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Quantar question
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 8:56 am
by batdude
this relates to a possible purchase of a range 2 VHF quantar station.
i know they will go down into the top end of the ham band just fine.
the station i am looking at was built in 1999.
i need to know if IMBE (astro) capability is STANDARD, i.e. - is it something that is determined just by programming with RSS, or is it literally a new flash that must be done to the control board...
this is most important - PM me immediately if you are a quantar guy
doug
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 11:23 am
by xmo
Read the station with Quantar RSS.
Check the firmware version - it needs to be 9.0 or above to do IMBE.
You are probably OK with a station built in 1999.
Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 9:30 pm
by ASTROMODAT
batdude, also keep in mind that to uplift a Quantar to P25 from a pre- v5.0 is $7,210. A v6.0 to ASTRO25 is only $200. But, I think you should be O.K. if it's a '99 Quantar (as long as you are sure about the date).
Larry
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 11:16 pm
by ASTROMODAT
Batdude, I was just cruising through the new (August, 2003) Motorola R3 price book today and I looked at the Quantar FLASHport upgrade section.
You need to be really careful on a used Quantar as to how it was configured at the time it was ordered. I'm not sure why someone would spring for a Quantar and then set it up for analog FM only operation, but this can be done. If the original buyer ordered the "Conventional Analog Operation" X597, then it will be analog FM only. It's pretty cost effective, though, as you get your needed system software for just $200.
However, in order to uplift such a Quantar to also be able to operate IMBE, you may need the "Latest Shipping Software" Option X795AG which is pricey at $1,350. In addition., you definately will need the "Conventional ASTRO CAI" option X806 which is very costly at $1,782.
So, the moral of this story is that you need to either know/trust the current owner to be knowledgable about their Quantar and give you the straight scoop, or alternatively you'll need to read the configuration and software versions via the Quantar RSS. As you can see, an analog Quantar could cost over $3,000 to uplift it to IMBE, if it also needs the current shipping software.
On the other hand, a fairly bare bones Quantar (albeit with the ASTRO modem option) will run you at least $17,000, so there's a fair bit of room to budget in some software uplift costs and still be way ahead of the game.
Good luck, Batdude.
Larry