flashzap boot up modes xts & xtl

[throwed]

good evening friends, im after the information on how to boot each radio in to flashzap mode , i know you have to hold down a button or buttons to do so. in our fleet we have xts5000, xts2500 portables and xtl5000 o5 local head and 03 odyssey hhcm radios. if someone could please tell be the correct button sequence for each of these radios it would be greatly appreciated . many many thanks .

 

[mwb9122]

XTS is the Emergency and PTT buttons while turning the radio on. The 05 head I believe is the emergency and right most soft key while turning the radio on.

 

[BobbyBoucher]

You may want to just get a refresh key and do it the official way.
How many radios do you need to update?

 

[snarlingrabiddog]

good evening friends, im after the information on how to boot each radio in to flashzap mode , i know you have to hold down a button or buttons to do so. in our fleet we have xts5000, xts2500 portables and xtl5000 o5 local head and 03 odyssey hhcm radios. if someone could please tell be the correct button sequence for each of these radios it would be greatly appreciated . many many thanks .

Stay away from the User-Forced Flashzap method. If you try that on an XTL, a great many people will tell you that they have bricked their radios trying that crappy method; this is especially important if you have a fleet of portables and mobiles and are in the public safety sector, just purchase the iButton, bite the bullet and do it the right way. XTL's are difficult enough to upgrade with an iButton and many brick using the iButton. If that happens, you are SOL. Motorola will offer ZERO help. I had a hang-up on an XTL while using the iButton and called Motorola. I was still plugged in and retrying.

Motorola's answer: "The iButtons are bullet-proof. If the upgrade fails, it is the fault of either operator error, a cable issue, or a problem with the internal circuitry of the XTL you're trying to upgrade." They were really nice to tell me that if it didn't take that I would have to send it in to the Depot, incurr their insane service charge and drop-charge, I would have to pay for another iButton that they would use to upgrade it (while charging an hourly rate) and ship the unit back when they felt like it on my dime, using a delivery service of their choosing. During all this BS on the phone, I kept retrying and by the time I was done listening to their "you screwed it up and now you're going to have to take it up the butt" attitude", the radio finally completed the process. XTS radio units and XTL's are older and the used mobiles that are being sold on ebay have (in many cases) seen hard use and vibration, heat and cold extremes. If you want to screw up your radios, cutting corners here and user-forcing into Flashzap is the quickest way to do it. Sure, it may work, but it is not something that many would recommend. The process can be difficult at times with the iButtons, but much less risk involved.

 

[tsunami_australia]

snarl the way you've written here it sounds like it's a hit and miss either way. So if that is the case, why waste the money on the iButton?

 

[Alpha]

Because if you don't use the iButton, you won't get the tuning partition, codeplug or UCM upgraded. You can read and write the radio which will update the codeplug, but the Tuning and UCM partitions will not get upgraded, and those usually should match the firmware versions for maximum compatibility and optimum operation.

Snarl's point was the process is already hokey and fraught with peril, to do it the hacky way is just inviting further opportunities for disaster to strike.

In fact, they only enabled/allowed the "dirty" flash method in the first place as an attempt at a fail-safe. In case the process failed, it could attempt a re-try with just the most basic part of the flash process, while assuming the worst case; that the radio was left in the flashzap bootloader state from the previously failed attempt to flash.

 

[tsunami_australia]

Just as I was considering a flashzap to 20.5 too . Anyone know what M would charge in downunderland for 2 xtls and an xts?

 

[Alpha]

I think a simple refresh buttons are priced around $75.00 US per refresh/flash, usually. If you are lucky, you might find someone selling one with a few flashes left on it. Try posting in the classified forum, maybe?

 

[MattSR]

I could do it for you also.. Proper iButton flash + calibration.

 

[BobbyBoucher]

Again; "How many radios do you need to update?"
The reason I ask is I have some new old stock refresh keys.
I ask because I don't want to offer you a key with too many refreshes on it.

 

[snarlingrabiddog]

Sorry I didn't get to answering sooner. Thanks for fielding that Alpha.

 

[tsunami_australia]

Sorry for the late reply Bobby, it would be 5 for the moment. All are r11-r12 firmware at the moment. There is only 3 right now with a VHF handheld and VHF2500/5000 hopefully by the end of the year.

The biggest problem I have is I'm stuck on the disability pension (pay rate sucks balls) and the group I use them for is a self funded voluntary group which has bugger all money and I'm not one to ask other people for charity (well at least unless they are a local business who could benefit from a benevolent charity tax deductible thank you receipt).

A few of us are trying to get our equipment levels up but it's a slow process. Made harder by only a few of us having any real know how for programming and installations.

OT question but one I've been meaning to ask, would a P25 with or without ADP traverse 2x MCS2000s back to back? I'm thinking not as they are only FM transmitters? Meaning the cheapest P25 repeater would be a pair of XTLs back to back? Astro Spectras and Astro Sabers have a totally ridiculous asking price here, people are literally asking the same price as an XTL2500 and XTS3000 (which at least has upgrade path into the 5000).

Matt, are you the same Matt I spoke with via skype/FB last week?

Thanks for the help and offers.

 

[BobbyBoucher]

Sorry, I do not have any keys with anywhere close to that few refreshes on it.
If I were only closer......

 

[Ice-T]

OT question but one I've been meaning to ask, would a P25 with or without ADP traverse 2x MCS2000s back to back? I'm thinking not as they are only FM transmitters? Meaning the cheapest P25 repeater would be a pair of XTLs back to back? Astro Spectras and Astro Sabers have a totally ridiculous asking price here, people are literally asking the same price as an XTL2500 and XTS3000 (which at least has upgrade path into the 5000).

I haven't heard of anyone passing P25 with MCS2000 radios, I don't think the needed raw discriminator and flat TX I/Os are readily available at the accessory connectors. I know people have done it with back-to-back Maxtracs, and modified MSF5000 repeaters.

Doing it with any Astro/XTL/APX radio requires double vocoding, so I don't think that'll work very well for you.

 

[tsunami_australia]

If a pair of maxtracs can do it then surely a pair of GM300/M120s or MCS2000s could do it (hoping). I'm just getting the parts together now for the build. I chose MCS2000s as I got a cheap bulk lot a whilst back and they are still a good radio imo. Was going to use the AM/FM mute loop to set the relay off for the ptt loop then a 600LIU from audio out to audio in on the accy ports (accy port->accy port DIRECT). Guess will have to test then.

And TY for the thought at least Bobby .

 

[Ice-T]

If a pair of maxtracs can do it then surely a pair of GM300/M120s or MCS2000s could do it (hoping). I'm just getting the parts together now for the build. I chose MCS2000s as I got a cheap bulk lot a whilst back and they are still a good radio imo. Was going to use the AM/FM mute loop to set the relay off for the ptt loop then a 600LIU from audio out to audio in on the accy ports (accy port->accy port DIRECT). Guess will have to test then.

And TY for the thought at least Bobby .

Yes, GM300 and M120 can also be used, as they have the needed flat discriminator & tx audio I/Os. I'm still not sure about MCS2000, I'd have to look in the service manual...they aren't nearly as accessory friendly as the other mentioned radios. Your plan to use the Car Audio Mute for the COR can work as the RX radio for a standard uni-directional repeater. It's no good for cross-band bi-directional repeaters, as it also goes low when the radio transmits.

 

[tsunami_australia]

Yes, GM300 and M120 can also be used, as they have the needed flat discriminator & tx audio I/Os. I'm still not sure about MCS2000, I'd have to look in the service manual...they aren't nearly as accessory friendly as the other mentioned radios. Your plan to use the Car Audio Mute for the COR can work as the RX radio for a standard uni-directional repeater. It's no good for cross-band bi-directional repeaters, as it also goes low when the radio transmits.

Ah that makes sense, remove the stereo noise from the tx audio. I thought it went high on rx/tx?? If not then crap going to have to look at a different relay. I just wasn't too keen on using the speaker bias which would be the way to do it with bi I guess.

As for the GM300/M120, they are most certainly easier, already have the chinese leads to achieve that with them (both uni and bi) and have already had a VHF + UHF pair hooked in cross. The issue with them is they are all wideband here and the license requires narrowband now. Do GM33x have the same audio setup at the 16pin? They are still overly expensive IMO , it's just as expensive now to buy a pair of XTL2500 locals as it is to get a pair of GM339s (I'd prefer the 2500s).