XTL5000 M20URS9PW1AN Setup

[Nuclearoption]

Hi, I'm new to radios and I just picked up a used on off of Ebay without any connections or accessories. I'm interested in both home and mobile setups for it. But to start what part number for a decent car cable will I need to operate this radio at least to 50W or more?
Also what other specific accessories should I look into? Please include part numbers when its a part that there are multiple other options that can cause confusion.
This is new to me so try to keep the explanations clear and simplified so I can learn. Any helpful information is much appreciated.

 

[nokones]

According to the model number that you posted you will not be able to transmit more than 30-35 watts at the max with a 700/800 MHz radio. Are you going to use this radio on a smartnet/smartzone system or are you licensed for conventional 700/800 MHz freqs?

You will need two cables, the DC power cable and you will need to connect the plus side directly to the battery and the neg/ground to chassis ground, not directly to the battery. Also, you need to get the accessory cable that has the ignition sense circuit and the speaker audio circuit.

The antenna connector is a female mini UHF.

 

[Nuclearoption]

According to the model number that you posted you will not be able to transmit more than 30-35 watts at the max with a 700/800 MHz radio. Are you going to use this radio on a smartnet/smartzone system or are you licensed for conventional 700/800 MHz freqs?

You will need two cables, the DC power cable and you will need to connect the plus side directly to the battery and the neg/ground to chassis ground, not directly to the battery. Also, you need to get the accessory cable that has the ignition sense circuit and the speaker audio circuit.

The antenna connector is a female mini UHF.

I was not aware that XTL5000 radios have different max wattages. (Notarubicon claims his XTL5000 can do 100w or so). If you have a link to the different model specs that would be good to know.
I don't have any plans to transmit and upset the FCC but I'd like to have the ability to listen to as many frequencies possible. It's more of a fun/shtf project right now.
Do you know if I'm looking at the correct wires/accessories?
Thanks

Power

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Or Power option #2

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Ignition

Motorola HLN6863B Mid Power Rear Ignition Cable for Motorola XTL5000 for sale online | eBay

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Speaker

APX XTL Mobile Two Way Radio Speaker XTL2500 5000 PM1500 APX6500 APX7500 APX8500 | eBay

See Pictures! Model Two Way Radio External Speaker. Speaker Compatibility. Two Way Radio Compatibility VHF UHF 800 CB Amateur Ham Marine. Interested?.

www.ebay.com

 

[BryanTheRed]

This is the high power brick.


This is the mid power brick.

There is no high power 7/800 mhz radio, only VHF and UHF. Your list of accessories is correct.

 

[KD9RTX]

If you want the ability to listen to as many frequencies as possible then you're barking up the wrong tree with that radio. Or with most commercial/public safety radios for that matter. The vast majority are mono band. Yours specifically will only receive and transmit on the 700/800 MHz bands. If you're after maximum receiving versatility then you should be looking at scanners.

 

[nokones]

I was not aware that XTL5000 radios have different max wattages. (Notarubicon claims his XTL5000 can do 100w or so). If you have a link to the different model specs that would be good to know.
I don't have any plans to transmit and upset the FCC but I'd like to have the ability to listen to as many frequencies possible. It's more of a fun/shtf project right now.
Do you know if I'm looking at the correct wires/accessories?
Thanks

Power

Motorola OEM Hkn6110b HKN6110 - Cable Power 100w for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Motorola OEM Hkn6110b HKN6110 - Cable Power 100w at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Or Power option #2

Motorola OEM Hkn6110b HKN6110 - Cable Power 100w for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Motorola OEM Hkn6110b HKN6110 - Cable Power 100w at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Ignition

Motorola HLN6863B Mid Power Rear Ignition Cable for Motorola XTL5000 for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Motorola HLN6863B Mid Power Rear Ignition Cable for Motorola XTL5000 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Speaker

APX XTL Mobile Two Way Radio Speaker XTL2500 5000 PM1500 APX6500 APX7500 APX8500 | eBay

See Pictures! Model Two Way Radio External Speaker. Speaker Compatibility. Two Way Radio Compatibility VHF UHF 800 CB Amateur Ham Marine. Interested?.

www.ebay.com

Randy's (Notarubicon) XTL5000 radio in his Notarubion Jeep is the 25/110 Watt High-Powered Unit 380-470 MHz unit and there are only two XTL5000 high-powered units offered by Motorola and they operate in the136-174 MHz and 380-470 MHz bands. The rest of the radio units are considered Mid-Power units such as the 136-174 MHz Mid-Power unit RF power with 10/50 watts and the two UHF band split units, R1 380-470 MHz and the R2 450-520 MHz that operate with 10/40 watts and 10/45 watts, respectively. The 700/800 MHz band radio operates with 10/35 watts.

The max power draw for the 700/800 MHz radio when keyed would be about 12 amps, approx 3-4 amps on receive, and about an amp on stand-by. The HKN6110B power cable is for the high-powered radio units. You can use it with absolutely no problems at all but you don't need that heavy of a gauged wire for your radio. Something like the HKN4137A power cable with the 15 amp inline fuse would be more than sufficient for your radio.

The second link brings up the same high-powered cable. The HKN6110B cable is your speaker audio and ignition sense cable. The ignition sense cable will allow you to select the option of either to turn your radio on/off with the ignition key, or by the radio on/off power switch and that is contingent upon where you connect the red wire of the accessory cable to a power source, and the ignition switch option function you select in the CPS.

The APX/XTL Motorola Speaker is the correct speaker for your radio.

You will need the programming software and the programming cable. The latest/last software version is the Motorola Astro 25 Mobile CPS Version R20.01.00. The programming cable is the Motorola HKN6184C cable. The software and cable are available from several sources like Blue Max 49ers and twowayradioparts.com. Be careful where you buy the software and cable. There are a lot of counterfeit Motorola cables and accessories being pumped out of China and they could harm your radio and could cause your radio to turn into a permanent paperweight or boat anchor. Some Sellers on Amazon are good examples of that. Buy from a reputable sellers like Haliod Radios, Sunny Communications, two-way radio parts and of course, Motorola. If you buy cheap and get non-quality cheap parts you'll very well could be sorry. Don't mess around get quality parts and stuff for your Motorola radio.

The Motorola specs and the installation manual documents are readily available from Motorola. I don't have the links at my fingertips but anyone can obtain those on a search.

About 99% of the 700/800 MHz system are trunk and your radio will be a poor platform for a scanner. Depending on the flashcode options of your radio you may or not be able to monitor anything at all. Most Public Safety Trunk systems are converting over to Phase II P25 because of the DOJ mandate to go encrypted in the very near future if not already. That leaves your radio in the very near future only good for a boat anchor.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Most Public Safety Trunk systems are converting over to Phase II P25 because of the DOJ mandate to go encrypted in the very near future if not already.

LOL wut? Not even remotely accurate. Systems might be converting to Phase 2 TDMA for capacity reasons but that has nothing to do with encryption nor any "mandate".
The system I help maintain will be Phase 1 FDMA for the foreseeable future because we don't have capacity issues nor do we have to agree with any so called "encryption mandate".

 

[nokones]

LOL wut? Not even remotely accurate. Systems might be converting to Phase 2 TDMA for capacity reasons but that has nothing to do with encryption nor any "mandate".
The system I help maintain will be Phase 1 FDMA for the foreseeable future because we don't have capacity issues nor do we have to agree with any so called "encryption mandate".

Another Einstein at the keyboard that is a genious.

 

[nokones]

On Oct. 12, 2020, DOJ issued a bulletin instructing law enforcement agencies to encrypt their radio transmissions or take other steps to protect the so-called personally identifiable information, also known as PII.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Another Einstein at the keyboard that is a genious.

I at least know how to correctly spell "genius".
And still no made up "Phase 2 TDMA/Encryption" mandate here in NC.

 

[Opfor2]

Hi, I'm new to radios and I just picked up a used on off of Ebay without any connections or accessories. I'm interested in both home and mobile setups for it. But to start what part number for a decent car cable will I need to operate this radio at least to 50W or more?
Also what other specific accessories should I look into? Please include part numbers when its a part that there are multiple other options that can cause confusion.
This is new to me so try to keep the explanations clear and simplified so I can learn. Any helpful information is much appreciated.

What do you plan on using this radio for?

 

[mmckenna]

On Oct. 12, 2020, DOJ issued a bulletin instructing law enforcement agencies to encrypt their radio transmissions or take other steps to protect the so-called personally identifiable information, also known as PII.

I believe you are thinking of the California State DOJ document, 20-09-CJIS, it only applied to the state of California.

https://www.oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/info_bulletins/20-09-cjis.pdf

Although the FBI/USDOJ has similar wording in their own documents, it's just hasn't been enforced (yet).

 

[ecps92]

On Oct. 12, 2020, DOJ issued a bulletin instructing law enforcement agencies to encrypt their radio transmissions or take other steps to protect the so-called personally identifiable information, also known as PII.

CALIFORNIA DOJ not the US DOJ

https://www.daywireless.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DOJ_CLETS_Encryption_Notice.pdf

 

[kayn1n32008]

Another Einstein at the keyboard that is a genious.

L. M. F. A. O.

The only 'genious' in this thread is you.

He also happens to be correct, unlike you.

 

[chrismol1]

PII = personally identifiable information, not PII, P2 phase 2 trunking

 

[Nuclearoption]

The replies for the most part have be very helpful and I appreciate it. Due to the information I've learned from this thread I realized I messed up getting a 110W beast and decided to return the low powered version of the XTL5000 I had in my possession.
I'm open to suggestions for an affordable shtf mobile 50W+ radio that can do GMRS (and maybe CB and Ham). The only problem is I rather not deal with a steep learning curve. Ideally I don't want to spend much more than $150 on the radio itself.
Thanks again for your patience with my limited radio knowledge.

 

[nokones]

The replies for the most part have be very helpful and I appreciate it. Due to the information I've learned from this thread I realized I messed up getting a 110W beast and decided to return the low powered version of the XTL5000 I had in my possession.
I'm open to suggestions for an affordable shtf mobile 50W+ radio that can do GMRS (and maybe CB and Ham). The only problem is I rather not deal with a steep learning curve. Ideally I don't want to spend much more than $150 on the radio itself.
Thanks again for your patience with my limited radio knowledge.

You might want to take a peek at the Kenwood TK880-1, which are 25 watt 250 channel radios with several good features that the CCR POS junk don't have that could come in handy. Those radios can be had for anywhere from $75-125. These radios are not too shabby.

I just picked up a refurbished unit for $75 a couple days ago.

Be careful, there are three bandsplit version radios, make sure that you're getting the right radio. Don't worry about the radio bring a lower powered unit. 25 watts on UHF will work just as good as the 40 watt TK880H

The TK8180 is another great radio

 

[mmckenna]

I'm open to suggestions for an affordable shtf mobile 50W+ radio that can do GMRS (and maybe CB and Ham).

GMRS doesn't permit more than 50 watts, but that's not a big deal, it's more about your antenna setup than the transmitter power anyway.

You won't find a GMRS radio that will legally do CB and ham. You are better off with separate radios anyway, especially if you are doing the "SHTF" stuff. You don't want everything in one box, as it won't do anything well. Keep your radios separate.

As for the "SHTF" stuff, that's the wrong reason to get into radio. Spending money on a radio that you'll want to use in an emergency only really sets yourself up for failure. Skip the SHTF/zombie apocalypse stuff and get a good radio that you'll use every day. Using the radio frequently will grow your skills and knowledge. Buying a radio and throwing it in a box for some imagined threat isn't going to do you any good.

The only problem is I rather not deal with a steep learning curve. Ideally I don't want to spend much more than $150 on the radio itself.
Thanks again for your patience with my limited radio knowledge.

Yeah, well, this isn't consumer radio stuff. There will be a learning curve, and how steep that curve is depends on your knowledge and how much you are willing to learn.

A Midland mobile GMRS radio might be a good option if you don't want to get deep into the weeds with programming and technical details. Those will work out of the box. Put money into a good antenna and it'll help performance a lot.

The Kenwood TK-8180 mentioned above is a good option. You'll need to learn the Kenwood KPG-89D software, but that's one of the easier softwares to use. Get the 450-520MHz version of that radio. The 400-470MHz version is popular with hams, and that'll run the price up.
Under $150 is going to be hard, you may need to stretch your budget a bit. Just make sure you have enough for a good antenna. Don't buy a nice radio and then connect it to a cheap POS antenna and expect it to work well.

Kenwood TK-8180 K & MIC! (NO PASSWORD) UNPROGRAMMED (UHF 450-520 MHz) | eBay

<p>Kenwood TK-8180-K. </p><p>Used and has been tested and is in working order. </p><p>These Radios are UNPROGRAMMED. </p><p>Comes with the Radio and Mic. </p><p>It does not come with the power cable, you can easily find them for around five dollars or you can clip the wires. </p><p>Band: UHF...

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[nokones]

The Seller, Haloid Radio, is a reputable seller that refurbished what he sells and guarantees them. Here is a link for a TK880-1 on eBay. Most of the TK880s on eBay are at a pretty good price and the 880s are still readily available and reliable. The 880 is a 250 channel radio. I've bought a few radios from Haloid before and I just picked up another TK880-1 a couple days ago.

Kenwood TK-880 UHF Mobile | eBay

Accessories can be added by selecting the yellow “BUY & ADD OPTIONS” button. Manufacturer: Kenwood. Haloid Radios is a provider of refurbished two-way radios and other wireless products. Who are you?.

www.ebay.com

The TK8180 is a 512 channel radio and there are several on eBay but the asking prices are up in the $200 price range. However, you should take a look. I purchased my cable from Blue Max 49ers couple years ago and they make good cables. I got my TK880 programming software from Ohio Solo Tech also a couple years ago. You find the software available on eBay from Ohio Solo Tech.