XTL5000 VHF, 110W FL01-90 after Head Change from W9 to O5

[ndejohn]

OK all, I have one that has been stumping me for weeks. As the title says, I have an XTL5000, that originally had a W9 head on it. It is high power, and we changed out the W9 for an O5. I went into the programming software and changed the head style and re-wrote the program. The radio worked perfectly fine with the W9 head. However, the guy whose radio this is, wants the O5.

Now, that the O5 is on it, I get no comms between the brick and the head. I can read/write to the brick with either a USB cable or the RS232 cable. I have upgraded firmware on the brick to R20.50.10, hoping that would solve the problem, with no success. I have tried different heads and different CHIBs with no luck. So, now I am putting it out there to see if anyone has any idea of what I could do to get this working, other than go back to the W9 head.

Thanks,
Nick

 

[rescue161]

Did you sync the control head to the radio?

 

[ndejohn]

Did you sync the control head to the radio?

Yes. Several times.

 

[MTS2000des]

This can happen if your O5 head was used on an APX then swapped to an XTL. Normally, the firmware will boot strap (remote device/local device message should flash as it ingests firmware).

Couple of ways I got around this on some stubborn XTLs with head swaps:

Firmware recovery in CPS, using a proper iButton to refresh with the O5 head connected and "slamming it" via your J2 or GCAI connector on the brick, leave the head connected and powered up. Does it reboot when the power cycling starts during the firmware refresh?

Sometimes swapping the head over to another XTL for some reason "wakes it up" and "makes it" ingest the host firmware. You've already probably driven yourself crazy with the CH sync application I am sure.

Don't give up. Once you get it to play nice, it's usually stable.

 

[ndejohn]

This can happen if your O5 head was used on an APX then swapped to an XTL. Normally, the firmware will boot strap (remote device/local device message should flash as it ingests firmware).

Couple of ways I got around this on some stubborn XTLs with head swaps:

Firmware recovery in CPS, using a proper iButton to refresh with the O5 head connected and "slamming it" via your J2 or GCAI connector on the brick, leave the head connected and powered up. Does it reboot when the power cycling starts during the firmware refresh?

Sometimes swapping the head over to another XTL for some reason "wakes it up" and "makes it" ingest the host firmware. You've already probably driven yourself crazy with the CH sync application I am sure.

Don't give up. Once you get it to play nice, it's usually stable.

I have used an XTL head and an APX head and I can not get it to work. I updated the firmware via an iButton Refresh Key, rather than Depot software. I can run a Refresh Key again, with an XTL head in Maintenance mode if you think that will work.

 

[MTS2000des]

I'd give the recovery mode in CPS a shot, it basically forces a full firmware refresh- you may have to do it a few times. Starting to wonder if your TIB may be the problem, if you have another TIB to swap, I'd also try that before committing time to the refresh song and dance.

 

[ndejohn]

I'd give the recovery mode in CPS a shot, it basically forces a full firmware refresh- you may have to do it a few times. Starting to wonder if your TIB may be the problem, if you have another TIB to swap, I'd also try that before committing time to the refresh song and dance.

I don't see a recovery mode in CPS in either the Depot version or the regular version.

 

[MTS2000des]

It's not, you'll see the recovery wizard when a Flashport upgrade fails, so you'll have to be creative at "creating" a failure.

 

[n3obl]

What happens if you try to hook back up the w series head?

 

[ndejohn]

What happens if you try to hook back up the w series head?

Works perfect!

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I have a few XTL5000s that just flat out refuse to swap from W to O, We have changed TIBs, reflashed firmware, tried several known good heads, cloned in known good codeplugs from the ones that converted successfully etc. We just put a note on them that they are W only and moved on. We never could figure out why some took and some did not regardless of what we did.