I recently got a Motorola XPR-6580 IS (Blue cased Canadian Radio) and it refuses to see the programming cable (Will not beep when attached or show impress accessory on display). I tried my cable on my XPR-6500 and it works fine with that portable (Beeps & shows Impress Accessory). Could the issue be that my cable is an aftermarket version & the IS radios only accept the OEM version?
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XPR6580 IS refuses to see programming cable
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N4KVE
Member
No, if the cable works on the 6500, it should work on the 6580. I'd be looking at the radio. I only use aftermarket cables on 15+ year old radios that I can afford to brick. Not new current radios. Try to have someone with a factory cable program your radio to eliminate the cable theory.
TampaTyron
Beep Boop, Beep Boop
I would recommend lightly scratching the gold colored side contacts with a dental pick or tip of a sharp knife. Sometimes, oxidation or crud builds up on those and prevents it from programming. Another trick is to wet your finger and then rub the contacts so they are moist, but not dripping. Then quickly attach the programming cable. These tricks are useful when mass reprogramming huge fleets of 6xxx series radios (works for 3500, 7550, ht1250, etc). TT
N4KVE
Member
I would NOT use a dental pick, or knife, as that will scratch away, & damage the gold surface. At least on a radio I personally owned, & paid for. On someone else's radio, maybe if I was in a rush. Many people suggest a pencil eraser, or alcohol, as they will not damage the contact surface, but they will remove any built up crud.
Would using an aftermarket cable on the radio cause an issue. It recognizes a speaker microphone just fine. It makes me wonder if since this is an intrinsic radio if the radio will reject non motorola brand cables. The radio is also brand new.
I would, in order:
1) Clean Accessory contacts with rubber eraser or a light alcohol cleaner. Do not use metal on metal: this will rapidly lead to having to replace the accessory connector.
2) Don't clamp the cable down really hard. XPRs are finicky with accessory cable tightness, so just turn the radio on, put the cable barely on the screw and gently tighten it bit by bit until your computer goes LO-HI to say it's connected.
3) Try a different cable, OEM in particular if you haven't already. Also, don't use the PMKN4012-A suffix cable if you can get a -B cable, the -A can cause problems.
and,
////// IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KEEPING THE INTRINSIC SAFETY RATING FOR CONFORMITY IN USE OR RESALE, DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING //////
If you're NOT interested in keeping the IS rating and intend to be the sole owner of the radio for the rest of its existence (seriously, think twice before voiding IS if you want to resell it) AND you have some experience with careful electronics, you can pull the guts and put them in the 6500 shell to see if it will read through that accessory connector (which would tell you your 6550IS housing's connector is bad).
But seriously, I do mean the warnings above. I yank radio guts and do swaps like that, but I'm a service tech and I have a static-safe bench and so forth to do it safely for the radio. If you're going to do it, take care.
1) Clean Accessory contacts with rubber eraser or a light alcohol cleaner. Do not use metal on metal: this will rapidly lead to having to replace the accessory connector.
2) Don't clamp the cable down really hard. XPRs are finicky with accessory cable tightness, so just turn the radio on, put the cable barely on the screw and gently tighten it bit by bit until your computer goes LO-HI to say it's connected.
3) Try a different cable, OEM in particular if you haven't already. Also, don't use the PMKN4012-A suffix cable if you can get a -B cable, the -A can cause problems.
and,
////// IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KEEPING THE INTRINSIC SAFETY RATING FOR CONFORMITY IN USE OR RESALE, DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING //////
If you're NOT interested in keeping the IS rating and intend to be the sole owner of the radio for the rest of its existence (seriously, think twice before voiding IS if you want to resell it) AND you have some experience with careful electronics, you can pull the guts and put them in the 6500 shell to see if it will read through that accessory connector (which would tell you your 6550IS housing's connector is bad).
But seriously, I do mean the warnings above. I yank radio guts and do swaps like that, but I'm a service tech and I have a static-safe bench and so forth to do it safely for the radio. If you're going to do it, take care.
Guess I'll have to see what happens when the new cable comes. If worse comes to worse & i have to get the port replaced will Motorola even look at my radio since it is meant for the Canadian market. I've heard they refuse to look at radios from certain markets that found their way to the US
hitechRadio
Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2010
- Messages
- 556
You have to use the PMKN4012B cable. Rev.B on that IS radio.
The cable you have is probably the same as a PMKN4012A Cable. Rev A
The reason you are having problems is the Rev.A cable uses the ant port on the side for ground. The Rev.B cable does not. And since your IS radio does not have antenna connection on the side, no ground. Thus the Rev.A cable will not work.
FYI, the antenna connection is the 3 upper contacts horizontally on the side connector for a PSM mic, your 6500 has them your IS radio does not.
This is only a problem with Revision A cables, Revision B will work on all radio's.
Note, the APX4000 requires Rev.B cable.
And don't scratch the gold contacts with anything metal. LOL.... Erasers usually do the job just fine. We use a chemical especially for gold contacts, I believe it is pretty much 91% Iso alcohol though.
The cable you have is probably the same as a PMKN4012A Cable. Rev A
The reason you are having problems is the Rev.A cable uses the ant port on the side for ground. The Rev.B cable does not. And since your IS radio does not have antenna connection on the side, no ground. Thus the Rev.A cable will not work.
FYI, the antenna connection is the 3 upper contacts horizontally on the side connector for a PSM mic, your 6500 has them your IS radio does not.
This is only a problem with Revision A cables, Revision B will work on all radio's.
Note, the APX4000 requires Rev.B cable.
And don't scratch the gold contacts with anything metal. LOL.... Erasers usually do the job just fine. We use a chemical especially for gold contacts, I believe it is pretty much 91% Iso alcohol though.
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This is for sure the problem, I looked at my cable and i have a revision A cable. I never even knew that there were several versions of the cables. I ordered an OEM revision B cable & hopefully this is the issue.
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