XTL 5000 RMN5065B

[Stretchman]

I have a Motorola XTL5000 that I am trying to get working on the Amateur bands. I have the radio programmed, and am waiting on a speaker, which is somewhere in the USPS network. I specifically ordered a new speaker from Ebay for this XTL specifically, as I have heard there are issues with the audio amp if it's hooked up wrong.

Anyway, that is not really my question. I have the Mic with the buttons and it supposedly has a light. I did not hook up the ignition sense wire to the power supply, and am using the button on the face of the radio to turn the unit on and off, and that is working. The Microphone itself does key up the transmitter, and I used another radio to listen for audio and the unit has tested out good. So, the mic itself is working, but no lights and no buttons. The head and body are connected, and there is no remote stuff.

Thing is, this radio is actually an XTL2500 body with the 05 control head. I don't know if there's something that needs to be done in the software, or if it requires the ignition sense wire to be hooked up to power. I am anxious to start using the radio, as I have been somewhat active on p25 in the past with an EFJ5100, but, being that the HT doesn't have the range of a mobile unit, there are repeaters I can't use locally that the XTL hits with no problem.

IF anyone can point me in the right direction to troubleshoot the issue, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[clbsquared]

Your radio has been flashed to an XTL5000. The hardware for the 1500, 2500, and 5000 bricks are identical. It’s fairly common (for those with the right software) to upgrade a 2500 to a 5000.
I would check to see what the backlighting settings are by reading the radio with the proper CPS. ASTRO 25 Mobile. It could very well just be turned off in the programming.

 

[nokones]

If you ordered a Motorola speaker it is physically impossible to incorrectly connect the speaker to the Motorola Control Head power cable. The two genuine Motorola speaker connectors are properly typed and gendered to prevent that from happening.

If you went cheap and bought something other than genuine Motorola parts to shave corners it's going to be all on you when you screw it up and cause something fatal to occur.

If you're going to play with Motorola stuff it's best and cheaper and with less headaches in the long run to play completely with genuine Motorola stuff from reputable sources other than Amazon.

 

[nokones]

The O5 control head is configured for the XTL5000 and not for the XTL2500. The M5 Control Head is configured for the XTL2500 and not for the XTL5000.

Are the two Control heads interchangeable with the two radios, connectivity wise, Yes. But both Control heads can be modified to work with the other radios. After the modification is made it will not work with the original intended radio unless the modification is reversed/undone.

I'm not sure why would anyone would want to modify a M5 Control head for use with a XTL5000 radio.

I don't remember what exactly was the modification but it was done on the board inside each Control head. I remember it wasn't that difficult.

It would be best just use the appropriate Control head with the respective radio.

I have seen a few modified XTL2500 radios reflashed as XTL5000 radios and they are nothing but headaches. It probably would be better just reflash the XTL2500 with the extra channel capacity feature and use the M5 Control head rather than trying to make it into a XTL5000 radio.

 

[K2NEC]

If you went cheap and bought something other than genuine Motorola parts to shave corners it's going to be all on you when you screw it up and cause something fatal to occur.

If you're going to play with Motorola stuff it's best and cheaper and with less headaches in the long run to play completely with genuine Motorola stuff from reputable sources other than Amazon.

Connecting a speaker improperly isn't a "fatal" error so let's not be dramatic here.

Some people don't want to feed into the Motorola honeypot and spend $30 on a Mototola speaker when a $10 one will do the same thing.

 

[N4KVE]

The O5 control head is configured for the XTL5000 and not for the XTL2500. The M5 Control Head is configured for the XTL2500 and not for the XTL5000.

Are the two Control heads interchangeable with the two radios, connectivity wise, Yes. But both Control heads can be modified to work with the other radios. After the modification is made it will not work with the original intended radio unless the modification is reversed/undone.

I'm not sure why would anyone would want to modify a M5 Control head for use with a XTL5000 radio.

I don't remember what exactly was the modification but it was done on the board inside each Control head. I remember it wasn't that difficult.

It would be best just use the appropriate Control head with the respective radio.

I have seen a few modified XTL2500 radios reflashed as XTL5000 radios and they are nothing but headaches. It probably would be better just reflash the XTL2500 with the extra channel capacity feature and use the M5 Control head rather than trying to make it into a XTL5000 radio.

I know the OP. The radio in question was given to him for free by a mutual friend. He got it from someone who would bump all the 1500’s, & 2500’s to 5000’s so the 03 mike would work. My friend seems to remember the mike was lit when he had it, but he‘s not 100% sure. My thought was since it’s a house radio, who cares if the mike is lit, or not. When the OP first contacted me, he was wondering why his CPS couldn’t program the radio. I told him he couldn’t use XTS CPS to program a XTL. Took him 5 minutes to find the correct CPS on the internet. I’m sure if he studies the CPS, he’ll figure it out.

 

[clbsquared]

I have seen a few modified XTL2500 radios reflashed as XTL5000 radios and they are nothing but headaches. It probably would be better just reflash the XTL2500 with the extra channel capacity feature and use the M5 Control head rather than trying to make it into a XTL5000 radio.

Flashing a 2500 to a 5000 and using an O5 head, doesn’t require any hardware modifications to the O5 head.

 

[nokones]

Then please explain why there is an error displayed when using an O5 control head and the M5 works fine without an error?

Maybe some O5s don't get an error and it has been said by many those errors do occur when trying to use an O5 with a XTL2500. And I have experienced this more than once myself.

However, I have not tried the mod. I just went ahead and bought a M5 Control head to resolve that problem. I normally not in favor in one-off mods.

Also, it has been said that a simple mod can be performed to the control head to make it work by just adding or removing a jumper on the board. I know a couple that have done the mod.

It could be very possible that you are just not familiar with that procedure. It's not a documented Motorola procedure/modification. Someone was ingenious in discovering it and it does resolve the error problem.

 

[N4KVE]

Here’s the mod. Very easy.

 

[merlin]

I have an XTL control group with 05 head. I've used it on a lot of different XTLs, no issues.
I connected a HMN4079C mic, same results. I was hoping for the DTMF and possibly programming a button to change zones/TGs, but nope.
Matches the 09 head so maybe a later trial.

 

[clbsquared]

Then please explain why there is an error displayed when using an O5 control head and the M5 works fine without an error?

Maybe some O5s don't get an error and it has been said by many those errors do occur when trying to use an O5 with a XTL2500. And I have experienced this more than once myself.

However, I have not tried the mod. I just went ahead and bought a M5 Control head to resolve that problem. I normally not in favor in one-off mods.

Also, it has been said that a simple mod can be performed to the control head to make it work by just adding or removing a jumper on the board. I know a couple that have done the mod.

It could be very possible that you are just not familiar with that procedure. It's not a documented Motorola procedure/modification. Someone was ingenious in discovering it and it does resolve the error problem.

Because the OP had already said the 2500 he has, has been converted to a 5000. Therefore, the O5 head on HIS radio will work WITHOUT modification.
XTL2500 - M5 control head
XTL5000 -O3, O5, W3,4,5,7,9 head

 

[Stretchman]

If you ordered a Motorola speaker it is physically impossible to incorrectly connect the speaker to the Motorola Control Head power cable. The two genuine Motorola speaker connectors are properly typed and gendered to prevent that from happening.

If you went cheap and bought something other than genuine Motorola parts to shave corners it's going to be all on you when you screw it up and cause something fatal to occur.

If you're going to play with Motorola stuff it's best and cheaper and with less headaches in the long run to play completely with genuine Motorola stuff from reputable sources other than Amazon.

It's a NOS Motorola speaker for the XTL that I paid 50 dollars for. I am pretty sure it's going to work, but I still have not received it. It was supposed to be here Thursday, but it arrived at the hub and promptly disappeared.


Other stuff is showing up that was shipped after the speaker was. I keep checking back, and I keep seeing arriving late with a date change, but no further movement of the package. A watched pot never boils, I know.


Two days programming the radio and cleaning up the code plug, and I still can't use the radio without the speaker.

 

[Stretchman]

Your radio has been flashed to an XTL5000. The hardware for the 1500, 2500, and 5000 bricks are identical. It’s fairly common (for those with the right software) to upgrade a 2500 to a 5000.
I would check to see what the backlighting settings are by reading the radio with the proper CPS. ASTRO 25 Mobile. It could very well just be turned off in the programming.

I looked for something in the cps that would indicate that the mic lights were set by cps but found nothing. This is not my first foray into Motorola programming but I will say that Astro stuff is different than the xpr line. It's possible that something could have happened to the mic and I don't have another radio to test it. I might try to check it out on another radio. It's not a deal breaker.

The speaker is, though. None of you guys work for the Post office by chance, do you?

 

[N4KVE]

It's a NOS Motorola speaker for the XTL that I paid 50 dollars for. I am pretty sure it's going to work, but I still have not received it. It was supposed to be here Thursday, but it arrived at the hub and promptly disappeared.


Other stuff is showing up that was shipped after the speaker was. I keep checking back, and I keep seeing arriving late with a date change, but no further movement of the package. A watched pot never boils, I know.


Two days programming the radio and cleaning up the code plug, and I still can't use the radio without the speaker.

They say “timing is everything”. Last week Bob asked me if I had a speaker I could give to you. I told him I sold about 15 Moto speakers at the Orlando Hamcation in February, many brand new for $5 each. A moment ago I looked, & I have 4 more I forgot about, but yours is already on the way. And as for the USPS, a buddy ordered a Moto battery from a seller in Schaumburg, and it went back, & forth for 6 weeks before finally going back to the seller. It’d make it to the destination post office, & then go back to Schaumburg, turn around, & come back. I estimate that battery travelled 12K miles.

 

[nokones]

Speaking of oddball USPS deliveries, I had a package shipped via the USPS from the East end of the Phoenix Valley approx. 25 miles as the buzzards fly, and it should have been a one day/next day delivery, that went directly to Portland Oregon in one day, just one day to Portland. Then, it was shipped via a snail from Portland to Reno that took two days, from Reno to Las Vegas for another day, which waited around for a three-day holiday weekend, then it was back on the snail from Las Vegas to Phoenix, then another day from Phoenix to Sun City West, AZ, and another weekend but only a regular weekend, and finally on that Monday, it was delivered all smashed up with the contents missing. I think a turtle would have been faster but I'm not sure if the shipment was by a turtle would have prevented the smashing thing. I wonder if Artificial Intelligence (AI) would have help in this regard to prevent the smashing of the package. It was probably all the pot-holes in California that caused the smashing of the package and I bet the snail hit every pot-hole along the way.

 

[K2NEC]

Speaking of oddball USPS deliveries, I had a package shipped via the USPS from the East end of the Phoenix Valley approx. 25 miles as the buzzards fly, and it should have been a one day/next day delivery, that went directly to Portland Oregon in one day, just one day to Portland. Then, it was shipped via a snail from Portland to Reno that took two days, from Reno to Las Vegas for another day, which waited around for a three-day holiday weekend, then it was back on the snail from Las Vegas to Phoenix, then another day from Phoenix to Sun City West, AZ, and another weekend but only a regular weekend, and finally on that Monday, it was delivered all smashed up with the contents missing. I think a turtle would have been faster but I'm not sure if the shipment was by a turtle would have prevented the smashing thing. I wonder if Artificial Intelligence (AI) would have help in this regard to prevent the smashing of the package. It was probably all the pot-holes in California that caused the smashing of the package and I bet the snail hit every pot-hole along the way.

What does this have to do regarding OPs problem?

 

[nokones]

What does this have to do regarding OPs problem?

You must be an Amateur Radio Operator. By any chance, are you one of those sad HAMs?

To answer your question. NO! FWIW -I was responding to a previous post and it's my prerogative if I elect to do so and you are not going to tell me otherwise.

You probably have some snow to shovel. Why don't you go do something useful.

 

[K2NEC]

You must be an Amateur Radio Operator.

What gave it away? Nothing fooling you!

You probably have some snow to shovel. Why don't you go do something useful.

Sunny and 65 here. I'm just trying to prevent the OP from being mislead by your misinformation.

 

[nokones]

What gave it away? Nothing fooling you!

Sunny and 65 here. I'm just trying to prevent the OP from being mislead by your misinformation.

Ok, you're a good forum citizen. Keep up the good work.

 

[N4KVE]

What does this have to do regarding OPs problem?

Because the OP has 2 problems. The mike not being lit, & the speaker taking forever to get to him. Seems like that’s the bigger problem because he can’t use the radio until the speaker arrives, but the mike works fine even if the buttons aren’t lit. Unfortunately, we can’t help him with the delivery of his speaker.