EFJ 5100ES bits

[ergbert]

Thanks to the wonderful internet junkyard that is eBay, I just got my hands on an EFJ 5100ES limited-keypad model, in UHF-380 split. Wow what a brick, I think that in an emergency it could double as a bludgeon! Works well despite a tweaked antenna, but I've found a source for replacements. Having much less luck sourcing a cover for the speaker mic/programming port. I don't have a speaker mic, and my OCD doesn't think that bare contacts are great in outdoor usage.

Does anyone out there have a source for these covers, or have a few floating around a drawer somewhere? Not looking for a handout or freebies, just a source. Local radio shops have been less than helpful, especially for older models like this.

 

[jaspence]

Try one for th3e Motorola XTS 3000 series. I also have the EFJ-5100, and use the same cover on mine. Most batteries are also interchangeable, although a couple I have don't fit the EFJ. My EFJ outperforms the Moto on P25 simulcast

 

[ergbert]

Thanks! The XTS covers certainly seem plentiful. I mostly got mine to play with P25 on 70cm... Climbing the learning curve now.

 

[mmckenna]

Motorola antennas will work on your EFJ.

Or just contact an EFJ/Kenwood dealer and get a new antenna.

We used 5100's for a few years on my trunked system. They were good radios and much easier to program than Motorola's. I've still got a few kicking around in a box.

 

[ergbert]

So far I really like it. The user interface seems to be pretty well thought out even for a limited-key version, and the amateur world could take a lesson from the sheer user friendliness of the FPP implementation. It’s reinforcing my preference for repurposed commercial equipment in the amateur bands....

 

[mmckenna]

It’s reinforcing my preference for repurposed commercial equipment in the amateur bands....

Yep, got rid of all my amateur only gear many years ago. All my personal stuff is Motorola and a few Kenwood's thrown in. Memory capacity is enough that not having a VFO doesn't matter. I have plenty of room to program in everything I need as well as all the simplex frequencies. FPP makes changes easy if needed. Receivers are often much better. Some of the feature sets on commercial gear is much better than the ham stuff. On the mobiles, an ignition sense controlled power is a nice setup.

Have not missed any of my amateur rigs since I sold them.
Plus, at work, I can use them on my Part 90 frequencies legally and without modification.

 

[19sargeusmc56]

Do we know if the XTS programming cables work on the 5100?

 

[chief21]

Do we know if the XTS programming cables work on the 5100?

In my experience, they do not. They fit the connector, but the pin-out must be different.

 

[buddrousa]

Bite the bullet and buy a EFJ cable from a dealer around $100 then you need the correct PCCONFIG version for the version radio you have.

 

[jaspence]

Got my cable on ebay from kawamall for a lot less than $100. EF Johnson 5100 51SL 5100-ES Series Two-Way Radio Programming Cable 811714019338 | eBay Unlike the big M, PCConfig is readily available for retired EFJ pproducts and there is a version out there already modified to work with the 900 mhz radios.

 

[buddrousa]

I would not recommend flashing firmware with non factory cables. Also I am doing fire Department radios and care not to brick a $2500 City owned radio.

 

[ergbert]

I got my EFJ cable from ebay seller KJ6ZWL. Flawless, and much cheaper than the EFJ one...think it was $29 or so. Firmware flashes just fine. However, my radios (I have acquired a few more just recently) did not cost me anywhere near $2500, and don't belong to anyone else, so if I bonk one I'll chalk it up to a learning experience and move along. But, I am not a career radio person, just a hobbyist.

 

[jaspence]

I have successfully flashed several EFJ 5100s with the kawawall cable. I use a Windows XP compter with a true serial port, not a USB to serial adapter. You might also have good luck with 32 bit Windows 7, but stay away from 64 bit machines on the older radios.

 

[ergbert]

I'm actually using an old Asus machine, running Windows 10, 64bit, and an FTDI USB-serial cable. Not a hitch. Just as a data point...

 

[cmjonesinc]

I've been using a kawa serial cable for years on the efj's and have yet to brick one. Those are pretty robust radios and the price is right on them. If you don't need a lot of bells and whistles they are a rock solid rig.