Motorola Spectra C7

[MEGA14]

I found one of these for sale but the memory card has been removed and the unit won't power up for testing.

Is the reason that it won't power up because the memory card is missing , or would it be a different issue?

If it is because of the memory card , how much do they cost and would I be able to install it myself?

I use these radios but never got to know them from a technical aspect.

 

[RBMTS]

The Spectra did not use a memory card. However you might be referring to the MLM board. I believe that even without the board installed the radio will attempt to turn on but display a "FAIL xx" code. If you appear to not be getting any power, you might have a different problem.

There are many reasons why. It could be that the radio was programmed to have the ignition line installed in the DB15 connector. It might be that the wrong type of head is being used with the radio (meaning you have a radio put together with parts). It might also be that the head had some leaky SMD caps that have rendered the head inoperative.

Here is a great website to get various details about the Spectra:
http://www.open.org/~blenderm/spectra/

Good luck in your quest to get the radio working!

 

[MEGA14]

Spectra C7

Thanks for the reply.

I didn't make it clear that I hadn't bought it , rather only found it and the seller provided that information , sorry.

I was told by someone much more knoweledgeable with these radios , like yourself , that I needed a C7 of all models for my needs.

I would like to know however , if a C5 would do the trick and whether the 5th character : G , M or X should always be G , for trunking or whether X , for SecureNet is appropriate for my needs which are scanning a Fire Department in Ontario.

Would really appreciate your help.

 

[RBMTS]

A "C5" will be a limited button control head. No numeric keypad on the front panel. It really won't affect you much unless you want a "delete" button, which can only be programmed on the "7" type control head.

I really can't answer your next question as it would depend on the city and it's system (conventional or trunking). A "G" model is trunking capable model - and will also support conventional programming. "X" is secure capable - but useless to you unless you have the proper secure board (DVP, DES, DES-XL, etc.), have a keyloader to upload the secure code, and know the exact secure code to upload.

One thing to find out is if the system(s) you want to listen to are APCO25 digital. If yes, they you will need an Astro Spectra.

Hope this helps you.

 

[RBMTS]

PS -
Here is link to where you can decode the part number:

http://www.open.org/~blenderm/spectra/modelssp.html