XTL 5000 RECEIVING ISSUE

[nokones]

I'm using a High Power XTL5000 in my Jeep and I am having a couple of issues receiving a couple of certain brand portable radios.

A couple of weeks ago on a Jeep Trail Ride, the group leader was using an Anytone portable radio to communicate with the members on the trail ride.

I was having difficulty in understanding his radio traffic. His audio kept breaking up and he was no more than a couple or three hundred feet away and always in sight.

I am using an on-glass Larsen antenna and the VSWRs are about 1.2:1 and were communicating simplex and my radio and his radio were set for narrowband. Also, I was running in the monitor mode (PL Defeat). My squelch level was set at the 2 level and were using GMRS channel 462.625 with DPL code 223.

His radio was the only problem radio. The other members were mostly using Midland FRS radios and there were a couple Motorola Talkabouts and I was receiving these radios just fine.

Also, I would like to note that my XTS5000 was receiving this Anytone radio with no problem.

Yesterday, I was on a Jeep Trail Run with a different group and the Group Leader was using a Baofeng portable radio and I had the same reception problem with only his radio on my XTL5000 but not my XTS5000 radio.

In this instance, we were on GMRS 462.575 somplex with DPL code 065 and I was again in the monitor PL Defeat Mode and the Midland and Motorola FRS radios were just fine.

Any ideas on if the problem is with my XTL5000 radio or with the CCRs? And, why would my XTS5000 receive the CCRs with no problem and not the XTL5000 radio.

Should my XTL5000 need to be serviced or is this a result of poor emissions from a CCR?

I am only having a problem receiving these CCRs in direct simplex mode. When they go through a repeater I normally can receive their audio with no problem.

Any ideas on if it is a problem with my radio?

 

[clbsquared]

The problem is on the other end. Those cheap $15-30.00 radios are horrible with modulation. If I were to recommend anything to you it would be to steer away from the glass mount antennas.

 

[a417]

When was the last time your long-in-the-tooth XTL was aligned?

Were all the other people recieving these cheap chinese radios when you weren't? (that might be hard to confirm, but it can allude to commonality).

I am only having a problem receiving these CCRs in direct simplex mode. When they go through a repeater I normally can receive their audio with no problem.

Yes, because they talk to the repeater and the repeater talks to you. Probably getting a cleaner signal than from the CCRs. This is not at all suprising.

Take the CCRs out of the picture entirely. If you had no issues with every other radio, that would lead me to believe that they are the issue.

I would spend more time with a spectrum analyzer on the XTL/XTS to get it nice and clean, I wouldn't waste my time with the full-diaper-grade Beofangs & Anytones.

 

[wgbecks]

When was the last time your long-in-the-tooth XTL was aligned?

The DSP in the XTS/XTL radios are not a nearly as forgiving as other radios in the presence of over modulated (excessive deviation)
signals. That said, and in addition to a possible alignment issue, have you verified that your GMRS channels are programmed for
wideband? IE: 5.0 kHz deviation

 

[nokones]

The DSP in the XTS/XTL radios are not a nearly as forgiving as other radios in the presence of over modulated (excessive deviation)
signals. That said, and in addition to a possible alignment issue, have you verified that your GMRS channels are programmed for
wideband? IE: 5.0 kHz deviation

View attachment 158300

No, the two channels are not being used as wideband. The two GMRS channels are being used as narrowband (2.5 KHz deviation) because most the of members are using FRS radios.

 

[nokones]

When was the last time your long-in-the-tooth XTL was aligned?

Take the CCRs out of the picture entirely. If you had no issues with every other radio, that would lead me to believe that they are the issue.

It's been a few years since the radios have been aligned. Since, I haven't been experiencing any problems until now, I haven't seen a need to have it aligned and the RF Output power level has been agreeing with the power level settings in the CPS.

The other members that use the Midland and Motorola FRS radios are not having a problem and I hear the Midland and Motorola FRS radios on my mobile XTL5000 just fine. I'm the only one having the problem and it is only with my mobile and not my portable.

I wish I could talk the Group Leaders into getting different radios but that won't happen especially since I am the only one with the problem and they are very attached to those CCRs. My XTS5000 portable receives the CCRs fine.

 

[a417]

I wish I could talk the Group Leaders into getting different radios but that won't happen especially since I am the only one with the problem and they are very attached to those CCRs.

I know the type. Good luck!

 

[clbsquared]

Again. If the only radios you’re having a problem hearing are the cheap ones, don’t go down the rabbit hole of trying to “fix” your radio to compensate for their sh@&ty performance.

 

[nokones]

Again. If the only radios you’re having a problem hearing are the cheap ones, don’t go down the rabbit hole of trying to “fix” your radio to compensate for their sh@&ty performance.

That's kinda my position but I may get curious and see an alignment would fix it or not since it's been years that these radios been connected to a service monitor.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Are the cheap Chinese radios (CCR) LOUD and broken up? If so they are exceeding the narrowband "FRS type" deviation you are expecting, as unlikely as that seems. But who knows without the FCC ID # to look up the grant. Is your XTL5000 netted exactly on frequency? Are the CCR's on frequency? Either being off frequency can exacerbate the problem. GMRS is a wide band mode so mixing the two is asking for trouble. DPL can be a problem for narrow band and CCR's. If you are trying to use DPL beware it is also unforgiving of low level RF interference.

 

[nokones]

Are the cheap Chinese radios (CCR) LOUD and broken up? If so they are exceeding the narrowband "FRS type" deviation you are expecting, as unlikely as that seems. But who knows without the FCC ID # to look up the grant. Is your XTL5000 netted exactly on frequency? Are the CCR's on frequency? Either being off frequency can exacerbate the problem. GMRS is a wide band mode so mixing the two is asking for trouble. DPL can be a problem for narrow band and CCR's. If you are trying to use DPL beware it is also unforgiving of low level RF interference.

The receive audio is loud (noise quieting) but broken up.

Both Jeep Trail Riding groups elected to have their respective channels narrowband because of most of the members are using Midland, Cobra, and Motorola FRS radios.

The Group Leader for one of the Jeep Clubs is using an Anytone radio and is one of the problem radios and he knows his radio stuff and I know him because we're in the same GMRS radio club and he is the one that told me to program my radios for narrowband because of the above mentioned FRS radios.

I am not having a problem receiving the FRS radios and I am running my mobile XTL5000 radio CSQ on receive by enabling the Monitor Mode (PL Defeat). It is a coincidence that the leaders of both Groups are using CCRs. As I mentioned earlier, I don't have a problem receiving the CCRs with my XTS5000 portable radio.

 

[tweiss3]

Sounds like the anytone is over modulating in narrowband mode, and your radio filtering is clipping. Not a problem with your radio.

 

[nokones]

Sounds like the anytone is over modulating in narrowband mode, and your radio filtering is clipping. Not a problem with your radio.

Pretty much is what the Motorola Radio Shop I do business with has said and aligning/tuning won't solve the problem. They also said that most of the CCRs are not quite on frequency (within freq tolerance for FCC Spec) in addition to hot modulation and that the CCRs are well known for that. They told me to save my $70 for the alignment until I have a problem with receiving from a real radio.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The only possible fault I can see is if your mobile were far off frequency. Very easy to test and compare to your working portable. Maybe the group should chip in and buy some real radios for those "leaders".

 

[nokones]

The only possible fault I can see is if your mobile were far off frequency. Very easy to test and compare to your working portable. Maybe the group should chip in and buy some real radios for those "leaders".

The other 18 radios were a combined bunch of Midland, Motorola, and Cobra FRS radios and I didn't have a problem with hearing them.

For the next Trail Ride, I am going to swap out my XTL mobile with another identical unit. I have more than one and see if I have the same problem hearing the Baofeng and Anytone radios with a different mobile transceiver unit.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The other 18 radios were a combined bunch of Midland, Motorola, and Cobra FRS radios and I didn't have a problem with hearing them.

For the next Trail Ride, I am going to swap out my XTL mobile with another identical unit. I have more than one and see if I have the same problem hearing the Baofeng and Anytone radios with a different mobile transceiver unit.

The issue is the offset acceptance bandwidth of the receiver. If your narrow band XTL is off frequency, say 2 KHz, then any wide band audio will bump against the selectivity (DSP IF Filter) of the receiver and distort. If another XTL mobile fixes it, then you will know.

 

[nokones]

Thanks. The Anytone radio was programmed for Narrowband. The owner of that radio is a fellow radio club member with me and he was the one that told me to program my radio for narrowband operation.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Thanks. The Anytone radio was programmed for Narrowband. The owner of that radio is a fellow radio club member with me and he was the one that told me to program my radio for narrowband operation.

You already said that those radios were LOUD at your end. There is a common misconception that if a radio is set to 12.5 KHz channel spacing rather than 25 KHz, that it is operating narrow band. It probably is not. That is a different setting.

"The receive audio is loud (noise quieting) but broken up."

 

[nokones]

I understand that. His radio was set for narrowband meaning 2.5 KHz dev. and my radio was also set the same.

 

[jeepsandradios]

Just because he say it is set for narrownabnd doesn't mean it it. I would try to monitor him in wideband and see what it does. I haeve my APX programemd with all GMRS in with then next bank all in narrow for this issue. My JK has an XTL and its the same there. Ive had issues on JJ rides with the same and have to switch to wide each time.