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The Motorola® Spectra™ and Astro Spectra™ Radio Index Page Including non-mobile Spectra-based products Formerly Maintained by Robert Meister WA1MIK Maintained by Mike Morris WA6ILQ I know very little about this equipment so please ask on the repeater-builder mailing list! This page has undergone a major reorganization. Everything is all still here; items just got moved. Use your browser's SEARCH function to find things, as they're now grouped better.

Mike Blenderman K7IC / KJ7VC had an extensive web site that covered the Syntor, Syntor X, Syntor X 9000 and Spectra radios. Mike passed away in 2022 and his web site evaporated. Fortunately the Wayback Machine (also known as archive.org) has a copy.
This pointer is to the archive.org snapshot and it is all that there is.   (Off-site pointer, opens in a new browser tab)
NOTE: The archive.org operation is funded by donations. Please contribute to it's continued operation.

Background, Introductory, and General Information:

	Motorola Spectra Introductory Information You should read this article before any of the other articles here in this section. It has an introduction to the Motorola Spectra radios, with background, history, some model-specific information, photos, and other miscellaneous tidbits.
	Intro to Spectra Radio Configurations by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK A quick run-through of the control heads and radio installation and mounting options.
	The Spectra Desktop Station by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK What's inside, model number info, configuration switch settings, rear connectors, etc.
	Setting Up and Using Multiple Coded Squelch (MPL) by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK The steps you need to do with the programming software to activate MPL, and how to use it.
	Why a 900 MHz Spectra Won't Receive at 902 MHz and What You Can't Do About It by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Spectras are great radios but they can't receive 902 MHz unless you have some specialized equipment and do a lot of work.
	Spectra Error Codes by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK A compilation of FAIL and ERROR codes that can be displayed by Spectra radios.
	A Comparison of Old and New Spectra Circuit Boards by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Photos and lists of the major differences between old and new versions of many Spectra circuit boards.
	A List of Spectra Module (Board) Numbers by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK A summary of info extracted from a number of service manuals.
	Identifying Spectra Frequency Ranges / Splits by Mike Morris WA6ILQ Photos and things to look for to help identify the range or band split of your radio.
	Bypassing the Spectra 16-mode Scan Limit 1.1 MB PDF A procedure to increase the number of modes on scan lists.
	Spectra Lab RSS Hacks and Moflags from BatLabs

Brochures and Manuals:

	Spectra Sales Brochure 674 kB PDF An original Motorola catalog sheet with abbreviated specifications.
	Spectra Motorcycle Spec Sheet 189 kB PDF An original Motorola spec sheet with photos and abbreviated specifications.
	Spectra Conventional Radio System Operator's Manual 4.1 MB PDF
	Spectra Privacy-Plus Radio System Operator's Manual 2.3 MB PDF
	Spectra SmartNet Radio System Operator's Manual 4.1 MB PDF
	Spectra Parts Catalog 1 MB PDF
	Another Spectra Parts Catalog 240 kB PDF
	Info on the new Motorola Railroad Locomotive Cab Radio based on the Astro Spectra 140 kB PDF
	Spectra Clean-Cab Railroad Radio Operator's Manual 780 kB PDF
	Direct Entry Keyboard (DEK) schematic 614 kB PDF
	Spectra and Digital Spectra Mobile Radio Installation Manual 950 kB PDF
	Hand-Held Control Head Single and Dual Radio Instruction Manual 2.8 MB PDF Introductory information only for Option W845ASSP (dual radio) and Option W845AUSP (single radio) with HHCH, SIU, security boxes, etc. Scanned by WA1MIK. Goes with the dual radio article below.
	Astro Digital Spectra Consolette Instruction Manual 2.6 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra and Digital Spectra Plus Mobile Radio User Guide 3.5 MB PDF
	Spectra 25/40 watt UHF Basic Service Manual 4.4 MB PDF Scanned by Tim Owen KF7EUO.
	Astro Digital Spectra Basic Service Manual 2.5 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual, part 1 of 4 Chapters 1-6. 2.5 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual, part 2 of 4 Chapter 7, pages 1-25. 3.7 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual, part 3 of 4 Chapter 7, pages 26-48. 8.1 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual, part 4 of 4 Chapter 7, pages 49-134 and appendices. 8.4 MB PDF
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual 20.5 MB PDF The entire manual as one file. Note that the regular Spectra radio shares the same Power Amplifier (PA), Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO), and Receiver Front End (RXFE). Much of the RF Board is similar. The command board is totally different. Unfortunately the control heads are in a separate manual, available below. This manual came out in 2002.
	Astro Digital Spectra Detailed Service Manual 24.2 MB PDF A 2008 version of the above manual.
	Astro Digital Spectra Control Heads Service Manual 4.9 MB PDF The Astro Spectra heads are very similar to the regular Spectra mobile radio heads.
	Astro Spectra Plus Model Number Table 31 kB PDF Extracted from a manual, this breaks down the 12-character Astro Spectra and Astro Spectra Plus model numbers.
	Spectra Low-Power and Mid-Power Detailed Service Manual 96 MB PDF This manual, sent anonymously, seems to be incomplete. Use the Astro Spectra manuals above for further information.

Radio and Equipment Modification Articles:

	Spectra Dual Radio Configuration Procedure By Josh Wallace KD5QCZ. This article goes with the Hand-Held Control Head (HHCH) PDF file above.
	Recapping the Spectra Mobile (a.k.a. the Time-Bomb Capacitors) by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK As the Spectras have been discontinued since the mid to late 1990s, all of them are now over 15 years old. All of the original surface-mount electrolytic caps MUST BE REPLACED or you risk doing serious damage to the radio.
	Recapping the Systems 9000 Control Head by Mark Tomany N9WYS The same timb-bomb capacitors exist in these heads as well.
	Recapping/Refurbishing the Spectra Mobile by David Rudd AI4JI (offsite link) A well-written article with lots of photographs. He sells capacitor kits as well.
	Build Your Own Spectra Programming Cable by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	Build a Spectra Low- and Medium-power DC Power Cable with Ignition Control by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	How to Hex Edit the Spectra RSS to Enable 900 MHz Amateur Frequencies by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	Spectra 900 MHz VCO Modification by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Make the VCO operate in the 902-928 MHz range. Also has a similar mod for UHF.
	Spectra UHF VCO Modification by VK3KBC (offsite link) Make the VCO operate in the 440-450 MHz range.
	Adding a Preamp to a UHF Spectra Radio by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Add about a dozen parts and you've got a more sensitive receiver. People are selling kits to do this mod on ebay, of course.
	Miscellaneous Spectra Topics by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Hints and kinks that may make your Spectra radio more useful to you.
	Spectra Hacks (Bitbanging) by James S. Vooght K2JSV Some key locations and values that can make the radio do what you want it to do.
	Some notes on Replacing the Spectra MLM by Alex Cobleigh K6LPG
	Spectra UHF Range 3 Modifications for the 440 MHz Amateur Band 965 kB PDF file by Bruce Forestal WB6ARE

Interfacing Articles and Files:

	Interfacing External Equipment to the Spectra Mobile Radio by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK Signals that are available on the connectors accessible from inside and outside the radio.
	A Front Panel Microphone Connector for Dash-Mount Spectra Radios by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK A 3D-printed microphone plug allows convenient access to this oddball connector.
	One approach to adding a COR Signal to the Spectra DA-15 Accessory Connector By Nick Markovich N2XFX Spectras are notably difficult to get much-needed signals out of. Here's one way.
	Spectra Control Head Ignition Jumper Information by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	Spectra Dash-mount Control Head Interconnect Boards by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	Spectra Control Head Interconnect Board and Cable 116 kB PDF file, scanned by WA1MIK Dash-mount interconnect board and remote-mount interconnect cable.
	An Extension Cable for Repairing Dash-mount Control Heads by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK For those of you that repair your own equipment, this handy accessory lets you get to the control head while it's connected to the radio.
	Spectra Command Board Jumpers: Location and Function by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK
	Spectra Command Board to PA and Accessory Jack Cables by Robert W. Meister WA1MIK

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This page was created in 2006.
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Motorola, Spectra, Astro Spectra and a lot of other terms are registered trademarks/servicemarks of Motorola Inc.

This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is © Copyrighted 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors. All Rights Reserved, including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.