(with limited support for "out of band" TX, ARS, and input monitoring)
Note: This mod should more-or-less replace the ADMS single-band monitor mod, but I cannot verify that. This has certain pros and cons that, as far as I know, make it superior to the ADMS mod. See the bottom of the document for some possible implications and technical details, as well as thanks.
- Switch to FM band, VFO mode.
- Store 76.000 MHz into PS memory 1L.
- Store 77.000 MHz into PS memory 1U.
- Switch to V-HAM band, VFO mode.
- Store 144.000 MHz into PS memory 2L.
- Store 145.000 MHz into PS memory 2U.
- Press M/V, then press UP or DOWN to select memory 2L.
- Turn dial one notch to remove radio from Memory mode and into PS mode.
- Press and hold UP until the radio begins scanning through the range.
- Turn the radio off with the power button.
- Turn radio back on.
- Press UP to stop the radio from scanning.
- Using only the UP, DOWN, and FW buttons and the dial, move to 76.000 MHz.
Note: Pressing BAND will kick the radio out of PS mode, and you'll have to repeat starting at step 7.
- Store the new 76.000 MHZ that you just tuned to into PS memory 3L.
- Go to ACT-2 band, VFO mode.
- Store 998.000 MHz into 1L, and 999.000 MHz into 1U.
- Go to the V-HAM band, and enter PS scanning between 2L and 2U, power off, and power on the radio, and stop scanning as in steps 7 through 12.
- Using the same tuning technique as in step 13, tune to 998.000 MHz, and store it into PS memory 4L. Store 999.000 MHz into 4U.
- Press M/V to exit PS mode and return to VFO mode.
- Press UP or DOWN to select memory 3L. Press and hold BAND to enter SET mode, and configure STEP to 5 kHz, RX-MD to FM-N, and SQL TYP to nothing (T, SQ, and DCS do not appear on display).
- Press and hold FW, select 10L with the dial, and store the memory.
- Repeat steps 20 and 21 to store memory 4U with new settings into 10U.
You can now delete 1L, 1U, 2L, 2U, 3L, 3U, 4L, and 4U, as they are not needed any more.
By switching to the V-HAM band and doing a PS scan between 10L and 10U, you can access the entire spectum from 76MHz to 999MHz, without gaps, in any mode or step. As you learned while performing the mod, it is also possible to tune specific stations in that range by tuning without pressing the BAND button. It works much like VFO mode with respect to step, squelch, offsets, and RX mode. After picking a frequency and selecting the tuning parameters, you can also store the frequency. It will place it into the memory bank under the V-HAM band, regardless of frequency.
What this modification allows you to do:
- Store frequencies regardless of band all into one band so doing a memory scan will allow you to monitor all of them at once. Put your favorite 144, 222, and 440 repeaters all into one bank for monitoring purposes.
- ARS (Automatic Repeater Shift) will still work, so if you tune a 440MHz frequency under the PS mode in V-HAM, it'll still automatically set the offset to 5 MHz if you have ARS turned on.
- Priority (or Dual Watch) will work with any stored frequencies on the band, even if they are not in-band.
- While in PS mode, if you select a frequency (or repeater with ARS) that is normally within the TX boundaries of the radio, you will be able to transmit as if you were in VFO mode.
What this modification does not allow you to do:
- If you store a frequency that is "out of band," you will be able to monitor it, but you will not be able to transmit or monitor the input frequency of a repeater with FW+MON.
- All "out of band" frequencies must be tuned via the PS method. (Duh.) Regular VFO mode will not work to tune "out of band" frequencies.
- In PS mode, when searching through "out of band" frequencies, AT-MD will not work properly, so you will need to turn off AT-MD (from AUTO to MANUAL), and manually set step and RX mode as you scan through frequencies. It's probably a good idea to reset AT-MD back to AUTO after you have done whatever you need to do in PS mode.
How this differs from the ADMS mod:
- As far as I know, ARS is completely disabled if you use the ADMS single-band scan modification. I do not own the ADMS software, a cable, or anything else, so I cannot verify this, but a lack of ARS would be a pretty nasty flaw in my mind.
- As far as I know, the ADMS mod requires you to set all of your out-of-band memories from a computer, then upload the frequencies to your radio. That's a little annoying in my book. =)
- This mod also coincidentally gives you _continuous_ coverage over the 76-999 MHz range. This has certain implications by now theoretically allowing reception of cellular, cordless, and trunked communications which may be illegal to monitor in your area of the world. Don't do anything illegal, okay, folks?
Miscellaneous Details:
Yes, there's likely a much more efficient way to do the programming. I specifically used lots of memories to make it easier for users to do with a minimum of repetition if you mess up.
The modifications has been performed and tested on a US model VX-1R with A106 firmware.
Also, this is based on "The APO Trick" from jeeb@sol.net. I extended and optimized the application of the trick to make the modification fast, easy, and simpler for most users. His technique is a good general way to get any PS range capable to be received by the radio to show up in another band. This bug has been exploited for this mod.
Essentially, we move a chunk of the low end of the band into the V-HAM area, and a chunk of the high end into the same area. We then use those ranges to mark the endpoints of a new, full-band range. Why V-HAM? Well, putting them into one of the -HAM bands where the radio normally transmits allows us to transmit on any memory in that area. So, if you frequent 2m repeaters a lot, but want to monitor UHF repeaters, you can use this technique to store them all in one band. This will allow you to monitor all of them, and still transmit on the VHF ones. If you want to transmit on the UHF ones, switch to the right band and do it. This mod can be performed on the U-HAM band in place of V-HAM by just selecting a different range (444-445 instead of 144-145) and replacing V-HAM with U-HAM in the above procedure.
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