L3208 / MC3000 questions

[DPL]

Hello all. I have recently found myself with a couple of L3208A junction boxes, and a few MC3000s and RCH3000s to go with them. I'd like to try to set something up for personal use at home, but this is pretty new territory for me. I've done a bit of research here on the board, and I understand that the desksets use the SB9600 protocol to control the radio, just like a regular control head. I also understand that the best radio to hook all of this up to is an Astro Spectra Consolette W9 model but of course I don't have one of those. I do have a few Astro Spectras sitting around, though. My first question is: has anyone tried hooking the L3208A up to an Astro Spectra directly (i.e., not a Consolette), and if so, how did you do it?

I didn't get any documentation with this stuff. I've been perusing MOL looking for PDF manuals, especially something that gives me the pinout of the connectors on the back of the L3208, but haven't had any luck yet. Can anyone steer me in the right direction there? I'm sure it's there, I just wish the search function on MOL was a bit more useful.

[DPL]

OK, found the manuals on MOL, so ignore that part of the question.

[Jim202]

OK, found the manuals on MOL, so ignore that part of the question.

If you go through the manual on the J-Box, you will find one page that shows the DB25 connector connections. Copy or print that page. Next you will need to make up a cable to go from the J-Box to the Astro Spectra DB15 accessory connector. It will need to use the data +, data - and busy (SB9600 data) connections. Don't forget the mic high and the filtered audio out from the radio. Also you will need the PTT line and ground. That is a total of 7 wires. The cable should be shielded.

You may have to open up the Astro Spectra and move around some of the surface mount jumpers. The first indication of this is that you will not have the PTT ability from the accessory connector on the radio. You also could be missing the mic hi input for the radio to function correctly with an input from the accessory connector.

If you run into this, send me a PM with a good email address and I will provide you with a PDF file showing you where and which jumpers need to be moved. Don't forget these are surface mount components. You will need the required soldering tools to deal with the zero ohm jumper movements. All the jumpers are located on the control board. It will have to be removed from the radios as some of the jumpers are on the bottom side of the board.

Radio should be set up for using the W9 control head. Otherwise the MC3000 won't show any channel information and won't be able to change channels or zones.

Jim

[DPL]

Jim,
That's great information, thanks. I'm in the process of giving the manual for the junction box a good and thorough read.

[Wadsworth]

Hello, I remember in the old days we could directly run a tone or DC remote deskset to control a Consolette base station but it appears this cannot be accomplished with the newer MC3000 desk set remote, is that correct? Want to tone remote control a base station with a tone remote board in it. Can anyone tell me if I can go directly to the radio with the MC3000 without using the junction box? We have the box but are missing the 12 VDC power supply and I don't know the pin outs for it.

Chris in Afghanistan

[Jim202]

Hello, I remember in the old days we could directly run a tone or DC remote deskset to control a Consolette base station but it appears this cannot be accomplished with the newer MC3000 desk set remote, is that correct? Want to tone remote control a base station with a tone remote board in it. Can anyone tell me if I can go directly to the radio with the MC3000 without using the junction box? We have the box but are missing the 12 VDC power supply and I don't know the pin outs for it.

Chris in Afghanistan

If you don't have the normal power supply, you can red neck it. I have added a 3.5 mm connector to the rear of one of the MC3000 I have because I wasn't going to pay the blood money Motorola wanted for the normal power pack. They are well over $100 new. I used one of the many 12 volt wall wort units we had laying around. It would help if you had the manual for the devices to work from. They are available off of the MOL site for download. If you run into trouble, send me a PM.

As for using the MC3000 directly connected to the radio, that ain't going to work. You will need the digital junction box. Then you will also need to make up a cable to go between the digital junction box and the radio.

If the radio does in fact have the tone remote control board in it, you would be better off locating a normal tone remote desk unit and using that. It will then only require making up the radio connection at the DB25 connector. Make sure you use the lower connector that says "accessory 2".

Jim

[Wadsworth]

Thanks, this answers my questions perfectly, appreciate your help!

Chris

Afghanistan Air Base

[W1HVN]

Began project in interfacing today. Testing handsets I purchased, have one that doesn't talk to the J-Box, other three do. Won't come out of connecting to digital radio please wait. Anyone have the manual on this? It's an L3223. ALso if anyone has software to create labels that would be helpful as well.

There is a way to tell the handset to talk to a digital consolette or an MCS2k/CDM platform. No dip switches or jumpers for it so I'm guessing there is a secret button press combo to choose in a menu.

Thanks..

[RFguy]

There are dip switches/jumpers in the L3208 to set it for MCS M3/Astro Spectra Digital W9/IDEN M470.

There is a different DJB for CDM1550 remote mount. It's a L3239

I don't know it there's a way to convert a L3208 to a L3239.