Batboard

Found this old thread on the same subject but I didn't want to post in a 3 year old thread:
http://batboard.batlabs.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=79962

I have two 110w K-split astro spectras with 11.71.07 (newest) firmware. They both transmit perfect p25 that I can decode with my uniden scanner. I have checked both radios with my service monitor and they are both tuned correctly.

Based on what I am reading in that other thread I linked, the new firmware version and proper tuning increase the chance that a particular radio will transmit p25 out of band.

I have a friend with a 453-486 split astro that does not transmit p25 in the ham band. I'm not sure what firmware he has.

Question is, would a firmware update possibly allow the 453-486 radio to transmit p25 in the ham band? I only have a couple flashes left so I don't want to waste one upgrading the radio unless it would help. I may also consider buying an S-split astro if I can be sure that it would transmit p25 at 442.3MHz. Has anyone with the newest firmware tried it, and how far down could you go?

No it will not without some s-record modifications and possibly hardware modifications.

Jason

If I'm understanding you correctly, you have a friend's UHF Astro Spectra which operates in the UHF "3.5 range" of 453-488 MHz and you want to make it transmit P25 from 440 to 450 with a firmware upgrade. Ain't gonna happen. The only way to make UHF Astro Spectras transmit P25 out of band was with specially-modified codeplugs that had softpot alignment tuning points added in the 440-450 range. The hack was never publicly disclosed, although personally I suspect they were made with modern P25-capable versions of Astro Lab RSS.

I have heard that 438-470 records rammed in function fine in a range 3 radio (not sure about 3.5). I personally would do the hardware change too (range 2 parts).

Jason

Interesting. I wonder what the difference is between the VHF and UHF ones. I guess that 8mhz out of band for the UHF band is a lot different than 2 mhz out of band for VHF.