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XTS3000 Out of band

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KG5HHS

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Hello All,
I'm sure this question has been asked a million times, but I can't find a good thread explaining the process very well. I'm trying to get my XTS3000 (450-520mhz) down to the 70cm band, the lowest it will go is 445mhz. I would also like to use the radio for GMRS if at all possible. I don't mind doing the work. I just need someone to explain to me in detail how to do this. I have the cable, RIB box, and CPS.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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You have to hex edit some files in CPS. If I recall correctly, basically you are looking for the string for 445000000 and changing it to 440000000.

Start by creating a copy of the CPS files and then searching for the values.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

KG5HHS

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I have absolutely no clue how to "hex edit" files. and do you mean create a copy of the codeplug? I have zero knowledge of out of band programming with Motorola btw
 

zz0468

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Zero knowledge? Ok, we can work with that!

Do a Google search for "Batwing laboratories". Go to the web page Google points you to. On the website's home page, there's a list of links. One of the links is titled "radio specific information". Go there. On that page, it lists mobile radios, portable radios, and several other things. Go to "portable radios", and then follow the link to XTS portables.

Read the page carefully. It will lead you to a link showing information for out of band operation for XTS3K's and Astro Sabers. Go there, and you should find a link on Astro Sabers and XTS3K windows cps. If I recall, it goes to a link for Astro mobile CPS, but says it's​ the same idea for the portable CPS.

Buried behind the instructions I have just given you, all the information required to successfully learn how to modify the software exists. This includes what hex editing software to use, and what specific CPS files to modify. This is exactly how I learned to do it.

Spend a couple of days (really... a couple of days) familiarizing yourself with all the information on the various web pages at batlabs, then come back with your intelligent questions, and we'll help you get started. But until you have that background data, it would be a bit like trying to explain baseball to a Martian who doesn't know what a ball is.

The last tidbit I'll give you is this... You modify the programming software, not the codeplug.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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I have absolutely no clue how to "hex edit" files. and do you mean create a copy of the codeplug? I have zero knowledge of out of band programming with Motorola btw

It has nothing to do with editing the codeplug. CPS does that after you edit CPS to behave differently by opening up the lower band limit.

The executable is AstroPort.exe it is a file over 17Mb in size. Make a back up copy of this file to revert to if you fail to make proper changes or ever want to revert to original. Download a hex editor like HexEdit. Search for "number" integer in the value of your band limits. If the lower band limit of the radio model is 450 MHz, search for locations with 450000000 and replace with 440000000. If the actual band limit is 445 MHz as you discovered, replace that value 445000000 with 440000000, This will need to be performed in several locations in the file. Keep searching for values and take note of the memory locations on a note pad before replacing them.

After editing, save the new file AstroPort.exe and replace the original executable.

When you have done this you will have a band limit extending down to 440 MHz.

Caveat, some say this doesn't work well because the radio is factory tuned to operate down to 445 MHz and thus any frequency lower may have deviation out of wack or receiver front end tuning off. I have not had a problem with two Astro Saber radios.

I did my Out Of Band "OOB" mod within an hour with Zero knowledge on the procedure. I didn't even research very much.

http://www.batlabs.com/wincps.html
 
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RBMTS

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If you decide to take on this project make sure you pay special attention to the details about the "Checksum" value. This value must remain the same after you make your edit. If it doesn't match (and it probably won't), you'll need to change some other non-essential script until the checksum value ends up being the same value as when you started.

Don't let this scare you. It can actually be a fun project. Just study the details you have been pointed to take your time to understand what is being done. As long as you copy the original file to a different location you'll be ok. You can always revert back. I've hex-edited many radio programs and definition files. Once you understand the process it is simple.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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If you decide to take on this project make sure you pay special attention to the details about the "Checksum" value. This value must remain the same after you make your edit. If it doesn't match (and it probably won't), you'll need to change some other non-essential script until the checksum value ends up being the same value as when you started.

Don't let this scare you. It can actually be a fun project. Just study the details you have been pointed to take your time to understand what is being done. As long as you copy the original file to a different location you'll be ok. You can always revert back. I've hex-edited many radio programs and definition files. Once you understand the process it is simple.

I have heard that, and it may be important to note. But I don't recall having to mess with that when I did my edits.

Actually I am sure I didn't because I just reviewed the files with HexEdit and I cannot figure out how to do a checksum because the operation is greyed out. Meaning, I probably didn't worry about it,
 
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zz0468

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If you decide to take on this project make sure you pay special attention to the details about the "Checksum" value. This value must remain the same after you make your edit. If it doesn't match (and it probably won't), you'll need to change some other non-essential script until the checksum value ends up being the same value as when you started.

It's been a number of years since I needed to do this. I don't recall having to worry about the checksum with the Astro CPS, but very much did with things like the old Spectra RSS.
 

prcguy

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Or have someone who knows what they are doing modify the actual program to allow out of band programming without having to read the code plug data with a hex editor. I had this done for many models of M radios I played with years ago.
prcguy
 

KG5HHS

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I just now remembered about needing to program this radio. I've been extremely busy and really haven't had the time to research how to do this. I will have time in a few months. However, Im looking for someone who can do this for me for a reasonable price. Does anyone have any recommendations?
 

KG5HHS

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I have decided to take the task on. Not only for the XTS3000 but for an Astro Spectra. I loaded "AstroMob.exe" into Hex Workshop (I am unable to load the XTS3000 on my desktop, but will install hex workshop on my programming laptop once I figure this out). I have print outs from batlabs and akardam and have found "00AEDD8C" in Hex Workshop but just see a bunch of numbers and letters at this point and I am stuck. Can someone please walk me though this. P.S. This is the first time I have ever opened Hex Workshop and I have never attempted to hex edit anything.
 

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RFI-EMI-GUY

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I have decided to take the task on. Not only for the XTS3000 but for an Astro Spectra. I loaded "AstroMob.exe" into Hex Workshop (I am unable to load the XTS3000 on my desktop, but will install hex workshop on my programming laptop once I figure this out). I have print outs from batlabs and akardam and have found "00AEDD8C" in Hex Workshop but just see a bunch of numbers and letters at this point and I am stuck. Can someone please walk me though this. P.S. This is the first time I have ever opened Hex Workshop and I have never attempted to hex edit anything.

Think of it as a text editor. You search for a string and replace with another. Say you know that the CPS will only program a Range 2 radio down to 445 MHZ * and you want to go lower.

You search for the hexadecimal value of 445000000 and replace with the hexadecimal value for 440000000. There might be several instances of the 445000000 value so you search and replace them all.

Also I think there might be instances of 450000000 for the lower band edge of R2, so you might want those changed to 440000000 as well.

Before you start, archive the executable as a backup in case you need to revert.


I found no need to mess with check sums. It all simply worked.

* Before starting, test the CPS on your radio trying to program various frequencies in the range you desire and see what band limits really are. This is the value in CPS you need to change.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

KG5HHS

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I'm still so lost with this. I understand needing to replace the values but the 13 columns with 2 digits are throwing me for a loop.

Also, I wont need to worry about hex editing for the astro mobile anymore, just the XTS3000.
 

ElroyJetson

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DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
In the screenshot you put up, the left column shows WHERE you are in the program. It's the memory addresses that are being displayed.

That's not where you are going to search for the frequency limits. It's in the DATA, all the information in the main window, that you are searching for the strings in question.

So, what does the software say is the lower band limit that you want to change?

If, for example, it is 450.000000 MHz, then you can expect that this frequency will be expressed in hex with no decimal place.

450000000 decimal equates to 1AD27480 hex. (Google "decimal to hex converter" and use any of the converters that come up in links.)

Now you need to know what your new desired value will be. Let's assume it's 440.000000 MHz.

In hex, 440000000 is 1A39DE00.


Use "search and replace all" or whatever it's called. That will replace every instance where the string value that, in this case, equates to the lower band limit, with the new string value that you specify.

Specifically, you would use search and replace, to replace all instances of 1AD27480 with 1A39DE00.

If the original lower limit is 445.000000 MHz then the hex string that represents that is 1A862940 and in that case,
that is the string you will search for and replace.

After all instances have been replaced, you would then save the file and test it.
(Hopefully you are keeping a backup of the unaltered file on hand.)


It has been YEARS, and a lot of them, since I first made that bandsplit hack work with an Astro Saber. I may be totally wrong but I think the band limits appeared in 11 places in the file. I replaced all 11 instances and it was just as if the CPS was originally written for the new bandsplit limits.

If you want to go whole hog you could also replace all instances where the bandsplit limit is defined in text, by doing the same edits in the other files in the software package. Like even in the help files.

Really, it IS that simple. Any noob can "search and replace" once you know the string to replace.


Again, it's been so long that I don't remember the details about the CPS edit.

It MAY even be that the values you see are not the actual frequency values, but are mathematically related to them.

For example, it may be that the values in the CPS represent exactly HALF the operating frequency. So 450.000000 MHz
may actually be expressed as the hex equivalent of 225 MHz instead. Which would be D693A40.


Knowing this, you should not have much of a problem finding the relevant frequency limit strings.

I honestly don't remember if that CPS uses hex to express the frequency limits or if it's kept in decimal. You will have to find out.

The process is the same either way. Just replace the hex represented value with another hex represented value. If it's all done
in decimal, replace decimal values with decimal values.
 
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RFI-EMI-GUY

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In the screenshot you put up, the left column shows WHERE you are in the program. It's the memory addresses that are being displayed.

That's not where you are going to search for the frequency limits. It's in the DATA, all the information in the main window, that you are searching for the strings in question.

So, what does the software say is the lower band limit that you want to change?

If, for example, it is 450.000000 MHz, then you can expect that this frequency will be expressed in hex with no decimal place.

450000000 decimal equates to 1AD27480 hex. (Google "decimal to hex converter" and use any of the converters that come up in links.)

Now you need to know what your new desired value will be. Let's assume it's 440.000000 MHz.

In hex, 440000000 is 1A39DE00.


Use "search and replace all" or whatever it's called. That will replace every instance where the string value that, in this case, equates to the lower band limit, with the new string value that you specify.

Specifically, you would use search and replace, to replace all instances of 1AD27480 with 1A39DE00.

If the original lower limit is 445.000000 MHz then the hex string that represents that is 1A862940 and in that case,
that is the string you will search for and replace.

After all instances have been replaced, you would then save the file and test it.
(Hopefully you are keeping a backup of the unaltered file on hand.)


It has been YEARS, and a lot of them, since I first made that bandsplit hack work with an Astro Saber. I may be totally wrong but I think the band limits appeared in 11 places in the file. I replaced all 11 instances and it was just as if the CPS was originally written for the new bandsplit limits.

If you want to go whole hog you could also replace all instances where the bandsplit limit is defined in text, by doing the same edits in the other files in the software package. Like even in the help files.

Really, it IS that simple. Any noob can "search and replace" once you know the string to replace.


Again, it's been so long that I don't remember the details about the CPS edit.

It MAY even be that the values you see are not the actual frequency values, but are mathematically related to them.

For example, it may be that the values in the CPS represent exactly HALF the operating frequency. So 450.000000 MHz
may actually be expressed as the hex equivalent of 225 MHz instead. Which would be D693A40.


Knowing this, you should not have much of a problem finding the relevant frequency limit strings.

I honestly don't remember if that CPS uses hex to express the frequency limits or if it's kept in decimal. You will have to find out.

The process is the same either way. Just replace the hex represented value with another hex represented value. If it's all done
in decimal, replace decimal values with decimal values.

I was a noobie when I did mine and just stumbled around the Hex Editor until I found the "Find" and the "Find and Replace" features. as I recall, I did need to do a decimal to hex conversion. The hex editor has that feature as I recall as does the Windows Calculator. There was no problem finding the frequencies as they were fundamentals, and not harmonically related.

Really it is the hex editor he needs help learning. I am not experienced enough or up to date on the latest. But the OP might do well to ask questions on a computer related discussion board. Or look for the help files on that or earlier versions of hex editor.
 
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