XPR-6550 vs. XPR-7550

[N4KVE]

Thanks Marshall.

Question, will I be able to program my Ham 70cm repeater/offsets and also the DMR ham nets in digital mode at the same time and go between them?

Thank you.

Yes. The analog ham freq's & DMR freq's can even go in the same banks. So many people set up their radios to have analog freq's & DMR systems in separate banks that my friends & I thought that's how the radios worked, which made changing back & forth a multiple push button project. One bank would be labeled DMR, & another analog. I experimented & figured out how to put a combo of analog, & digital freq's in the same bank making life much easier.

 

[gonzalu]

Thanks for that... I am likely going to get a XPR 7550 and later a 6550 (if my friend finally decides to part with his )

Now, how the heck do I go about programming? Is the software available for download from Motorola? Do I use USB or Serial cable? Is there a standard port on the radio or is it yet a special cable?

Thanks and sorry for the n00b questions. This is all very new to me. My Icom IC-U16s are getting very old and want to step up to more modern technology for this area of the hobby, not to mention learning the digital world of things

 

[N4KVE]

The best way is to do what I did. First you go to DMR-MARC & apply for a radio ID #. Then you ask the DMR repeater owner for permission to use his repeater. He will then program the data in your radio to access his repeater. The repeater owners don't like to let this info out into the open, so they like to program the radio themselves. Around here anyways that's how it works.

 

[gonzalu]

OK that's terrific !! Thanks... I guess WB2HWW would be closest to me ?

 

[w2xab]

7550 Bluetooth

I love the Bluetooth built into my 7550, I can leave the radio in the charger and walk around the house and hear the audio in my Bluetooth headset (without bothering the wife); if you want to transmit remotely, MOT sells a bluetooth PTP button.

 

[gonzalu]

I love the Bluetooth built into my 7550, I can leave the radio in the charger and walk around the house and hear the audio in my Bluetooth headset (without bothering the wife); if you want to transmit remotely, MOT sells a bluetooth PTP button.

So it's built in? I thought it was an accessory add-on ...

 

[gonzalu]

My new toy...

More questions. I bet I need a cable to do serious (or any) programming. Can I program ANYTHING via keypad?

Cable seems to be a complex and expensive proposition! I will post more pictures once I get a chance to do a full inspection.

Thanks

 

[cmdrwill]

Cute! What will it be when it grows up?

 

[jparks29]

Cute! What will it be when it grows up?

L o l.

 

[gonzalu]

DMR-MARC, if it ever gets out if its diapers! Was on the phone with MOL today for over one hour, no resolution. All I got so far is the authorization to get CPS but still no file. I was then transferred to two other numbers to get my entitlement codes for Wideband and for Wide Channels, no joy :-(

The latest CPS supports Bluetooth supposedly. Wouldn't it be nice if we could connect via Bluetooth PAN instead of a cable? Or at the very least, front panel programmability of anything!

 

[mikewazowski]

Bluetooth has been in the CPS for a while. I've been using it to program my SL7550.

 

[mikewazowski]

TFirst you go to DMR-MARC & apply for a radio ID #. Then you ask the DMR repeater owner for permission to use his repeater. He will then program the data in your radio to access his repeater. The repeater owners don't like to let this info out into the open, so they like to program the radio themselves. Around here anyways that's how it works.

Go here for complete instructions on how to program your radio. You do not need the repeater owners permission nor do you need him to program it for you.

http://www.dmr-marc.net/subscriber-program.html

This is direct from the DMR-MARC website.

 

[N4KVE]

Go here for complete instructions on how to program your radio. You do not need the repeater owners permission nor do you need him to program it for you.

DMR-MARC subscriber setup

This is direct from the DMR-MARC website.

While he may not need the repeater owner's permission where he lives, it's always nice to ask. The system I am on in South Florida is a closed system, & you DO need to know the owner, & ask his permission to get on his system. Since he does not give out the color codes etc, I had him program my radio. This way I didn't have to spend $200 plus on CPS. He will then enter my DMR-MARC assigned # into his repeater & this allows me to access the repeater. If I didn't ask for permission, then my DMR-MARC # would not be entered into his repeater, & I wouldn't be able to access it. Unfortunately there were too many hackers around trying to run encryption, & private talk groups, so that's why only friends with permission could gain access. A couple of bad apples spoils it for everyone.

 

[gonzalu]

Ok that sounds great because I did not want to have to get the cable unless I absolutely had to. I just installed CPS 7.5 .. .MOL said I did not want to use 8.0 because it would not allow me to use the radio on the HAM bands? How true is that? They mentioned it enforces narrow banding ... They have not given me the EID for either Broadband operation of the radio or wide channels. Right now I am having trouble with the battery that came in the box. It seems to be DOA :-( Getting a new one shipped on Friday.

So, if I make the connection via BT PAN, CPS should see the radio and I should be able to get the settings into it from DMR-MARC? I already have my ID and have submitted a rrequest to one of the two local DMR-MARC repeaters in Queens/Brooklyn that would be closest to me. NExt nearest one is Northern NJ and not sure if I can get over the Alpine cliffs to reach it...

 

[mikewazowski]

So, if I make the connection via BT PAN, CPS should see the radio and I should be able to get the settings into it from DMR-MARC? I already have my ID and have submitted a rrequest to one of the two local DMR-MARC repeaters in Queens/Brooklyn that would be closest to me. NExt nearest one is Northern NJ and not sure if I can get over the Alpine cliffs to reach it...

You'll need a cable to initially setup Bluetooth on the radio but once that's done you'll be good to go.

Here's the programming info from the DMR-MARC webpage for the NY/NJ repeaters:

313402K2ACYAtlantic CityNew JerseyUnited States447.5250-5.0 MPeerTS1K2ACYDMR-MARC-N2JTI
313400K2XTSHobokenNew JerseyUnited States0.0000[BETA]MasterTS1 TS2K2XTSDMR-MARC-K2XTS
313401N2JTIBergenNew JerseyUnited States444.0000+5.0 MPeerTS1N2JTIDMR-MARC-N2JTI
313604N2NSABronxNew YorkUnited States443.3500+5.0MPeerTS1N2NSABnxNet
313602W2KTULong IslandNew YorkUnited StatesPeerW2KTU
313603N2JTIRocklandNew YorkUnited States444.0000+5.0 MMasterTS1 TS2N2JTIDMR-MARC-N2JTI
313601K2QQJBrooklynNew YorkUnited States440.5000+5.0 MPeerTS1K2QQJDMR-MARC-N2JTI
313600KC2CQRQueensNew YorkUnited States449.7250-5.0 MPeerTS1W2KTUDMR-MARC-N2JTI

Program them up and throw out your call.

 

[gonzalu]

Should I use CPS 7.6 or 8.0? I keep getting conflicting signals from various sources around the web. Some say 7.6 will maintain the ability to do narrow and standard banding (12.5, 25) at once while others say 8.0 will not allow 25KHz channels.

As far as Firmware is concerned, I am still unable to figure out the Firmware on my radio because of the battery issue (hope to have that resolved by friday) and if I need to use CPS 7.6 or 8.0.

I have CPS 7.6 and requested 8.0 from the MOL rep on the phone yesterday. Have not been billed yet and they owe me a call back given my questions (I asked similar questions to those here and the rep on the phone was like: uuhhhh...)

CPS 7.6 does NOT say LA or AA or AZ or any other region code in the about screens... it also came with the Repeater EID configured/available ... will I be able to read the codeplug on the radio and modify it or do I need to enable CPS first to recognize radios in the first place?

This is all very confusing :smile:

Thanks as always!

 

[N4KVE]

Isn't the 7550 radio already narrowbanded right out of the box?

 

[gonzalu]

No, as per the model number, my radio is got all three supported... not sure if that means it SUPPORTS it and not really PRE-PROGRAMMED as such

Here is my Model Number and the decoder

XPR7550 : AAH56RDN9KA1_N

 

[gonzalu]

Service Manual

Here is the Service Manual for the XPR 7000 series if anyone is interested...

http://manny.org/radio/68009498001-A_XPR7000_Seires_BSM_NAG.pdf

 

[N4KVE]

Isn't the 7550 radio already narrowbanded right out of the box?

I just spoke with a few friends who have the 7550. No matter what CPS you use, the radio as delivered will only do narrowband unless you have the entitlement.