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XTS3000 MODAT availability

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Will001

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Hey guys,
I have wanted to upgrade my XTS3000 for MODAT for a long time, and finally decided to do some research on the topic. It looks like it is almost impossible to find a radio for sale that has MODAT loaded on to it. My question is, would my local Motorola shop be able to flash my unit with MODAT, or is this just a lost cause?


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MTS2000des

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The XTS3000 is long over support wise. Not possible to order legit flash ugprades for the XTS3000/Astro Saber/Astro Spectra in years.

And MODAT was never officially supported, so MSI would never sell it as an aftermarket upgrade.

There are some third parties out there with flashing capability for these legacy radios, but they aren't usually advertising it publicly. You'll have to look around to find them.
 

Will001

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:D Haha I figured it was too old to be supported, but I guess it was worth a shot. Thanks y’all!


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rescue161

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You can edit the Feature Descriptor Block to add this feature yourself. You need to do a LOT of reading before you attempt this as it can brick your radio if you miss a step or a checksum.
 

Will001

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You can edit the Feature Descriptor Block to add this feature yourself. You need to do a LOT of reading before you attempt this as it can brick your radio if you miss a step or a checksum.



Thanks for the reply. Can someone point me to an article about how to edit the FDB?


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rescue161

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Make sure you understand the firmware limitations and do not add a bunch of features that the firmware doesn't support. Read, then read some more. The FDBTool will let you add all of the features, but if your firmware doesn't support those features, then you can end up with a brick.
 

N1SQB

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Love my XTS 3Ks

That is one reason I will NOT sell my refurbished model 3-XTS 3Ks. I have a VHF and UHF R split BOTH with MODAT and both with FDNY knobs.. A few years ago I was having trouble with them. An individual with a MOTO shop on here reached out to me on PM offering to help. I sent them to him and got them back realigned working perfectly and both with MODAT. Love it. I don't remember who it was. Awesome guy though..

Manny
 

N4KVE

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I hated Modat. Should someone use it on a ham repeater, within a few hours, the repeater owner would tell the offender “if you want to use my repeater, turn off Modat”. But I could not program my Astro Saber unless one channel had Modat, so I had to set up a dummy freq I never used that had Modat so the radio could be programmed. Eventually I was able to send the radio to someone who removed Modat from the flash code. Sure, in the commercial world it has uses, but not the ham radio world.
 

Will001

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Oh, MODAT definitely has ham radio uses. I’ve gotten several compliments about it, saying it sounds like the LAPD back in the 90’s. Also, it annoys the crap out of the old “ham gods” who HATE Motorola radios. I think they are just p!ssed off that Mother /\/\ never made any amateur-exclusive equipment like iCom or Kenwood.


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ElroyJetson

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DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
I learned how to hack modat into an Astro Saber MANY years ago. And it is USELESS and serves only to annoy everybody else on the frequency. It sounds cool...three times. After that it resembles the old joke that you tell once and you're a wit. Tell it twice and you're a halfwit. From there on in it's a geometric progression.

If you used modat on my repeater I'd ask you nicely to turn it off. If you refused I'd take the repeater off the air. Go bug somebody else.

I started into this hobby and hacking Motorola radios when I was still young by most standards. I don't consider myself old yet but I can't deny I'm over 50 even though I still FEEL like I'm in my 20s...but getting grumpy because I'm tired of dealing with nonsense like kiddies who think modat sounds cool, over and over and over.

Stop it with the modat nonsense. If a specific sound coming out of your radio is what makes your antenna telescope, well, that's just rather sad.
 

Will001

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Since I use the UHF band every day, and I know of at least 5 other operators with MODAT-enabled radios (most of which are Astro Sabers), I wanted it so I could decode their ID’s, and also transmit an ID. I will admit, MDC-1200 is a lot less annoying and is a batter ID system, but using the legacy system is like driving an old car: it may not be as good as a modern car, but I think it’s more fun. If other people hate it, than that’s their opinion. I use it on GMRS primarily, because I usually don’t operate on the ham bands unless there is a net. If I’m not using MODAT, I use MDC1200, like most other hams who own Motorola equipment around here do.


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N4KVE

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Oh I think they are just p!ssed off that Mother /\/\ never made any amateur-exclusive equipment like iCom or Kenwood.
Sent from
No. They are just PO’d at having to hear the annoying noise every time you key up. Do your friends use your data burst to ID your radio, so they know it’s you, or is it just for the One Adam 12 whacker sound?
 
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Will001

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Believe it or not, we use it for ID purposes. I don’t doubt it’s annoying, but my previous post was really half joke and half serious. Some of the hams around here think Motorola equipment is “junk”, or “trash”, all the while screaming this in the microphone of a Baofeng ht. I use Motorola radios for the durability and accessibility of all the features. The digital ID systems are a good tool, and they also sound neat.


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62Truck

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No. They are just PO’d at having to hear the annoying noise every time you key up. Do your friends use your data burst to ID your radio, so they know it’s you, or is it just for the One Adam 12 whacker sound?

Well there are two options if you do not like what you hear on the radio. Turn the radio off, or switch to another frequency.
 

N1SQB

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Not a big deal....

It’s a matter of choice. I like it for simplex. When I used to do GMRS, it was a nice way to identify someone who was NOT part of the group. On a repeater, it may not be as much fun. However, I don’t see it as a big deal. It’s no different than some public service repeaters with courtesy tones. To each their own.

Manny
 

N4KVE

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Well there are two options if you do not like what you hear on the radio. Turn the radio off, or switch to another frequency.
You forgot option #1. The repeater owner warns the offending radio owner to either turn off the noise, or use another repeater. Seems to work well around here.
 
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