The burn and boot apps load pretty fast, about 1 minute apiece. Boot app launches a DOS window and ou can watch as it goes thru the AT commands. ECP loads to the radio which then unpacks and installs it. RPM says words to the effect "Okay, Ive given the radio all the data and its out of my control now". The radio display shows the progress. There are 6 steps and step 3 is the longest, with whole process taking about 10 minutes.
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M7200 questions
- Thread starter ElroyJetson
- Start date
- Status
The AT commands don't even work on this radio. I've tried via hyperterminal and checked the commands laid out in the documentation that came with the burn app.
That's still my fundamental problem. It's like the firmware in the radio is written in an entirely different language.
That's still my fundamental problem. It's like the firmware in the radio is written in an entirely different language.
I ended up sending the radio to a highly capable dealership that has full access to all available technical resources. No word back yet on what they found but I expect that info by the weekend.
any word?
I'll update when I have something to update. I'll call and ask for a status report tomorrow if I don't get an answer before I decide to pick up the phone.
yhssenior05
Member
Did you ever hear anything back on this? I'm thinking about ordering one of these m7200's off ebay but I'm a little worried now after reading all of this.
Thanks!
Thanks!
snoopyII
Member
yhssenor05 - use extreme caution here... the ones from the copier toner guy in NYC, are surplus from the failed New York state Opensky system. They are flashed for Opensky and Opensky only. Opensky firmware cannot be removed by your local Harris dealer, it has to go back to Harris to be re-flashed, (I thought someone told me about $600+ to do this.) in that sense, its similar to malware for your radio. The two that are in NJ, that have the actual OEM test receipt and the listed features are probably a safer bet, but I'd definitely contact the seller first and try and obtain some background history on where they came from first. Food for thought...good luck.
That's what I gathered, eventually.
I got an M5300 and use the cables and control head from the M7200 kit to remote mount the M5300
radio unit. In this respect, I got fair value out of the M7200 kit but the M7200 radio itself is useless junk.
I got an M5300 and use the cables and control head from the M7200 kit to remote mount the M5300
radio unit. In this respect, I got fair value out of the M7200 kit but the M7200 radio itself is useless junk.
I had a M7200 in my service truck and found a condition where the radio could be in LOS and very close to one of sites and fail to send calls or affiliate (in P25) where p7100s and m7100s functioned fine.
We never pinned it down to the exact defect but high signal strengths where the cause.
We never pinned it down to the exact defect but high signal strengths where the cause.
gesucks
Member
For those that have purchased these M7200 off ebay from NY, did anyone make offer and if it was accepted, how much?
More information Ebay M7200 radios
I purchased one of the Ebay M7200 OpenSky radios and spent some time getting code to load, non OpenSky code in particular. The result was a conventional radio that indicates zero systems and groups as they have blank feature strings. I am not sure if the factory can or will "sell" a feature string but in order to get it to be useful but I am sure it will be a lot more than some of the other used radios floating around. I am gathering opensky radios do not use feature strings which stands to reason as they came from the MACOM operation, not the Lynchburg operation when Macom bought Comnet and brought OpenSky to Lynchburg.
They are nice accessories if you need parts and pieces, they are all brand new parts, albeit a few years old.
I purchased one of the Ebay M7200 OpenSky radios and spent some time getting code to load, non OpenSky code in particular. The result was a conventional radio that indicates zero systems and groups as they have blank feature strings. I am not sure if the factory can or will "sell" a feature string but in order to get it to be useful but I am sure it will be a lot more than some of the other used radios floating around. I am gathering opensky radios do not use feature strings which stands to reason as they came from the MACOM operation, not the Lynchburg operation when Macom bought Comnet and brought OpenSky to Lynchburg.
They are nice accessories if you need parts and pieces, they are all brand new parts, albeit a few years old.
CH-721 Control Heads
So, like others on here, we ended up with some of these OpenSky only M7200's with brand New Control Heads and accessories. I fully realize that even if these radios can be reflashed to an operational state they will likely be featureless. I'm good with that, but has anyone been successful in doing just that? I think one of you was. At this point we haven't even been able to salvage the control heads. I believe they need the CH-721 MainApp firmware in order to work properly. If anyone has been able to resurrect one of these radios, but more importantly the control heads please let me know how. We would be happy to do some trading in return the help. Thanks in advance!
-Mark
Price Radio Sales
Price Radio Sales - Portables, Mobiles, Accessories
So, like others on here, we ended up with some of these OpenSky only M7200's with brand New Control Heads and accessories. I fully realize that even if these radios can be reflashed to an operational state they will likely be featureless. I'm good with that, but has anyone been successful in doing just that? I think one of you was. At this point we haven't even been able to salvage the control heads. I believe they need the CH-721 MainApp firmware in order to work properly. If anyone has been able to resurrect one of these radios, but more importantly the control heads please let me know how. We would be happy to do some trading in return the help. Thanks in advance!
-Mark
Price Radio Sales
Price Radio Sales - Portables, Mobiles, Accessories
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2008
- Messages
- 1,079
The most important part is if the radios are still loaded with TestApp or if they actually have OTP on them. If its the latter, yes, they can be flashed with ECP/XGP and would work as an analog EDACS radio etc. I have only been able to recover a TestApp radio by removing the flash chip and cloning it from another. I don't have the required 'tools' to bring them out of factory mode without first entering brick mode.
CH-721's
Unfortunately, they all have TestApp... We have quite a few.
I am more concerned with being able to use the control heads at this point.
I don't think we have the CH-721 MainApp Firmware for the control heads and I've never had to upgrade the head alone. We've upgraded ECP many times with no problems. I think the latest ECP we're using is R16D07. Any ideas on salvaging these heads? We have burn app and boot app files as well, just no CH-721 MainApp. Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately, they all have TestApp... We have quite a few.
I am more concerned with being able to use the control heads at this point.
I don't think we have the CH-721 MainApp Firmware for the control heads and I've never had to upgrade the head alone. We've upgraded ECP many times with no problems. I think the latest ECP we're using is R16D07. Any ideas on salvaging these heads? We have burn app and boot app files as well, just no CH-721 MainApp. Thanks in advance.
ISO Phase II Capable M/P7200 RX Only
In the first stages of considering purchasing either a M/P72/300 that is capable of P25 Phase II for RX only. I have no Harris knowledge, so please forgive my ignorance in advance. Can anyone point out what I need to be looking for as far as option codes, firmware versions, etc. I see a few on eBay, but as I stated, I am not sure what I need to look for. Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
In the first stages of considering purchasing either a M/P72/300 that is capable of P25 Phase II for RX only. I have no Harris knowledge, so please forgive my ignorance in advance. Can anyone point out what I need to be looking for as far as option codes, firmware versions, etc. I see a few on eBay, but as I stated, I am not sure what I need to look for. Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
You should buy a scanner and be done with it. You have no idea how complex the answer is to the question you are asking.
You'd have to get RPM. All the versions that support P25 phase 2 trunking are access controlled so you won't even be able to install a copy without a validated access key. ($$$)
P7200s are hit and miss. Only a very few of them actually can handle Phase 2 without having option 47 in them. M7200s on ebay, all those that are new in the box compete kits are boat anchors. They have really "special" firmware in them ("testapp") that makes them non-useful and non-upgradable. I don't know of anybody who has ever been able to flash them to a usable state as of yet without yanking chips off the board and replacing them. WHAT was m/a-com THINKING????
But the accessory kits are nice. It's worth buying an M7200 kit just for the accessories and then you go find a decent M5300 or M7300 and put the kit with the radio for a sweet remote mount setup for your vehicle. I did that and it's awesome. But it was hardly quick, easy, or cheap. You do NOT want to know what it cost me to buy RPM from an authorized Harris dealer.
If you buy a new M7200 off ebay, keep the accessories and give the radio unit to a metal recycler. Nobody else will get any value out of it.
If you get a radio that COULD handle P25 Phase 2 trunking, but it doesn't have that feature in it, you have to find a radio shop that will agree
to sell you the upgrade. That can be an effort.
You'd have to get RPM. All the versions that support P25 phase 2 trunking are access controlled so you won't even be able to install a copy without a validated access key. ($$$)
P7200s are hit and miss. Only a very few of them actually can handle Phase 2 without having option 47 in them. M7200s on ebay, all those that are new in the box compete kits are boat anchors. They have really "special" firmware in them ("testapp") that makes them non-useful and non-upgradable. I don't know of anybody who has ever been able to flash them to a usable state as of yet without yanking chips off the board and replacing them. WHAT was m/a-com THINKING????
But the accessory kits are nice. It's worth buying an M7200 kit just for the accessories and then you go find a decent M5300 or M7300 and put the kit with the radio for a sweet remote mount setup for your vehicle. I did that and it's awesome. But it was hardly quick, easy, or cheap. You do NOT want to know what it cost me to buy RPM from an authorized Harris dealer.
If you buy a new M7200 off ebay, keep the accessories and give the radio unit to a metal recycler. Nobody else will get any value out of it.
If you get a radio that COULD handle P25 Phase 2 trunking, but it doesn't have that feature in it, you have to find a radio shop that will agree
to sell you the upgrade. That can be an effort.
I had NO trouble using the CH721 control head from the set I bought from that ebay seller. I think I did have to load CH721 firmware into it but I've been using that exact control head on my mobile M7300 setup (dual head, single radio) for several years.
If I was able to get use out of that control head, anybody should be able to as I was an UTTER noob to ECP/OTP platform radios back then. That was my FIRST one.
I think I still have two M7200 chassis lying around somewhere. Or maybe I gave them to the local electronic scrapyard.
If I find them I'll give them one more look. Maybe one of them doesn't have testapp in it? I'm sure one does, NOT sure about the other.
If I was able to get use out of that control head, anybody should be able to as I was an UTTER noob to ECP/OTP platform radios back then. That was my FIRST one.
I think I still have two M7200 chassis lying around somewhere. Or maybe I gave them to the local electronic scrapyard.
If I find them I'll give them one more look. Maybe one of them doesn't have testapp in it? I'm sure one does, NOT sure about the other.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2008
- Messages
- 1,079
The M7200 OpenSky radio can be recovered back to ECP with the proper BurnApp, BootApp and ECP files (MCU also) and in the right order. The gotcha is that most of them dont come with any features, they were never destined for ECP/P25 so they never deployed them with features.
That being said, getting a Harris radio to work on phase2 as a scanner isn't a basic turn-key solution. It has it's benefits and performance is second to none but not something someone starting out should consider without expecting a lot of help along the way.
That being said, getting a Harris radio to work on phase2 as a scanner isn't a basic turn-key solution. It has it's benefits and performance is second to none but not something someone starting out should consider without expecting a lot of help along the way.
Some of those M7200s don't even have opensky in them. If they have only testapp, they're pretty much a lost cause.
I have a p7200 that is stuck with testapp. It's an ornament.
I have a p7200 that is stuck with testapp. It's an ornament.
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