Communications Support Forums

I have an XTL5000 (M20QSS9PW1AN) which came to me with only a TIB (no control head), I believe it may have had an O3 attached previously but I can't confirm; my problem, I believe, is that "Control Head Required for Power Up" has been checked in it's codeplug which means I can't sync a new HHCH because the radio won't power up?

So I removed the TIB and fitted an O5 CH directly to the brick and the radio now powers up (as Fail 01/90 in "Maintenance Mode") but I still can't read the codeplug since the O5 isn't synced either, and I can't sync the CH because I don't know what firmware is in the radio, and I can't find out the firmware version without reading the codeplug (the old catch 22)!

So my question is, how can I read/write a codeplug without an operational control head? I have tried a 26-pin USB cable connected to the rear of the brick but I don't think the radio is actually booting up to allow the PC to recognize it as a USB device?

As a last resort I guess I could run through the CH sync sequence over & over again trying a different firmware version each time but that will literally take days. I have tried this a few times already guessing Host versions around what I was told the radio is supposed to be (R12) but without success?