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Astro Spectra Control Head

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SCPD

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Is there a way to change an Astro Spectra control head from W5 to W7 and be able to program all the buttons on the W7?
 

khoelldobler

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Is there a way to change an Astro Spectra control head from W5 to W7 and be able to program all the buttons on the W7?

While I think its possible to swap the heads, I dont think all the buttons will be functional. I have never swapped the two personally, but from what I have read on batlabs, I dont think all the functions will be compatible. I could be mistaken, its been a while since I last read the articles. Try to locate the articles on batlabs while your awaiting more RR responses.
 

KM4WLV

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I think ( but I may be wrong ) but the buttons should work on the W7 head as long as they are set up the same way ( in RSS or CPS ), but if a button on the W7 doesn't "exisist" on the W5 its not going to work. Why not just take it in & have it set up for the W7 head? Just curious........
 

immelmen

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There is no legit way to swap heads on Astro spectras like there is on XTL5k's. However, there is an underground method to change from W5 to W7 head on an Astro Spectra and have full functionality of the W7. It is a hack that requires specific software/equipment. a few minutes of searching on batlabs will give you the details.
 

ka8ypy

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If you have the the ability to force a W7 codeplug with the features in it that you need, it can be changed.
 

SCPD

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If you have the the ability to force a W7 codeplug with the features in it that you need, it can be changed.

Can I do this with the regular CPS or do I need the Lab software?
I did find a UHF (R band) W7 codeplug from codeplugssupersite. The codeplugs do have different flashcodes does this matter?

The information for my radio is
model number D04RKF9PW5ANSP01 and flashcode 000001-002000-5

The information for the codeplug I downloaded
model number D04RKH9PW7ANSP01 flashcode 100001-000000-7
 

immelmen

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You need LAB, run in pure DOS...NOT a window. You will need an unpacked S-record IIRC.

Your flash is a basic as it gets, so pretty much anything you force into the radio will upgrade your features.(the one you have shown will add P25 digital)

be sure you have the right firmware in the radio to handle the flash.

and you will smoke the tuning values in the radio, so write them down beforehand.

If your going to attempt it, its worth some quality time searching and reading on the batboard, all the info is there.
 
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SCPD

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I have astro lab 3.04 but if says it for astro portables. It won't read the codeplug i download. Anybody have a way around this?
 

WayneH

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I have astro lab 3.04 but if says it for astro portables. It won't read the codeplug i download. Anybody have a way around this?
You aren't reading or writing the codeplug; you aren't doing anything with the codeplug because it will not change things. To me it sounds like you're very close to bricking your radio.

You need an s-record file, not a codeplug, from a radio that has the features you want. Do not unpack! If none of this makes sense go over to Batlabs and READ, then read some more. What immelmen says is right, follow his recommendations.
 

immelmen

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I have astro lab 3.04 but if says it for astro portables. It won't read the codeplug i download. Anybody have a way around this?


Yeah, you are moving a bit too fast so I'll just add this real quick. Before you do ANYthing else with lab, read the S-record *with no un-pack* from your radio as is and save it to a disk and put it away as a backup.

Understand, if the LAB your using is Astro LAB, it is too old to even know what IMBE is. So, what your attempting to do is literally smash the binary data you rip from one radio into another....make a backup first.
 
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