OUT OF BAND ON ORIONS

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Thu Apr 24, 2003 6:08 pm

Okay, for some reason everyone is guarding this 'secret' like it's going to blow up the world if someone programs a radio out of band.

This is what I've found out. I'm getting close, but no cigar as of yet. I programmed the radio with Windows Programmer (EDACS4). Since then, I've had problems even trying to go back to EDACS3 DOS ver. The tech at M/A Comm told me that you just can't 'read' the radio with DOS ver EDACS3 once it has been programmed with EDACS4. This means you can 'program' the radio with EDACS3, but that overwrites everything in the radio. No problem, the radio doesn't have anything in it anyway.
Anyway, once the radio has been 'reprogrammed' with DOS, then you can read and write to your hearts content. The problem is having all of the *.BIN, *.ADI, *.ENC and *.TRK files that you need. I thought I was good to go, but I'm stuck. all of the files that I have were used from the EDACS4 version. If I had the old versions of the files, that would be GREAT. It has let me load every file except for the *.BIN file. It gives me this error:
"ERROR: Incorrect radio code. This programmer only supports ROM-6 and ROM-8 radio code versions."

Now to the PLEASE HELP ME part...

Does anyone have a file that matches that? It goes to a 136-153 MHz Orion 50 dash mount radio. It must be a ROM-6 or ROM-8. Hopefully it will let me do what I need to do.

I don't understand why this info is so hard to come about??? The guy at M/A Comm said that the Windows version is forcing everyone to do what they were suppose to be doing, ie: using the radios within their type accepted ranges. All I want to do is put a couple of weather channels into this radio so I can use it as a HAM radio with a 'weather receiver' built into it. If you can help, I'll share my findings with all as this has been bugging the crap out of me since I bought this radio.

If I can't find this file, then I'll just have to sell it. I'm starting to get real tired of looking at it if it's not going to what I bought it for...

Thanks in advance,
Scott

n_zero_ndp · Post by **n_zero_ndp** » Thu Apr 24, 2003 10:05 pm

Scott,

ROM-8 radio code would be OG33300.bin

I'll check to see if I have it...

Ken
------------------------------------------------------------
EDACS - Every Day Another Customer Screams

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 8:06 am

COOL, yeah the one I have is OG40400.BIN.

Thanks,
Scott

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 9:28 am

I am pretty sure I have a 512k radio. Hopefully the OG33300.bin will work. It's a 256k code. If it doesn't, then the next one up is OG41405.bin, but it is not under the 'ROM-8' column. GOD, my head hurts...lol

Scott

n_zero_ndp · Post by **n_zero_ndp** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 9:59 am

rescue161 wrote:I am pretty sure I have a 512k radio. Hopefully the OG33300.bin will work. It's a 256k code. If it doesn't, then the next one up is OG41405.bin, but it is not under the 'ROM-8' column. GOD, my head hurts...lol

Scott

Scott,
Check your yahoo e-mail. I sent you several bin files.

BTW: take something for that headache

Ken

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 10:13 am

Thanks, I got them. I most deffinetly will have a brew when I get back home. Been waiting for the guy to come fix my windshield and he finally showed up, so I'm off to work. I'll let you know my finding when I get home...

Scott

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 10:22 am

Well, if it's not one thing, it's another. I guess I will need older *.enc and *.trk files as well. I keep getting error "Software 204" and "Software 203". Meaning the tracking data does not match. The fix is to re-program the tracking data, but I only have a few to play with. If anyone has a *.trk file that matches OG33300, then that would be awesome.

My thinking is that the *.enc file I have will also be too new and not match the older files when I get them, so it would be nice to have these as well.

So far the radio and software are letting me program out of band, but I get error 204. I get the error even if I program normal range frequencies, so if I had the right tracking data everything SHOULD be fine.

Thanks, Scott

JAYMZ · Post by **JAYMZ** » Fri May 02, 2003 8:57 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong but you can read and write the radio yes?

If you want a wider frequency area can't you just hex edit the Edacs3.exe file and widen up the band split?

Once you know what to look for it'e really simple to do.

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Sat May 03, 2003 11:34 am

Yes, I can read and write to the radio with EDACS 3. EDACS 3 lets me enter the frequencies, but when it is checking it during programming, the radio will not let the frequency be programmed.

This leads me to believe that the radio needs to be hex edited, but I have no idea how to do this. I don't even know how to hex edit ANYTHING...lol

I downloaded Hex Editor, but it looks like Greek to me. Let me know what I'd have to modify to make this thing work. If it's the BIN file that is modified, then I should be able to program out of band with EDACS 4 right? I really like EDACS 4, so I'd like to modify everything to work with it. It's a lot more user friendly than EDACS 3 and that's where the whole problem has stemmed from.

Let me know what you think and what to modify. I have the radio up for sale right now on E-Bay. It's been there for a week now and the reserve still isn't met, so if it doesn't sell, then I'll sit down and try to figure it out again.

Scott

JAYMZ · Post by **JAYMZ** » Sun May 04, 2003 5:02 am

On the band split table I found in the Edacs3.exe file the bands splits on VHF are as follows:

136-174
136-160
150-174

Like on Batlabs with the Spectra RSS (and most other DOS software that I've found) the band split tables are in the software in double precision floating format. For example 136 would be stored as 0000 0000 0000 6140. The next band limit would be in the same format. So it's a matter of finding the bandsplit table and decoding the data from IEEE data to the number it represents and your table should appear. XMO from the BatBoard wrote a very nice set of programs that can do that for you instead of racking your brain to figure it out. I used it to assist me in my project of opening up low band for the Orion. Before you do any editing to the software at all click on tools and get the checksum. Later on after changing your limits you'll have to go edit an error message to make sure you get the proper checksum.

So with that said... look for these offsets.

136-174:
136 offset 0x7A690
174 offset 0x7A697

136-160:
136 offset 0x7A690
160 offset 0x7A6E8

150-174:
150 offset 0x7A6DF
174 offset 0x7A697

There is also an area that has the splits in normal text that you will see on the right side in hex editor. I don't know if it affects it at all but when I modd the software on low band I change that as well. So that way the software allows the new frequency band and it actually shows that widening of the split so it doesn't play with your mind.

NOw this is for the Edacs3 DOS program. I'm still working on the Windows ProGrammer (Edacs4) to expand the band limits in that as well. Next after that is the Pro Series CPS for Motorola. All this in my copious amounts of free time.....

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Sun May 04, 2003 8:51 am

Does Batlabs have a copy of the program that XMO made? I am using Hex Workshop v3.11. It is quite confusing...

Am I suppose to search for 136-160, 136-174, 150-174 or all of them? Are these the splits that are in the software? My radio is 136-153.

What do I change them to when I find them? I made a copy of the EDACS.exe file so if I mess up, I'll still be able to go back to normal.

Do you have a copy of the actual .exe file that is already modified? lol, Hey, I tried...

I saw in the 'text' side (on the right) where the band splits were listed. When selected, it shows the hex string. Is this the string that I need to change on the left side?

Scott

JAYMZ · Post by **JAYMZ** » Sun May 04, 2003 1:57 pm

Well I'll tell you what. Let me sit down tonight and put a few things together for you and I'll give you a step by step.

I'm using HexWorkshop 4.0 ($50 for a site license

)

I'll put it together on a web page for you to follow. If you go into the Spectra page on the model specific info there should be a link that will take you to where it shows you how to expand the band limits to get a spectra into the ham band. From there the link should be in there somewhere for a zip file named specutil or something like that.

Or I can modify an edacs3 file for you and e-mail it... either way... If you have AIM send me an IM tonight I'll be at work and we can talk further.. I'm still a little groggy from a double last night that I wasn't expecting.

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Sun May 04, 2003 8:19 pm

I think I'm starting to understand a little bit now. So if I use the program to convert 153 to 174, then I can do all of the modifications in EDACS 4 and it will work? Or is EDACS 4, aka Windows Programmer, different?

I don't have AIM, but you can call me, or I can call you if you don't mind. E-mail me with your number, I don't care about the bills if I can fix this problem that I have.

Thanks for the info,
Scott

metro121 · Post by **metro121** » Wed May 07, 2003 8:03 pm

JAYMZ, I have done the mod that you are talking about for the band limits. I was able to get the EDACS 3 windows version to accept the new limits BUT, when I tried to program the radio, the download would stop about half way and a screen would pop up saying that the new frequencies where out of the band limits of the radio. I have only tried this on the LOBAND Orion so I dod not know if it would fail on other bands.

Did you uget the download to continue a complete programming with new limits on a LOBAND yet. If so , where is the hex edit in the software. I have been trying to find something in the RSS for a while now but cannot find it.

I have been editing the EFQ file to get the radio out of band. It works but takes a little more time than I wish to spend.

rescue161 · Post by **rescue161** » Wed May 07, 2003 8:26 pm

I am having the same problem as you Metro121. My thinking is that it is hard encoded into the radio. I wish there was a way to hex edit the radio itself, or the files that are in the radio, like the BIN, ENC or TRK files. I don't think it would be the TRK or the ENC files. I haven't had the chance to search the BIN file. I really don't want to get rid of this radio because it is the only narrow band radio I have. It also is the only VHF EDACS radio I have, and I kind of need it for that.

Scott