Batboard

I am setting up an XTL5000 with O3 head and, a HLN1439 siren controlled with a DEK.

Everything works - except no siren horn ring control through the VIP II connector on the siren DEK. I have the VIP ins and outs programmed as VIP IN 1 for "horn ring" and VIP OUT 3 for "horn ring transfer". The VIP II connector is wired correctly. I can hear the external relay click when VIP OUT 3 is activated. When I ground VIP IN 1 the siren does not change from wail to yelp or do the other things horn ring is supposed to do, like air horn.

Curiously, the installation manual pinouts do not show any VIP INs on any of the radio connections, although it doesn't discuss DEKs.

This will be a very involved install - 3 cables need to be run from the trunk to the front, O3 head control cable, a "Y" cable to bring speaker and ignition sense to the front (the other branch of the Y goes to the siren), and a siren DEK cable that comes directly off the Astro siren plug!

Any ideas on why the horn ring function isn't working?

Thanks to those who sent private message replies. Still no joy however.

The VIP OUT 3 part works. I can hear the external relay click when I press the Siren button on the DEK.

The VIP IN 1 part is what's giving me grief. VIP IN 1 is looking for a ground. When I ground it however, the siren tone doesn't change, it just keeps WAILing instead of switching to YELP.

I've hooked up several XTL2500s with M5 heads as part of this project, and those all work fine. For those, I'm using the VIP II connector on the siren DEK to access VIP IN 1. These XTL5000s with O3 heads seem to be different however. The XTL5000 setup is behaving as though VIP IN 1 isn't present on the VIP II connector on the DEK.

As a test, can I possibly access VIP IN 1 somewhere else? Perhaps on one of the other connectors on the XTL5000 drawer unit? The J2 pinout diagram doesn't show it. Is it perhaps available on the 2nd unused blue CAN connector or the other round front connector?

Tom

Not sure what other suggestions your have tried. Have you tried different dek boxes and have you to tried grounding the pin with the VIP II connector removed? Sometimes those pins dont make contact.

Program the radio with VIP IN 1,2,3 all as horn ring and try grounding each one.

Jason

Any update on this?

KB9KST wrote:Any update on this?

No, we needed to get the car in service, so I installed it without the horn ring function. It's a detective's car, and he said he could live without the horn ring function for now.

I'll be doing another one of these in the near future, so maybe then I'll have more time to play.

I will be in the market for one of these siren cables and possible the siren box (HLN1439) if I can't find one laying around. Do you have an extra cables to sell? I could play around with it on the bench until I am ready to put it in.

Jason

I finally got the parts and tested this issue out. I have the same result. VIP Horn Ring Input has no effect.

Jason

I opened a case with Motorola explaining the issue. Wonder where it will go???

Jason

I have done this same thing, but with a spectra and just the air horn. When I ground the VIP assigned "HORN RING", I get an air horn. Are you saying when you ground it, absolutely NOTHING happens, or it doesn't switch from wail to yelp?

Does anything actually happen when you ground the horn ring? If it does, then it may be the radio's programming that needs to be changed to make it alternate wail/yelp.

This is a unique setup involving an XTL5000 O3 (HHCH) utilizing a HLN1439 series siren and HKN6145 siren/dek cable. The dek runs directly off the siren box (not the control head or radio) and it must be the 1439 series, not the 1185 series. It would appear that the dek is providing output to the VIPs on the VIP II connector but the VIP inputs do nothing. It is either going to end up firmware/software issue with the radio or siren or a hardware limitation meaning it will not work at all unless something is redesigned. The programming is setup for horn ring and horn ring transfer just like it should be.

What I would like to know is if anyone has this same siren/dek setup running on a W3 Astro Spectra and does it exhibit the same issue or does it work?

Jason