After many years of scanning and using SDRs, I've always noticed how ham radios make much better receivers than scanners. Countless times I could see a weak signal on DSD+ that the Uniden scanners don't even know exists. So I opted to take it a step further and delve into commercial radios and all I can say is WOW!

These XPR mobiles can dig the smallest weak signal deep from outta the weeds and make it sound amazing and clear like no other scanner or SDR. You talk about a hot sensitive receiver with NO intermod, bleedover, heterodyning, etc. The ability to monitor stuff now is basically incredible compared to before. To be fair, comparing a professional, commercial-grade radio to the Unidens is prolly not a fair comparison. The Motorolas are expensive and difficult to program and have much more limited scanning functionality. But it's the receive QUALITY that makes all the difference. Now I can monitor a ton more stuff than ever before.

So my question is this. What settings in the CPS (using 16 and 2.0) should I change to ensure the radio will never TX and cannot be inhibited, including any kind of data, acks, affiliations, emergency signaling, etc. for both conventional & Capacity Plus. I'm already checking the RX Only only box straight down the list, but is there anything else?

Everytime you click on a zone, the software freezes for like 12 seconds and you have to sit there and wait for nothing. And sometimes the new zone you click on doesn't refresh and still shows the old members from the last zone you were on. Why? Like, why can't Motorola fix that? When you click the pencil icon to edit a zone member, I wish there was a Next and Previous option inside the edit screen to go to the next or last zone member without having to keep clicking on the zone again so you can see all the channelS to get into the next one.

Why can't we drag and drop channels ("sets") in a zone like we could in CPS 16? Why is there no longer a way to sort zone members by name, type, or position? And how come when you check RX Only, it forces you to change the Admit Criteria in red to Channel Free when that shouldn't even matter and it's only gonna gray it out anyways?

Then there's the scan lists. When you change stuff, you get scan list items that say "N/A" in red and you have to manually remove 'em. Why? Why can't it just know to delete those items altogether? This whole thing is so DUMB.

Without the external speaker, DMR freqs sound fine. Add the speaker and you get this popping sound at the end of transmissions, sometimes at the beginning. Is there a fix for this?

Hello,
I recently got some cp100d AAH87YDC9JA2AN models, I tried copying the CPS file I use on my XPR 7350e and XPR 3500e and the audio in digital mode on the cp100d is horrible, but when in analog sounds fine? What setting am I missing on the cp100d in digital to make it sound better? Thanks

Hello,

I manage the radio system for a municipal fire department. I've got a two part question regarding the Emergency Alert button on APX portables:

1) we have a channel that is on a conventional MDC system/personality. If a member presses the Emergency Alert button, it sends out the EA and other members on that channel receive the emergency alert. This usually happens instantaneously, but there are some radios that receive it on the second/third/etc try. However, the emergency radio continues through transmitting the rest of its polite and impolite tries (we are set up for 5 polite and 15 impolite). When the emergency radio sends these tries out, all the receiving radios on that channel play an audible "squawk" (for lack of better word), which I believe is the data burst from the emergency radio's Emergency Alert.

This squawk is a little bit interrupting. If people are talking on the channel, it interferes with their audio (for the very short length of time that the data burst takes, but it's an interference nonetheless). If a member needs to use the EA, there will likely be a lot of talking on the channel to deal with their emergency and I dont want this to interrupt it.

On to my question: is there any way for this "squawk" to be either inaudible, or not cause any interference? I spoke with Motorola about it and they recommended messing around with the Data Operated Squelch (DOS) timing, or the MDC mute? I can definitely do that, but I'm not sure if that will mess up any other communications on the channel. If it only affects data, I dont think I have any data being transmitted on that channel other than IDs. I do hear the data burst for the IDs as well, but I dont care as much about that as I do the EA data bursts, since they are repetitive. Also, this channel is a repeated channel, so I dont know if the DOS timing will affect that. Or is it better to minimize the number of polite/impolite tries? As I said above, we use 5 polite/15 impolite. Do we need that many tries?

2) the other main channel that we use for fireground operations is a conventional Astro system/personality. It is Astro because we transmit data digitally, but we use analog voice on this channel. When a member hits the EA button, the EA goes through with no problems. We also use 5 polite/15 impolite tries on this channel. I can see the transmit/receive icon on the radio screens when the tries are going through, but there is no audible transmission on the receiving radios. I dont believe there is any interference with voice when the tries are going through, but maybe I'm missing it? Sort of the same question here....is there a problem if we have that many tries (20 total)? Will that affect any communications

Thanks in advance for any help

I’m getting into radio programming and I’m currently running CPS 2.0 on a super old shitty windows PC I have that’s been collecting dust for quite a while. I’m curious if CPS 2.0 can run on a Surface and if it can, which surface(s) are the best to look out for in terms of deals. I have other programs that I can only run on windows that I use for school/work/etc so I wanted something portable, can take notes on, etc. My dad has a surface and I like using it, so I wanted to get my own as long as it’s compatible with CPS. TIA

Hello y’all. I bought a Motorola XPR 2500 from a thrift shop and it has an issue when starting up with an “universal accessory connected” message along with no audio coming from the radio no matter how much I turn it up. No startup sound, no PTT sound, no RX noises, no static, NOTHING. I looked at the accessory pins and they are all not bent or anything like that. Any ideas what could be causing this? Thanks!

My employer needs travel requests for 2027 submitted soon 🙏

Hi
I have a xpr7550e on analog the volume is very low but on digital sound with a good sound level I tried different frecuencies on different repeaters all with the same volume

On dmr sound very loud

Any ideas of what to check or can be a radio issue

I’m looking for any documentation on the NLF4450B Motorola Handie-Talkie Trunked 800MHz Power Amplifier. Supposedly it worked with the STX series of Convertacom. Not sure if that’s accurate, that’s what I’m trying to figure out but I can’t find anything on this device anymore. Help would be great. Oh I did in fact check the Motorola Solutions website and ask the chat for help with no luck yet.

Which ZBM2 antenna https://zbm2industries.com/products/qp-whip-antenna-thicc?variant=43973159551128 do I want for XPR7550e UHF mainly around 460/470 Mhz?

I think its the MURS/GMRS/Family bands one with a SMA-F-BNC?

Hi, the password for our radios have been lost. Does anyone have a file so i can reset them?

I come from a CPS 16 background and I don't understand in CPS 2.0 how you tell if a contact is for conventional DMR or Capacity Plus. I believe what the software calls "Digital" means DMR conventional? They both seem to get combined in the same list but the screen has all the types of modes with + / - signs. It doesn't let you name contacts with the same name. So if I want a conventional TGID of 1 named "TG 1" and a Capacity Plus TGID of 1 also named "TG 1", how do I do it? I guess the issue is when I create a new contact, how do I tell it the contact is for either DMR conventional or Capacity Plus?

My job has a parking parking garage unfortunately and installing a 1/4-wave NMO UHF antenna will probably be 1-2" over the clearance limit. I see Laird has a phantom antenna and so does Motorola.

https://www.atlanticradiocorp.com/products/te-tra4503?variant=43724483756206&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24291119935&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt9jVBhDXARIsAFSP-6ep1ara0t8WMa2nW68LO21eXievdVZZaXnoJvRZAyNOTbNHNN58-9AaAjeSEALw_wcB

https://shop-business.motorolasolutions.com/phantom-elite-antenna-black/product/RDE5798A

Are these any good? They claim 3 dB gain which I find hard to believe. But I'm more concerned about the clearance. I'd prefer the 1/4-wave and am debating if it's safe / ok if it has 1-2 inches of contact dinging around the parking garage.

Hello! I have three Motorola Mototrbo DP4400, with two charger base (without cable) and three more batteries, can I ask you experts how much can i ask for it? Thank you and greetings :)

Is this normal? I just bought this radio and I thought it's supposed to have a mini-UHF connector. The radio on the bottom is a UHF model.

I have the 13W Motorola external speaker (RSN4002A) and it just has these bare wire leads with a square plug thing crimped on 'em. (Why couldn't Motorola just make it simple and use a traditional 3.5mm stereo plug?) The speaker manual says to plug the accessory connector into the back of the radio. I don't know what that is and I don't have it. I bought the radio used and the speaker new. Neither item came with any "accessory connector". Apparently, this "accessory connector" is some kind of plastic housing that you need to plug stuff in so the wire leads don't get shorted.

Is this "accessory connector" supposed to be included with the speaker or radio? How / where can I find this part, if anyone knows? Thanks.

Hello,
I have a large fleet I am responsible for managing they are XPR 3500e and 3300e that I am wanting to test, I don’t want to send them into a dealer, what is the best way to test them to make sure they are transmitting and receiving properly? Like a bench test? They are all UHF.
Thanks

Anyone know the secret sauce to finding this somewhere?

Hello.
It seems no aviable information in motorola's own guides about security principle by which data OTAP are secured while reprogramming trough RF via RM.

Does it protect things such as AES keys values at all? How robust are OTAP agains interceptions by SDR means?

Hello everybody. I have found software for the CP185 on a third party website. Looks like a 3-year subscription for $285. I took a screenshot of it and that is the first image.

The second image is directly from the Motorola shop but I'm not sure which of the two. I'm guessing the CPS R12. I downloaded both but I don't have a laptop to install them on to see if I need a license key or not. Does anybody know if it's required?

I'm currently in Florida but trying to help a friend that works at a Walmart in California. He's got like a couple dozen radios that need to be programmed to operate on the MURS frequencies that all the other Walmart radios operate on.

I would hate to have him have to pay for the software considering from what I hear it's a discontinued radio. The cost to get the software and the programming cable for the radios is expensive. it would be more economical to buy a bunch of Baofeng radios which I can program easily for free.

If anybody's got any ideas or tips to help me figure this one out I would really appreciate it. Buying the cables is no big deal but buying the software is not something I'm looking forward to doing. Although since Walmart will be footing the expense it might be okay.

I received the codeplug from another large department and am going thru CPS weeding out a few frequencies we will not need in our 8000, 8500 and Next radios.

The question I am running into is vote scan frequencies. The codeplug has several different conventional personalities full of mixed vote scan frequencies. However when I go to the zone channel assignment, only one frequency from each conventional personality with mixed vote scan is entered. Is this correct? Will just having one of the VS frequencies in the zone channel assignment allow it to utilize all of it's connected frequencies? Or do all of the VS frequencies also need to be entered into the zone channel assignment?

I've also read something that all of the VS frequencies must be in the scan list, but have read otherwise as well.

My friend gave me a Motorola sl2k walkie-talkie, but it only has digital dmr mode. Through the network, I found that the analog frequency band can be turned on by a specific method. Does anyone know how to turn it on?

Hi everyone,

I recently received 5 Motorola DP4801 radios and I'm trying to figure out which programming software I need to program them.

These are the details from the radios:

• Model: Motorola DP4801
• Model/Part No.: MDH56RDN9KA1AN
• Type: PBE502HE
• Frequency: UHF 403–527 MHz
• Power: 4 W
• Firmware: R02.30.01
• Made in Malaysia
• Full keypad/display
• GPS + Bluetooth

All 5 radios are currently working. They were already programmed when I received them, but I don't know what software or cable was originally used.

I've been looking into Motorola MOTOTRBO CPS, but I'm getting conflicting information. Some newer software lists the DP4800/DP4800e and DP4801-Ex, but not the regular DP4801. I've also seen references to older CPS/RM versions being required for older radios/firmware.

Does anyone know exactly which CPS/RM software version is compatible with a DP4801 with firmware R02.30.01?

Also:

• Do I need a specific older CPS version?
• Is CPS 2.0 compatible with this firmware?
• What programming cable/interface should I use?

I'm only looking to program the radios, not upgrade the firmware.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

PS: I am located in Europe/Belgium, so I believe I need the EMEA/European version rather than the North American CPS.