I would agree on an alignment.

[Jack]

This one is off to the depot already. We'll see what happens. Alignment didn't do it either. Very strange. Can't wait to hear what they say about it...

[Pj]

Did you crack it open and check for water damage by any chance?

[Jack]

Yeah everything looked fine. It's very strange. One minute it would be fine and have an RSSI of 148 and the next minute, zero. The only way I could get it to receive the control channel was to walk over to the tower and be right by it. Even then, it would get an RSSI of 5-10. Once I turned it back off and back on again, RSSI of 148 for a short time and then back doing the same thing. Everything was clean inside.

[Einstein]

Yeah everything looked fine. It's very strange. One minute it would be fine and have an RSSI of 148 and the next minute, zero. The only way I could get it to receive the control channel was to walk over to the tower and be right by it. Even then, it would get an RSSI of 5-10. Once I turned it back off and back on again, RSSI of 148 for a short time and then back doing the same thing. Everything was clean inside.

We will see if the depot can find an intermittent, hopefully not returning the unit stating it could not find any problem.

[RKG]

. . . (since everyone uses an antenna as a carry handle) . . . .

I beg your pardon.

[cbus]

We will see if the depot can find an intermittent, hopefully not returning the unit stating it could not find any problem.

That problem is an easy fix if still under warranty, pull out the controller board and pop it in a microwave for 2-3 seconds then pop it back into the radio and send away. hehe

Disclaimer :- the above is for educational purposes only

[tvsjr]

Too obvious.

Take a variable power supply set to 20-30VDC. Connect voltmeter probes to + and -. Find the biggest chip you can, ground a random pin, and drag the + lead around the rest of the pins. When the ammeter jumps and a small wisp of smoke appears, you have likely induced a "catastrophic failure".

Of course, this is only thinking out loud. I would never recommend actually doing this. Not even if you're sending the blasted thing back for the fourth time for some intermittent failure that's causing you major problems but that the quality technicians at $MANUFACTURER can never seem to recreate .