any active EFJ users left?

Forum dedicated to discussion on EF Johnson Radio products such as the VP8000, VP6000, VP5000, VM7000, VM6000, radios. Support for Armada software platform.

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j+1
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:18 pm

any active EFJ users left?

Post by j+1 »

are there any technical EFJ 5100/Ascend/ES users alive here?
W2WTF
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:08 am

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by W2WTF »

Yea, I still like playing with my Johnson.... needs a firmware boost though...
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Intrinsically Safe
Posts: 347
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:19 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by Intrinsically Safe »

Define active? LOL
I check from time to time but not often. Just happened to be around today....
Sean Penn: Last year I went to Iraq. Before Team America showed up, it was a happy place. They had flowery meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children danced and laughed and played with gumdrop smiles.
ee1993
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 3:34 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by ee1993 »

Former CS user looking for a new EF Johnson home. I do CAP stuff so just VHF conventional P25 and narrowband analog. 5300 and 5100, Starting to see version 6 5300ES radios showing up on EBay. CAP radios are getting rather long in the tooth these days.
N5CWM
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:15 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by N5CWM »

I still have my 5100s. Two VHF and one UHF. Sitting up on a shelf nearby looking good but collecting dust.
Every one in awhile I'll charge some batteries and put one on scan for awhile.

When the local UHF P25 ham repeater was replaced with a DMR repeater I no longer carried my
UHF daily.

Still have an XTS3 and 5K as well.

There's a device called a DV4-Mini that will allow you to use your P25 radio to talk to other
users via P25.

http://wirelesshold.com/modems.aspx

For more information and how to set this up, see this link.

http://www.va2pv.com/dv4mini

Also:

http://pcs001.xreflector.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkZmwhK8gXQ
jim202
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2003 9:47 am
Location: New Orleans region

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by jim202 »

It's been a while since there have been any post here.

I am still using both the 5100 and 5300 radios. Have VHF and UHF versions. Not that much UHF activity where I am at, but the VHF activity is doing well. Have the radios set up for both public safety and some ham frequencies. They will do both wide band for ham use and narrow band for public safety.

Have not had any problems programming them, but you can't use a really high speed clocked computer. The radio and or software seems to barf and refuses to run.

Jim
W0VNE
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:51 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by W0VNE »

To keep the thread alive. A big yes!

I'm very active with refurbing 5100, 5317 & 18s. Since EF Johnson went kinda kerput I've been getting some work fixing them. I mostly sell ones that I refurbish (Clean, test, repair *make cables and find microphones) I reverse engineered a little circuit board to program the radio / update the firmware that I put up on EBAY for $50 so if your still wanting a way to program the 53xx series here is an inexpensive way to do it. I don't do social networking much but if you go to the Facebook and look up refurbatron I did a short video of me going bonkers opening the first box of circuit boards. *100% perfect btw!

I wish I could find the 5300 version one firmware / boot upgrader 1.30.7 Its probably not that important as it seems like most of the revisions are to fix trunking which is not important to the folks I'm selling stuff to.

I've got the 1.64 dsp upgrader but... Anyway I'm still into these radios. Since they are showing up at more rational prices a lot of CAP members are starting to own (And use) a radio again which is great to hear. I've also been selling some to some volunteer fireman and police in small towns that aren't going to 800 MHz *Which I also think is a good thing.
motorcoachdoug
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2018 11:11 am

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by motorcoachdoug »

Yes
I live in Maryland the Non Free State right now as well. I have a EFJohnson Ascend 5100 ES with V6.16.10 also. Trying to get a Motorola Smartzone key so i an monitor Montgomery County FD and PD. So far no joy as well. If anyone can give me a hand i would be grateful. I do have a hex editor and have been trying to teach myself on how to use it as well.
So yes their are a few of us left here
Flatlander
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2019 4:13 pm
Location: Glendale, Az

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by Flatlander »

I just got my first 5100 and 5300. Came with software and cables. Just need to find a computer that's old enough to have a serial port! Ha! May have a line on that though.


I now have 5 efj's.
1x 5300 dash mount vhf
1x 5300 remote face vhf
1x es5300 380-470
1x 5100 mod 2 VHF
1x es5100 mod 3 7/800
N5CWM
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:15 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by N5CWM »

I just purchased my 4th EFJ5100, a UHF1 ES model 3. I updated the features using PCIssue (added FPP and MDC1200).
It's a version 6.8.4 radio and I can update the flash but I'm hesitant as I don't want to brick it, as it works great as is.

The versions I have access to are 06.08.06, 06.10.03 or 06.12.04 but I'm not sure what will be gained by upgrading, as
I expect these version updates are relevant to trunking, which I have not use for.

So yeah, I'm still an active EFJ user in 2020, as per the tread title! Thanks to the Raspberry Pi MMDVM devices I can use it on
P25 since the last local ham P25 repeater was swapped out for a pretty much inactive and not internet connected DMR
repeater. I miss the P25 repeater we had as it had great coverage.
ee1993
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 3:34 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by ee1993 »

CAP still has active VHF 5113 portables and 5317 mobiles but they are due to be replaced by new Motorolas. The old 5317s are being repurposed as repeater gateways for ReadyOp.
W0VNE
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:51 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by W0VNE »

I've been working with a couple of different brand radios but the EFJ stuff is still my primary bread and butter. I picked up a ver 6 with 6.18.0 firmware which I see from some EFJ lit did exist. I don't know if its floating around in the wild or not but "Cough" ummm if anyone hears anything?

Not sure about readyop and conversion of all? the EFJs to use it. I spoken to the guy that had his own pre ready op system working in two wings and the price was right (zero I think) and it sounded like he was pretty sharp so I'm surprised with the direction they decided to go. Maybe because its not on my radar so I shouldn't comment. Anyway EFJ radio for readyop? I think they will probably use some but really dismal number of Motorola radios in my wing. And didn't Motorola already announce end of life on the "new" radios? At least someone told me that which I think can't be true but time flies as I get older. Anyhow I'm always bothered by nets with very little activity so hope no one is junking EFJ gear. I would rather it get used and have more active communicators. If readyop means we can link all the Wings repeaters together for an all Wing net I'm all for it.

I've been doing a deep rehab on the EFJs I've been buying and reselling. Regooping heatsink compound, even touching up scratches (paint) and getting the plastic bits cleaned and looking new. Then I do a complete tuneup and try to get CAP members to give my code plug a try. Oh! I found the cause for that DSP error on the 5100s which requires a little flux and solder to make a flex cable not fail. Looks like for whatever reason a lot of the 5100s were not soldered at this point very well.

Anyway re: my plug. The weird deal with zone numbers. Why have ZONE 1 display ZONE 1 rather then FM SIMPLEX or whatever? And logicaly why not do FM then the same channels in P25 in the next zone and repeat so you know that if your on FM and want the same thing on P25 its just UP 1 Zone? And ""COAST GRD" rather then INTERAGENCY. And border repeaters really don't need the display for zones say this it seems more logical to say what they are R101-111FM rather then where they are.

Anyway if your in a wing with radios that need work I work for free in my wing and can be bribed by other wings. ;-) Or soon will. I'm stuck again for a while I've used to use an old old Motorola Service Monitor which I got rid of then had been using a only slightly newer IFR but... Its kacked for the upteenth time and I am tired of fixing it. *Plus because of it I have a pile of "tuned up"radios all 4 KHZ off channel so... I invested big bucks in a General Dynamics/Motorola R2670 *Which is not exactly new but... Calibrated, working and even understands P25. *Just waiting for it to arrive. I bought a different R2600 from EBAY that I just returned because the shippers hammered it to junk. Holes in the box, bashed in bottom with parts rolling around inside. The seller did a good packing job I think it was test drop off a cliff day. SIGH... Why me?
ee1993
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 3:34 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by ee1993 »

Motorola made CAP an Offer They Could Not Refuse so the new portables are APX4000 and mobiles APX4500. The APX4000s are issued in kits of 6, with 12 batteries and a gang charger in a solid case. Nice small light radios.

The EF Johnson 5317 and 5113ES are still in use and 5317s are also being used as ReadyOp gateways for repeaters. ReadyOp seems to be working ok after a few hiccups at startup. Antenna are another story ad the issued mobile PCTEL (Maxrad) is a 1/4 wave almost dummy load. Working on that.
W0VNE
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:51 pm

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by W0VNE »

Went my old Squadron and had a nice talk with the Commo guy. He showed me the Motorola Handhelds and said they have a not to be issued order (Fear of inventory?) Anyway I was surprised at the small size and the battery and antenna seemed to me (in the 2 minutes of playing with one) to be kind of underwhelming. I understand 95% of the customers are using either trunking towers placed everywhere or at worst working in a small town with a repeater so going any great distance ground to ground is not high on the priority list. I got a request from a retired Special Forces guy for a radio for field use that would last 3 days have some good ground to ground range and my wife (I got Married on 9 Dec to my UK Girlfriend / love of my life!) 3D printed a case for a PRC6896 (aka Thales/Racal 25) that holds 3 of those new(ish) 21700 5,000mAh cells. I bought some Chinese Blade antennas and ground off the extra thread on the non motorola like SMA connectors and he said his friends played around with then and got around 3 days of 24:7 which surprised even me. I had to reverse engineer the data link from the radio to the battery that if missing limits the radio to 2 watts but unlike designing 3D printable Battery cases this is something I can do. I understand the Motorola has this same sort of "Death bit" if you replace the cells and power off the BMS or charge it more then x times. But this is all second hand. Three reports on limited range. Two at UBXs but one on a real mission looking for gent who ditched in our "great" lake (Colder then heck) The Racal radio is a bit "tall" with the pack but 3 days?! I was on a SAR for a little kid in Iowa Wing and of course the 5100 NiMh battery lasted less then a day and I had no spares which really sucked so either I talk my wife (Weird saying that) into building a monster pack for the 5100 or just use the Racals. I made a case for them to be added to the NTIA approved list after gathering up all the FCC testing data. These really are pretty nice radios. I saw my first one in the UK on their Youtube it was a Ham Radio gent who put his on the driveway and drove over it with his truck before plugging the battery in and talking to another ham. I like the 5100 and its pretty tough but this is crazy tough. Anyway am stuck trying to fix the R2670 service monitor I bought on Ebay. No complaints it was "As is" and mostly worked for quite a while. It still receives fine measures freq and deviation measuring fine but nothing on power out and the generator output through both output connectors is totally dead. A weird combo of issues. Anyway thanks for the reply. Sorry for the long delay in responding I've never been great at this social networking. Plus there are just too many places to network! Nice problem. p.s. Sarah is building a super short battery that uses the older 18650 cells which aren't bad. Come a long way since they were 1800mAh.
73 de Jay W0VNE https://refurbatron.bigcartel.com/products *Don't laugh I'm not (clearly) any good at web design.
jim202
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2003 9:47 am
Location: New Orleans region

Re: any active EFJ users left?

Post by jim202 »

Not much activity on here in a while.

One comment I would add is if you drop by a computer repair store, in most cases they will give you computers that the customer didn't want to pay to get it repaired. I have got some nice computers this way. The store I go to pulls the hard drive out and just puts everything behind his country.

Normally he says takes what you want. So I pick up everything including the displays, mice and keyboards. If nothing else, I end up with parts out of the computer.

I try putting in a small hard drive and see if the mother board is good after loading a copy of windows into it. If so I put it on the shelf out in my storage area with nites on it with motherboard speed and ram size.

If it is bad, it gets stripped of everything that can be salvaged. Like the heat sinks, CD drive and fans. Pull the power supply and the case covers. If it has a decent hard drive case, I will even drill out the rivets if it doesn't slide out.

The steel goes in one pile and the aluminum in another for a trip to the scrap yard when I get enough.

Jim k1vty
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