Lscott

I'll have to look some more but so far I can't find the level settings. I think the help file comments likely applies to some other models, but the help file doesn't mention anything along that line. I don't see any settings in the Mototrbo app either for different squelch levels, just the two funky named settings I mentioned. You're right about the Moto software. Even with the Kenwood stuff I have I won't consider purchasing a used radio until I have the programming software in-hand, installed and functioning. The main reason why I'm picking up some of the XPR6550's is the prices aren't crazy and I found finally found a full version of Mototrbo V16 build 828, with the 25KHz entitlement hack and code plug password bypass mod's. I also found the Mototrbo Tuner app, V16 build 238 as well. There is a V16.1 but so far I can't find it on-line yet.

I suspect that any of those tiny mobile radios are based off a cheap HT design. When you're paying only $100 more or less for one you're not going to get a high performance radio. Better receivers require a more complex design, and thus more money. You're lucky if you get what you paid for and sometimes not even that. On the D578 they do seem to have a crystal filter in the IF chain. From the write up there is a spot to add in a second crystal. No idea how much that "may" improve performance. I guess is if somebody wants to do the mod on their radio and get it tested we'll know for sure. This site has some info and mod's for the radio. About 3/4 of the way down there are some photos of the IF section and a few comments about the crystal filters. http://members.optuszoo.com.au/jason.reilly1/578mods.htm

I'm going to experiment with the few XPR's I have and see how I like them. The one thing I have noticed is the squelch settings. You only have a choice of "Normal" or "Tight". The help file in some places says there is also a level you can set, more like the other radios I have, but on the 6550's I don't see it anywhere in the menus. Looks like I'm stuck with the two funky settings. It does work but I have no idea how the two work. I'm just wondering if it's somehow self adjusting. I like the battery pack monitoring. That's a cool feature to have. I plugged all the packs in to a radio and got the first service date and current capacity limits. Used that and put a label on each pack so I know which one is which. I have two at 100%, one at 70% and the last one is 40%. That last one gives me the flashing yellow light for low service life on the charger. What I would like to know is the actual mAh rating of the pack. Some I can't read the label and that info isn't stored in the pack either from what I can see.

I was going to try something like that with a cheap Kenwood Protalk radio if I ever found one for sale. These radios have a predefined list of frequencies the user can select from. What can now happen with the code plug hacking is the manufacture can employ some level of encryption in the code plug itself. I've found where Kenwood has done this on several of their older analog and digital radios. It took a bit of work and some lucky guessing but it seems they use a simple method, they have a key byte stored in a fixed location in the code plug's header. This key byte is then "XOR'ed" with the rest of the contents. Once done all of the text strings for channel names etc. can be seen. I also found in at least one case where the radio's serial number seemed to be in it. The license key used to install the software was definitively in there for several models I checked. Just keep that in mind when sharing code plugs.

I would tend to agree with you. As it is with my growing pile of various used Kenwood battery packs I've spent weeks running capacity tests on them, I used a lab grade E-Load with a built in battery test mode, and putting a sticker on the back side showing date and measured capacity when I'm done. Having the charger do it is much better.

If you have the right CPU Linux has a virtual machine subsystem. I had several computers at one point all running Windows XP. I accessed them remotely using RDP on the Linux box and a Windows Terminal app on the computer I was using. At the moment I have Virtual Box running on my office machine, Win 7 Pro, with several VM's, Win 2K, Win XP, Win 7 Pro, depending on what I need. These are all accessible over the network. Sometimes I use these as a sandbox when trying out software from sources I have doubts about. I just save the main VM file as a backup, then run the VM. If it gets infected I just shut it down, erase the VM file and copy back my backup version I saved. I'm ready to go again in a few minutes. They also have a version for OSX and Linux hosts you might want to look at. https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Yup, that's how I snagged an almost new TK-5320 analog/P25 radio, used battery pack and charger base, no antenna. The current bid was around $70. I waited until 15 seconds before the auction closed to enter mine. I let eBay do the auto bidding with the max bid limit of $120. The other guy apparently had a max bid set for $108, I saw it after the action closed, and no time to increase it. I got lucky and walk away with it for $110.

Weekends are supposed to be where you kick back with a few cold Browns from the fridge and watch the game on TV. You're weekend doesn't sound like it's going to be much fun.

I don't know where you're located in Ohio but I'm planing on going to the Findlay Ohio Ham swap this Sunday. If you're going to be there we could meet up and say hi.

OK, I was bidding on an NX-300 and somebody beat me by a few bucks.

Did you just get it the other day on an eBay auction?

That's how they found a number of the 1/6 protesters. Their cell phones got pinged of the local cell towers. The Fed's got the info from the wireless carries.

Well FedEx showed up with the VHF XPR6550 radio a few minutes ago here at the office. Looks like it's in good condition. Now as long as it works...

Kenwood sort of does, at least multi-mode, with their NX-5000 series radios. They are still mono band however. Even at that they are really spendy. http://comms.kenwood.com/special/nx_5000/common/pdf/nx_5000_brochure_2016.pdf

That's possible. I did read where it's done by some radio shops to lock out the customer, in some case from the radios they own, to force them to come back for updates and changes to the code plug. That's just plain BS. I think in other cases the radio shop may have a trunked radio system they own and operate which they sell access to their customers as an extra cost service. They charge by the number of radios on the system. By password locking the radio they can reduce, or prevent, the customer from adding more radios to the system they are not paying for because they can't get into an existing radio to read it for the necessary info. That I can sort of understand.

For the moment I’m going to play around with the XPR6550’s. I need to get use to how the software works. I watched a video on how a guy recovered a password locked Motorola radio without the password or any kind of software/hardware hack required. Good info in case I ever have to do it. With Kenwood radios you’re sort of screwed without the Dealer/Engineering level CPS installed or a cracked version of the customer version. I had to do the later for a password locked used Kenwood NX-340U.

I saw that on one of the packs, no info. That's why I was curious about what was going on. You explained that well. Thanks.

Yes, I'm not surprised. That has to do with what is called "Path Loss", which is not exactly what you would think it means. When you TX the voltage component for the RF signal is independent of the frequency and is only a function of the power level. You see it expressed as volts/meter, the "E" component or field strength. However our radio's receiver also responds to that same component, but it has to come from the antenna. Since we must use resonate antennas the UHF one is about 1/3 the length, on 70cm, compared to the 2m band. With the UHF antenna being 1/3 the length the voltage induced is only 1/3 too. Power is the square of the voltage so the power is about 1/9! So if all other things being equal a UHF radio would need to generate 9 time the power of a VHF radio for the same signal strength. Looking at a typical 5 watt VHF HT you would need about 45 watts out of the UHF radio.

I already have a charger and some battery packs. Just got my programming cable yesterday from "blueMax49ers". One question about the battery packs. Is there some chip in them that stores info about the pack? One radio showed something about service life and the date the pack was first put into service. Never seen anything like this on any Kenwood radio I have.

Oh, yeah I've noticed that just about any commercial VHF HT sells for a lot more. I managed to snag a TK-2170 for a good deal, about $15. The guy whol sold it said the radio turns on, the beeps when you press the PTT button, shuts down then turns back on. He though the radio was screwed. That what they do with a nearly dead battery pack. When I got it, yup, that's what the problem was. Worked perfectly with a freshly charged pack and reprogrammed. I think the reasons why the VHF radios cost more than the UHF models, one there aren't that may out there because most business use UHF anyway. Second is the typical band split, 136 to 174, which is perfect for the popular Ham 2m band, MURS, VHF marine and NOAA frequencies.

The VHF one I have coming was only $75. The seller shows about $100 each but took my offer for less. This is the eBay item number if you want to look it up. Looks like he's sold out too. 324758091416

The hex editing was for the XPR6580. Apparently there is a code plug hack where the embedded frequency limits can be modified. The hack i specifically for putting the radio on the Ham 33cm band. I picked one up for $45. One of the parallel battery contact fingers is broken off. It still seems to work, at least it power up. Since I've never opened one of these up I have no idea how hard the connector is to replace. A few of the Kenwoods are a B___h to work on. I have a TK-3173 with a flaky volume control. I've opened up the VHF model, TK-2170 because it had a broken flex cable, it's sitting in the junk box at the moment. These radios are a pain to work on. I'm in no big hurry to work on the radio with the flaky volume control since you just about have to yank the whole guts out to get to it. I'm cheap, I guess it depends on what you want for them. They don't go for that much on eBay unless they are in like new pristine condition with chargers, battery packs etc. I have a VHF one that should arrive in the next few days.

I thought I would get a few cheap ones to experiment with and see what happens.

I typically scan the FRS and MURS channels along with several business frequencies with my radios. The Chinese radios scan rather slowly so yeah, you can miss stuff. The Kenwood TH-D74A however scans much faster. From a few tests, if I remember right, it looks like it does about 26 to 27 channels in a bit over 1 second. You don’t miss much. It’s the fastest scanning HT I own at the moment.

Welcome to the group. Don't be afraid to ask questions, that's what the forum is all about.