Astro Spectra Plus flashzap

[Delta_Xray]

I know I'm walking the line here, so I'll try to keep it on (this) side of proper.

I spent the morning assembling an Astro Spectra Plus from parts from tree different radios I had around the house. The firmware in the assembled radio was old (host/dsp 5) and I tried to flashzap the radio to support some of the additional features I wanted in the radio. Try as I might, I couldn't get the radio into FZ mode. After quite a while searching online, the consensus seems to be that it can't be done. So I gave up and decided I was happy with what I had.

The tuning partition needed to be tweaked, as I now had a frankenradio. After upgrading the tuning partition, I noticed that the beep sequence was off a little when the radio restarted. Just for grins, I tried upgrading the FW again. Much to my surprise, It worked. Tried it with another radio, and that worked as well.

It looks like upgrading the tuning partition leaves the radio in download mode and able to take a firmware upgrade.

 

[Alpha]

The radio can be put into FZ (bootloader) mode by external program control, that's not in any doubt. The problem is if you brick one, it will no longer respond to any kind of CPS requests including those that initiate the FZ mode. Most ASTRO25 radios have the ability to hold a combination of buttons during power-up that will enter that bootloader mode. The AS+ (I think this could be a problem with other ASTRO25 mobiles using W-series heads also) has no way of entering that bootload mode once the HOST image is damaged or corrupted.

There was no doubt the radio COULD be put into FZ mode, but only when directed to by external software - that's the problem with them. If you upgraded them you had to be very careful and make sure it completed while the radio was in FZ mode, otherwise there was no return to that mode once you left it and tried to re-boot the radio.

 

[Mars]

Has anyone tried tying the following together then applying power? : PTT, Emerg, Ground.

That's what you're doing when activating it on a portable. Same theory applies to TRBO mobiles.

 

[Alpha]

You'd have to use the external emergency line, there is no dedicated emergency button on the W heads. You can soft-program one to be EMER, but that doesn't count.

Maybe someone with one can try it. It would be nice if it works, I have several bricked VOCONS.

 

[Mars]

I was referring to the accessory connector.