XTS 5000 and XTL 5000 Programming

[Recon_6R]

Does anyone have a walkthrough guide for using the CPS v17 software that came with my XTS radios and XTL radios? I am trying to achieve some very basic functions:

1.) Non-trunked radio operations (direct mode/talk around mode on the XTS radios)

So what I do for the handheld radios is push the user programmable button with 2 dots which changes the mode to direct/talk around mode. This works great for speaking on the 1 channel programmed into the radio from the factory. The same button on my O3 head on the XTL5000 does nothing.....??? How do I activate direct/talk around on the XTL?

2.) How to program multiple channels in one personality.

I have tried fooling around with the programming software with one of my radios, but I was only able to figure out how to switch the functions of my user programmable buttons and the name of the 1 channel on the radio. all of the other channels I turn the knob to say unprogrammed. The channels under the Personalities section lists just the one and I have no clue how to add more.

Thanks errrrbody.

 

[jim202]

Have you tried looking at the CD that the software came with? There is some help info on the CD to walk you through the software.

My second comment if you don't know how to use the software, then your probably not the right person to be trying to program the radios.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9900; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.746 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

There should be tutorials included with the software. Install them and. Go through them. Most of the questions that you have asked here will be answered by the tutorials. Also you may want to look at going to a more stable version of CPS, R17 was very buggy, and can cause problems. To upgrade CPS you need a MOL account and a valid subscription.

 

[mikegilbert]

The XTS5000 uses the Astro25 CPS, which is a bit different from other releases of Motorola CPS. You now program frequencies, PL, etc. in the ZONE/CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT programming fields. If you'd like one personality referenced by several different frequencies, simply point those channels towards the personality in the ZONE/CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT menu.

As far as button programming goes, it should be towards the top of the "tree" view under DISPLAY/SWITCHES/BUTTON ASSIGNMENT menu.

 

[Recon_6R]

Jim: I understand that in the 11 years you have been a member of this site you have probably seen more people than not just go straight to the forum instead of trying to read the tutorial/help files. I usually find that assuming is genarally not best practice. Also, please understand that when you work for a business where you are the ONLY one who can program the radios the option of not doing it is unavailable. I have seen your post or many exactly like yours that provides no relevent information to the OP. I find your second sentence to be irrelevent and in no way related to helping others as the forum is designed to do. I am not personally attacking you but I feel that, as a senior member, you should be helping people, not trying to turn them away from tackling a task.

Kayn: Thank you for the information however, I do not have the ability to change what software I am using. The CPS application seems to be working fine for me and I have written 12 radios so far without any problems. Understandably, the only change I made was the naming convention of the channel assignments so it is possible I just haven't found the bugs YET lol. I have gone through most of the tutorials but it seems that since the radio has such mighty capabilities they seem to skip the simple steps such as explaining in normal human terms the relationship of personalities to zone/channel assignments and basic stuff. I also find that very simple radio programming like direct/talkaround mode is very briefly talked about and programming an entire zone with conventional channels isnt explained in depth. Thank you for the heads up on the CPS software stability though. I will bring this up to higher if they decide to pull this stunt on me again.

Mike: Thank you for posting information that can help people. I will let you know if it works out for me haha.

A little back story for anyone that has made it this far..... I am currently out of the country working as a sole radio operator/maintainer. I have 80 XTS 5000s, and 20 XTL 5000s to program. When the radios were ordered they were order as individual parts. so I have a box of xts, a box of extra batteries, a box of program/test cables a box of, key fill adapter cables, ...etc. Nothing that was ordered came as a kit. the only manual that came with anything is the XTL but its just a user guide and quick reference card. The XTL 5000 doesn't even come with antenna cable so I will have to order antennas and make the cable.

Last thing, is it illegal to share .cpg files? I have been unable to find any on the web to tinker with and see what a succcessful configuration looks like. I have seen other members say that studying config files gave them a lot of insight on what "right" looks like. My profile is updated for anyone who would like to vet my background.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[kayn1n32008]

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There is a site. It is called the Codeplug Super Site, google will get you there I do not know the address off the top of my head.

 

[jim202]

Recon 6R, it's not that I am not willing to help, but if you have been in this field as long as some of us, it gets to be a major issue after a while, with some who show up on here asking how to program a radio. After trying to help these people, you find out they are trying to set the radio up on a trunking system.

There are few on here that will make more than a comment to the effect of don't do it on a trunking system. The stories are self explaining over time. Even had one fire chief that ended up in jail for trying to do his best to keep his department above the expense budget failure point. He bought some used radios to save money and had them programmed on the trunking system he used. Problem was he didn't go to the radio system manager to get the approval ahead of time.

If you read the threads long enough on here, it has become like a broken record. "Hey I got a new radio (to them) and I need to program the radio". "Can someone help me"? Those that have bent over and tried to help have got burnt. So the stand that many of us now take is to just say go read the help information on the supplied CD. If they come back and make the comment that they don't have the CD, then you know it's going to be a nasty outcome. This person has managed to get a copy of the install files somehow and managed to put it on the computer.

I have always tried to be a mentor to the younger people who come along. But I do draw the line in the sand when there seems to be too many basic questions being asked about how to use the software. It shows that we have a person that has never tried to use the software before and it just raises the red flag.

When you work with and around many public safety agencies and the 3 letter federal agency radio people and field personnel, you walk carefully. I enjoy the work that takes me all over the country. Get to meet many in dispatch centers that I would never get a chance to be with otherwise. But I do have to be careful what type of help is given out to what sounds like a rookie.

Call me what you want. Place me in what ever corner you want. That is just the way many of the chat groups have made the more educated people act today. Not only are we concerned with the outcome and use of the radio being programmed, we are trying to protect the radio system these radios are attempted to be put on.

 

[cifd64]

Recon, nobody is doubting your intentions at the moment. But to be honest, the Astro25 Software and the XTS/L series, especially the 5000's, is not the place to get your feet wet. Having been in the industry for a few years I can tell you the easiest way to make a brick is not with concrete, its with lack of understanding. From the posts made thus far, everyone seems to be protecting you and those 80 radios. These radios are very particular in programming. It isnt just the radio, either. The O3 needs to be programmed, the remote heads haveto be programmed, might even need to make sure the flash is up to date to accomodate. You say the items were purchased as parts and not kits. This concerns me. When ordered as a kit, the radios are shipped with proper settings and features. If you got a baseline radio, the current settings may not allow for other heads. THere is a lot to take into consideration here, we are just pointing it out.

As far as other 'techs' asking how to program a radio, i just laugh. The system key question cracks me up everytime.

 

[cifd64]

And yes, some of us are a little on edge about questions like this. Having been a victim of 'programmers' with less than noble means, I have seen entire systems brought to the groundbecause someone got tx/rx info into their radio and decided to overtake authorized users on a fire channel. We dont do it to be mean, we do it to protect infrastructure. I wish you luck, the tutorials are a big help in the Astro software, as long as you have some CPS experience.

 

[Recon_6R]

To Jim and Cifd:

I absolutley understand your point of view and concerns. I apologize since it seems I may have jumped the gun on accusing you of not wanting to help. I thank you for explaining to me your stance and your previous experiences in the radio field and in the forums.

I generally don't ever thing of the reprocussions of amatures with access to radio infrastructure and negative intent. This is because I work in the military where the radio rules and regulations have very little impact on my operations. This is the first time I have been subjected to a commercial radio system and my first step of asking for help was in the public forum. I will gladly verify to anyone with doubts to my military ties by way of private message. Even better is I have the freedom of doing whatever I want because the radio architecture I am trying to build will not be used in the states. It will be private and conventional channeling only for use by my radios. The radios and parts came individually because they were ordered in bulk from Motorola.

I would be more than happy to explain some more specifics in a private message as my situation is not the topic of this thread nor is it a neccessity for it to be out in the open.

I would much rather have 70 working radios and 10 bricks than 80 radios that can't talk.

I really do appreciate your explainations as they remind me of the hoops and red tape you have to jump through and duck under in the non government work force.

 

[MTS2000des]

not trying to sound like a total prick, but there is a reason why Motorola gives courses (both online and in a classroom setting) on not just CPS, but the basics of radio programming period.

I would encourage ANYONE who is charged with maintaining such radios who has been assigned such a task to take the classes. No, it is not free. But if the radios are used for any professional purposes, than like anything else, there are costs involved in doing business. There are also plenty of radio shops capable of providing said services, and also have the appropriate test equipment to ensure the radios are operating to factory specifications.

The XTS and XTL are very complex and capable devices. They are designed to be serviced by personnel with the appropriate training, and service tools to do so.

They aren't designed, nor intended, for use by casual users. They are professional tools, and require professional service to work the way their maker intended them to.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 6_1_3 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/536.26 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0 Mobile/10B329 Safari/8536.25)

Recon,

The advice that Jim202 and Cifd64 is giving is solid. These are not beginner radios, they are very very complex, and as stated are not something to get your feet wet with.

 

[cifd64]

Maybe there is a radio shop where you are to get you started. I dont know what your operations are or how they will be used, but I have bricked XTS2500's. It sucks.

 

[Recon_6R]

I 100 percent agree with everyone's statements! Unfortunately, the situation is far more complex than I can explain on this forum haha. I am out of the country and there are no radio shops let alone english speaking shops. haha it's ok guys I will study the tutorials until I understand them in and out. It is the only way.

 

[cifd64]

I am sure you will, but I think it is an extremely dangerous action. Have you ever bricked a $2,500 radio? I have. But only once, thank goodness. If a company is willing to send you out of the country and buy expensive radios, why not pay to have them professionally programmed. I guess I dont know the entire situation, but 100 XTS/L radios is a hell of an investment to leave in the hands of (no offense) a noob. I would reach out to your bosses and explain what you have learned thus far and perhaps get you some badly needed assistance.

 

[cifd64]

OR, and i am just spitballing here, download the current codeplug on the blank radios, email it to a shop here in The States, tell them what you want the radios to do and have them write the codeplug and email it back to you. THey may charge a nominal fee based on options and settings, but again better than programming from the hip.

 

[Recon_6R]

So I have figured it out.

The conventional programing is very easy once you understand the relationship of zone-personality-channel. I configured one personality that meets my needs and assigned 6 channels covering the range of the frequency band. Pretty easy

Unfortunately, when I use the usb programming cable to plug the XTL up for programming both of the computers I have tried to use say "USB device unrecognized". It seems to have an issue with installing the device driver. Does anyone have insight on this?

 

[KE4ZNR]

So I have figured it out.

The conventional programing is very easy once you understand the relationship of zone-personality-channel. I configured one personality that meets my needs and assigned 6 channels covering the range of the frequency band. Pretty easy

Unfortunately, when I use the usb programming cable to plug the XTL up for programming both of the computers I have tried to use say "USB device unrecognized". It seems to have an issue with installing the device driver. Does anyone have insight on this?

Knowing what version of Windows you are using would help.
You need the USB driver that comes with CPS Software. Once installed it should show up under "Modems" in the Device Manager.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[Recon_6R]

One of the computers is Windows 7 Ultimate, and the other is 7 Home, both x64 systems.

When I navigate to the devices and printers page and pull up the usb devices it shows "unknown usb device".

When I look at the driver details it says the driver has been installed but there is an error (code 43).

EDIT: I am using the HKN6184 programming cable. It is usb on one side and plugs into the red colored port on the XTL.

 

[Recon_6R]

Also the CPS on my 7 ultimate doesn't support the parallel cable I am using (the programming/radio test set cable) but on 7 home it does work. From what I understand one of the many issues is that the parallel cable is not supported on windows 7 x64 versions. I found this to only be partly true though because it works on the win 7 home system that is x64.