motorola astro spectra RX & TX issues

[middleofAKTB]

I have a Motorola Astro Spectra that I purchased for programming practice and the radio will not receive or transmit at all. I cloned this radio with another Astro Spectra (original radio Rx and Tx just fine). After cloning the radio i turned it off and back on. It self tested just fine with no error codes. However as soon as I use the PTT it will not transmit even though the MDC Side tone goes off and the red Tx lights up as it should in normal operations. I also tried to test it's receive and I get no audio or a BUSY yellow light.

I went through the entire program and went page by page to compare the original programming and found nothing that would have inhibit the cloned radio from normal operations. The program has nothing but conventional channels (no trunk channels what so ever) and this radio has no encryption capability. I checked the secure and everything is turned off. I'm completely stumped and have no idea what to check or how to troubleshoot past this point. I'm starting to wonder if it's the radio itself ie bad Tx and Rx board.

If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate the coaching. Thank you!

 

[zz0468]

Did you save the radio's original codeplug?

 

[mmckenna]

Do you know if it worked when you first got it?
-In other words, was the radio like this when you got it, or did the programming "break" it?

 

[middleofAKTB]

I didn’t save the original codeplug, but I did browse it and saw nothing that would require a system key or security code. It was all conventional with no digital personalities.

I also didn’t test it before I cloned it. (Which I see was a mistake on my part now) but when purchased it was in working order per the seller. I know you need to take that with a grain of salt.

 

[zz0468]

How did you clone it? Generally, it has to be the exact same model with the same features, flash, etc. You can force a codeplug into a radio, and ending up with a brick is not at all uncommon. Putting the original codeplug usually will fix that. Were there any error messages when you cloned it? What band is it? Putting a range 1 codeplug into a range 3 radio would certainly cause problems, if you could get the radio to take it. You don't have lab software, do you?

The first rule of working on these things is save the original codeplug.

The second rule is make sure it works as is before you do anything else.

Now you know, but that doesn't help with the current radio. Read the radio. Determine the band and range if UHF. Verify that the frequencies in the codeplug are within the rated frequency range of the radio.

 

[middleofAKTB]

How did you clone it? Generally, it has to be the exact same model with the same features, flash, etc. You can force a codeplug into a radio, and ending up with a brick is not at all uncommon. Putting the original codeplug usually will fix that. Were there any error messages when you cloned it? What band is it? Putting a range 1 codeplug into a range 3 radio would certainly cause problems, if you could get the radio to take it. You don't have lab software, do you?

The first rule of working on these things is save the original codeplug.

The second rule is make sure it works as is before you do anything else.

Now you know, but that doesn't help with the current radio. Read the radio. Determine the band and range if UHF. Verify that the frequencies in the codeplug are within the rated frequency range of the radio.

It’s a VHF radio (both are). I don’t have the original codeplug for it. There was no error messages when I did the install clone and it self test just fine. The process I did when I cloned it was take the existing radio, read it, went to clone, disconnected the radio, reconnected the new one, read the serial number and clicked clone. It programmed it with no error code and said successful program.

But I’ll definitely be keeping the original codeplug for these for now on and bench test before reprogramming.

Is there a way to do a factory reset on these radios?

 

[davidzimmerman]

if i was going to clone a radio i would NEVER disconect a radio to do that always have a saved code plug to clone the radio.

 

[akardam]

A good first step in situations like this is to put the radio on a service monitor, and use the Astro Tuner application to check the performance of the radio. Tuner bypasses the codeplug parameters and puts the radio into a test mode where it (Tuner) directly commands the radio to TX/RX on certain frequencies and in certain modes. If the radio works in Tuner but not otherwise, that'd be one indication that there's a codeplug issue.

The symptoms you describe coiuld be the result of the radio's oscillator simply having drifted, causing the radio to be off frequency. If you don't have access to a service monitor (and someone to run it) or a frequency counter, a quick and dirty method I can think of would be the following: Put both the good radio and the suspect radio onto a simplex frequency (and the radio on dummy loads if possible, if not on a freq you are authorized to transmit on). Then, vary the transmit frequency programmed into the suspect radio by the minimum step size (could be as low as 2.5 kHz depending on band) up or down from the original frequency, and see if your good radio ever gives any indication of receiving a signal from the suspect radio (even if you don't get any audio, if the amber RX LED lights up for example). If this works, that'd be an indication that the suspect radio is off frequency and would need to be aligned.

 

[middleofAKTB]

A good first step in situations like this is to put the radio on a service monitor, and use the Astro Tuner application to check the performance of the radio. Tuner bypasses the codeplug parameters and puts the radio into a test mode where it (Tuner) directly commands the radio to TX/RX on certain frequencies and in certain modes. If the radio works in Tuner but not otherwise, that'd be one indication that there's a codeplug issue.

The symptoms you describe coiuld be the result of the radio's oscillator simply having drifted, causing the radio to be off frequency. If you don't have access to a service monitor (and someone to run it) or a frequency counter, a quick and dirty method I can think of would be the following: Put both the good radio and the suspect radio onto a simplex frequency (and the radio on dummy loads if possible, if not on a freq you are authorized to transmit on). Then, vary the transmit frequency programmed into the suspect radio by the minimum step size (could be as low as 2.5 kHz depending on band) up or down from the original frequency, and see if your good radio ever gives any indication of receiving a signal from the suspect radio (even if you don't get any audio, if the amber RX LED lights up for example). If this works, that'd be an indication that the suspect radio is off frequency and would need to be aligned.

Lots of good info thank you. I don’t have access to a service monitor just yet. I’ll need to contact someone to help me past this poin. I now know what not to do though.

 

[akardam]

I now know what not to do though.

The old saying goes, "experience is what you get when you don't get what you want". We all learn by doing. If that's the biggest mistake you make this week, you're doing better'n most. Good luck with getting your radio checked out, hopefully a simple realignment will fix you right up.