Service manual

Guide to ASTRO™ Digital Radios
XTS 3500
The Motorola Inc. XTS 3500 was introduced as a bastard cousin to the XTS 3000. It was a
supposed stepping-stone to the XTS 5000. The purpose was to increase the CPU speed and provide Type
1 encryption support—or at least that’s what the rumour was.
Figure 4.1 A photo illustration of a Motorola Inc. XTS 3500 portable radio. It is identical in appearance to the XTS 3000, except it has a purple
keypad and a different model number sticker above the speaker-grill.
Make no mistake about it: This radio is just as feared and avoided as the Motorola Inc. Saber
Si—another bastard radio. (Basically a MTS 2000 in a Saber case.)
The Motorola Inc. XTS 3500 does not officially support trunking, yet there are plenty of them
floating around with trunking options installed. The radio uses its own firmware—independent of other
ASTRO firmware platforms. The radio doesn’t even support transmit AGC—a very important feature
which is discussed later in the guide.
The bottom line is, yes the XTS 3500 exists, no you shouldn’t buy one unless you want a
headache and inferior audio with no features. Encryption modules for this portable are also quite rare
on the used market.