XTS 2500 model II

[johncook530]

I am a volunteer firefighter and was recently given a xts 2500 model II by my sheriff’s dept that is no longer being used. My hope was to program it, using the FPP, to the fire department frequency so that I could use it for fire calls to keep on my body (my chief ok’d this). Here’s my problem and why I’m reaching out. The menu button and all side buttons have been locked out, and the sherrif’s dept is telling me to get it programmed by their person, which would be $100 (that I don’t have). I DO have the software, but right now, don’t want to spend the $35 (don’t have that money right now) on the cable just to program one frequency into my radio. From looking on youtube, IT IS possible to reprogram by hand using the front panel buttons. I just can’t do it because the menu button is locked, and this model doesn’t have the numbers below it. Is there a way to factory reset this radio by using the buttons, or am I going to just breakdown and get the cable?

second question: I am looking into also getting my ham license. from reading the manual online, this radio will do both vhf and uhf in the needed frequencies. so, I am I seeing correctly that I can use this as a ham radio if I can get it programmed properly?

Thanks to all who respond. Newbie here just trying to wade into the waters of the radio world.

JC

 

[K2NEC]

If it's a Sheriff's Office radio that was legitimately programmed, it won't have FPP because it's a model 2. You'll need a cable to program it and there is no magical factory reset. The XTS2500 also doesn't have a "Menu" and if it had FPP you would see it under the front buttons. There is no locked menu that you speak of

XTS2500 does UHF OR VHF. Not both.

 

[johncook530]

copy that…i must misunderstand what fpp is. it has the three white buttons on the top under the display, then the menu button, home and data buttons. but i’m gathering that just because it has those buttons doesn’t mean I can program how i want.

thanks for this info. given the above, what can I do with it? the cable costs more than a baofeng uv-5r, which would give me all I am looking for. should I just give it back to them?

 

[Asunakiyori]

If I recall correctly, Moto didn't start doing dual bands till the APX series so no it wont do both, its one or the other and only if its tuned for that band. If the Sheriff used UHF and you guys use VHF. you're boned.

My guess is you read "This radio can have the bands of UHF, VHF, 800" The APX 7000 is a dual.. and the APX8000 is the "Quad" band since UHF is split into 2

 

[K2NEC]

copy that…i must misunderstand what fpp is. it has the three white buttons on the top under the display, then the menu button, home and data buttons. but i’m gathering that just because it has those buttons doesn’t mean I can program how i want.

thanks for this info. given the above, what can I do with it? the cable costs more than a baofeng uv-5r, which would give me all I am looking for. should I just give it back to them?

Is the radio even the correct frequency split for what your department uses? If not, there's no point in even spending the $35.

Not sure if you were implying this or not but you absolutely cannot use a UV-5R for any sort of public safety. Not only is it illegal, do you really trust your life on a $30 radio from China?

 

[johncook530]

Is the radio even the correct frequency split for what your department uses? If not, there's no point in even spending the $35.

Not sure if you were implying this or not but you absolutely cannot use a UV-5R for any sort of public safety. Not only is it illegal, do you really trust your life on a $30 radio from China?

The local sheriff uses an 800 frequency, and my fire dept uses a 154 frequency, so based on the above, even with the $35 cable, I don’t think it would work.

If I am a member of a fire dept (and I am), how am I not able to use it for fire dept use, if it will work on that frequency (the fcc guidelines don’t prohibit use, if for emergency services)? Given the solid reputation of said radio, why shouldn’t I use it?

 

[KevinC]

The local sheriff uses an 800 frequency, and my fire dept uses a 154 frequency, so based on the above, even with the $35 cable, I don’t think it would work.

If I am a member of a fire dept (and I am), how am I not able to use it for fire dept use, if it will work on that frequency (the fcc guidelines don’t prohibit use, if for emergency services)? Given the solid reputation of said radio, why shouldn’t I use it?

Not speaking for @K2NEC, but that radio (UV-5R) isn't FCC type accepted for Part 90 usage.

 

[Asunakiyori]

I don’t think it would work.

We're telling you..... no It won't, you can't magically change an 800mhz tuned to a VHF by plugging it into a computer and going beep boop beep boop. If you don't have any reason to be on the 800mhz band then why? A lot of depts are ditching their Conventional systems to move to more digital. I have 1 800Mhz xts 3000. its not nothing but a paperweight since every single Police dept and Fire dept in my area moved off the conventionals to the Phase II trunking and encryption systems.

Your better options are to either use it as a shiny collectors piece for a shelf or, if by some miracle your area still has 800mhz conventional or conventional p25(if it's coded right) a scanner
OR
save your money and purchase a properly tuned to the VHF band XTS2500(or better) from fleabay

 

[K2NEC]

The local sheriff uses an 800 frequency, and my fire dept uses a 154 frequency, so based on the above, even with the $35 cable, I don’t think it would work.

If I am a member of a fire dept (and I am), how am I not able to use it for fire dept use, if it will work on that frequency (the fcc guidelines don’t prohibit use, if for emergency services)? Given the solid reputation of said radio, why shouldn’t I use it?

If you think the UV-5R has a solid reputation then you're severely mistaken. There's lots of threads and facts online that show the UV-5R (as well as any other Baofeng radio) tends to transmit off frequency and cause interference.

The UV-5R is not Part 90 therefore you cannot legally use it on Part 90 frequencies. And I ask again, do you REALLY trust your life with a $30 CCR from China?

 

[johncook530]

If you think the UV-5R has a solid reputation then you're severely mistaken. There's lots of threads and facts online that show the UV-5R (as well as any other Baofeng radio) tends to transmit off frequency and cause interference.

The UV-5R is not Part 90 therefore you cannot legally use it on Part 90 frequencies. And I ask again, do you REALLY trust your life with a $30 CCR from China?

How do I determine what radios ARE Part eligible that are ALSO ham radio’s, or is that, by regulations, not possible? My fire dept transmits on the 154 frequency, so it is on VHF.

I get that the radio won’t do what I want it to do. Noted. I’ll give it back to the dept that gave it to me and let them use it as a paperweight.

I think what I’m ultimately going to do is just buy one radio for my fire dept use, and another for ham use and call it done. A friend of mine bought a motorola ht 750 for fire dept use and hasn’t had any issues…do y’all know of any issues?

 

[mmckenna]

The local sheriff uses an 800 frequency, and my fire dept uses a 154 frequency, so based on the above, even with the $35 cable, I don’t think it would work.

Give it back to the Sheriffs office. It's not going to be useable for what you want.

If I am a member of a fire dept (and I am), how am I not able to use it for fire dept use, if it will work on that frequency

There are a couple of issues:

1. FCC Type Acceptance. Radios used in the public safety radio services are -required- to have FCC Part 90 type certification. That's a specification that the radio meets all the requirements necessary to function properly on these radio services. It is not optional. This is a cheap Chinese radio and while it technically may be capable of putting the frequencies in the radio, that does not make it permissible. Keep in mind that the Chinese don't give a flying **** about the FCC requirements and only want to sell POS radios to get US dollars into their economy.

2. Durability. These things are garbage. They are not durable enough for public safety use.

3. Specs. I've put some of these radios on a service monitor ($40,000 piece of test equipment for radios) and they don't come close to meeting the specifications for use on anything other than hobby use amateur radio service. They are not suitable for use in public safety. Save your money and get a good use proper radio that meets your needs.

(the fcc guidelines don’t prohibit use, if for emergency services)?

The FCC is exceedingly clear that FCC Part 90 type certification is absolutely, 100% required for public safety radio. It's even more important in these radio services where your life, or the life of those you are supposed to be protecting, will depend on that radio functioning properly.

Given the solid reputation of said radio, why shouldn’t I use it?

No.
That's like saying a Yugo would be a competitive entry in the Indianapolis 500. "Baofeng" and "Solid Reputation" should not be used in the same sentence. These are what we refer to as "CCR's" Cheap Chinese Radios.

 

[AK9R]

I think what I’m ultimately going to do is just buy one radio for my fire dept use, and another for ham use and call it done.

Good plan.

 

[mmckenna]

A friend of mine bought a motorola ht 750 for fire dept use and hasn’t had any issues…do y’all know of any issues?

HT-750 has the appropriate Part 90 certifications for use on your fire department frequencies. Plus you have the benefit of just having your friend program it for you.

As for 'issues', well, those are old radios, and buying old radios comes with risks. Electronic components age, and as they age, the alignment of the radio will drift. An old radio may not work very well. They can be realigned by a good tech with the right (read: expensive) test equipment. Just be careful purchasing off the used market. There are dealers that will sell you a used radio that has been realigned. I'd recommend going that route.

Also, there are other radios that will do what you need. Don't get hung up on brand names. Kenwood TK-2180 is a good VHF radio that will do what you need. Also, the NX-210, TK-5210, TK-5220, TK-2170. Motorola HT-1000, MTS-1000. I could go on….

 

[kayn1n32008]

From looking on youtube, IT IS possible to reprogram by hand using the front panel buttons. I just can’t do it because the menu button is locked, and this model doesn’t have the numbers below it. Is there a way to factory reset this radio by using the buttons, or am I going to just breakdown and get the cable?

It is possible. However the radio needs to have a full keypad, AND it needs to have the FPP options enabled in the flashport code. Your radio has neither. Even if it did, you would need to read the radio and provision the FPP parameters in the codeplug before you could use FPP.

 

[johncook530]

HT-750 has the appropriate Part 90 certifications for use on your fire department frequencies. Plus you have the benefit of just having your friend program it for you.

As for 'issues', well, those are old radios, and buying old radios comes with risks. Electronic components age, and as they age, the alignment of the radio will drift. An old radio may not work very well. They can be realigned by a good tech with the right (read: expensive) test equipment. Just be careful purchasing off the used market. There are dealers that will sell you a used radio that has been realigned. I'd recommend going that route.

Also, there are other radios that will do what you need. Don't get hung up on brand names. Kenwood TK-2180 is a good VHF radio that will do what you need. Also, the NX-210, TK-5210, TK-5220, TK-2170. Motorola HT-1000, MTS-1000. I could go on….

Thanks for the info. I’m not hung up on price so much as I am half-decent quality. I can’t afford anything new, so low-cost refurb\ebay are what I look at.

 

[mmckenna]

Thanks for the info. I’m not hung up on price so much as I am half-decent quality. I can’t afford anything new, so low-cost refurb\ebay are what I look at.

Understood. Budgets are a real thing….

HT-750 is a basic radio and will do what you need. But there tends to be a premium price to get the Motorola name brand.
There is some value in getting the same model your friend has, as you can use the same programming file. Just be 100% sure the model numbers on the radios match exactly, or the file will error out when you try to program.

The Kenwood TK-2180 is a popular radio for fire use as it has some nice features. It'll hold more channels and gives you a nice big LCD display. The KPG-89 programming software is one of the easier programming softwares to learn.
Plus, it'll give you lots of room to add 2 meter amateur radio frequencies into separate zones.

I'm not discouraging you from going the Motorola route, I ran a Motorola trunked system for year and had about 400 radios. I migrated to Kenwood and was very happy with their product and it saves me a lot of money.

 

[johncook530]

Understood. Budgets are a real thing….

HT-750 is a basic radio and will do what you need. But there tends to be a premium price to get the Motorola name brand.
There is some value in getting the same model your friend has, as you can use the same programming file. Just be 100% sure the model numbers on the radios match exactly, or the file will error out when you try to program.

The Kenwood TK-2180 is a popular radio for fire use as it has some nice features. It'll hold more channels and gives you a nice big LCD display. The KPG-89 programming software is one of the easier programming softwares to learn.
Plus, it'll give you lots of room to add 2 meter amateur radio frequencies into separate zones.

I'm not discouraging you from going the Motorola route, I ran a Motorola trunked system for year and had about 400 radios. I migrated to Kenwood and was very happy with their product and it saves me a lot of money.

Question, mmckenna. You said it will give me wiggle room for two meter amateur frequecies…this means that I could use this radio on the ham freqs (with a tech license) legally, without any problems? I’d just be limited to the vhf freqs, yes?

How easy to get (anywhere on the net for free?) or expensive is the software?

 

[mmckenna]

Question, mmckenna. You said it will give me wiggle room for two meter amateur frequecies…this means that I could use this radio on the ham freqs (with a tech license) legally, without any problems? I’d just be limited to the vhf freqs, yes?

Most public safety VHF radios will cover the 2 meter amateur band just fine. There's some federal frequency allocations below the 144MHz frequencies (amateur 2 meter band is 144-148MHz), so usually the radios will cover down towards 136MHz.

So, yes, either the Motorola, Kenwood, Harris, Icom, etc, will usually work just fine on the 2 meter band.

I'd recommend getting a radio that will let you set up zones. Have your fire department stuff in one zone, that way if someone else is using their radio, the hobby and work stuff is separated.

I use a Harris XL-200P portable at work as well as Harris XL-200M mobile. Most of the radio is loaded with work stuff for our PD and Fire frequencies. I have a zone in the radios that are programmed with my amateur radio stuff.

How easy to get (anywhere on the net for free?) or expensive is the software?

It's not permitted to discuss that sort of stuff on this site, but if you go looking under the right internet rocks, you'll find the KPG-89 software. Not sure Kenwood still sells it, as the TK-#180 line has been discontinued.

 

[RichardKramer]

this means that I could use this radio on the ham freqs (with a tech license) legally, without any problems? I’d just be limited to the vhf freqs, yes?

Send an email to me at N3VMY@prodigy.net; I have a Motorola HT1250 VHF full keyboard radio I have for sale.

 

[mmckenna]

Question, mmckenna. You said it will give me wiggle room for two meter amateur frequecies…this means that I could use this radio on the ham freqs (with a tech license) legally, without any problems? I’d just be limited to the vhf freqs, yes?

So, one thing to consider is that amateur radio is a bit different than what you'll do with the fire department.

You want the Motorola/Kenwood/EF Johnson/Icom/Harris radio for that sort of work.

For amateur radio, it's often easier to have a dedicated amateur radio for the job. That gives you features that you can't have on your fire radio, like being able to dial in frequencies on the fly (VFO), being able to program channels from the front keypad, etc.

If you do decide to go with two radios, you may want to consider an actual amateur radio for the ham use. Something from Yaesu, or the amateur radio product lines from Kenwood or Icom. You can also get dual/tri band radios for amateur radio use, much cheaper than the public safety stuff.