Batboard

I am currently operating ASTRO Spectra mobiles and XTS 3000 portable radios on UHF conventional. I am running RSS V 6.50. I plan to upgrade to CPS to stay current and to be able to run on present generation PCs. Our PCs are all Windows 2000 or Windows XP, so forget DOS. We are in the process of ordering some ASTRO Quantar repeaters, so I figure we may as well get used to CPS, and in programming Motorola radios in a Windows environment. The Quantar is really the driver---don't want OLD vs NEW software environments, training, etc. So, I'm biting the bullet and making the big change!

I need to FLASH upgrade from "ASTRO Ready" to "ASTRO Operatrional" and from straight DES to DES-OFB (APCO 25 compliant). This means I will need to have the radios opened up to change out the encryption boards, so I will send them into the Maintenance Depot Center. At nearly $5k per radio, I HATE the thought of someone opening up the XTSs (will surely cause some of them to hum, lose sensitivity, etc.) but I've got no choice in order to be APCO 25 compliant.

Will I need to change out any additional hardware, such as the codeplugs, to be CPS compatible (e.g., new firmware required to support CPS or other upgrades)? Many of my ASTRO M and P radios date back to as long ago as Dec, 1997.

Larry

You will HAVE to flash your radios to minimum/ newest f/w to allow P25 operation with digital.
Depending on your agency and your spending, will depend on how much you pay, per radio, per flash option, upgrade, etc.....

Boards for ofb are not cheap.

YOu likely have govt pricing if you're using astro and it won't hurt as much as if yuo were a small village dept.

"we may as well get used to CPS, and in programming Motorola radios in a Windows environment. The Quantar is really the driver---don't want OLD vs NEW software environments, training, etc. So, I'm biting the bullet and making the big change! "
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The Quantar is the driver? Do you know something new about the Quantar RSS???

We just received Version R12.03.00 Dated September 10, 2002 and it is still a DOS based application.

When I asked my Moto salesman about what interconnect is replacing the recently discontinued MRTI 2000 (Motorola dumped the GAI-Tronics manufactured interconect L1877A - the former Instrument Associates- on May 16, 2002), he said that my Quantar should ship with CPS. We are in the process of writing the STIC-1 right now.

Some other stuff is also supposed to change, like the coax connector for Ethernet is supposed to be going to an RJ-45 jack, etc.

I'd sure be interested to know if Quantar is staying DOS! I'm going to ask my Motorola sales guy to confirm!

Larry

P.S. BTW, GAI-Tronics plans to discontinue their ITI6000A, and replace it with the L1877A, selling it direct as Moto has stopped drop shipping the MRTI 2000. Difference is the rear jack on the L1877A is 16 pin AMP, whereas the ITI6000A used a DB-15. Apparently, GAI feels there are more Moto radios around than rice rockets, so it made more sense to go with the Moto connector.