Motorola Syntor system 9000 X help? Salutations, I just recently acquired a Motorola Syntor 9000 X (as well as a Systems 9000 kit as well as a Spectra box) off eBay, and I'm in a bit of a pickle; I didn't realize how much of a radio I was getting myself into, because I only have previous HT (Yaesu VX-8R and Kennwood K2AT) experience, and I didn't realize how HEAFTY the Motorola was going to be.
The Connector cables alone are so massive and confusing, I'm reaching out for help. I'm going to need someone to help me sort through all of the information from http://www.onfreq.com/syntorx/ as well as http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/syntor/syntor-index.html to help me sort through and reach a boiled down "meat and potatoes" step by step sequence I can go through to help trouble shoot the radio and HOOK IT UP TO MY VEHICLE. I've noticed the above sites recommend that I open up the radio to see if it's setup for a positive or a negative ground. But i really need help decoding the cables so I know what wires go where? I need to decode which wires are for the SIREN, the LIGHT BAR, the Vehicle power, etc. I'm also curious: The Syntor X9000 followed the Syntor X and is the same radio from an RF > standpoint, but the internal controller board was upgraded to expand the > number of memory channels up to 255. The control cable connector on the > X9000 is the same as the X, but the accessories are not compatible. The > X9000 uses Systems 9000 accessories and options that communicate with the > radio via a 9600 baud serial bus. The control head(s) are smart heads with > their own microprocessor inside. Unlike the Syntor X the X9000 is programmed > with RSS (and a slow PC), a RIB and special adapter cable that goes in > series with the normal radio cable. The the special cable is not an absolute > requirement; there are several ways to make your own connection from a radio > to a RIB. In other words, the X9000 is a more desirable mobile radio than a > Syntor X since you don't need the almost-impossible-to-find suitcase > programmer for the plain Syntor or the Syntor X... you just connect a slow > PC or a laptop to the X9000 and program it. The RSS package for the X9000 > contains two programs, one to program the radio, and one to program the head > (you program the radio with the information (frequency, tone, etc) for each > mode, you program the head with the text to display for each mode). One quirk about the 256 channel X9000 radios: the memory chip in the head > only has room for about 209 text labels, when you go to any channel above > the limit the display changes and displays the word "MODE" plus the channel > number. The firmware allocates a fixed number of display memory bytes for > each label - in other words using fewer characters in modes 1-209 does not > move the switchover threshold. I've found that 209 text labels is sufficient > for my needs. > http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/syntor/syntor-index.html That being stated, there's a company that's called http://www.piexx.com/ they make a mod, http://www.piexx.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5 it's primarily for the Syntor and the Syntor X lines, it allows the unit to be more easily programmed. So instead of using the hard to find "suitcase programmer" you can hook your system to a Win9X based or WinMe based system to program it, instead of having to hook it to a "Slow PC Running Real DOS." I was curious if there was a way to apply this mod to the 9000 X Series, I understand it won't necessarily be a TRIVIAL mod, but I'm up for the challenge if someone's willing to help walk me through what I need to do! I'm really looking forward to any responses I get, thanks so much in advance! Aaron Lewis Dinkin, KC2YAN!
