XG-100M and features

[ElroyJetson]

I have a CH-721 head for it at this time, in fact I've got dozens of those. That should be adequate as I don't really need to be able to do anything beyond simply select and use some VHF and UHF frequencies. While I'm not sure what special abilities the CH-100 control head brings to the table, if it isn't required to access other bands, then what I have is adequate.

This is replacing a well loaded 800 MHz M7300. It'll just be my public safety scanner PLUS other band conventional usage.

 

[BMDaug]

I enjoy the CH100… the being able to load various mission plans on the fly is nice. I also use a BT speaker mic kind of as a security measure… When there’s no BT connected, it’s a scanner only… add the BT mic and you’re ready to talk. It avoids someone messing around and getting my radio inhibited… but by far and away, my favorite CH100 feature is situational awareness with my XL200P. It’s SO easy to set up! Just tick a box in RPM and you’ve got instant location reports. You also get more freedom working with scan lists and encryption, both of which I use regularly.

None of these are deal breakers though… my other 100M runs an HHC731 and it’s perfect for the manpack setup!

-B

 

[nikronzo]

The Low band will be useless unless you want to just monitor. Otherwise, you are going to need a 30-50 low band amp as the 100M only puts out 0.9 milliwatts.

 

[ElroyJetson]

Not worried about that. Just being able to listen to some low band activity will be fine. I can get an amp if I'm motivated to do so.

Would anybody have the part number for the Harris all band mobile antenna?

This radio has the GPS option, too. I might use that.

I'm not really informed at all when it comes to what the CH-100 control head option would bring to the table. When it comes to later generation Harris radios, I haven't had the education yet. I'm not even clear on what a mission plan is as of this moment.

Yes I'm in the market for a CH100 control head. But at this point they seem to go for absurd money. I'll have to wait until they become cheaper on the used market.

 

[nikronzo]

Not worried about that. Just being able to listen to some low band activity will be fine. I can get an amp if I'm motivated to do so.

Would anybody have the part number for the Harris all band mobile antenna?

This radio has the GPS option, too. I might use that.

I'm not really informed at all when it comes to what the CH-100 control head option would bring to the table. When it comes to later generation Harris radios, I haven't had the education yet. I'm not even clear on what a mission plan is as of this moment.

Yes I'm in the market for a CH100 control head. But at this point they seem to go for absurd money. I'll have to wait until they become cheaper on the used market.

XMAN6J or XMAN6H are the antennas for the 100M, but to be frank most agencies use the Motorola all-band roof mount antennas including myself for the 100M and 200M.

GPS will only be interoperable with other Harris radios as the InBand GPS system on conventional is proprietary, also you need to have P25 InBand GPS and GPS features enabled.

The CH100 control head is the unity version control system for the 100M and provides touch screen capabilities and 10 Mission Plans per mobile radio for the user. A mission plan is just a selectable codeplug from the CH100 menu.

You aren't going to find a CH100 on the used market for cheap and you won't get one from Harris cause they aren't making them anymore, your best bet is find a friendly dealer and see if they can find some unused stock for list price rather than paying 2 grand on ebay which isnt worth it anyways, that listing is a total ripoff.

 

[mancow]

I have a parts radio and was looking at the boards. It appears easy enough to non destructively remove power to the 800 amp block and retain TX operation of other bands.

 

[ElroyJetson]

I'd just make sure that all 800 MHz public safety data is set to receive only and no login. Works perfectly, should be no need to modify the radio. I've been running an M7300 this way for years and no issues.

 

[BMDaug]

I have a parts radio and was looking at the boards. It appears easy enough to non destructively remove power to the 800 amp block and retain TX operation of other bands.

Ya, no need to modify anything as @ElroyJetson mentioned. I use the BT mic as a security measure because the radio is a legit SU, but occasionally, a family member will use the vehicle to run errands. It’s also nice if someone were to steal the car.. at least they couldn’t also use the radio.

The Harris antenna is a rebranded STI-CO.

-Brian

 

[mancow]

Ya, no need to modify anything as @ElroyJetson mentioned. I use the BT mic as a security measure because the radio is a legit SU, but occasionally, a family member will use the vehicle to run errands. It’s also nice if someone were to steal the car.. at least they couldn’t also use the radio.

The Harris antenna is a rebranded STI-CO.

-Brian

Oh I know but it makes me feel better, plus it's easy enough. With all but the ground of the RF PA block lifted and a 50 ohm chip cap across pin 1 input pad to adjacent ground via it is barely receivable on a scanner with the unit connected to a dummy load. I am not seeing any measuable power on an HP 8935. I still don't like the 100 mW active in there. There is a 18dB low noise pHEMT, SPF5122Z, (labled SPF51Z), on the underside of the board. It is acting as the PA block pre-driver and biased through an SMD inductor on pin 7 output pin. It's not hard to get to, just a few screws. I do see where the via comes up to the easily accessed top layer but being a multilayer board I don't know where it goes. I was hoping to trace it nearby but it probably joins some 3.3 or 5 volt bus somewhere I suppose.

 

[prcguy]

I just pulled the trigger on an XG-100M, so I'll be searching for a low band amp solution and other things mentioned above.

 

[mancow]

I just pulled the trigger on an XG-100M, so I'll be searching for a low band amp solution and other things mentioned above.

I think there might be enough room inside for a sort of small bridge amp in line of the LB port, something that could bring it up to a few watts to drive an Amti or RAMP-75 etc...

 

[ElroyJetson]

Literally no PA disable mod is needed to use a Harris radio as a safe scanner. Just program it right. No Tx on any talkgroup, disable auto-login and login on group change, and private calls and alerts, and anything else that would cause a transmission. This isn't a Motorola product, which in trunking doesn't have a true RX only mode. There's no HARM in properly disabling the PA, this is true, but there's also literally no benefit, either.
Or you could get super creative, pull the 800 MHz PA, and mod the radio to drop a VHF-low PA into its place. That'd be an advanced mod project, of course.

Better yet, just get a low band Orion PA brick and mod that to be your low band amp.

 

[mancow]

Literally no PA disable mod is needed to use a Harris radio as a safe scanner. Just program it right. No Tx on any talkgroup, disable auto-login and login on group change, and private calls and alerts, and anything else that would cause a transmission. This isn't a Motorola product, which in trunking doesn't have a true RX only mode. There's no HARM in properly disabling the PA, this is true, but there's also literally no benefit, either.
Or you could get super creative, pull the 800 MHz PA, and mod the radio to drop a VHF-low PA into its place. That'd be an advanced mod project, of course.

Better yet, just get a low band Orion PA brick and mod that to be your low band amp.

True. My benefit is literally not being able to make a mistake. Plus, I have more 800 radios that I can legitimately talk on than know what to do with. It's just a personal preference and one I can reverse easily enough as I have the tools etc... I realize others might not feel like it's something they would want to tackle.

Interesting thought on the low PA idea. Hmmm... I don't recall the part number now but they use a sold state tiny SMD chip to switch RF from a common input based on a two bit input if I recall correctly. I'm looking at my reference PA board now. It looks like there is an RF input from the RF generation stage off board thorugh the SMB or whatever it is board mounted connector, then another that looks to connect to the high power binocular transformer that fans out to the various PA blocks with what appear to be a bunch of expensive pin diodes not unlike what you see inside a Micom HF rig. Ah I see now, the lowband goes directly to the board on the other side. It seems to bypass the RF amp board entirely unless it pops through the common input board bulkhead then the RF gets some amplification or maybe filtering then goes back out the third board mating connector then back out the top board to the BNC...need to look more. So, yea, a guy could intercept that theoretically and potentially use the 800 area as a donor power, heat sink source after cutting and jumpering the BNC cable on the outgoing side. I suppose a harmonic filter would be needed as with the other stages but maybe that could be handled externally. This is fun. I like hearing crazy ideas like this from others.

I wish schematics were available. The reference boards I have are from one that some ****hole went at with a 1/4" drill bit. The PA board seems to have perhaps dodged both bullets. One went through the solder tab of a 2941 adjustable regulator under a soldered on can lid which I assume exists to tame RF switching interference from assiciated co-located switching regulator components. The other went through near the UHF 1 block and took out a filter cap by the RF input area but unless there are buried paths just might have avoided anything critical as a lot of this thing appears to be blank realestate with just ground linking vias. I assume it's like an 100P just splatted and flattened out over several boards. I don't yet have the balls to try to swap it in and see if it runs but the curiosity will get to me and I eventually will. I always do. Maybe a few beers more...

Also, excellent idea on the Orion PA, thanks. I'm going to go look into it now although I have zero need for it as I would never transmit there but "I gotsta know".

 

[prcguy]

What would be needed to make a remote mount XG-100M with CH721 into an under dash/base style unit?

 

[prcguy]

Another question, what is needed to use an HHC-731 hand held control head with the XG-100M? Would it use the same interface cable to a CAN link like an M7300 or something else?

 

[motorcoachdoug]

As for the CH100 control head , I got mine from a friendly dealer here in the DC Metro area for $900 and i know that others have as well. There is so many 700/800 systems in this area I could program the control head and fill it with 12500 in 10 mission plans of 1250 each with no trouble at all. As for the low band i am looking for an antenna since state highway for VA still uses it and there are some agencies in the Shenandoah Valley that are using low band as well. I travel alot to the Valley so it would be nice to know. Also I really like being able to change programs on the fly from one state to another. My XG75M/m7300 unit is now my base for monitoring my county and the MD 1st system. I am using the rebranded STI-CO on my van along with my harris unit and no trouble at all. I brought a roof rack NMO mount for the antenna and I kept my apx75k single band unit using a TRAM thru the glass antenna for that since Delaware is still a smartzone state and their are a couple of counties here in MD that are smartzone as well but beginning to do a buildout to P2.

 

[merlin]

Some updates here:
This radio has everything except UHF band. (a $500 feature and DES encryption)
What is in the radio now is about 60 low band channels hoping to get some MIL and skip.
VHF, I have some local ham repeaters and a couple simplex frequencies. All the marine channels I will cover later.
800 Mhz, I have a couple test frequencies, digital and analog. The notion with that is to talk to a P7100
I have for a bench test radio. Analog works fine, digital is one way for the XG not supporting provoice.
I worked out my local PSPC site putting the different agencies into their own system. I know I didn't have to go that route but now I can just monitor city talkgroups, county, or state..
I could yet add another system and shove all the talkgroups into that at the expense of some missed calls.
1200 slots, I would have lots of room to spare.
The radio works just fine. No limitations with the CH-721. The XG-100 was a bit of learning curve but such an awesome radio, only limited by the restrictions RPM imposes.
Cheers

I'll make a correction here. The CH721 wont display situation awareness, where the CH100 will.
The GPS will show location, speed, direction and UTC.

 

[2154]

I wouldn't spend money on the Motorola all band antenna. The best option available on the market right now and what most installs I'm aware of are using is the Larsen NMO150/450/758. This comes in a standard and a "SF" version which stands for "SuperFlex." It is about half the price of the Motorola and runs laps around the Motorola option. In fact the last probably dozen APX8500 installs I've seen used the Larsen option for a number of reasons.

 

[merlin]

I have a parts radio and was looking at the boards. It appears easy enough to non destructively remove power to the 800 amp block and retain TX operation of other bands.

TX can be disabled on a channel by channel basis. In group sets, just scroll down the list and untick the transmit box. Applies to all 4 bands.
For your system sets, set 'auto affiliation' to NEVER.

Hey, I could use a control board if you have a spare.

 

[mancow]

TX can be disabled on a channel by channel basis. In group sets, just scroll down the list and untick the transmit box. Applies to all 4 bands.
For your system sets, set 'auto affiliation' to NEVER.

Hey, I could use a control board if you have a spare.

I wish not the bastards drilled or and killed it. Only the rf board seems like it might be saved.