xts 3000 model 2 800mhz apco 25

[robhearn]

i recently bought a xts 3000 .i have called every radio shop here in the state of delaware,nobody will program this radio for me stating they signed a agreement that will not allow them to do such a thing.does that make sense ? i dont wanna transmit i am not a officer.i just want to recieve..is there any way around this problem or dilema.i feel like i may have just wasted my money for nothing...

anybody have any suggestions on what to do

rob

 

[rescue161]

The 3000 is fairly easy to program as a passive receiver, but you're pretty much own your own to get it done. An MSS will more than likely give you the responses that you've already gotten, which is understandable.

You can do the following:

1) Program all of the channels in the TRS as conventional and have them receive only and then scan the system conventionally, which is not the best way to listen to a TRS.

2) Buy a RIB, cable, CPS and somehow acquire a System Key and then program the radio yourself. This is the most dangerous and most expensive route and you can get into serious trouble for hacking into a TRS. You can also put public servants at risk by screwing up the TRS if you do something wrong in your programming. Costs: RIB & Cable off of Ebay: ~$100.00. CPS from Motorols: ~$265.00.

3) Sell the radio and buy a scanner. I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but with the above choices, it's the most logical.

If you're still hell-bent on having the XTS3000, please read up on Batlabs and learn FULLY how to program radios so they do not affiliate. The biggest hurdle is going to be the System Key and tweaking the radio to not transmit/affiliate.

 

[immelmen]

i recently bought a xts 3000 .i have called every radio shop here in the state of delaware,nobody will program this radio for me stating they signed a agreement that will not allow them to do such a thing.does that make sense ? i dont wanna transmit i am not a officer.i just want to recieve..is there any way around this problem or dilema.i feel like i may have just wasted my money for nothing...

anybody have any suggestions on what to do

rob

prepare yourself for many man hours of self education. As mentioned above, Batlabs is your source, but dont bank on getting any answers/help with the most challenging aspect from anyone as its akin to asking for help refining heroin...you will be on your own. what you want is possible, but be aware of what your getting into before you spend LOTS of money, accidentally destroy your expensive investment, get yourself in trouble with the law or the possibility you may never get it to work at all.

Below is a quote from a moderator i stole from another post. I think it is the best advice I have ever seen for someone with your question.

Don't buy a commercial radio to listen to a trunked system when you don't know what's involved with getting it programmed. It's really that simple. Don't let your ignorance possibly screw it up for people who know what the heck they're doing.

If someone wants to get started, stick to conventional. Figure out which radio you can afford and then what the costs will be to acquire the programming software and hardware (not cheap). Get good at that, mingle in the Motorola (or whatever) scene and move on to trunking.

 

[SCPD]

I've programmed these radios many times. I've never had a need to program one for receive only on a TRS but if someone knows how to do it please share. As stated before, you're going to need the CPS (LEGAL copy), radio interface box, and cables for computer to RIB and RIB to radio. We use a RIBless cable in our shop and it works really well. DON'T use the crap from fleabay... use genuine Motorola equipment. I know it's expensive but if you want to have the big toys like the big boys you have to have big money. I think the latest CPS version for that radio is R12.00.00 and you may have a difficult time getting it from Mutha M. The system key will be like pulling hens teeth. If you don't have the system key you're S.O.L. from the get go because they're only available from Motorola and they're provided to system administrators of a TRS. There's a LOT involved when programming one of these radios and it's going to be a long road ahead.

If you want to listen to a TRS on your XTS immediately then don't hold your breath.... go buy a scanner and play with the XTS 3K as a project. Besides, a scanner is much simpler and has more flexibility in programming.

 

[FFPM571]

Buy a scanner.. The " Im cool" factor of just having an XTS to listen is not worth it. If you dont have the authorization and the system key you dont need it.

 

[Astro25]

It's not so much the "I'm cool factor" as it is most scanners are cheap pieces of crap subject to intermod and inferior reception compared to commercial gear.... Yeah the 396 and 996 are OK, but a commercial radio is still a night and day difference.

 

[XTS3000]

It's not so much the "I'm cool factor" as it is most scanners are cheap pieces of crap subject to intermod and inferior reception compared to commercial gear.... Yeah the 396 and 996 are OK, but a commercial radio is still a night and day difference.

My XTS's receive signals (conventional and TRS) that the 396 or 996 can't hear. While 396/996 are great little scanners, they seriously lack receive compaired to a real radio. The difference is stunning.

 

[SCPD]

I agree that a scanner can't compare to commercial gear but it may be the only alternative for most folks. I have several scanners to include a PSR500 and a MTS2000(800 mhz ID assigned to our shop) and the MTS does have better receive. If I didn't work in a MRSS I would have to be happy with the best that I could afford in a scanner. Some folks just don't realize what's involved in programming a commercial radio to operate on a TRS. I'm a full time firefighter and the guys I work with always want me to find them a radio and program it for them to work on the system. They think that the radios are like scanners and don't understand why they can't buy a radio from fleabay and have someone like me program it for them. The complexity of it all is out of some peoples reach/understanding and that's why I always tell them to just buy a scanner... it's less headache.

The two biggest hurdles to programming a Motorola radio on a TRS is getting the CPS and the system key(s).... if you don't have them then you probably don't belong on the system.


Programming for a conventional system is obviously much easier. I use a MTS2000 (VHF) for work at my part time job and for my ham radio stuff, I couldn't beat the price when I bought it Yeah, it's cool to have a commercial rig on your belt with the lapel mike, etc. but I have a legitimate need for it and it serves double duty. I also have other ham radios that are not commercial and I actually like them much better. I have the flexibility to program or make changes on the fly whereas I don't with a commercial rig and the ham gear is lighter to carry.

I'm sure we all go through the phase of wanting, desiring, and lusting for the commercial stuff. Once you realize how much of a pain it is to program and get it "just right" the mystique goes away... at least it did for me. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my commercial gear but for ease of programming and flexibility I prefer my amateur only gear and scanners. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from owning commercial gear just research it really hard before you invest a lot of money into it and make sure you can keep up with the future cost of it as well.

 

[immelmen]

commercial gear for TRS: Here is a novel thought......there may be some people out there who dont care about cool factor OR a quality scanner. Rather they just want to learn about a new and interesting method of two way radio....isnt this what started amateur radio in the first place?? I dont care about cops and robbers, I already have my dream job, and my radios are never seen in public because they scare girls away.

None of this is in any way an excuse to jump into something you know nothing about and possibly put lives at risk because you have not done the necessary homework, but I think its lame to just tell someone to buy a scanner for TRS without listening to their motivation.

If you want to be a cop, then quit your job and go through the academe. If you just want to listing in on whats happening in your neighborhood, buy a scanner and use the time and money you saved to go get a date. If you are truly interested in learning the technology BEFORE you ever hear a peep out of the radio then, investigate what is involved, approach it in a professional manner and enjoy the accomplishment...anything less is asking for trouble.

with the countless posts on this issue sufficiently beating a dead horse, if one pursues this and exceeds the limit of their capabilities (which could have expensive and/or legal consequences) I think its fair to say they have been warned.

Oh yeah....before you post any question, use the Search Option PLEASE!!

 

[Astro25]

I don't agree that putting a commercial radio "OMG PUTS LIVEZ AT RISKS". Unless you're an idiot and intentionally key up, (in which case your radio would be inhibited, hopefully long before then), then there's no "lives at risk". You could say the same thing about having a ham radio that's been modded for "MARS/CAP"... same theory. Yes it can transmit, but you damn well know you don't do that. :roll:

 

[immelmen]

I don't agree that putting a commercial radio "OMG PUTS LIVEZ AT RISKS". Unless you're an idiot and intentionally key up, (in which case your radio would be inhibited, hopefully long before then), then there's no "lives at risk". You could say the same thing about having a ham radio that's been modded for "MARS/CAP"... same theory. Yes it can transmit, but you damn well know you don't do that. :roll:

Right, it does not put lives at risk, if done correctly. BUT, the point needs to be made or some will not pay attention....

... does auto-affiliating count as keying up? I bet most would agree it does. So, I guess the folks who buy these radios and ask these questions fall into your category of "idiots" as they have not yet done the leg work to learn how to prevent it. I guess we were all Idiots at one point unless you were born with a Bat tattoo.

And no, I would not say the same about HAM radios. last I checked they dont have RID's that, when duplicated, can kick them off a system and lose a talkgroup. Further, my 60 meter modded Icom does not have the ability to automatically transmit every time I tune a frequency. These are the kinds of things folks need to read and learn when experimenting with M.

 

[MOTOROLANUT]

Xts

Risking lives is a little extreme but......The worst case senario it will do is auto affiliate or if you press the ptt button is register a unknown radio on the system. If thats the case the dispatcher or systems administrator most likely will take note of the times/dates it happens and eventually send out the signal to brick your XTS. Not to mention the legal procescution that could, yes could happen. Its like the old debate of well I bought this Old Ex Police Crown Vic cause it runs better then the consumer model. LOL Save yourself the trouble/aggravation/$$$ unless you are a Authorized Public Safety Official and BUY a Scanner.

As far as Batlabs is concerned, Its a Great Site with some Great members, but Don't expect any help if you start asking questions about programming your XTS to monitor PS systems. Most likely your threads will be locked and your user account banned.

 

[SCPD]

I agree with ya there Immelmen on all points. I learned by buying a radio, programming equipment and borrowing a licensed copy of the RSS. I wasn't trying to discourage the OP just wanted to enlighten them on everything that's involved when programming an XTS on a TRS. It can be expensive to purchase all the equipment and not be able to use the radio for it's intended purpose. To the best of my knowledge, the radio is useless for what the OP wants to do with it without a system key.

OP, the system key is the "key" to making any necessary programming changes to allow the radio to track properly. You will not be able to add/change data control frequencies, HEX/DEC talkgroups, scan lists, etc. unless you load the proper system key in the "tools" portion of the CPS. If you're wanting to monitor a trunked radio system the sytem key MUST be loaded, with the CPS, to make the radio work properly. If you have any questions you can PM me and I'll try to walk/talk you through any programming help.

 

[SCPD]

I agree with ya there Immelmen on all points. I learned by buying a radio, programming equipment and borrowing a licensed copy of the RSS. I wasn't trying to discourage the OP just wanted to enlighten them on everything that's involved when programming an XTS on a TRS. It can be expensive to purchase all the equipment and not be able to use the radio for it's intended purpose. To the best of my knowledge, the radio is useless for what the OP wants to do with it without a system key.

OP, the system key is the "key" to making any necessary programming changes to allow the radio to track properly. You will not be able to add/change data control frequencies, HEX/DEC talkgroups, scan lists, etc. unless you load the proper system key in the "tools" portion of the CPS. If you're wanting to monitor a trunked radio system the sytem key MUST be loaded, with the CPS, to make the radio work properly. If you have any questions you can PM me and I'll try to walk/talk you through any programming help.

 

[immelmen]

The worst case senario it will do is auto affiliate or if you press the ptt button is register a unknown radio on the system.

It is my understanding from what I have read and been told that if a radio Affiliates with a RID that is being used by a legit user on a system, the legit users radio is un-affiliated. If its a muti-site smartzone system, then the legit radio could be in a situation where it no longer hears any traffic on its talkgroup. Bad juju.

its important to note that as many who are unaware of this have tried to use duplicate IDs as a way to prevent there radio being "killed" by the admin. if the duplicate affiliates, that could be a worse case then just registering an unknown radio.

 

[MississippiPI]

If this is a digital radio you can sell it to me. I am looking for one here where I live--for scan purposes only. I am a Firefighter so I can get it programmed..This is another option....


Be Safe

 

[MOTOROLANUT]

Dups

Very Unlikely it will duplicate another ID. On most dispatching P25 trunking software it shows the user name ( AKA who the radio is assigned to...Officer name.. Fireman name.. Or Unit # when ptt'd on the dispatcher screen) Then the dispatcher will ask that unit if he or she has radio traffic and whoever is assigned that radio is bumped off the system will report it non functioning ASAP. Throwing up red flags. At the best you are only delaying getting bricked......Unless of course the 911 system administrator and the dispatchers could give a crap...Yes commerical radios do receive better than your average scanner. And if you were monitoring a non trunked systems it would be an entire different story.... But given all the $$$$ for the radio, licensed cps, hassle, risks going this route...Just buy a scanner a forget it. Besides that you can always sell a scanner....But try to find someone to buy an inhibited XTS is another story...

Ya gotta remember the members (myself included) here at RR are not trying to be mean or be A-holes, We are just trying to keep you from wasting $$$$ and possbly getting into legal trouble.