Batboard

Hi All,
I am seeking advice on what I should look out for (pitfalls, traps, hacks, bad mixing of componets, etc.) when considering an Astro Saber or an XTS for purchase. The following item caught my eye, and I am seeking the opinions of the Astro vets here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1338064086

Thank You In Advance,
Mark

Well, for starters, the flashcode listed is incomplete. Also, although not impossible, stating that it is also a trunking radio on UHF is not very common. It looks like he just copied some general info off of a website and put it in there (which isn't really bad either).

I would email him asking for the complete flashcode, model number and serial number. I would also ask him to go into the service mode and have him email you the HOST, DSP, Flashcode and if it says "1MEG" in the display, and the serial number and model number that comes up.

Also ask he knows where the radio came from or other history.

The only comment I can make on this one is, and if I am incorrect, someone please let me know, is that in my limited knowledge of flashcodes, I believe the 1st number in the code needs to be an odd number for it to be IMBE capable.

Here's more info:

Model # is H04RDH9PW7AN
Serial # is 310AZWabcd

Going into test mode it says:

R05.60.00
DSP: A06.05.02
Serial # same as above
Model # same as above
1 Meg
Flash code: 000004-002000-2

Is this plausible?


Many thanks for guiding the Astro unitiated here; though I think I'll need the higher power of the Jetsons **and** the Flinstones to convince me that an XTS3000 isn't the way to go.


Thanks,
Mark

-Remember the Twin Towers 9-11-01

Here are some things to go by with your last post. According to the flashcode that you posted, this is what the radio has for options:
H37/G60 Smartnet Operation
Q241 ASTRO Ready (Analog Operation ONLY)

Acording to the flashcode, the radio WILL NOT do any sort of Astro VLSEP or IMBE operation or any kind. Yes, this is possible as my dept has 7 XTS3000 without any digital operation.

For the HOST of 05.60.00, the DSP should be 06.05.04, which could denote that it could be a 512K radio. While that's not bad at all, it will not do P25 Digital Trunking, but almost none of us well ever need that option. I believe that any other option will work without a problem.

This should also be a 438-482 split radio, according the model number. Seeing that the serial number also has xxxxxabcd in it, I bet that the radio somewhere has been hacked or stolen and hacked to have a different serial number.

But that's the risk you take in the used market. If you just need normal two way analog operation without anything fancy, it will work.

Thanks for all of the replies.

When I listed the serial number, the 'abcd' was meant to denote real digits. I was merely being protective, per a practice I've seen here regarding Astro serial numbers.

Based on these replies, it looks like this is nothing more than a fancied up regular ol' Saber III with Securenet.

Thanks,
Mark

-Remember the Twin Towers 9-11-01

PJ, there is no such thing as a 438-482 bandsplit for an Astro PORTABLE radio, that applies ONLY to mobiles.

The UHF bandsplits for Astro portables are as follows:

403-470
450-520

Both are very hackable and can give an extra 10 to 20 MHz or so in either direction.

Elroy

Yup, your right. I was just pulling some of the info off of the model breakdown page as I couldn't remember the low split of the range 1 radio. (close enough )

Concerning the DSP version of this radio, according to my insider source, A06.05.02
and 06.05.04 are BOTH correct for HOST version 5.6. 06.05.04 is just a slight update.

Incidentally, last I heard, that is the highest firmware written for 512K radios.

It MAY be possible to upgrade that radio via the secret menus if you have a codeplug for an identical radio type with a better flashcode.

Or you could try to find a source for a so-called 'basement job'. Good luck!!!

Elroy

OK, so now I sort of have an idea of what to look for, but would this also hold true for an XTS 3000? I would like to assume so, but then again we all know what happens when one assumes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1713447577

Thanks,
Mark

Yes, what applies to Astro Sabers also applies to XTS series radios, for the most part. The only significant programming difference is that a codeplug from an XTS is NOT interchangeable with even an identically configured Astro Saber. However, when you're in the RSS, all screens and data are virtually identical, and the same RSS is used for both Astro Sabers and XTS3000's.

All XTS3000's have 1 meg flash memory, while Astro Sabers may have 512K or 1 meg.

And of course, they're physically different. I have at least two radios of each type, and I prefer the physical packaging of the Astro Sabers by a wide margin, though the performance of the two radio types is so close that I really don't think there's any difference at all.

Elroy

There were some early XTS3000s with 512k of memory and VSELP. Rare to come across but they are out there.

Thank you for all the great advice!!

I'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with "watchbuddy" on e-bay and what, if any, your experiences have been. He has an Astro XTS3K up for bid but there isn't a lot to go by:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1716107569