Anyone in West TX or DFW that can program an XTS3000 III VHF?

[tcarro15]

So, in my rookie level haste I only did surface level research and didn't catch the fact that XTS3000 cannot be programmed with Astro CPS and an XTS5000 serial cable. Honestly, how i didn't already know this baffles me. I won an auction on ebay for a MINT VHF model that I need to monitor VHF P25 and analog stuff locally for work (TV News management and EP) and volunteer fire department, for a really good deal, and couldn't be happier with the radio, but I absolutely do not have the RIB serial and an old 32 bit machine to program it. Instead of just casing it for whenever I am able to program it, I wanted to see if there is anyone in West Texas (Midland-Odessa or reasonably nearby, San Angelo to Lubbock, Abilene), or out in DFW who can program it for me, and not charge me more than I paid for it lol...

Alternatively, if anyone just wants to sell me the hardware I'd need to do it myself, I'd be happy to discuss. I can access the CPS for it.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

You are just trying to monitor conventional P25 and not trunked, right?

 

[tcarro15]

Correct, just TX DPS VHF, some local P25 conventional, and some analog VHF public safety, some ham repeaters and simplex, the usual stuff. (rx only on non ham/murs/etc).

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I would also say that if you could write the codeplug in ASTRO CPS, and then have that to just go into the radio (even if they have to drag/drop), it would be more attractive and cost effective for someone with the means to program it for you. If someone has to sit and build the entire template, I would imagine it would sway people from doing it for you (or they would charge you more than you paid for the radio).

EDIT: My normal recommendation of having the radio aligned applies as well (at least the reference osc).

 

[tcarro15]

Yeah, I'm looking at just buying the gear to do it myself, I'm not unfamiliar witht he process, it's just been a long time. I plan to do a number of older radios in the future, so i might as well just look for the gear lol.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I use my 64 bit windows 11 machine to edit the codeplugs and then just move over to my windows 10 32 bit laptop to program. Get a good ribless cable off ebay or amazon and you are all set.

 

[tcarro15]

I use my 64 bit windows 11 machine to edit the codeplugs and then just move over to my windows 10 32 bit laptop to program. Get a good ribless cable off ebay or amazon and you are all set.

I've seen a lot of threads saying that the ribless cables are trash and don't work, so I assumed I had to go through the trouble of finding a RIB serial cable and all that to get these programmed. If all I need to do is grab a 32 bit machine and a ribless cable off amazon, I can have all that by weeks end. I have two XTS3000s I need to program at this point, won another Model 1 for $30 shipped on ebay last night with MURS and ham simplex calling freqs already in it lol. Might as well try to get this going myself. I still want an XTS5000 VHF, would love to find a model III FPP eventually.

 

[mmckenna]

I've got the official Motorola RIB and cables for most of the stuff I handle.

I did have one radio that I didn't have a cable for, and in a pinch bought a "ribless" cable off e-bay. It worked just fine, never had any issues with it. Harder part was finding a decent machine old/dumb/slow enough to run the RSS.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I've never had an issue with ribless cables. The catch is most people often confuse the cable for the Jedi series (including the XTS3000) for the cables for the Astro 25 portables, the EFJ 5100 series portables or the first generation EFJ Viking radios. Connector is the same on all of them but the pinout and data protocols are different on all of them. IIRC the Jedi cable uses TTL logic via a MAX232 chip, Astro 25 is a form of SB9600 via level conversion, 5100 is straight RS-232, and Viking is USB TTL.

 

[tcarro15]

I've never had an issue with ribless cables. The catch is most people often confuse the cable for the Jedi series (including the XTS3000) for the cables for the Astro 25 portables, the EFJ 5100 series portables or the first generation EFJ Viking radios. Connector is the same on all of them but the pinout and data protocols are different on all of them. IIRC the Jedi cable uses TTL logic via a MAX232 chip, Astro 25 is a form of SB9600 via level conversion, 5100 is straight RS-232, and Viking is USB TTL.

https://www.amazon.com/Kymate-RKN4035-Programming-Compatible-Motorola/dp/B08SCL97S5/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2N592FDWGJV1X&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-4XYwwjSGC0kPNVPyq1bu2T8mfvyFHsGddHz3vbyT_c1lFQiSlUXBz59AzVx9AMGWjv8xtVTiZ6wH7DWzVSZnsMrhPygaZpXrnsMHFE4HjUZ7IQo4_oUVsHhJoCk0UvfpN-hkDKSaFhrS8ZvRS0DqOvGd6ZjPGLuyawRgy_DfyM1mQKAmwT1QHCUwePdjqSNiLw2GnFoQG1yVXyo0DlIHht1fbVgvZmyuYFC0lxyrZY.4pX3d-1m7TpjjuwLRQF58n5uYBQEoGCAV4pNVsmoaq8&dib_tag=se&keywords=XTS3000+programming+cable&qid=1733887659&refresh=1&sprefix=xts3000+programming+cabl%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-5#customerReviews

Will this one work? I think I found a computer I can use.

 

[tcarro15]

Okay, I have the cable, I have the software, but I still can't seem to put my hands on a 32 bit machine WITH a real serial, but WHAT ABOUT....... a virtual machine on my 64 bit? Any chance there's a route there, or am I just in a holding pattern until I can score the hardware?

Thanks

 

[mass-man]

You tellin" me there's not an old 32 bit machine in the backroom of your TV station. Chief engineers are some of the biggest hoarders! Heck the competition might have one...surely the engineers all get together for beers every now and then. We do....

 

[tcarro15]

Jim McKinnon..... He's one of the first people I went to, actually. He gave me one, and pointed out some other desktops we had hoarded from when one of our partner radio stations closed, got one home and hooked it up, 64Bit 10 Pro lol. Checked another one at work, same thing. I have a couple more desktops in the newsroom that I'm going to check, but they're not very old, 5 years maybe, and were used for producers. There's a few available on marketplace but they're all 2007 32bit desktop machine "Affordable Gaming PC" or "I know what I have, firm price" asking $250 for just the tower type of ads. I actually found a machine on Amazon for $119 just now, that may just have to be the one, comes with warranty.

 

[tcarro15]

May I also add, this is the first time I've ever been disappointed that a computer was too fast... There's always a first lol.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

You can also purchase a Windows 10 LTSC 2019 32 bit license from a third party and install fresh. Last one I purchased was less than $10. As long as you aren't using more than 4 GB of memory you will be fine.

 

[IAmSixNine]

With all the trouble your going im wondering if its not cheaper to find an xts2500 VHF. With those you can use 64bit and USB cable.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

Slick that thing and put windows 10 32 on it with a good FTDI USB to Serial and rock on.

 

[tcarro15]

I finally got some wits about me and grabbed a 64GB usb drive, using rufus to create a bootable Win7 32bit ISO Image to boot onto a 4gb ram Dell optilex 380, old pentium 2.7ghz I think. In that process now, so fingers crossed lol.

 

[tcarro15]

Well, it worked. I can read and write conventional to the radio, though, I'm only vaguely familiar with Astro CPS, This XTS3000 is P25 (or so is supposed to be as is the listing on eBay...), but I cannot find ANYTHING with 'P25' on it, or 'NAC' nowhere. I see Astro, but .... I have a feeling I've missed something major..... Suggestions?

 

[mmckenna]

The flashcode will tell you what the radio is capable of. You can read the flashcode with the CPS. It's usually on the sticker under the battery (unless the radio has been recased).

Share the flashcode here and we can decode it.

Astro is Motorola speak for P25.