XTS2500 Programming template compatible with XTS3k?

[PhoenixxRising]

Our dept radio tech set up the templates for the dept owned XTS2500 type 2 radios that we use. We have gotten permission to use our own radios, and id like to go with an XTS 3000. I was told it needs to be 700/800, Project 25, 9600 baud. Are all 3ks 9600 compatible? Also, would yhe programming file/template work for a 3k, or would they need to create a whole new one for it? Like I said, id prefer to stick with the 3k, but dont want to make our programmer have to go through the work of making a new template. Thamks for the help.

 

[mikewazowski]

The fact that you need 700MHz rules out the XTS3000.

Even if it did support 700MHz, you'd need a very specific flashcode and firmware to support 9k6 trunking.

You're better off purchasing an ASTRO25 radio such as the XTS2500.

 

[PhoenixxRising]

Thats the info I needed
Thank you

 

[dgruber]

If you were looking for a 3000 the XTS 5000 is essentially the same as the 3000 on the outside and will do all the things you need it to do on your system with the right flashcode.

 

[MTS2000des]

If you were looking for a 3000 the XTS 5000 is essentially the same as the 3000 on the outside and will do all the things you need it to do on your system with the right flashcode.

Not hardly. the XTS3000/Astro Saber support basic 9600 baud/phase 1/Smartzone.

No 700MHz, no ADP, no ISSI roaming support, and the XTS3000 is an ancient abandoned platform with no support from Motorola. Most system operators of anything 7.xx won't allow them on their systems.

Being that XTS2500/5000s are sub $300 on the used market, and are at least still somewhat supported by MSI, why bother with a 20 year old radio?
Not to mention, the battery life, audio quality of the Astro 25 radios are miles above the 1st gen P25 stuff.

 

[PhoenixxRising]

Not hardly. the XTS3000/Astro Saber support basic 9600 baud/phase 1/Smartzone.

No 700MHz, no ADP, no ISSI roaming support, and the XTS3000 is an ancient abandoned platform with no support from Motorola. Most system operators of anything 7.xx won't allow them on their systems.

Being that XTS2500/5000s are sub $300 on the used market, and are at least still somewhat supported by MSI, why bother with a 20 year old radio?
Not to mention, the battery life, audio quality of the Astro 25 radios are miles above the 1st gen P25 stuff.

So would a 5000 work as well as a 2500? I dont know many of the differences between the 2/3/5.

 

[MTS2000des]

So would a 5000 work as well as a 2500? I dont know many of the differences between the 2/3/5.

There is a world of difference between an XTS5000/2500 and the older XTS3000/3500/Astro Saber.

First, the Astro 25 series are newer, still supported (for now) products. They have current firmware which is important for performance on trunked systems and audio quality, especially in the digital mode. CPS is supported in current versions of Windows, and is still available from Motorola Solutions.

The XTS3000 is an abandoned, orphaned product. No future firmware or CPS will come from Motorola. Ever. It's a 20 year old design that shows it's age. Is it a bad product? Not hardly. But age related problems including "EEPROM wear" do and will occur. Getting qualified persons who are willing to service such legacy products are fewer and fewer as time passes. The last published CPS was a 2008 release. MSI does not sell it anymore.

Now the differences between the 2500 and 5000 are in terms of tiering. The radio share the same HOST and DSP (firmware) and are from the same family, but do have some differences. The 2500 is a lower tier, more "affordable" product: and has some cost cutting measures, initially the radio came in two flavors: one with a 4MEG memory (known as AN versions) and the later (and still supported) 8MEG (BN) revisions. The XTS5000s were always 8 MEG and I've never seen anything but an AN version. Initially, the 2500 only supported ADP encryption (software) but later Motorola created a UCM that was on the back of the keypad board. Not a very good design as the user is constantly flexing the circuit board which contains the UCM chips.

The 2500 and 5000 should have similar RF performance, if tuned and aligned properly.

 

[PhoenixxRising]

That sheds alot of light on the subject. How easily will the programming "template" (thats what its being referred to, im assuming its the file (s) that are loaded with the talkgroups) for the 2500s the dept uses load into a 5000?

 

[MTS2000des]

That sheds alot of light on the subject. How easily will the programming "template" (thats what its being referred to, im assuming its the file (s) that are loaded with the talkgroups) for the 2500s the dept uses load into a 5000?

Usually, when we refer to a template, it is a spreadsheet of what a user wants in their radio. In our agency, a template is created for the user agency, and the agency approves it (after several edits sometimes), signs off, then a codeplug is created based upon the template.

The codeplug is what actually gets written to the radio. XTS2500 and 5000 codeplugs do differ, but the Astro 25 CPS allows a programmer to do a drag and drop from one instance of the Astro 25 CPS to another, allowing minimal entry of data.

In the Motorola world, radios of the same "family" usually, but not always allow the drag and drop operation to take place between different variations of the same model family. RF bands usually have to be the same, and flashcodes should be similar or at least contain the same basic features, or the programmer will have to correct invalid fields in the target radio. The good news is, once the programmer completes one target radio, he/she can use this as a master to clone subsequent radios of the same model/type/flashcode and only change the radio IDs (clone express).

 

[PhoenixxRising]

Thats what I was looking for. Thanks for your help.

 

[RKG]

While I concur in the advice to forget about XTS3000s in favor of XTS2500 or XTS5000s, in the context of your question, the answer is "No." What you call a template (and we call a codeplug) cannot be transferred en masse (either by drag and drop or by export/import) across the family line, as the programming metaphors are quite different.

Which means that you are going to have to program your XTS2500/5000s by hand (at least the first time). This can be tedious, but in the context of non-trunked systems, doable. Where you are likely to run into trouble is with the trunked systems, which you will not be able to program without a "system key." The system key is a file that the programming software requires for you to enter any trunked parameters into the codeplug, and it is available only from the system operator(s) of the trunked system(s) you want to program. And I'm pretty confident they won't give you a system key.

So before you spend any money for radios, have a talk with the system operator(s) of the trunked system(s) you want to operate on and ask two questions: (1) will they allow you to have access to their systems on the radios you want to acquire? and (2) will they facilitate the required programming for you?

Good luck

Post script: there is another reason why you want to talk to the system operators: Motorola subscriber units are a bit like Chinese restaurant menus in that you have to specify which of a myriad of features you want in the radio. (The set of features is known as a "flash code.") The system operators will know which features your XTS2500/5000s would need to operate on their systems.