Syntor X9000 - Tech Frustrated - Customer Impatient - HELP!!

[kydeputy1463]

I have a Model T73KXJ7304BK Syntor X9000 that is being a P.I.T.A. Before any questions are raised about the setup, the computer was used by Methuselah in his 1st grade typing class(so I know it is slow enough, it has done many Spectra's and X9000's in it's day), factory RIB and cable, and recent RSS. The radio reads fine, when trying to edit the drawer I get a thing asking for a freq range input, no matter what is entered the RSS states that it is wrong range(so cannot edit existing program), also can create a new codplug and program into radio fine until it tries to verify and then it fails to verify. The head is the same way, try to edit head data and a fail to verify appears again. But, get this, I can program the original data back into the head and it verify's fine. Change one letter or number on the mode name and it fails to verify. Now going back to hair pulling out until further notice.

[KG6EAQ]

How fast is the computer? Does it have an MDC board inside? Normally with x9k's when they fail to verify it's because they are being programmed with too fast of computer.

[kydeputy1463]

Computer is a 386 running DOS, No MDC.

[KG6EAQ]

Are you trying to dump a 64mode codeplug into a 32mode radio? Which size EEPROM does it have?

[Pj]

I'd find something slower. I have seen that problem with 386's with MDC1200 boards...ended up using a $25 286...worked fine. X9000's are very picky!

[ricciticcitembo]

Yeah. What they said. 386 is too fast for that radio.

The '386 was Methuselahs Grandsons Computer.
Methuselah used a 4.77 Mhz 8088 Original IBM PC 8 Bit desktop.
Amd that was after all those Altairs, Apples and Ataris, Commodore,
Tandy, TI, and Heathkit., and hundreds of other smaller companies.

And if you could find one of those Orig. IBM PC's or XT's, it would work nicely.

If not, then go for an 8 Mhz 286.

[RADIOMAN2002]

Which version of X9000 software are you using, 1-4 were very picky about the computer 6-8 reallly didn't care as long as it was about a 486-25 with no co-processor. And I second the size of the E-proms in both head and radio. They must match size of file, 64 mode was a 8k, the 32 mode was a 2k. Open up the bottom of the radio and look under the can, the prom should be a 2832 or 2864, also make sure the jumper is in the right palce for the size eprom in radio.
Just a thought, I have on occasion to clear up some problomatic radios, I swapped the proms from radio to another radio or even from head to radio.

[Cowthief]

Hello.

The issue with the 386 is not the speed, it is the fact that, unless you inhibit it, the thing loads DOS past 1 Meg, i.e. virtual mode.
DOS MUST run in real mode, no exception.
You can run the DOS from windows 98se, on a pentium even, but it it totally required that the CPU be running in real mode.
NO DMA2 with 8 channels.
No PNP/ hardware manager running.
No support for FIFO buffer in the serial port.
And, the C: drive needs to be FAT16, this limits the first partition to 2 megs.
I run a toshiba libretto 50, overclocked to 133 MHz, works fine.
Remember, real mode was the only mode that the 8088/8086 could run.

[wavetar]

Hello.

The issue with the 386 is not the speed, it is the fact that, unless you inhibit it, the thing loads DOS past 1 Meg, i.e. virtual mode.
DOS MUST run in real mode, no exception.
You can run the DOS from windows 98se, on a pentium even, but it it totally required that the CPU be running in real mode.
NO DMA2 with 8 channels.
No PNP/ hardware manager running.
No support for FIFO buffer in the serial port.
And, the C: drive needs to be FAT16, this limits the first partition to 2 megs.
I run a toshiba libretto 50, overclocked to 133 MHz, works fine.
Remember, real mode was the only mode that the 8088/8086 could run.

For once, most of what you say makes sense. I must point out that the first partition is limited to 2 Gigs, not 2Megs.

There is a speed limitation for earlier software, because the programs were written with 'loops' in them for timing...which soon became useless as processors became faster. As a result, later programs were written with processor-independant timers. I can program anything the 486/Pentium Matrix (released by Motorola) says I should with my Dell 1.7GHz Celeron laptop...which is basically everything except STX, i20R, Syntor & MCX1000 radios, as long as I use the latest & greatest RSS. This is using the 'MS-DOS Mode for Games with EMS & XMS Support' icon located in the C:\Windows folder under Windows98.

Todd

[Cowthief]

Hello.

Yes, it is 2 Gigs, not 2 Megs.
I have had really good luck with my libretto and ALL the software.
I do not run windows though, just dosshell, and set "speed"(actually wait time stack) for whatever the application calls for.
Yes, dosshell, from DOS 5.x works fine under DOS 7.x (windows 9x DOS)
The speed function was written just for such a problem, games and the like were simply running too fast on the newer machines, so the evil empire came up with a solution.
It just so happens that dosshell and running DOS in real mode are just the ticket for programming with the older software on newer machines.
Be forewarned, some of the really new machines can not run in real mode correctly, they need virtual mode as all the drivers are VxD only and the IRQs are "soft" only, needing PNP to function.
But most of the time, you will find no serial port on this newer machine, so the issue is moot.

[Mike B]

The Syntor X 9000 shorts the Mic. Hi line to enable programming the EEPROM in the radio or head. Since both the radio and head have the same problem (making a failure of both the radio and head EEPROM programming circuits unlikely), then the RIB and programming cable should be checked to make sure the Mic. Hi line is being shorted to ground when the programming cable is plugged into the RIB.

If the Mic. Hi short is not present, then the EEPROMs will never program and the RSS can not figure this out so it tells you it is programming anyway. This will cause the verify to only work with the original data since nothing in the radio or head ever changed.

If the short is there, look at your programming computer speed.
http://www.open.org/~blenderm/syntorx/progx9.html
http://www.open.org/~blenderm/syntorx/p ... #x9kprgprb

Sorry for the slow response, I have been changing jobs and moved to Washington state.