Programming MTS2000 (newbe)

[silodk]

Hello everyone,

We have in our city a small club for HAM operators. The local police department has changed the radio system to tetra now so we have got all the old handheld Motorola MTS2000.
None of us has ever played with that kind of radios.
Can anyone point me to the right direction about how to program amature frequencies in the radios.

I can give you some info about the radios from the service menu.
The first it says is:

8202122U03 (serial number??)
THOR HW REV 01
EMC SW .
CIP HW .
H01KDH9PW1BN
432IUG0020
PTT-ID B443
BER - --
MAR F884 A338
SRS OFF
RF TEST

We would be very happy if you can help us. Else the radios will be used as door stops and that is a shame.

Thanks..

Br. Simon

 

[SteveC0625]

There is a wealth of information about programming these radios on the net and has been for years. repeater-builder.com, batlabs.com, and batboard.batlabs.com are good places to start.

 

[silodk]

Hi SteveC0625,

Yes I can see there is much. But I really don't know what to look for to get started. I have read a lot of forum threads but a lot of them never ends with an answer I can use.
Br. Simon

 

[N4KVE]

They're VHF.

 

[mmckenna]

Hi SteveC0625,

Yes I can see there is much. But I really don't know what to look for to get started. I have read a lot of forum threads but a lot of them never ends with an answer I can use.
Br. Simon

You need the CPS for that radio. It's the programming software that will run on a Windows PC. The version you need really depends on the exact model of the radio. Here in the USA, the version we use ~might~ be different than what is used overseas or for a specific model used in your country. I don't want to recommend something and find out that it doesn't work. You either need to find someone who has actual hands on experience programming that model radio in your country, or you need to talk to a Motorola shop -in-your-country-.

You'll need a Windows PC. The latest version of MTS-2000 CPS runs fine on my Windows 7 Dell PC at work.

You'll need one of the following:
A programming cable with the "RIB" built in (Radio Interface Box). You can find these online from several different dealers. Don't go with the least expensive one you can find, get a good one. This isn't the place to try and save money.
--OR--
You'll need a programming cable designed for that radio -AND- a Radio Interface Box.

Motorola used to use a box called a RIB. This did the level interface between the PC's RS-232 serial port and the TTL level used to talk to the radio. A true Motorola RIB is a good thing to have if you plan on programming different types of older Motorola radios. They are a bit pricey for a -true- Motorola RIB. You can get after market RIB's if you shop around.

The cables with "built in RIB" have the RS-232 to TTL level converter built into the cable.

Might be worth asking the Police Department you got the radios from if they have access to one, or if they used a specific radio shop to do their programming.


MTS-2000's are pretty good radios. Still a fair number of them in use around here. The weak spot on them is the LCD display, which can eventually start losing pixels, or the antenna jack solder joint where it attaches to the circuit board fractures.

If you get these programmed, they make great 2 meter band portables.

 

[cmdrwill]

Golden Rule, Always read the radio first. That tells you have the correct RSS or CPS, If it read radio out correctly. And always save that record to an archive in case of problems.

MTS2000 radios can have two different software requirements depending on when they were manufactured, so READ first....

 

[SCPD]

Always have copies of your tuning values also saved sec etc. Trust me this is one of the first things as well as a original codeplug saved stored away safe. I have used rib less serial cables before on the mts2000 with no problems but they weren't cheap ones.

 

[KM4WLV]

I wanted to echo what others have said about saving the original codeplug (or the one that's in it when you get it if used) and the tuning values. When I read a radio for the first time I always save the codeplug and tuning values on my laptop, as well as a thumb drive that I use specifically for backing up radio information. That way if my computer decides to take a crap I've still got access to those files. On the note of CPS, I also have a thumb drive(s) or SD cards that I keep copies of CPS on just in case. Those thumb drives and SD cards then get locked in our safe so they're protected in case of fire or other issues. Some folks think that's a bit extreme, but then again I've never lost a codeplug or CPS when I've had PC issues.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

You need the CPS for that radio. It's the programming software that will run on a Windows PC. The version you need really depends on the exact model of the radio. Here in the USA, the version we use ~might~ be different than what is used overseas or for a specific model used in your country. I don't want to recommend something and find out that it doesn't work. You either need to find someone who has actual hands on experience programming that model radio in your country, or you need to talk to a Motorola shop -in-your-country-.

You'll need a Windows PC. The latest version of MTS-2000 CPS runs fine on my Windows 7 Dell PC at work.

You'll need one of the following:
A programming cable with the "RIB" built in (Radio Interface Box). You can find these online from several different dealers. Don't go with the least expensive one you can find, get a good one. This isn't the place to try and save money.
--OR--
You'll need a programming cable designed for that radio -AND- a Radio Interface Box.

Motorola used to use a box called a RIB. This did the level interface between the PC's RS-232 serial port and the TTL level used to talk to the radio. A true Motorola RIB is a good thing to have if you plan on programming different types of older Motorola radios. They are a bit pricey for a -true- Motorola RIB. You can get after market RIB's if you shop around.

The cables with "built in RIB" have the RS-232 to TTL level converter built into the cable.

Might be worth asking the Police Department you got the radios from if they have access to one, or if they used a specific radio shop to do their programming.


MTS-2000's are pretty good radios. Still a fair number of them in use around here. The weak spot on them is the LCD display, which can eventually start losing pixels, or the antenna jack solder joint where it attaches to the circuit board fractures.

If you get these programmed, they make great 2 meter band portables.

RIB's are more universal when working with older radios. I think I've been using a mid-tier RIB for pretty much everything but deals on real RIBs and even SRIBs are out there.

 

[silodk]

Hi everyone who answered this post.
Thanks! Now I have come a little closer to my goal.
I have only bricked one radio. As all of you said.. READ the radio first. That was my number one fail. The first try god an error when trying to read it. Then I tried to write to it. Now it just says TM FAULT 1 and will not turn off.
After that I tried with another. I could read it, but only with the Depot software. So I saved a copy of the codeplug and started to program it. Its working fine now.
Later on I found that the radio as we got them could not be read with the CPS.
But if I read it with the Depot and wrote the same file again to the radio I were able to read and write with the CPS.

Now my I only have one more thing. How to disable the encryption module?
I have tried to unchek the feature but then the radio get stuck at SELF TEST.
When I remove the module it comes with the error 09/10

Has anyone tried that?

Thanks again.

Br. Simon

 

[jim202]

Hi everyone who answered this post.
Thanks! Now I have come a little closer to my goal.

Now my I only have one more thing. How to disable the encryption module?
I have tried to uncheck the feature but then the radio get stuck at SELF TEST.
When I remove the module it comes with the error 09/10

Has anyone tried that?

Thanks again.

Br. Simon

Leave the module in and just don't set any of the channels for encryption. Leave the feature checked. That is the simplest thing to do. You might try removing the switch in the software that allows turning the encryption on and off. That way no one can be playing around and manage to get the radio into the encryption mode.

 

[silodk]

Anyone has expirence with the TM FAULT 1 ?
It appears right away when I turn the radio on and after that its not possible to turn off the radio.

Br.
Simon