advice on a radio purchase... Astro saber II 415$ ? ? ?

[kb3jkp]

I have a guy on ebay..that has 120 feedback..all positive..and all radio related stuff..he's willing to sell me an astro saber II, with the following specs..

host software version: R04.0100,
DSP software version: I06.02.00,
EMC SECURE version: R01.00,
Encryption type 1: Des-x

MOTOROLA model # H04RDF9PW7AN
FLASHPORT 1 MEG, 1000010000007

do you think I should purchase this radio? is it worth the 415$ or more?

in the "astro portable model number identification" section it says the radio is 438-482 Mhz.. I thought all UHF astro sabers were either 400-470 or 450-512?? guess I got a lot to learn.. thanks for all the help in advance. here's a pic of the item

[kb3jkp]

I want to use this on the IMBE system that washington DC is using.. for monitoring purposes...they have talkgroups for every federal agency...as well as some in PG and montgomery county..so it'll be a nice radio..if it works....as well as conventional analog/astro on 440 amateur.maybe I can get some help from Tom in DC ? thanks

[alex]

Well, for one, you'll probably need to do firmware upgrades on all the radios.

They are 403-470, probably gov't pulls, and probably have DES-XL in them.

They are OK if your only goal is to listen to analog stuff - but don't hold your breath on the digital stuff without shelling out some bucks for new vocoders.

I probably wouldn't pay anymore than $400 for one. You'd have to put at least $200 in to upgrades from there.

-Alex

Also, a lot of people on here will not just take your radio and program your radio for Federal stuff, and just asking for something like that wouldn't be something I'd even recomend. Most people if they know it, won't even admit to it, let alone take some random person's radio and program it for them. Keep this in mind.

[kb3jkp]

like I said..I want it mostly for DC..which currently has a 3600 Baud control channel..with astro voice/data.....IMBE...you think it'll cost 600$ total to get it working? and digital? thanks

[kb3jkp]

how hard would it be to convert to 450-512 Mhz? cost effective? or should I just dump 1k$ for a "ready made" radio?

[alex]

1) You'll need a firmware upgrade. Sending this to the factory to get the options you want will cost you around $1300. $600 for Digital, $800 for Smartzone. That's of the top of my head. If there is anything wrong with the radios, you'll probably have to pay flat rate to get them fixed (around $270.)

2) You'll need system keys for any of the trunking systems that are down there. Good luck getting those.

3) You'll need someone who even with the system keys to program the radio for you. I highly doubt you'll find this person out there anywhere.

My advice: Don't bother if you really don't know what your doing with the radios. Your going to need a lot of information and keys that aren't avalible to the public.

If you buy those, expect to use them as straight up conventional, and with VSELP digital. All the DC stuff is IMBE digital. Unless you know someone I don't, getting it programmed for what you want will be the most diffuclt task you will have to complete.

-Alex

[kb3jkp]

thanks for the advice, u think i should just steal on of their xts's and change the serial # and radio id so they cant disable it? lol..j/k...thanks for the help :-p

[kb3jkp]

how hard would it be to convert to 450-512?

[alex]

I stand corrected on my versions.

Barely IMBE

-Alex

[kb3jkp]

so the host and DSP software versions are actually just the codeplug? not firmware or anything that needs a special tool to update?

[alex]

Host: The software in the radio that says "this is how you do it"

DSP: The software which controls the audio Codec's.

Neither of these are effected by the codeplug.

You can sometimes program in features based on a flashcode that isn't correct, but they won't work. The radio lacks the information in the HOST part of the radio to execute the code.

Kinda like on a computer:

You have programs that will output sound, but without a soundcard - it's useless.

In other words, you need the hardware/software combination to be correct before you can listen/talk.

-Alex

[apco25]

I bid on these bastards a while ago but lost the bid when they went for 2k!

Either its the same radios relisted or more of the same lot listed.

I figured the firmware was older with intermediate DSP.

They're over priced yet again. I agree, $400 each is about right at that.

[kb3jkp]

I told the guy 350$ and that was as high as I'd go.. I figure 350$ for a glorified "digital scanner" should be good... better than paying 500$ for a pro-96 ... considering all I need to monitor is washington DC... so :-p .. good deal or ? ? ? a local dealer said he "might" be able to do the firmware/host update as well as change the flashport options..and if he can.. he'll charge a flat hourly rate.. so.. I think I might be in luck

[apco25]

Well, they are still over priced for what they are right now.

PJ, Jaymz and Alex ran into a guy at dayton who had even older HOST/DSP firmware revision AS's and he wanted 1k each!

I keep telling myself I should just go order a new MACOM 7100P

[alex]

PJ, Jaymz and Alex ran into a guy at dayton who had even older HOST/DSP firmware revision AS's and he wanted 1k each!

Yeah. What a rip off. The seller was like "they are digital, see, the label here says ASTRO"

Riiight.

This is as bad as the guy in France who wanted to sell me a Visar in some "security shop" that he couldn't power up, didn't have the charger for, and had a 1996 Visar battery (for those of you not in the know, they have a shelf life of about a week).

He wanted: $1000EUR.

-Alex

[jedi_saber]

I want to use this on the IMBE system that washington DC is using.. they have talkgroups for every federal agency...as well as some in PG and montgomery county...

Yes and no ... keep in mind that every agency does not have their channels open and linked to the MPD UHF system! A lot of them are on-demand systems, so unless they are requested or needed, you will hear zip on those channels.
If you are monitoring only in DC, you may want to think about getting a scanner to do all... Most of your fire depts are on 800 Astro 3.6k or typeII trunking (so are some PDs). PG police is on UHF conventional, MPD on UHF too, most agencies on VHF some conventional some digital... Then there are some vollie places still using old school low band.

... see where I am going with this?

Or you could always get three astro portables, each in VHF, UHF and 800....

[apco25]

get 3 astros and be happy

[alex]

Yes and no ... keep in mind that every agency does not have their channels open and linked to the MPD UHF system! A lot of them are on-demand systems, so unless they are requested or needed, you will hear zip on those channels.

Yup. Unless the channels are patched by the dispatcher, you won't hear jack.

Fun isn't it.

[kb3jkp]

lmao @ jedi_saber & APCO25.....

I was actually gonna get _EVENTUALLY_ 3 AS3's..one for each band....with a SVA for each..... figured it would be the most cost effective solution..

I used to run with montgomery county fire... so I'm VERY! familiar with their radio system... but honestly have been out of the loop on the new 800 astro system put in.. god I memorize all the frequencies,inputs and PL's for every channel..scary huh? same thing with montgomery police....and partially PG county police (for those familiar with the area) I programmed so many radio's for off duty Police Officers it's not even funny... some PG county officers are still using the GE equivelant of an HT220...lol so I sell them a saber or an MPA and they love em.... but back to the topic....

thanks for all the advice guys.. I appreciate it.....I'm actually working on a deal with "8443833" in AU.. you think 750$ for a 450-512 AS3 with the whored out nick flashcode is a good deal? considering it's use? I can make the system key *cough cough*...PG county is conventional analog...and Montgomery county..although they moved to an 800 astro system..still simulcasts on their UHF T-band system.. so that shouldnt be a problem....


I'm not sure if it's kosher to post part of a PM ... but I guess I need advice on the offer..so if I offend someone by showing a "private message" my apologies....

i have an astro saber III uhf 450-527mhz radio with an impress battery and charger, speaker mike and antenna and belt clip. the flashcode is the whored out " nick" flashcode. i will get the radio from home later and pm it to you, it will do mdc1200 and the rest. it has a 1meg board installed. the full details i will get back to you with.

i would like to sell it to finance an xts3000.

not having much ..umm...experience in dealing with international trades.... just wondering on the "experts" opinion as to wether it's a good deal... maybe not even for my purposes...but a good deal period.....thanks.....

[sglass]

fyi

this is a gov surplus rig

exactly the same as the as2 I have, I paid 560 for mine a year ago.

they do imbe and are whoreable



Why the hell not?

it's a 256 channel 403-470 uhf rig-with kick ass audio.

what's on t-band anymore anyways? Well at least my way. Maybe over in PG there is somethign worth listening too

I thought dc was a smartnet system though. DOn't they auto affiliate?

[kb3jkp]

it is smartzone..and yes they autoaffiliate...I'm gonna try some of the suggestions from other parts of the board to prevent that..and I know it won't work "quite right" but it'll work bassackwards which is fine for me... I'm thinking about just "cloning" a valid user ID... as long as I don't keyup things should be fine.... unless there's some issue with the network having two radios with the same ID.... or... now that I thought about it.. how would that affect the other radio.? wouldnt I recive all of his/her private calls? what happens if I affilliate on a different talkgroup? wouldnt his/her radio just be on different talkgroups? I'll have to figure out how to get it so it doesnt affiliate....

[kb3jkp]

actually.. I think I figured it out... can anyone confirm that this is true??

In a SmartZone system, as long as the radios with the same ID's are on the same site, the above applies. BUT, if the radios are on differenbt sites, you'll have problems. If radio 'B' suddenly affiliates one a different site, radio 'A' will automatically be de-affiliated by the Zone Controller

which would mean that if I were radio A:ID1234 .. and affiliated on tower 1.. while radio B:ID1234 was on tower 2.. radio A and B would be bouncing back and forth? affilliating and deaffilliating? or would it leave one of the radio's in "lala-land" ?

[Heterodyne]

I told the guy 350$ and that was as high as I'd go.. I figure 350$ for a glorified "digital scanner" should be good... better than paying 500$ for a pro-96 ... considering all I need to monitor is washington DC... so :-p\

Ahh.. Pro-96... I think you just answered your own question

[wavetar]

actually.. I think I figured it out... can anyone confirm that this is true??

In a SmartZone system, as long as the radios with the same ID's are on the same site, the above applies. BUT, if the radios are on differenbt sites, you'll have problems. If radio 'B' suddenly affiliates one a different site, radio 'A' will automatically be de-affiliated by the Zone Controller

which would mean that if I were radio A:ID1234 .. and affiliated on tower 1.. while radio B:ID1234 was on tower 2.. radio A and B would be bouncing back and forth? affilliating and deaffilliating? or would it leave one of the radio's in "lala-land" ?

I do believe that's one of my posts you're quoting, and yes it's correct & confirmed. Every once in a while a couple of radios slip onto our SmartZone system with duplicate ID's...causes hell until we figure out what's going on.

Todd