Search found 61 matches

by exkalibur
Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:36 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

Yeah, I know what you're saying. Well I'm glad someone else has told you the same thing I am...at least I know I'm not loosing it :D Yes, for clarification, the radio is programmed with coverage type as SmartZone. First shot is an XTS3000 800MHz Model III. Second is an Astro Saber VHF Model III. I d...
by exkalibur
Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:17 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

To add to this. One other advantage of Smartzone over AMSS. When you loose the control channel on AMSS, it will just continue to search in order of control channel according to what you have programming in. This doesn't always result in the best site. However, with Smartzone, you get to take advanta...
by exkalibur
Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:14 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

Well I'd sure as hell love to know why my radios (and those of some friends) don't have a single issue doing RX on SmartZone without affiliating. The nice thing about SmartZone over AMSS is first of all, Site Lock works properly on SmartZone, but not so great on AMSS. Also, AMSS doesn't give you an ...
by exkalibur
Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:31 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

I have 07.22.01 and I can assure you more than anything that an 800MHz Astro Saber (and an 800MHz XTS3000) programmed for Smartzone with TX Inhibit turned on WILL RX without issue. This is with Omnilink disabled. I've never tried with it enabled. I wish there was some way I could show you that it wo...
by exkalibur
Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:32 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

One word of caution with this "hack". It will not work on an MTX8000/MTX838 . If you set both positions of the concentric switch to TX Inhibit, the radio will still respond to system messages. However, if you "convince" an MTS2000 codeplug into the radio, then it will work fine. ...
by exkalibur
Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:28 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Passively scanning Astro25 trunking systems
Replies: 27
Views: 61363

Just to add to r0f's post... When you say the "above 16" thing for talkgroups you want to RX but not affiliate on, I assume you mean on a 3600bps system? If so, you don't need to do the "above 16" thing. Here's what I've seen done and it works flawlessly. First, program both posi...
by exkalibur
Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:44 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Guide to ASTRO Digital Radios 3.0 - RELEASED
Replies: 23
Views: 47559

Jesus Shaun... absolutely amazing job! I'm about halfway through it and I'm already very impressed.

It was absolutely worth the wait!!
by exkalibur
Fri Aug 03, 2007 3:47 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Question abt a 450 MHZ split AS and XTS3K
Replies: 11
Views: 18683

It's nice to have a Waris to make you appreciate just how superior your XTS/Astro Saber radios are :D
by exkalibur
Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:17 pm
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: VX-6R
Replies: 9
Views: 23043

KC8RYW wrote: I traded it two years ago for a HT1250 UHF. Tell me you wouldn't do that deal? :ham:
I wouldn't do that deal.

:)

I've already got a GP380 - the last thing I need is another damn UHF portable.
by exkalibur
Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:22 am
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: VX-6R
Replies: 9
Views: 23043

Since when did your FT-60 not have a low battery indicator? Mine has a flashing battery symbol, MTS2000 style.

The VX-6R is a DAMN nice radio. Honestly, I'm kicking myself for buying the FT60 so soon (I got it the day after it came out), I would much rather have waiting awhile and got the 6R.
by exkalibur
Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:26 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: HAMSEXY is the best place for ASTRO newbies
Replies: 56
Views: 90620

[quote="escomm]That's because those guys are not technically inclined to begin with.[/quote] The province-wide ASTRO system up here in Ontario was designed by Bell Mobility Radio. The engineers who were responsible for designing the system (or at least part of it) are some very intelligent guys...
by exkalibur
Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:05 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: HAMSEXY is the best place for ASTRO newbies
Replies: 56
Views: 90620

Great topic - thanks for starting it r0f - there's way too much mis-information floating around with regards to ASTRO and what not. Here's my observations which are in no way scientific. I use IMBE (with and without encryption) to talk to a couple of friends around here. When I first got an ASTRO ra...
by exkalibur
Fri Jul 13, 2007 12:16 am
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: played with a vertex 929 p25 rig the other day
Replies: 11
Views: 25509

They look like fairly decent radios, that's for sure.

I wonder just how submersible they really are...
by exkalibur
Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:00 pm
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: FRIENDS DON't LET FRIENDS BUY YAESU
Replies: 41
Views: 104047

A good rule of thumb... the more toys there are in the box to break, the less helpful Yaesu will be :)

IMHO, the best HF rig Yaesu has ever made is the FT600.
by exkalibur
Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:04 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Durham Region Hamfest
Replies: 5
Views: 10804

Credicon wrote:Anyone got their emails, not sure what they are...
hey
you
guys

profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4
by exkalibur
Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:43 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Niagara Big Event 29
Replies: 19
Views: 29383

What frequency shall we all converge on? How about 146.550?
by exkalibur
Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:14 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Niagara Big Event 29
Replies: 19
Views: 29383

As long as I can switch my work shift that day, I'm there.

If I can't... oh man there's going to be trouble.
by exkalibur
Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:43 am
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: PRYME Survelliance Kit (SPM-2000) For JEDI radios.
Replies: 26
Views: 50259

n3jfw wrote: and I think Mikey likes you
LoL!

Aww Seth...don't worry, nobody's going to get between us ;)
by exkalibur
Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:23 am
Forum: EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
Topic: PRYME Survelliance Kit (SPM-2000) For JEDI radios.
Replies: 26
Views: 50259

Rayjk110 wrote: That's me with it at White Castle about 3 hours ago. motosexual
Well with your hair done up like that, I don't think moto would be the right word...
by exkalibur
Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:26 pm
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: AEGIS?
Replies: 2
Views: 6365

That's a matter of opinion :)

I had a VHF Orion that did AEGIS and I was pretty impressed with it. IMHO it's better than IMBE, but that's just an opinion...

-M
by exkalibur
Fri May 27, 2005 2:39 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Rochester - June 3-5
Replies: 18
Views: 27622

That's also very true. I can tolerate a lot of things...rain, idiot drivers, etc... but I HATE HATE HATE being stuck in traffic. If I were to drive to Rochester, I'd probably leave Toronto around 4:30-5:00am to beat the traffic...the ferry doesn't leave that early unfortunatly. I was driving around ...
by exkalibur
Thu May 26, 2005 11:47 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Rochester - June 3-5
Replies: 18
Views: 27622

Actually, I just checked. According to http://www.torontoharbour.com/toronto-rochester-ferry/fares.php... It's $54.00 for the car, plus $27.00 for each occupant (driver included), one way. Figure two people and a car, that's $108.00 each way, or $216.00. Rochester is about 300km from Toronto. Figure...
by exkalibur
Thu May 26, 2005 11:41 pm
Forum: HAMFESTS!!!
Topic: Rochester - June 3-5
Replies: 18
Views: 27622

Last I checked, the ferry was $45 for just the vehicle, plus $25 for each occupant (including the driver). This is one way. It says it takes about an hour and a half, plus half an hour on each side for customs, loading/unloading, etc... Figure it's about a 3 hour drive...I honestly don't see how the...
by exkalibur
Tue Mar 01, 2005 12:36 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: What good is commercial digital two-way anyway?
Replies: 49
Views: 67796

...less jammers That is, until, cheap P25 radios hit the market. I remember back when Trunking was just becoming popular, nobody had trunking radios because they were so cheap. Now some 10 years later (maybe more?) you can buy trunking radios on ebay for 50 dollars. Heck, I picked up two 800MHz tru...
by exkalibur
Sun Feb 27, 2005 8:56 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: What good is commercial digital two-way anyway?
Replies: 49
Views: 67796

I used to have the viewpoint of "Digital doesn't belong in a public safety system". That is, until I had a decent system by which to judge. Here in Ontario, we have a VHF SmartZone system with both analog and ASTRO talkgroups. The audio quality on digital isn't bad at all. It's DIFFERENT, ...
by exkalibur
Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:00 am
Forum: Astro DStar and other digital voice formats
Topic: Radios and Such...Astro, Trunking, Digital, APCO25
Replies: 3
Views: 8115

Well, I just woke up so this isn't going to be the best explaination ever, but hopefully it'll help. ASTRO = The name of Motorola's digital offering. The original version of ASTRO was a technology called VSELP (Vector-Sum Excited Linear Prediction). This technology isn't used that much anymore. As a...