Couple Questions.

[EMTLovell]

Thanks in advance for your time,
I am considering purchasing a Astro Saber from eBay ( ASTRO SABER III VHF MOTOROLA P25 & DIGITAL / HAM | eBay ) and I am curious if someone could tell me if this model will work with Franklin County EMS. ( Franklin County, Virginia (VA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference )

My other question is, Is it possible to program these radios with the keyboard, built on a radio, or do I have to take it to a shop.

 

[gcgrotz]

Hey Lovell, welcome!

I'm not a Motorola 2 way expert and I'm sure you will get some good replies from those who are. You might want to scroll down in the VA Forum topics because it seems there was a big discussion on this very topic just a few weeks ago. Good luck!

 

[W2NJS]

Judging by the frequency list shown on this Board at another location, your radio should be able to work on all of the current county radio channels. You cannot program the radio yourself and will have to take it to a radio shop, or your county's radio shop, assuming they're willing to allow you to have your own personal radio on their various systems. The statement in the eBay listing that the radio "is very easy to program yourself" in flat-out not true. It requires special software and special equipment and cables.

 

[BigLebowski]

Actually, that radio probably will not work, and is likely not able to be upgraded to work.

Old 512k Astro Sabers with old Firmware and DSP (Host 4/DSP 6 in this case) will not do 2.5khz splinter frequencies. If you have your heart set on an Astro Saber, you should look for a 1-Meg Astro Saber with Host 7.xx.xx and DSP 08.xx.xx to avoid any issues.

Astro Sabers are great radios and I have owned several, however, you should be aware of the limitations of the various revisions of these radios before buying one.

 

[W2NJS]

Jake,

You're dead-on right, of course. I missed the part of the screen where the specs were listed. Just another good example of "if you don't know exactly what it is you're buying then don't buy it!"

Regards,

Tom in D.C.

 

[wmullins8195]

Agreed. I am also from Franklin County, and use my AS on the system. You really have two choices:
1 - P25 for all TAC's
2 - Franklin/Tac3a for EMS

Mainly, as an EMT, you won't be going to TAC channels (I speak from experience), and you could probably get away with a cheaper VHF Analog radio.

Also, try to stay away from the AS. As mentioned above, I had to have mine re-flashed for a cost of about 150 bucks to get it to handle splinter frequencies, which made the radio more like 550 instead of 300, so try to look for a better firmware OR shop for an XTS3000/XTS1500/XTS2500 in VHF.

Also, be sure to grab the wideband VHF antenna so that you can add all of the surrounding frequencies like the truck radio's have.

What squad are you with?

 

[EMTLovell]

I was with Fork Mountain (sq/co8), then left for the military and I'm about to come back home, and join again.

 

[tglendye]

I was with Fork Mountain (sq/co8), then left for the military and I'm about to come back home, and join again.

Welcome back and thanks for your service.

 

[wmullins8195]

I was with Fork Mountain (sq/co8), then left for the military and I'm about to come back home, and join again.

Outstanding, thanks for your time. FM's due has decent reception on the VHF system, and you should be fine with a standard P25 radio if you are planning to run fire as well.