Motorola Astro Saber 3 Manual

							 
Special Radio Features
55 
•Select Enable/Disable 
The dispatcher may classify regrouped radios into either of two categories: 
select enabled or select disabled.
•Select-enabled radios are free to make channel changes to any 
available channel, including the dynamic-regrouping channel.
•Select-disabled radios cannot change channels since the dispatcher 
has specifically chosen to force the radio to remain on the dynamic-
regrouping channel.
The scan, telephone call, or Private Conversation call feature 
cannot be selected while your radio is select disabled.
Note 
						

							 
56
Special Radio Features
 
PTT-ID Receive 
The PTT-ID receive feature allows you to see the radio ID number of the radio 
you are currently receiving. This ID can be a maximum of eight characters and 
can be viewed by both the receiving radio and the dispatcher. On trunking 
radios, pressing  
< 
 or  
> 
 will replace the displayed ID with the softkey menu 
selections; pressing  
O 
 will bring back the ID display. 
PTT-ID Transmit 
The PTT-ID transmit feature is a per channel feature where your radio’s ID 
number is automatically sent every time the 
 PTT Switch  
 is pressed. Depending 
upon how your radio was programmed, your radio’s ID can be transmitted at 
the beginning of a transmission, at the end of a transmission, or at the 
beginning and ending of a transmission. For digital voice transmissions, your 
radio’s ID is sent during the voice message.
If your radio has MDC-1200™ signalling and the ID is sent before the voice 
transmission, you will hear a tone until the ID transmission is completed; this 
helps you avoid talking while the ID code is being transmitted. 
To view your radio’s ID number: 
1a.Press  
> 
 until the   
CC C C
AA A A
LL L L
LL L L 
 or   
PP P P
AA A A
GG G G
EE E E 
 
softkey appears on the display.
2.Press  
M 
 directly below   
CC C C
AA A A
LL L L
LL L L 
 or   
PP P P
AA A A
GG G G
EE E E 
.
3.Press  
< 
.
4.The display changes to show your 
radio’s ID.
MM M M
YY Y Y
      
II I I
DD D D
:: : :
11 1 1
22 2 2
33 3 3
44 4 4
      
      
      
      
LL L L
NN N N
UU U U
MM M M
      
      
      
      
 
OR 
1b.Press the  
Call Button  
 or   
Page Button 
 (if 
programmed, see page 
2). Then go to step 3.
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C 
						

							 
Special Radio Features
57 
Secure Operation 
Secure operation provides the highest level of commercially 
available voice security on trunked or conventional channels. 
Unlike other forms of security, Motorola digital encryption 
provides signalling that makes it virtually impossible for others to 
decode any part of an encrypted message. 
•Selecting Secure or Clear Transmissions 
The 
 Secure/Clear Switch 
 (if programmed, see page 2) 
will set the transmit operation of the radio before the  
PTT Switch 
 is pressed; the transmit operation cannot 
be changed while the  
PTT Switch 
 is pressed. 
If a channel is programmed for 
secure-only operation 
, and the  
Secure/Clear Switch 
 is in the 
clear ( 
E 
) position, when the  
PTT Switch 
 is pressed, the 
display will show “  
SS S S
EE E E
CC C C
RR R R
      
TT T T
XX X X
      
OO O O
NN N N
LL L L
YY Y Y 
,” an invalid-mode tone 
will sound, and the radio will 
not transmit until the  
Secure/
Clear Switch 
 is set to the 
secure ( 
D 
) position.
Note
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C
SS S S
EE E E
CC C C
RR R R
      
TT T T
XX X X
      
OO O O
NN N N
LL L L
YY Y Y 
If a channel is programmed for 
clear-only operation 
, and the  
Secure/Clear Switch 
 is in the 
secure (
 
D 
) position, when the  
PTT Switch 
 is pressed, the 
display will show “  
CC C C
LL L L
RR R R
      
TT T T
XX X X
      
OO O O
NN N N
LL L L
YY Y Y 
,” an invalid-mode tone will 
sound, and the radio will not 
transmit until the  
Secure/Clear 
Switch 
 is set to the clear ( 
E 
) 
position.
CC C C
LL L L
RR R R
      
TT T T
XX X X
      
OO O O
NN N N
LL L L
YY Y Y 
						

							 
58
Special Radio Features
 
•Managing Encryption 
KEY Loading 
1.Refer to the key-variable loader (KVL) manual for equipment connections 
and setup.
2.When the KVL is attached to your radio, the 
display will show “  
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
LL L L
OO O O
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
NN N N
GG G G 
,” and all other 
radio functions will be locked out.
3.Pressing the KVL’s  
PTT Switch 
 will load the encryption keys into your 
radio. When the key has been loaded successfully, the radio will sound a 
short tone for single-key radios; for multikey radios, an alternating tone 
will be heard. 
KEY Erasure (KEY Zeroization) — Method 1
1.Press 
> until the EE E E
RR R R
AA A A
SS S S softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below EE E E
RR R R
AA A A
SS S S.
3.The display changes to show the last user-
selected and stored encryption key and the 
available softkey selections.
The scan, telephone call, or Private 
Conversation call feature cannot be 
selected while your radio is select 
disabled.
4.Press 
M directly below the desired softkey. 
AA A A
LL L L
LL L L = erases all the encryption keys in the radio. The display shows 
“
EE E E
RR R R
SS S S
      
AA A A
LL L L
LL L L
      
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
SS S S” and YY Y Y
EE E E
SS S S
 and NN N N
OO O O for erase confirmation.
AA A A
BB B B
RR R R
TT T T
 = exits this menu and returns to the home display.
SS S S
NN N N
GG G G
LL L L = selects the displayed encryption key to be erased. The display 
shows “
EE E E
RR R R
SS S S
      
SS S S
NN N N
GG G G
LL L L
      
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y” and YY Y Y
EE E E
SS S S
 and NN N N
OO O O
 for erase confirmation. 
Press 
< or > to scroll through the encryption keys or use the keypad 
to enter the encryption-key’s placement in the list. The display changes to 
show the new selection on the upper line.
5.Press 
O, the PTT Switch, the AA A A
BB B B
RR R R
TT T T softkey-related button, or turn the 
16-Position Select Knob to exit this menu.
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
LL L L
OO O O
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
NN N N
GG G G
HH H H
WW W W
      
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
      
11 1 1
      
      
      
      
AA A A
BB B B
RR R R
TT T T
AA A A
LL L L
LL L L
      
      
      
      
      
SS S S
NN N N
GG G G
LL L L
Note 
						

							Special Radio Features
59
KEY Erasure (All KEYS Erased) — Method 2 
1.With the radio on, press and hold the Top Side Button; while holding 
this button down, press the Emergency Button.
DO NOT press the Emergency Button before pressing the Top 
Side Button unless you are in an emergency situation; this would 
send an emergency alarm.
2.When all the encryption keys are erased, the 
display will show “
EE E E
RR R R
AA A A
SS S S
EE E E
DD D D.”
MultiKEY
The multikey feature allows your radio to be equipped with as many as 16 
different encryption keys and supports up to two different encryption 
algorithms simultaneously (for example, DVP-XL™ and DES-XL, or 
DVP™ and DVP-XL).
•Multikey — The encryption keys can be tied (strapped), on a one-
per-channel basis through radio service software. In addition, you 
can have operator-selectable keys, operator-selectable indices, and 
operator-selectable key erasure.
•Trunked Multikey — If you use your radio for both conventional 
and trunked applications, you will have to strap your encryption keys 
for trunking on a per- talkgroup or announcement-group basis. In 
addition, you may strap a different key to other features for example, 
dynamic regrouping, failsoft, emergency talkgroup, or emergency-
announcement group.
KEY Selection
1.Press 
> until the KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
 softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y.
3.The display changes to show the last user-
selected and stored encryption key and the 
available softkey selections.
Note
      
      
      
      
EE E E
RR R R
AA A A
SS S S
EE E E
DD D D
HH H H
WW W W
      
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
      
11 1 1
      
      
      
      
PP P P
SS S S
EE E E
TT T T
SS S S
EE E E
LL L L
      
      
      
      
      
AA A A
BB B B
RR R R
TT T T 
						

							60
Special Radio Features
4a.Press < or > to scroll through 
the encryption keys.
If an erased key is selected, the key name will be alternated with 
“
EE E E
RR R R
AA A A
SS S S
EE E E
DD D D
      
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y.”
5.Press 
M directly below the desired softkey, or if you did step 4b, press 
< or > to scroll through the menu selections.
PP P P
SS S S
EE E E
TT T T or “PP P P
RR R R
EE E E
SS S S
EE E E
TT T T” = selects the preset or default encryption key.
SS S S
EE E E
LL L L
 = saves the newly-selected key and returns to the home display.
6.Press 
O, the PTT Switch, the AA A A
BB B B
RR R R
TT T T softkey-
related button, or turn the 16-Position Select 
Knob to exit this menu. If the selected key is 
erased, “
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
      
FF F F
AA A A
II I I
LL L L” will be displayed and a 
momentary keyfail tone will be generated.
Index Selection
The select-an-index feature allows you to select one or more groups of 
several encryption keys from among the available keys stored in the radio. 
For example, you could have a group of three keys structured to one index, 
and another group of three different keys structured to another index; by 
changing indices, you would automatically switch from one set of keys to 
the other. Every channel to which one of the original keys was tied to will 
now have the equivalent new key instead. Indexing allows the key-
management controller to remotely change the keys within the index, 
that is not currently being used, without disrupting operation of the radio.
1.Press 
> until the II I I
NN N N
DD D D
XX X X softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below II I I
NN N N
DD D D
XX X X.
3.The display changes to show the last user-selected and stored index and 
the available index softkey selections.
Note
KK K K
EE E E
YY Y Y
      
FF F F
AA A A
II I I
LL L L
II I I
NN N N
DD D D
EE E E
XX X X
      
11 1 1
      
      
      
      
SS S S
EE E E
LL L L
      
II I I
NN N N
DD D D
11 1 1
      
      
      
      
II I I
NN N N
DD D D
22 2 2
OR4b.Enter the number of the 
desired index.  
						

							Special Radio Features
61
4a.Press M directly below the 
desired index. 
5.To save the newly selected index, press 
N below SS S S
EE E E
LL L L. The radio will 
then exit index selection and return to the home display.
Pressing 
O or the PTT Switch or turning the 16-Position Select 
Knob will exit this display menu without changing the index 
selection.Note
4b.Enter the number of the 
desired index.OR 
						

							62
Special Radio Features
Selectable Power-Level
This feature allows you to select the power level at which your radio will 
transmit messages. 
The radio will always turn on to the default setting as determined 
through radio service software.
1a.Press 
> until the PP P P
WW W W
RR R R
 softkey 
appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below PP P P
WW W W
RR R R.
3.The display changes to show the current power-level state.
4.Press 
M directly below the desired power level. The new transmit power-
level is saved, and your radio returns to the home display.
LL L L
OO O O
WW W W
 = shorter transmitting distance; conserves battery life
HH H H
II I I
GG G G
HH H H = longer transmitting distance; lessens battery life
Pressing 
O or the PTT Switch will exit this display menu without 
changing the power selection.
Note
HH H H
II I I
GG G G
HH H H
      
PP P P
OO O O
WW W W
EE E E
RR R R
      
      
      
      
LL L L
OO O O
WW W W
      
      
      
      
      
HH H H
II I I
GG G G
HH H H
Note
OR
1b.Press the TX Power-Level 
Switch (if programmed, see 
page 2). This will take you 
directly to step 3.
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C 
						

							Special Radio Features
63
Trunking System Controls
•Busy Override
When a talkgroup call is placed in a SmartZone™ system and the system is not 
able to obtain voice channels at all necessary sites, a busy tone will be generated. 
If so programmed in the zone manager and through the radio service software, 
you may override this busy by performing the following steps:
1.Press the PTT Switch; a busy indication is received.
2.Release the PTT Switch.
3.Press and hold the PTT Switch a second time. The busy tones are heard 
again. After a few seconds, a busy-override chirp will be generated (if so 
programmed), and the radio will send in a busy-override request.
4.The talkgroup call will be placed at all sites that have voice channel 
resources available. Other sites will be added to the call as channels 
become available. Note: Realize that not all members of the talkgroup 
will be able to hear a call when a busy override is requested.
•Dispatcher-Interrupt
The dispatcher-interrupt feature allows the dispatcher to interrupt your radio 
and place you in a Private Conversation call with the dispatcher.
1.When your radio receives a dispatcher-interrupt 
call, you will hear a repeating sequence of four, 
short, medium-pitched tones until you answer 
the call. The display will show “
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
PP P P
      
II I I
NN N N
TT T T
RR R R
UU U U
PP P P
TT T T
” on the first line and “PP P P
LL L L
EE E E
AA A A
SS S S
EE E E
      
WW W W
AA A A
II I I
TT T T” 
on the second line. The green LED will also 
flash to announce that a call is being received.
2.When the second line displays the 
ID of the dispatcher who has 
initiated the dispatcher-interrupt, 
press the PTT Switch and converse in 
the normal manner with the 
dispatcher.
3.When you are finished with your conversation, hang up by pressing 
O. 
The radio will return to the home display.
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
PP P P
      
II I I
NN N N
TT T T
RR R R
UU U U
PP P P
TT T T
PP P P
LL L L
EE E E
AA A A
SS S S
EE E E
      
WW W W
AA A A
II I I
TT T T
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
PP P P
      
II I I
NN N N
TT T T
RR R R
UU U U
PP P P
TT T T
II I I
DD D D
:: : :
      
77 7 7
55 5 5
77 7 7
33 3 3
22 2 2
11 1 1 
						

							64
Special Radio Features
•Failsoft
If a trunking system experiences a complete failure, 
the radio will revert to failsoft operation and 
automatically switch to its failsoft channel. During 
failsoft, the trunking repeaters will transmit a 
medium-pitched tone every 10 seconds. When the 
trunking system returns to normal operation, your 
radio will automatically leave the failsoft operation 
and return to trunked operation.
•Out-of-Range
If you go out of range of the system and can no 
longer lock onto a control channel, the display will 
alternately display “
OO O O
UU U U
TT T T
      
OO O O
FF F F
      
RR R R
AA A A
NN N N
GG G G
EE E E” and the 
currently selected zone/channel combination, and/
or sound a low-pitched tone. Your radio will remain 
in this out-of-range condition until it (1) locks onto 
a control channel, (2) locks onto a failsoft channel, 
or (3) the radio is turned off.
•Site Lock
This feature allows your radio to lock onto a specific site and not roam among 
wide-area talkgroup sites. This is particularly useful when operating at the 
fringe of a system’s coverage.
1a.Press 
> until the SS S S
II I I
TT T T
EE E E softkey 
appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below SS S S
II I I
TT T T
EE E E.
3.The display changes to show the 
current lock state.
4.Press 
M directly below the desired condition (LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K or UU U U
NN N N
LL L L
KK K K). The new 
site-lock state is saved, and your radio returns to the home display.
FF F F
AA A A
II I I
LL L L
SS S S
OO O O
FF F F
TT T T
OO O O
UU U U
TT T T
      
OO O O
FF F F
      
RR R R
AA A A
NN N N
GG G G
EE E E
SS S S
II I I
TT T T
EE E E
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D
      
      
      
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
      
      
      
      
UU U U
NN N N
LL L L
KK K K1b.Press the Site Lock/Unlock 
Button (if programmed, see 
page 2).
•If the Site Lock/Unlock 
Button is a side button, the 
site-lock state will change, 
and the new state will be 
displayed momentarily.
•If the Site Lock/Unlock 
Button is the top button, 
go to step 3.
OR