Motorola Two-Way Frequencies

[moemoemoe]

I have a Motorola CP185 Two-Way Radio and I'm trying to find out the specific channel frequencies so that I can tune in via my Baofeng UV-5RV2+.

There was another thread on this forum that had a list of two-way frequencies for some Motorola radios. MY CP185 has 16 available channels but the FCC frequencies only seemed to work for channels 1-4. (1-462.5625, 2 - 462.5875, 3 - 462.6125, 4 - 462.6375).
The channels that I looked up for channels 5 - 16 didn't work for me.

Can someone point me in the right direction? The Motorola manual wasn't very helpful. If you need more detail, let me know.

 

[clbsquared]

The only way to know for sure is to read the radio with CPS. the other 12 channels could be empty. I'm going to assume the radio was already programmed when you bought it. Did you buy it new or used?

 

[xxdanielt3]

You will need a programming cable and the correct CPS to view the programming on your CP185.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jaspence]

Finding frequencies

You could also use a frequency counter as long as you transmit into a dummy load to avoid possible interference to other possible users.

 

[moemoemoe]

Update

So just to update everyone.
The CP185 radio I use is for work. Channels 5-16 are active channels with various personnel speaking throughout the day. If I tune into channel 5 (for example) I don't hear a tone, I hear voices of the construction crews.

I used an RTL-SDR dongle with SDR# to monitor the spectrum from 462MHz - 464MHz and I was able to identify the approximate freqs of the channels I'm looking for. Channel 5 (for example) is located at approximately 463.425 Mhz.

I say approximately because on my Baofeng radio I can hear the crews just fine, but I cannot transmit and they hear me.

Its interesting because the CP185 manual states that the channels start @ UHF 435 and increment 12.5 / 25 which would mean channel 5 should be @ 462.6625 which doesn't appear to be the case.

I guess i'll have to buy a lousy programming cable and try to get into the guts of the device the hard way. I don't have a programming cable for the CP185

 

[toastycookies]

I say approximately because on my Baofeng radio I can hear the crews just fine, but I cannot transmit and they hear me.

This is because you have not programmed in the correct CTCSS/DCS frequency.

Ask the person in charge of the radio system what the tones are and if they will allow you to use your own radio on their system as many will not.

 

[clbsquared]

I guess i'll have to buy a lousy programming cable and try to get into the guts of the device the hard way. I don't have a programming cable for the CP185

Buying the programming cable and using CPS is the easy way. The way you've been doing it is the hard way. Not trying to be rude, but there is a lot more to the frequency than just the frequency.

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[moemoemoe]

Final Update

Hey guys,

Just to close this thread out.
I called Motorola and they say that the CP185 only comes with one (1) pre-set channel which is Channel 1. This is set by default at 462.5625 MHz. Channels 2 - 16 are left intentionally empty and are to be programmed by whoever purchases the radio.

I called my radio service provider that sells me all the radios I have. They also handle all the regular maintenance on the equipment. They custom program the radios which is why I'm unable to find the specific frequencies.

Long story short, my radio vendor e-mailed me the list of frequencies that they programmed into the radio. Everything works just fine now.

Appreciate all yalls comments and thoughts.

 

[natedawg1604]

So just to update everyone.
The CP185 radio I use is for work. Channels 5-16 are active channels with various personnel speaking throughout the day. If I tune into channel 5 (for example) I don't hear a tone, I hear voices of the construction crews.

I used an RTL-SDR dongle with SDR# to monitor the spectrum from 462MHz - 464MHz and I was able to identify the approximate freqs of the channels I'm looking for. Channel 5 (for example) is located at approximately 463.425 Mhz.

I say approximately because on my Baofeng radio I can hear the crews just fine, but I cannot transmit and they hear me.

Its interesting because the CP185 manual states that the channels start @ UHF 435 and increment 12.5 / 25 which would mean channel 5 should be @ 462.6625 which doesn't appear to be the case.

I guess i'll have to buy a lousy programming cable and try to get into the guts of the device the hard way. I don't have a programming cable for the CP185

You would need a programming cable AND the CPS software, which must be bought directly from Motorola or a Motorola dealer and will cost several hundred dollars. If you're only goal is to decipher frequencies of your company radio, IMO buying a cable and CPS is a total and complete waste of money, because it would be totally useless for any other purpose.

Given the radio is used for business purposes, and given the frequency you already found, the company must be operating between 450-469.9875 MHz. Therefore, as noted by Matakovich1, you need to somehow scan the band regions covering 450-470. This would be easier/faster with a hardware scanner, but it should be quite doable with SDR# as well. I *think* SDR# has an add-on program for decoding tones, you would definitely need the correct encode/decode tones to program another radio for real-world use.

As one caveat, in my experience it can be a bit tricky to monitor your own radio with SDR# when you're standing right next to the dongle & antenna, because the radio will overload the dongle. If possible, you should put the radio on the lowest power setting, but this may not be an option with a pre-programmed radio. In any event, you might want to consider having a friend key-up the unknown channels from another room or outside the house, while you monitor SDR# and look for the additional frequencies. Or, maybe try removing the antenna to reduce the power output.

You could also try taking the radio to a local ham club meeting, someone with a hardware scanner could easily determine the freqs & tones in about 5 minutes.

 

[robertmac]

And for frequencies other than FRS/GMRS a license to transmit is required. You could be interfering with legitimate users. Such as on the 463 frequency.

 

[mm]

Quote: Its interesting because the CP185 manual states that the channels start @ UHF 435 and increment 12.5 / 25 which would mean channel 5 should be @ 462.6625 which doesn't appear to be the case.


Good grief Charlie Brown, 12.5/25 is not MHz it is KHz,

5 channels up from 435 MHz is 435.0625 MHz only if the radio is set for 12.5 KHz channels.

You really should not be playing around with a two way radio if you do not know these things, it is people like you who get FCC NAL notices and give a bad name to the rest of us legitimate hobbyist when you end up transmitting on a public safety frequency.

 

[chief21]

The manual is telling you only that the radio is capable of 12.5 or 25 kHz frequency steps. The operating frequencies actually programmed into the radio will depend on the business and which frequencies they are licensed for.

There are many potential pitfalls if you are not familiar with the various programming parameters for commercial frequencies and the license-holder could be liable for big fines due to your actions. Your best bet would be to discuss this with your company radio tech.

John