Saber II thinks it's a Saber III

[K9RPL]

Got another Head Scratcher...

Got a nice VHF Securenet Saber II that thinks it's a Saber III. It's in 148-174 split. The housing model doesn't match whats in the code plug was the first clue this radio has been "altered". No biggie, it still works though. It should take a low limit of 144MHz. I can modify the code plug that's in it.

Ok, I should be able to do the hex edit of SABER.EXE to fix the lower band edge but when I tried the Repeater-Builder method of editing SABER.EXE, none of the hex values for the low or high end show up.

148000000 should be 004DD208 according to RP. The values match what Hex Workshop says but they aren't in SABER.EXE. I have the last version of RSS: RVN4002K, R07.01.00, 09/01/93.

 

[prcguy]

Have you looked at the chassis to see if it has a keypad inside? There is a version of software that extends the band limits +/- 10MHz that everyone around here uses. No hex editing, just enter and program the ham freqs.

 

[K9RPL]

I haven't cracked it open yet. I tried creating a profile for the model it reports in RSS but it won't take the code plug. The radio throws an ERR 081 so I just put the original code plug back in and it's happy again.

 

[FFPM571]

Most saber II were III with a different housing.. it all works the same.. We are talking 30+ year old radios here

 

[prcguy]

I used to stick System Saber IIIs into Saber II R housings all the time so you might have a III with keypad.

I haven't cracked it open yet. I tried creating a profile for the model it reports in RSS but it won't take the code plug. The radio throws an ERR 081 so I just put the original code plug back in and it's happy again.

 

[K9RPL]

I'll open it up tomorrow and take a look.

I'd like to keep it a SABER II. I already have a IE and an Astro Saber III. Both of those are UHF.

As long as I can get it programmed for 2m I'll be happy to leave it that way.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

This should apply to old Saber RSS.

For each band there are two sets of band edge HEX locations to be altered.

The first is the advertised band edge. Take for example 148-174 split. You would seek the HEX values of those numbers in Hz.

The second are the hard band edges. That is the limit the RSS actually permits you to enter vales and may be 1 or 2 MHz below and above the advertised band edge.

Before you edit the RSS, try entering frequencies into a channel until you reach the limit. The last values you could enter, say 146.995 and 174.995 (146995000 and 174995000 Hz) are the values you must find and change.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Motorola may have shipped Saber III radio within Saber II housings. The radio should have an 8K COPE and therefore you can load many channels (128?) into the radio.

 

[K9RPL]

I did notice the RSS at one point defaulted the frequencies to 147000000. So I think you might have hit on something. I'll check it out this afternoon when I get home and I have a chance to open it up.

 

[K9RPL]

The radio is indeed a Saber III. It has a keyboard.

I did some testing with the RSS and the lowest frequency the RSS will accept is 147000000. The radio accepts it and works both TX and RX. 146995000 is rejected by the RSS. When I use Hex Workshop, I convert 147000000 to hex and get 08C30AC0 raw hex. Doing a search in SABER.EXE gets no results. I've also tried Intel format C00AC308 with no luck.

The code plug and RSS say it's a 120 channel unit. 10 zones, 12 channels each.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I have done this for ASTRO SABER CPS successfully and reportedly it works for analog SABER RSS. But there are several different SABER RSS the last one version 7.01 or thereabouts. Motorola may have been more clever with the version you have.

Other ideas:

From:

Saber I/II/III or MX 1000/2000/3000

"Here's a neat little programming tip. Program a high power VHF Saber (H43 series) as a low power (H33 series) radio and you instantly get the wide 146-174 MHz bandsplit, and the radio is still a six watt radio. Receiver performance should be just fine, and in most cases, you'll get the full six watts over the entire band, not that most people need to be transmitting in the 160-174 MHz range... "

General RSS CPS hacking tips.

Out of Band - W3AXL Wiki

wiki.w3axl.com

While you cannot "Brick" a Saber, it is a good idea to make a back up of the codeplug you received. Also beware of serial comms problems with the radio because you can corrupt the codeplug and then you have both serial coms problem and bad codeplug to sort out.

 

[prcguy]

Better yet, get a copy of what's known as "LAPD" Saber software which I think was a Motorola factory supplied version that extends band limits by +/- 10MHz. I've programmed lots of Sabers on 2m and 440 amateur with that many years ago.

I have done this for ASTRO SABER CPS successfully and reportedly it works for analog SABER RSS. But there are several different SABER RSS the last one version 7.01 or thereabouts. Motorola may have been more clever with the version you have.

Other ideas:

From:

Saber I/II/III or MX 1000/2000/3000

"Here's a neat little programming tip. Program a high power VHF Saber (H43 series) as a low power (H33 series) radio and you instantly get the wide 146-174 MHz bandsplit, and the radio is still a six watt radio. Receiver performance should be just fine, and in most cases, you'll get the full six watts over the entire band, not that most people need to be transmitting in the 160-174 MHz range... "

General RSS CPS hacking tips.

Out of Band - W3AXL Wiki

wiki.w3axl.com

While you cannot "Brick" a Saber, it is a good idea to make a back up of the codeplug you received. Also beware of serial comms problems with the radio because you can corrupt the codeplug and then you have both serial coms problem and bad codeplug to sort out.

 

[K9RPL]

I have RVN4002K, R07.01.00, 09/01/93 which I believe is the final version. I've tried every conceivable combination of decimal to hex conversion and nothing is working. I'm wondering if Motorola moved the band limits to be external from SABER.EXE. What's interesting is when I read the radio, RSS says its 148-174 yet I can program 147Mhz frequencies.

I have a feeling the band limits may be stored somewhere else. I could probably edit the code plug itself but I'd have to essentially build a code plug with dummy frequencies then save it and edit it.

 

[FFPM571]

You could swap modules and build a codeplug that would fit. Then have to align it.. Most everything is explained on Repeater-builder.com under saber. Personally it seem like too much effort for a 30 year old radio

Motorola Saber Information Page

 

[K9RPL]

You could swap modules and build a codeplug that would fit. Then have to align it.. Most everything is explained on Repeater-builder.com under saber. Personally it seem like too much effort for a 30 year old radio

Motorola Saber Information Page

What you described is not worth the effort I agree. But I like challenges. If I exhaust my resources then it will become a MURS radio. But if there's a chance I can get it on the right 2m frequencies It'll be a win for my ego and a nice toy to show off occasionally.

 

[ElroyJetson]

The common approach to hacking a Saber to extend band limits is to reprogram it as a low power radio which gives access to the wider bandsplits. You'd reprogram as H33QXK to get the 146-174 bandsplit with encryption capability, H33SAK without.

The +/-10M software version was "D04+/-10M" if I remember correctly.

I loved Sabers, still do, but they were just one generation short of being full band range and no hassles.

 

[K9RPL]

I'll give that a try. I did attempt to create a new RPF based on what it reports and it didn't like it. I kept getting ERR 0 81. Put the original CP back in and it was happy. I'll try the low power trick. If it doesn't work This unit will be a MURS radio with few PS RX only freqs. My go to systems here are 144/145 but a few are 147 and up so it would at least be usable.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

If you haven't already done so, recording the tuning values for modulation compensation and deviation are valuable. The transmit can sound quite tinny or muffled if they are overwritten by wrong values. Tuning the mod comp is a bit fiddly but can be done in field with proper gear.

The 7.01 version was quite a departure from the 4.0x versions. You might find an earlier one more hackable, however the "low power" codeplug sounds a bit more common a fix.

 

[K9RPL]

Good tip. I've been careful not to overwrite the tuning values when I write to the radio.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Good tip. I've been careful not to overwrite the tuning values when I write to the radio.

It is too easy to make that mistake. Also previous owners might have "cloned" radios and ignored that warning. I have seen the results of that.