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MTS2000 900mhz conversion to ham use FAIL 01 remedy

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kb5udf

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Hi All,

I scored an auction of very cheap mts2k 900mhz radios. I am aware that many Jedi's won't do talk around in the ham band around 927.5 mhz. In fact only 1/10 of a recent lot did so. All of these radios seem fine for repeater service in the 900mhz ham band.

The question is, does anyone know a procedure to make the VCO lock for transmit around 927?
 

N4KVE

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There was a guy named Jim on BATLABS who did this for me, but that was years ago. It was a software upgrade, but the kind that can not be discussed here. However, I recently scored some MTX9250's for less than $50 each, & they are all very ham 902/927 friendly. Even on 927 talk around. No mods needed. They ALL work there.
 

kb5udf

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Hardware or software mod?

Just to clarify, I fully understand whats need to program the radios for talkaround on 927, the problem is most of them won't VCO lock on that frequency.

Are you saying there is a software solution to the fail 01?
 

gtaman

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Just to clarify, I fully understand whats need to program the radios for talkaround on 927, the problem is most of them won't VCO lock on that frequency.

Are you saying there is a software solution to the fail 01?

What I have experienced is a crapshoot. Some will do 927 some won’t.
 

N4KVE

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Just to clarify, I fully understand whats need to program the radios for talkaround on 927, the problem is most of them won't VCO lock on that frequency.

Are you saying there is a software solution to the fail 01?
That's what fixed my radio years ago.
 

kb5udf

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Crapshoot is traditional wisdom

My research is consistent with luck of the draw, and turned up nothing else. With that said atone of the radios ever so briefly will break the squelch on a receiver at 927.5, before showing the fail 01, so I have to wonder what is going on, on a technical level. That is, I only tested one of them with a receiver, I just assumed they transmitted nothing, I'll have to check others.

Maybe I know less then I think I do, but I have to wonder why a radio can lock a vfo for rx but not tx.
 

N4KVE

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If you get 3 similar 900 MTS2000's, 1 will work fine, one will not tx on 927, & one won't work well at all on 902/927. Mine was the 3rd choice. Deaf at 927, & no tx there. But some tuning with a laptop made it perfect. Just the luck of the draw.
 

kb5udf

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Random distribution?

I would like to the know the technical reason why some work 927 and some don't. All of my current lot of 10 seem fine rx on 927 and tx 902. Only one could tx on 927.

If the issue is due to same random factor wherein some radios can tx closer to 927 then others, one might expect some radios would work near the edge of the ham band say tx at 927.975 but not at 927.5. I have not hooked them up to a dummy load yet to see how close to 927 they get, but testing this is next for a few samples.

I also used tuner on one, default tx vco softpot value was 153, moving it up and down to the extremes of 0 and 255 in 10 unit increments, did not allow tx on 927.5 for one sample. I may try on others as well, and to see if it makes tx higher up at 927.975 possible, since this is almost 500khz higher and nearer radios factory intended range.
 

N4KVE

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I would like to the know the technical reason why some work 927 and some don't. All of my current lot of 10 seem fine rx on 927 and tx 902. Only one could tx on 927.
The same reason you could have 2 Corvettes exactly the same, & one will always beat the other in the 1/4 mile. It's the tolerances of the components used to make the car/radio.
 

kb5udf

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Got it

That gives me hope that some or at least one of the radios that can't do 927.5 tx should do 927.975, but so far none of the radios that can't do 927.5 have managed to do 927.8. I didn't program them all with 927.975, but I"ll give this a stab.
 

gtaman

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As Gary stated is how the components come together. I have one XTS5000 that has a way hotter RX than the other. They are tuned exactly the same. It’s honestly unexplainable.
 
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