Batboard

I just got a XST5000 III with front panel programing and hole bunch of other crap in the feature set that I'll never use. I'm trying to modify/create a codeplug via CPS. This is my first time playing around with a FPP enabled radio. I have around 100 or so channels spreed over 9 zones with some of the zones having more than 16 modes.

I spent several hours modifying a copy of the original codeplug as I had to manually input all of the information because the CPS would not allow me to drop and drag from another codeplug. That's was an inconvenience. I figured out how to use the picklist 3/4 of the way threw. I deleted all but one of the FPP Enabled Zones as I only want/need just one. When I went to write the changes to the radio after adding my 9 other zones it told me that a minimum of; 15 zones with 16 modes each and a total of 240 personalities were required and it rejected the write attempt.

(1) Can't I just have one FPP enabled zone?

(2) If I can't, can I just disable the FPP or do I need to have the featureset changed to remove the FPP option?

(3) I don't want to be forced to face input all of my new modes, so how do I add them? Do I just add above and beyond the minimum of; 15 zones with 16 modes each and a total of 240 personalities? If I do that how do avoid being forced to channel through a bounce of empty zones in order to get to the ones I want?

Can anyone explain to me or point me in the direction of resources describing how it works and what I need to keep in mind for programming?

Yes you can have only 1 FPP Zone

You cant just disable it with out having it reflashed

PM me for more details

I've looked all around within the CPS and can't figure out a way to change FPP settings other then:

1) Radio Configuration -> Radio Wide -> Zone Protection -> "Zone Cloning Enable"

2) Zone Channel Assignment -> FPP/Protection -> "FPP Enable" and "Protected Zone" -

When I do a dialogue box states the following: "The 16 FPP channels and personalities will be deleted if you disable this field". If I do this then I'm not able to write to the radio. I get the previously mentioned above fail notice for the mandatory zones/personality requirement.

What revision firmware do you have? The latest firmware 20.50.09 allows you to delete all but the first zone with 16 personalities and then have the 17th and on setup as you would the normal non-fpp xts5k.

Works well. Good luck!

I have no idea... It shows "N/A"

Read the radio with CPS. It is in the first dropdown, or you can put the radio into selftest mode and read it that way.

Host: R07.02.00
DSP: R07.01.01
Model: H18QDH9PW7AN
FLash: 5A9008-901F87-0
Tuning: R01.09.04

That's some old FW

So no matter what, I should have it upgraded?

I would upgrade it. I had an xtl with a similar version FW and it was able to take the up to date FW no problem!

Ok, I will look into that. Thank you for the guidance...

Someone more knowledgeable than me on the subject will have to elaborate but FPP and trunking can't coexist in XTS5000s with firmware/CPS above R9. I believe you'll be OK with FPP because you have Q52 and Q53 but I'm not certain what other problems having an invalid flashcode will present.

FPP is a pain in the a$$, I have a couple 5k's, I made sure I didn't have that "feature" in mine, way easier to program without it.

Fun fact: you don't have to FPP the entire radio. If you restrict FPP to a handful of zones or less, you only need to 1-for-1 the personalities to channels in THOSE zones. The rest of the codeplug can be configured "normally." This applies to APXes with FPP as well.

OP: you are correct, the only FPP checkbox is in the zone/channel assignment. In any zone where that box is checked you need to match personalities to channels 1-for-1.

I agree with Spectragod, I found it to be a pain in the a$$ also. Especially being my first time playing around with it...

Otaku, How is the FPP restricted? Is it restricted via the FPP checkbox in the zone/channel assignment only or somewhere else? Just out of curiosity, is FPP restricted to handhelds only or is it a mobile option as well?

I see that are two FPP related codes; a Q52 and and Q53 what's the difference and can they work without each other.

On for the fpp codes requires a dongle in order to program. I think that's Q53

Q52 is Federal Government Front Panel Programming Enhancement
Q53 is FCC FPP And Radio Cloning

Q52 doesn't require a dongle and only the Gov is supposed to have it. hence why it is a desirable trait. Q53 is the normal run of the mil FPP which requires a dongle, which no one wants. as long at Q52 is in the codeplug the dongle isn't required.

A properly flashed radio will have both Q52 and Q53 in the flashcode. Q53 is the base FPP option, Q52 is an "enhancement" to the base option.

Many of the radios flashed for trunking and FPP only had Q52 in the flash; this created a problem where FPP capability would "disappear" if any trunking systems were built in the radio and added to the zone channel assignment.

FPP was not available in the Astro25 mobile line. It is available in the APX mobile line.

FPP is enabled and disabled in the zone channel assignment. There may also be a radio wide enable/disable checkbox under Radio Wide options.