--- In [email protected], "wb7cjq" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This is a tough one. Not much info. available. I have the programmer > schematic, frequency plan (FCC), the programming software, etc. But > this is a trunking radio - it doesn't like non-trunked stuff. Just > today, after a year's worth of research, I got a pair of them working > simplex. > > As you may or may not know, the trunking units wait for a response > from 'daddy' before they'll go key-down. So that was the first hurdle - > get TAC working. Done... > > I'm still learning about these beasts, so can only offer what I've > discovered thus far... You probably know most of this already... They > are designed to TX below 900, RX in the 935 range. TAC puts the TX up > into the 935 range. So, from the TX perspective, these units could > easily do 900 ham frequencies. > > The programming software wants an FCC channel number, then (apparently) > the radio translates that into a frequency. I'm not sure about this > part just yet... Could be that the software does the translation and > ships the result to the radio... Not sure... > > If you don't already have it, you need the programmer and the > software. At least at that point you can get into test mode. Once in > test mode, you can adjust squelch, encode/decode levels, etc. Plus, > you can get simplex up and running. The test mode data is firmware > within the rig - so you can program all you want - break it 9 ways from > Sunday - but if you invoke test mode, that data is still right there! > This one saved my butt!!! > > Please advise if I can help at all. RELM has only one guy that knows > this radio and the programming software, so, obviously, he's > swamped!!! I have a good dialogue going with him, and have nearly all > of the stuff that Uniden issued for this particular model. > > Building a programmer is key. You gotta go do that!!! The Uniden > programmer is over $300... I built mine for maybe $10 tops... > > The circuit uses a MAX-232 chip, 3 2N2222 type transistors, and a run- > of-the-mill PNP transistor. Also a 5v regulator of some sort... A few > resistors, a few caps., you're done!!! > > The software wants to run under DOS. NOT a DOS window - PURE DOS. I > tried it from numerous versions of Windows, and on numerous PCs. > NOPE!!! Boot up via DOS 6.22 and run from a floppy! Trust me - it > will save you DAYS' of work!!! I debugged my programmer 4 times before > deciding to try the floppy route. Days and days wasted!!! > > At this point, after a year of fighting with these guys, I'm thrilled > to have a signal on the air, anywhere!!! So now, the issue becomes how > to move them into the ham band??? > > According to RELM, there's a data stream issued upon transmit. And, > the receiver is looking for a particular data stream as well. There > are over 2000 possible combinations. > > If you're looking to put up an analog squelch type repeater, you're > probably going to have to go to the innards of the rig and circumvent > the rig's squelch processing - firmware... For a repeater, that's > easy - tap the discriminator and build an external COS circuit. > > I tried this today: Keyed up a different rig on a 900 channel, and > then tried to key up the Uniden on the same freq. It refused to go. > It also DID NOT open the squelch! So, the receiver is seeing the 900 > signal, but the squelch processing is refusing to open the squelch. > Hence my recommendation to pick a signal off of the disc. and process > it externally. > > The next oddity is that there's an odd offset built in. 38.9MHz... My > freq. counter confirms. And RELM confirms. So, the freq. meter reads > 10KHz off from the FCC assigned frequency. Go figure. Now this only > happens under certain programming parameters, and this one I still > don't understand... > > I programmed channel 15 into one rig and it came out on the assigned > freq. of 935.1875. I ADDED channel 15 to another rig and it came out > on 935.1865!!! I reversed the radios, programmed again, etc. --- all > day long today - and STILL got these odd results. > > I finally gave up tonight and programmed both of them back to channel > 15 ONLY, and they're BOTH on the assigned freq. according to the freq. > counter. Go figure... There's something in there about the group, > home repeater, TAC channel, something - that causes the offset to > occur. Wish I knew what it was !!! > > Anyway, if I can help with the software, schematics, FCC channel > assignments, etc., please advise. > > Now what I don't know, and what we ALL LOVE to know, is how to get them > into the ham band! They'll go below and above, so it is either reverse- > engineering the programming software, or getting into the radio and > changing the tables that are in the PROM in there, or inserting another > uP in there (as they had to do with the Motorola MTX-900)... At the > moment, I can't say which will happen. My first guess is that the > programming software needs to be hacked as it won't take anything > beyond the FCC assigned frequencies. That tells me that the software > has a translation table that could be edited... This is VERY old code - > 1980's-1990's... Written for XT and AT type PC's... > > I no longer have all of those low-level programming tools. But the > first thing I'd do if I did, would be to crawl through the built-in > table and modify it. An educated guess is that one could get the radio > to take ham frequencies. I'm almost positive that the "cramp" is the > programming software itself. > > 73, > > Dave. > > Whooops, it looks like a yahoo email misfunction... I'll try again...
Dave, your email address is no good, so if you're still out there, I'd love to hear from you about the Programmer. Dick, W7TIO > > > > > --- In [email protected], "kf4vgx" <kf4vgx@> wrote: > > > > Need programing information on this radio to setup as a repeater. > > > > Any information is appreciated. 73 John > > >
