Configuring a Motorola MCS2000 as a cache radio

[@Ron_C]

Your knowledge on portable/mobile radios is seriously impressive. Thanks for sharing! (makes me want to snatch these up when I see them!)

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you ! I maintained a large fleet of these at one time. They are a good bargain now if you shop around or buy at a municipal auction. The real bargain is UHF maxtracs those can be had for 5 - 20 bucks each - they won't narrowband but they are great to bulld a low budget non narrowband cache with. Road trip with buddies hand them out with mag mounts - everyone stay on channel 1 - convoy comm plan done. Thanks for watching !

[@budman1181]

Very Nice Compact and well put-together

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you and thanks for watching !

[@cmritchie04]

Could you Go over the model numbers for VHF, UHF and 900 Mhz...minus the 800 Mhz? So that way we know what models to stay away from.... Could you also go over the programing? I think it might be D.O.S.? And if we come across some models like the 800 Mhz could you do a tear down so that we know what parts are salvageable to the other radio bands. i.e. VHF, UHF, 900 Mhz.

[@survivalcomms]

4th digit of the model number is the band split. ex M01Kxxxxxx is a VHF, R is low split UHF 403-470, S is high split UHF 450 -512 ,U is 800, W is 900 . The programming is on windows CPS (RVN4175 v2.03) You can program through the mic port or the accessory connector. Everything except the main board is useful across bands. accessories are compatible across bands. control heads should be like for like putting a mode 3 head on a model 2 radio will not make it a model 3. Thanks for watching !

[@papamayne8342]

Hi I purchased a Motorola MCS2000 on EBay But when I turn it on, I just keep getting the message “ Out Of Range” I was hoping to use it right out of the box, as a base or mobile, “SHTF” radio.. so my question is do I need any special equipment to be able to do so? would it be very expensive? Is there such a thing as a factory reset on these units to be able to use it? Thank you for your time Sincerely

[@survivalcomms]

Sounds like you got an 800 or 900 mhz variant that was not deprogrammed. Its looking for the control channel of it's parent system and not finding it. Look at the 4th character of the model number and see what character it is. If it is a U it is an 800mhz and is valuable as parts only unless you operate on a legacy analog smartnet / zone system. If it is an 800 yes it can be reprogrammed but there are no license free or amateur frequencies in 800 spectrum. If it is a K, R, or S (VHF, UHF, UHF Hi split) you have options. I hope this helps and thanks for watching !

[@papamayne8342]

SurvivalComms Thanks very much for your expert knowledge and taking the time to reply so quickly. Your knowledge is incredible, fantastic channel, very valuable.

[@analogatman]

@@survivalcomms hi, is posible to use this radios for normal use not trunking ?? , thanks for your time.

[@beaker15tyler39]

Thats a nice setup, dont know that id use a separate speaker since the radio allready has a speaker but the external one would be louder.

[@survivalcomms]

The ones I configure like this are the model 2s and 3s but I lacked one on hand to make the video. Thanks for watching !

[@luish19779]

Hi brother. Great video. I buy the MCS 2000. Where you find the power source for that radio? Car lighter and what else? Power supply? How many Amp? I ask because I never have this type of radio before.

[@survivalcomms]

Typically they are installed on a 20 amp circuit (the 110w are on a 40 amp circuit). If they are not running full power you can put them on a lighter and run them all day. A dc power supply capable of 15 amps and above will work good at home. For just about all of your mobile install questions I have a 3 part series on my channel here is part 1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2bFgHmVmpqDgcU Thanks for watching !

[@italiasown]

Hi Brett, I purchased one of these radios for my vehicle, but the pinout wire that came with it looks very different from the wire out that you have for the unit. My wires also don't have a connector at the end of them to go into the speaker. I do have the same speaker as you show in the video. Would you be able to give me some more information on how I can hook these up? I am not sure if I should cut the connector from the speaker and connect the wires directly. Any help would be awesome. Please let me know how I could contact you, or I could leave you my email.

[@survivalcomms]

Most commercial radios like this have balanced audio (audio hi / audio lo) and aren't polarity sensitive however that being said dont bring either lead to chassis ground. If you look at the molex the one with the ridge is audio hi. Do you have the accsy connector ? My email is my channel name at gmail . Thanks for watching

[@analogatman]

hi, is posible to use this radios for normal use not trunking ?? , thanks for your time.

[@survivalcomms]

Yes they are the UHF and VHF models will work in the 2m and 70cm amateur bands as well as the commercial. Thanks for watching

[@mediocreman2]

What's a cache radio? You use it for geocaching?

[@30CalCoreLokt]

Awesome! Where's the best place to pick up the speaker and antenna?

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you ! The speakers are available on auction sites or hamfests for a fraction of what they cost from Motorola. The part numbers for the factory speakers listed are HSN4031 , HSN4032, HSN4024, HSN4025, HSN4027 , and HSN4028 . I like quarterwave antennas personally and you can get them from Tessco or another commercial two way vendor. My favorite quarter wave kit is the Larsen NMOQB - You tune it yourself by cutting the whip to length and the base has a really great seal that can survive the worst elements. The laird magnetic bases are a good value - better quality than the cheap stuff but a tad more money. I hope this helps and thanks for watching !

[@cagivasupercity]

Do you also have idle current (radio is switched off ) 240mA ? All mine have

[@survivalcomms]

That parasitic drain is not uncommon . I have not tested one of these (MCS2K) for that but I have observed that with many mobile radios. I relay isolate radios in my permanent installs. Thanks for watching !

[@alsario3054]

Hi, what value of balancing transformer shall I use to use my Amplified Motorola Speaker to my Motorola Spectra?

[@survivalcomms]

What is the part number of the speaker ?

[@alsario3054]

@@survivalcomms the Speaker Model number is HSN1000BR.

[@survivalcomms]

@@alsario3054 Use an audio isolation or ground hum isolation transformer such as this in the audio lines : www.amazon.com/Isolator-BOSS-Audio-B25N-Systems/dp/B000LP4RMG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bossb25n&qid=1581626263&sr=8-1-spell

[@archuka1]

I will question your using a 16 gauge power cord unless your going to use low power on the radio ALL the time -- 25 to 50 watts will draw some amperage on that cord enough to make it hot and a decrease in voltage to the radio -- I would try to modify from the plug in back to the radio or purchase the power pole lighter plug in with the PP connectors already mounted on the plug in then make your cable length to the radio with 14 gauge wire at least -- just say'n

[@survivalcomms]

Lighter outlets provide a max of 15 amps typically. the cord length is just a few feet and the radio is tuned to 20 watts. Thanks for watching !

[@wjf213]

Outstanding info as always. What do you think about that Midland MXT400 40 watt radio? I've been wondering if it would be possible to build an 18650 battery bank and make it a "relatively" lighter weight man portable back pack type radio that can go into a get home bag? The range of those handhelds just isn't all that great for my needs, so a trade off of extra weight for increased range is worth it to me. Keep up the great work.

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you very much ! The MXT400 is a fine radio but pricey IMHO . If going with a manpack configuration an 18650 pack or one of the smaller LifePo4 packs is pretty much the only way to make it practical as using high power will greatly reduce your operational time and the gel cell option adds lots of weight. If you do choose to go with a manpack arrangement you will need a suitable antenna to really take advantage of the higher power XCVR. Before making this sort of investment I would test a conventional mobile with a gel cell and the antenna system you plan on using along the signal path in question to see if it is even feasable before spending money. Another test that you may have already done over the desired signal path is if two mobile stations can successfully communicate. If they can then what you are envisioning has a better than average chance of success. Thanks for watching and I hope this helps !

[@wjf213]

Thanks for the reply. I haven't bought bigger radios yet, because honestly, I'm not a commo guy at all and I'm trying to figure out what will work. I do have more hand held radios than I care to look at and all have VERY short range. I have started giving them away to other people, because for my needs, they fall waaaay short. I don't really care about cost either, as long as it works and is man portable. The area I'm in is very flat, and no buildings or anything like that. Just a lot of woods...well more like swamps here in Louisiana. The max distance between the two points I'm talking about is about 20 miles. I know that's asking a lot, but I have read where people have been able to get that kind of range out of the MXT400 from a vehicle to a home base. At home I can put up a tall antenna, but in a man pack......I'm not really sure. I'm also not sure about having an antenna with 40 watts coming out of it near my head. Heck, I don't even use cell phones because of that and MANY other reasons. Again this is just for extreme emergency and not everyday use. I'm not worried about a battery or the cost to build one, as long as it will last 10 to 12 hours of run time with very little transmission on my part, but I am wondering how to do the antenna to make sure I get the most out of the radio when I do have to transmit. I'd also like to make 8 or 10 of these man pack set ups. Any other suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again and keep up the great work.

[@survivalcomms]

The group who is getting twenty miles is taking advantage of elevation at the tx location , rx location, or both. UHF being line of sight and power alone will not make the trip. Lets build a model. Typical FM receiver sensitivity is -118dbm and this represents a minimal signal. The radio in question at full rated power is putting out 46dbm . Lets say both stations are mobiles We will factor in 1.5 db of loss for our antenna mount and coax (assuming 1:5:1 SWR) and that brings our power out put down to 44.5dbm or 28.27 watts. We decide to use 5dbd colinear antennas for our installation and this brings up our power to 49.5 dbm or 89 watts and this represents a pretty efficient mobile station. The path loss using a hata model at roof height of both stations at 40km at even heights (6m) has a path loss in suburban terrain of 187 db if we subtract the path loss from the ERP of our mobile station the recieved signal is approximately -137.5. The system gain in the receiver antenna system is 3.5 db so the signal at the receiver antenna port should be -134 dbm which is 16 db below our minimal signal. Lets increase our power to 110watts which would give our theoretical station an ERP of 53.9 dbm or 246 watts the signal at the receiver is -129.6 dbm which is still 11.6 db under our minimal signal. Bringing one of the stations to 30 m (90ft) drops our path loss to 169.8 where our 40 watt station is just inside our threshold by 1.2 db. The 110 watt station is almost 7db in our threshold on one side of the link. I hope this helps !

[@ruralreadiness5910]

Super cool, Sir

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you Nina ! Thanks for watching !