Astro Spec broke and I did nothing to it!

[Will001]

Hey guys,
I just bought a Motorola Astro Spectra a few days ago, and got it in today. I programmed a few channels into the radio just to verify it works. Well, I turned it off to go do something, and when I turned it on again, it displayed FL 01/82. WHY IS THIS?? I literally didn’t do a thing to it! I’m really trying not to say anything I shouldn’t. I am so tired of the Astro series of radios! I am always having some problem with them! I have had 2 XTS3000’s give me problems, and now 2 Astro Spectra’s give me trouble. Does anyone know how to fix this? I don’t have the Astro Depot, I don’t know anyone who fixes these radios, and I just spent hard-earned money on this thing! I’ve attached photos of what the software is telling me every time I try to read/write the radio. It says something about my serial number is wrong when it’s not, and I even triple checked the serial number on the radio and on the codeplug.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Giddyuptd]

Try to write the original codeplug back into it. Hopefully you saved the original as backup. Try it numerous times. If it fails to do that and doesn't eventually take then in past you'd need to send it to the depot for repair.

Someone may be able to help you out with that since they are out of warrenty and many post on fixing stuff.

 

[Will001]

I made changes to the very first codeplug I read from the radio. I’m at a loss of what to do. The guy I bought this radio from even tunes the radio with an Aeroflex automatic test system. I don’t know why the software would complain even after I already programmed it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mancow]

The depot won't repair them. They are too old.

 

[Will001]

That’s what I thought. I’m thinking about contacting the eBay seller I bought this from and see what he thinks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FFPM571]

Always, Always save the original codeplug. The very first time you read it.. SAVE it to a file. I always save it with ORG at the end of the name so I know its the original. This kind of stuff happens. IF its a hardware or software issue you have back up. Now you may be screwed unless the seller has a copy that he can send you to try to save it.

 

[N4KVE]

Caps?

 

[Will001]

I did not save the original codeplug. What’s that stupid? Yes. I’m going to email him tomorrow and see if he has the codeplug still, and if not, I don’t know what to do. I am going to check the caps, and I’ll let y’all know what I find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Giddyuptd]

Why I said in past it would been a simple flat rate if the 01/82 isn't fixed by throwing the plug back into it.

Last options are as mentioned above if seller has a plug from it, or the old methods not allowed to be spoken of here.

 

[Will001]

I’ve been trying to hunt down the “old methods”. I’ve seen some, but the problem with running the depot software on my machine is that there is no serial port, and the windows is (I think) 64 bit XP or something like that. I posted this on the Austech forums, so I guess all the methods not mentioned on here will pop up over there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chief21]

As I understand it, a lot of the older Motorola software does not like 64-bit OS's. Could that be the problem in this case?

 

[mikewazowski]

It's a $100 radio. Buy another or find a cheap donor radio and swap the vocon and use Depot to jam in an appropriate s-record.

The Astro Spectra and XTS3000 are over 20 years old so it's not surprising things like this are happening.

 

[radioman2001]

The problem sounds more like a hardware failure not uncommon, and Astro Spectra's aren't even $100.00 radios anymore. They run for as little as $20.00, I just bought some AS+ for close to that delivered. Going to use the Vocons from the 800's for VHF.

Personally I have about a dozen AS and XTS3K radios. All powers levels and band flavors. Some are actually upgraded from plain Spectra's (110w VHF and UHF) because they were old new stock. Never had a problem with any of them. Your problems could also be using too new a computer when programming. I use a 486-25sx with true serial ports with Win 98. There are other computers I use, but all have true serial ports, I never mess with USB version cables or USB to serial adapters. The radios and the software were not really designed for it. After looking ayt you pictures I see a Dell 9100 which does not have a serial port, could be your problems. Always stick with the generation of the computer the radio was born in.

 

[MTS2000des]

And in 20 year old radios with EEPROMS that are in constant use (background writes of scan list members, trunking CC tables, volume rocker positions, etc) all get written to the EEPROM. The EEPROMS eventually fail. They can be replaced but it requires skill and the right tools.

 

[Will001]

Problem is going to be solved. I explained the entire situation to the seller, and he is offering a full replacement, thank God.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FKimble]

Sounds like a great seller! If you break it, he refunds your money. Please give us a link to him so we can feel easy buying off e-bay. Thanks

Frank KK4YTM

 

[6079smithw]

Always, Always save the original codeplug. The very first time you read it.. SAVE it to a file.

Word! Then save it again to a flash drive, CD/DVD/whatever and stash it in a safe place.The older the model, the more important the file. Murphy likes to corrupt folders and trash hard drives at the most inconvenient times, BTDT a time or three meself.

 

[Firebuff66]

Problem is going to be solved. I explained the entire situation to the seller, and he is offering a full replacement, thank God.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

01/82 is just a code plug error, I have had 100s do this, if you write to it a bunch of times it will come back, back when were doing rebanding Motorola told us it sometimes takes 12-20 times before it goes...
XTL/XTS do the same thing

 

[FFPM571]

01/82 is just a code plug error, I have had 100s do this, if you write to it a bunch of times it will come back, back when were doing rebanding Motorola told us it sometimes takes 12-20 times before it goes...
XTL/XTS do the same thing

Problem is he didnt have the original codeplug... He modified it before saving it

 

[mancow]

What makes the original special if it's overwriting the data anyway?