Motorola Radius Programming in Windows with RSS and DOSBox

Motorola Radius Programming in Windows with RSS and DOSBox

Programming the Motorola Radius was not easy to learn. It took weeks to figure out how to accomplish this dreadful task. Let’s jump right in and start programming your Motorola Radius series (GM300/GR300/M10/M120/M130) radio!

In the article, It is shown how to preinstall WP-CLI for jailed users in ISPConfig 3 on Debian Jessie. It is assumed that you already have a working ISPConfig 3 environment setup and running....

Maxtrac|Radius Identifying Model Variations

Identifying Model Variations One thing difficult about this line of radios, it determining what radio you have in your hands without being able to read it with the appropriate RSS. This is because there is only so much information you can gain from the model number (namely band and power).

First a little bit about the model number. If you look at a typical model number, D35LRA5GB6BK, the quickest way to tell what sort of radio you have is to look at the second and third characters. They determine output power level and frequency range, respectively:

Second Character Description 0 2 Watts 2 10 Watts (900MHz) 3 25 Watt (VHF/UHF) 15 Watt (800MHz) 4 40-50 Watt (VHF) 40 Watt (UHF) 35 Watt (800/900MHz) 5 60 Watt (Low Band)

Third Character Description 1 Low Band (29.7-36.0MHz, 36.0-42.0MHz, 42.0-50.0MHz) 3 VHF (136-162MHz or 146-174MHz) 4 UHF (403-430MHz or 449-470MHz) 5 800MHz 7 900MHz

Now, in order to narrow down the actual frequency split without reading the radio. You will have to disassemble the radio, remove the top shield on the RF board and look for the part number stamped or silk screened on the PC board.

MAXTRAC programming

MAXTRAC: Try using the "Shift method" same as with the Radius and see if your version of RSS supports it. Otherwise, well, you will either need to do some Hex editing of your saved file or get a copy of the LAB RSS.
If you are going to use the Hex editing method, see the steps below.
In the MAXTRAC.MDF file make a Checksum-16 of the whole file (the F12 option in Hex Workshop), in our case we ended up with 0x4528 (RSS V 06.00), write this down, you might need it later.


Look starting at about offset 0x2BA, you should see something like:

The highlighted area contains all the bandsplits recognized by this particular RSS.

Motorola Maxtrac radio rear 16 pin hack! Cheap!

How to get your Motorola Maxtrac/ Radius series radio working, when its missing the 16 pin jumper connector to the rear! 

Maxtrac 50-54MHz (6 Meters) Amateur Radio Conversion

50-54MHz (6 Meters) Amateur Radio Conversion
You've got a Maxtrac/Radius that you want to tune up on 6m...


6m Maxtrac Modifications

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Ok, so you've managed to get some 6m frequencies programmed into your 60W 42-50 MHz Maxtrac/Radius, but you are having problems with the TX and RX locking up and working properly. Well, try the following fixes:

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Easy Fix
First, check the TX and RX VCO steering lines to make sure they swing between 2 and 8 VDC. If they don't, read on.
On the RF board under a cover are the VCOs for TX and RX. You should see a test point on the board marked SL. This is in the middle of a bunch of capacitors C109,C110,C111, C127.
This is the VCO steering line. While monitoring this point with a voltmeter, adjust L202 in the RX VCO section for around 7.8 VDC. Likewise, with the radio keyed, adjust L213 in the TX VCO section for 7.8 VDC (it helps to have a manual). The radio should work on six meters now although the sensitivity of the RX will be somewhat reduced because the front end of the radio falls off above 50 mHz.

Maxtracs for Repeater Crossband

Linking Maxtracs for Repeater/Crossband Use
Need to connect a couple of Maxtrac/Radius radios together? Here is a schematic of the R.I.C.K. to get you started. Order the service manual part number 6880901Z79 from Motorola.
An alternative method of linking 2 Maxtrac/Radius type radios together can be found here. DO NOT USE THIS WITH 900MHz RADIOS, the pinout of the microphone connector is different!

Surplus Radio Guide Series, Programming Motorola Maxtrac & Radius models

Surplus Radio Guide Series, Programming Motorola Maxtrac & Radius models

Guide to surplus radio. Demonstrating the difficulty of supporting older commercial radio equipment. Introducing DOSBOX as a solution to programming and configuring older support programs. Long series in multiple parts starting with the Motorola family of commercial radios.

MAXTRAC | RADIUS

MAXTRAC/RADIUS

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In typical Motorola fashion, the Maxtrac and Radius line of mobiles are really the same radio! The only real difference is the actual firmware of the radio. All of the info provided here should work with varying degrees of success depending on the features of the original radio. The Service Manual is crammed full of stuff and would be well worth ordering if you plan to do any experimenting with the radio. The part number of the Service Manual is 6880102W84 for the Maxtrac and it contains info on all models of the radio (Low, VHF, UHF, and 800 MHz).
Do you need a pinout for the 16 pin accessory connector, the 5 pin accessory connector, or the mic connector, or how about the programming cable?
If you want to inject audio into your Maxtrac/Radius while tuning it up with the RSS, you will want to have a look at this schematic.
For a easy overview of all the programmable pin configurations on the accessory connector, check out this Excel Spreadsheet or this image.
If you want an easy way to connect to the Accessory Connector on these radios, you can order the HLN9242A or HLN9457A Accessory Connector kits. These include an accessory connector housing, some pins, and some wires with pins already attached. One thing to note, the HLN9242A kit also includes a pin extractor for removing previously installed pins.
If you would rather build your own accessory cables, the parts are available from DigiKey. You will want the following:

Information Common to Both Maxtrac and Radius

Information Common to Both Maxtrac and Radius
Since these radios are so much alike, lets start with some things you can do that apply to both series of radios.

Codeplug Checksum Location
If you happen to be messing around in the codeplug file, be aware that the first 0x2D bytes need to have the proper checksum (stored at offset 0x2E).
For example, if you wanted to calculate the checksum of the following header in a codeplug file:

You would select the bytes and do a 1's Complement Hex Checksum calculation.


The Checksum-8 value is the one you want to enter into offset 0x2E. In this case you can see that they already match.
We've been told that the same applies if you are changing the serial number of the radio using the EEPROM access feature of Lab RSS. The nice feature of using the Lab RSS is that it has the option to correct the checksum for you.

Maxtracs Trunking 800MHz

Trunking 800MHz Maxtracs
These are radios that usually have model numbers starting with D35 or D45.
You can convert a trunking Maxtrac or Radius back to conventional 800MHz operation. You will need to replace the trunking firmware in the radio with conventional firmware. You will then need to blank the logic board with Lab RSS, and re-initialize it as a conventional radio. Note that before changing the firmware and blanking the board, you should write down all the alignment settings in the radio.
Conventional Maxtrac's make nice receivers for receiving your local trunking system's data channel... for use in Trunker of course. If you don't know what Trunker is, you better check out Lindsay's Site. You will find that if you connect your data slicer to RX Audio (Pin 11) and Ground (Pin 7) on the Accessory Connector, you will have a nice little setup. One thing you will want to check though, is that JU551, a 3 pin jumper header on the logic board, is set to Position A. This will give you flat, unmuted audio on Pin 11 of the Accessory Connector. This is assuming of course that you are using a radio with a 16 pin Accessory Connector, otherwise, you are on your own.
If you're playing with Trunking Maxtracs and TrunkTrackers, you may be interested in this conversion spreadsheet. It is a Microsoft Excel document. It converts Motorola Talkgroup ID's to Maxtrac ID's and TrunkTracker ID's.
If you are working on tuning up a Trunked Maxtrac, here is the information on putting the radio into test mode.

Maxtrac 99 Channel Modification

99 Channel Modification
Yes, there is a 99 channel Maxtrac. It was a SP model, low band unit that was made for Ontario Hydro in Eastern Canada. The model number is ACD51MJA9HA5AK and covers 42-50 MHz.
This radio was basically a stock low band radio, with a modified HLN9313A logic board. The logic board has a larger EEPROM installed to hold the very large codeplug as well as different (VLN5443A) firmware.
This modified radio is only able to be programmed with VVN4168A RSS. This is SP Maxtrac RSS that only supports this model.
If you are interested in the original manual supplement that covers this model, click to see page 1 and page 2.
You can convert a normal Maxtrac with the HLN9313A, 16 pin logic board, to a 99 channel model by following the instructions contained in the manual supplement. Once you expand the EEPROM and put the new firmware in, you will need to blank the logic board with Maxtrac Lab RSS and then re-initialize it with the 99 channel RSS service menu. Once you do that, you should have a radio that is capable of 99 channels, you will need to hack the .mdf file depending on what the bandsplit of the RF board is in your radio in order to be able to program the proper frequencies into it.
FYI, the firmware and RSS is NLA from Motorola. Good luck in locating it.

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Maxtrac - Radius 900MHz Amateur Radio Conversion

900MHz Amateur Radio Conversion
The Maxtrac/Radius will work just fine in the Ham band. But, you will need to make some modifications to the RF section as well as some of the programming in order to get it to work properly.
Before you go any further, you must be trying to convert a 900MHz radio, these would be models that have model numbers starting with either D27 or D37. If you have a D35 or D45 radio, then you have an 800MHz radio, and you will not be able to convert these radios to the 900MHz band.
You can convert the trunking D27 "B2" radio, and make it into a 2 channel conventional radio.
If you want the straight forward instructions on converting the radio, then follow this link. The modifications presented there should provide sufficient results for most people.
If you are looking for an explanation on how the Pin Shift signal works and which VCO's do what, then you will want to look at the Pin Shift explained page.
If you are a die hard and want full coverage on transmit and receive, there are going to be some more modifications involved. You will want to investigate these modifications which came from Michael Roche, AA2LS.
You can also get a little help with some of the tune-up instructions if you check here.