XTS3000 "out of range" RX issue

[Anderegg]

I have an XTS3000 subscriber radio that has up and gone deaf on trunking. Receives perfectly well on conventional analog, even on distant transmitters, no sensitivity issues. Nothing has been done to the radio, has not been touched or changed from when it was working, just started throwing the OUT OR RANGE indication and bonking one day. No intermittent issues previously. Had a W9 Astro Spectra do this a year ago, and had to replace the RF board....but never tested it for conventional receive. Is this a known issue...wondering if an alignment might resurrect it, but not sure how alignments work on RX on these 800 radios, or if that would prohibit trunking RX only??

Paul

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The reference oscillator may be way off tuning, this is more critical on a control channel. Has the system changed parameters like control channels? Has the system ID been changed? Corrupted code plug? Read view and rewrite to radio?

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[Anderegg]

It's lost comms on both systems that are in it...pushed the saved codeplug and even tried an srec reflash, but the problem persists.

Paul

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Try this; Determine what control channels are programmed into the radio.

1) Monitor the system with a scanner. Are they the same? Usually you will hear just one per day.
2) If they are same, determine the radio's local oscillator frequency (subtract 1st IF from receive frequency) and monitor LO leakage from the radio using a scanner. Does the radio lock onto the control channel (steady LO carrier) or does it scan the listed control channels continuously?
3) If it locks on, does a PTT of the radio create one flash of the TX lamp or several flashes? If it flashes once, the radio is being denied channel access. Likely the talk group has been disabled. Or the radio ID has been blocked, not disabled. If it flashes repeatedly there is a handshaking problem.
4) Is the radio transmitting on frequency? Very important because inability to lock to the control channel will cause the radio to scan continuously or make repeated TX attempts.

Are you sure the radio system hasn't had a parameter changed?

 

[Project25_MASTR]

As RFI suggested, I'd ensure there haven't been any system changes (control channels rolled, maintenance, system firmware upgrades, etc).

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[RFI-EMI-GUY]

As RFI suggested, I'd ensure there haven't been any system changes (control channels rolled, maintenance, system firmware upgrades, etc).

Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk

Hmm; San Diego, wasn't that the very last region to reband 800 MHz? Reband flash?

 

[Anderegg]

It is a SD radio, one of several identical XTS3000's. Rebanding is taking place, but has not switched over yet, but the radio is programmed with the new control channels. This radios sister radios work fine. When parked on a talkgroup, there is no affiliation attempt, and pressing the site search button results in site 1's name being displayed at 0 RSSI, then just SCANNING for site, then the inevitable OUT OF RANGE.

Is it possible for an older Astro 800 radio to do this without requiring a hardware repair? My understanding is that the tuner adjustments are for TX only on an 800, and there is really nothing that can be done. Just for kicks I programmed the most distant control channel in as a conventional personality, and it receives that loud and clear.

Paul

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Do the steps in my post #4

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[Anderegg]

Don't have a TX frequency to test it on, will just shelve it for now and look for a cheap $10 eBay parts XTS3000 to pull an RF board out of.

Paul

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Don't have a TX frequency to test it on, will just shelve it for now and look for a cheap $10 eBay parts XTS3000 to pull an RF board out of.

Paul

It's probably just off frequency or a bit is set forcing the reband channel status.

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[Anderegg]

I don't think it's ever been aligned since it was new in 1998. It got its first firmware update about 6 months ago though. Without the ability to tune it, the $10 parts unit is probably easiest. The radio doesn't have much longer to live when Phase II hits.

Paul

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I don't think it's ever been aligned since it was new in 1998. It got its first firmware update about 6 months ago though. Without the ability to tune it, the $10 parts unit is probably easiest. The radio doesn't have much longer to live when Phase II hits.

Paul

You simply have to adjust it to a simplex channel, and check the frequency on TX, or calculate the LO on the receiver and sniff with a counter or service analyser. Within first 18 months of use, or year 2000 these radios drift enough to fail NPSPAC frequency tolerances. Motorola claims you can't adjust in field, only depot, but that is BS. Your $10 parts radio may be out of wack as well.

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