• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

XTS 5000 Scan issue

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
Hi all,

Apon programing a XTS 5000 for scanning, I set up my scan lists, settings, and set the switch position A to scan. However, when I put the switch in A, I just a get fail tone and nothing happens. I couldn't find a whole lot of information out there for programing scanning, and it seems pretty self-explanatory, so I'm not too sure what could be causing this issue. Any help would be appreciated.

Cashanova
 

mbnv992

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
653
Location
AZ
Sounds like you have nothing in your Scan List. So - A is setup to scan but the Scan List is blank / empty. Fill up your scan list and that’ll fix that issue.
 

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
Sounds like you have nothing in your Scan List. So - A is setup to scan but the Scan List is blank / empty. Fill up your scan list and that’ll fix that issue.
Thanks for the reply. This is my scan list that I have been trying to use.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2025-01-13 160823.png
    Screenshot 2025-01-13 160823.png
    80 KB · Views: 48

kayn1n32008

ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
7,013
Location
Sector 001
Is that scan list assigned to the personality you are sitting on?
Came to say this.

OP:

Go to the personality for the channel you are sitting on, click on the scan tab at the top. In that tab, there will be a drop down to select the scan list you want assign to the personality. Select the scan list you want to use.

Keep in mind, the scan list can only have 15 members, plus the selected channel you are sitting on. In a zone of 16 channels, you can make a list of 15 to scan, and if you select the channel that is not on the list, it will be included when scanning.

So figure out which of your 16 channels(if it's a full 16 channel zone) you use the most and exclude it from the list, then scan while sitting on your excluded channel to scan all 16 channels in the zone.

In my XTS2500, I grouped my channels by location or function per zone.

This was so I could set up my scan lists to scan by zone. In each of my scan lists(one per zone), I have channel 2 to 16(15 members) from that zone, in the scan list. When I scan, I sit on channel one(it becomes the 'plus 1') in each zone so I can catch activity on it as well as the other 15 members in the scan list.
 

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
Came to say this.

OP:

Go to the personality for the channel you are sitting on, click on the scan tab at the top. In that tab, there will be a drop down to select the scan list you want assign to the personality. Select the scan list you want to use.

Keep in mind, the scan list can only have 15 members, plus the selected channel you are sitting on. In a zone of 16 channels, you can make a list of 15 to scan, and if you select the channel that is not on the list, it will be included when scanning.

So figure out which of your 16 channels(if it's a full 16 channel zone) you use the most and exclude it from the list, then scan while sitting on your excluded channel to scan all 16 channels in the zone.

In my XTS2500, I grouped my channels by location or function per zone.

This was so I could set up my scan lists to scan by zone. In each of my scan lists(one per zone), I have channel 2 to 16(15 members) from that zone, in the scan list. When I scan, I sit on channel one(it becomes the 'plus 1') in each zone so I can catch activity on it as well as the other 15 members in the scan list.
Ok, I have had that set up on the personalities, however, I figured out I have to be in zone 1 for it to scan, regardless of all of the scan channels being in zone 3. So when I hit nuisance delete, I can't go back to the channel to add it back, which is annoying but no game changer. I just have to turn the radio off and on again. Thanks for the help though.
 

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
I also came across this vedio, and something like this would useful. I haven't been able to find out how they did this either:

 

KE4ZNR

Radio Geek
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
7,392
Location
Raleigh, NC
Ok, I have had that set up on the personalities, however, I figured out I have to be in zone 1 for it to scan, regardless of all of the scan channels being in zone 3. So when I hit nuisance delete, I can't go back to the channel to add it back, which is annoying but no game changer. I just have to turn the radio off and on again. Thanks for the help though.
You are slowly learning why public safety radios usually don't make good scanners. Public safety users care very little about scanning. Their main concern is making sure they stay in contact on their main dispatch channel/talkgroup.
With that said you do have limited 15 channel/talkgroup scanning function in an XTS 5000.
You just don't have "bank" scanning like you do in a scanner. You have personalities that are slaved to zone/channels which are slaved to scan lists.
Think of it like a triangle: Personality->Zone/Channel->Scanlist.
All 3 have to reference each other to make a scanlist work. If you select channel 9 in Zone 1 then whichever personality is attached to that channel and whichever scanlist is tied to that personality and Zone/Channel is going to be scanned.
You just have to plan ahead and remember what you have referenced where.
 

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
You are slowly learning why public safety radios usually don't make good scanners. Public safety users care very little about scanning. Their main concern is making sure they stay in contact on their main dispatch channel/talkgroup.
With that said you do have limited 15 channel/talkgroup scanning function in an XTS 5000.
You just don't have "bank" scanning like you do in a scanner. You have personalities that are slaved to zone/channels which are slaved to scan lists.
Think of it like a triangle: Personality->Zone/Channel->Scanlist.
All 3 have to reference each other to make a scanlist work. If you select channel 9 in Zone 1 then whichever personality is attached to that channel and whichever scanlist is tied to that personality and Zone/Channel is going to be scanned.
You just have to plan ahead and remember what you have referenced where.
Gotcha, I really appreciate the help and feedback. I don't intend on doing much scaning (I primarily use the radio for GMRS repeaters and listening to ham P25 repeaters), but figured it would nice do use if the radio supports it.
 

KE4ZNR

Radio Geek
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
7,392
Location
Raleigh, NC
Gotcha, I really appreciate the help and feedback. I don't intend on doing much scaning (I primarily use the radio for GMRS repeaters and listening to ham P25 repeaters), but figured it would nice do use if the radio supports it.

On the radio system I help maintain/manage: I have a ton of 700/800Mhz XTS 5000s from when we migrated to the APX line of radios several years ago. I can take one apart and put it back together in less than 5 mins. We still use some with our public works folks on our P25 system and they are still darn good radios regardless of band split when properly maintained and aligned.
Hopefully yours will last you a good while.
 

Cashanova48

GMRS callsign WSAF780
Joined
Sep 9, 2023
Messages
160
On the radio system I help maintain/manage: I have a ton of 700/800Mhz XTS 5000s from when we migrated to the APX line of radios several years ago. I can take one apart and put it back together in less than 5 mins. We still use some with our public works folks on our P25 system and they are still darn good radios regardless of band split when properly maintained and aligned.
Hopefully yours will last you a good while.
Thanks, I'm sure it will. It's an older (2004) R variant, so hopefully it will go for a long while. That's pretty darn awsome and rare, Xts's still in service with an agency.
 

ryolsen8

Active Member
Feed Provider
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
539
Location
BEE07
Thanks, I'm sure it will. It's an older (2004) R variant, so hopefully it will go for a long while. That's pretty darn awsome and rare, Xts's still in service with an agency.
We still have a lot of XTS's in-service across the state with many smaller agencies.
 

KD8RFT

Newbie
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
4
Location
Grosse Ile Township, Michigan
This is from memory:
Create a channel in zones and channels specifically for your scan list. Zone 1 Channel 1 as an example. Call it County Scan
Have that channel (Zone 1 Channel 1) refer to a specific personality (personality 1)
In that specific personality have the scan list turned on and set to your scan list (scan list 1)
create the scan list 1 and add all of the channels (zone 1 Channel 2, channel 3, whatever you want) into the scan list.
when you tune to Zone 1 Channel 1, it will scan the channels you already set up in scan list 1.
Follow the triangle from above.
 
Top