Motorola has delivered yet another powerful all-purpose radio that fits in just about any field, including educational institutes, retail services, hospitality, product manufacturing, and service companies. This radio will improve your communication experience with the convenience of both VHF and UHF communication bands that caters to your needs. With this walkie talkie, you are assured of stable communication with your team members both on the field and in the office.
This device was designed particularly for the comfort of the handler. In structure, functionality, and handling, it makes life easier for a radio user. The advanced features allow you to do some pretty amazing things, saving time in the process.
The CP 185 radio has a multichannel capability to communicate with several channels on the go. You get 16 channels for programming for free on this device. You can dictate what specific frequencies you want to be programmed on these 16 channels through an email; otherwise, you get random frequencies on the channels. You can program the radio’s VOX activation for hands-free communication, and with its five programmable buttons, you have the luxury of setting up about ten features on the radio.
When you turn on the CP185 radio, it runs a quick routine check to make sure no part is dysfunctional. It checks the RAM, EEPROM hardware, and checksum. If the system passes the self-check, a green LED flashes once, followed by a tone. A red LED flashlight comes once, and a tone is heard indicating a failed test if the system’s self-test routine returns unsuccessfully. This check ensures that once your device is running, optimum functionality is guaranteed.
A Motorola CP185 pack comes with the radio, an antenna, a charger, a 1750T mAh. Lithium-ion battery, belt clip, and the manufacturer’s guide.
Table of Contents
Specifications
The model number and serial number can be found on a label at the back of the radio.
Dimension: 4.7 x 2.3 x 1.5 inches
Weight: Approximately 350g (12 oz) with battery
Channels: 16 (12.5/25k spacing)
Frequency Range: 435-480 MHz (UHF), 136-174 MHz (VHF)
Power Output: 4W/5W UHF and VHF, respectively
Battery: 1750mAh Lithium-ion battery
Charger: rapid rate charger CEC complaint (less than 3 hours charging for full charge)
Antenna: VHF Heliflex NAD6502_R/ UHF Stubby PMAE4003_R
Repeater cable
Belt Clip: 2″
Emergency alert enabled
Hands-free Internal Mode (VOX)
Voice Inversion Scrambling
Channel Scan and Nuisance Channel Delete
LED status light
Low battery alert
Programming: Software PC programmable
IP54 Water and Dust Resistant
Speaker: 0.5W Internal speaker
MDC1200 Signaling
Programmable buttons: 5
Scanning: Normal and Priority scan enabled
Considerations When Choosing Motorola CP185 Radio
Ease of Use
If you desire a compact and lightweight ham radio, you may want to consider choosing this radio. Weighing 1.65 pounds, the portability of this radio increases the ease of handling. The pack comes with a belt clip that aids movement.
The programmable buttons allow easy, and one-touch access to 10 user-selected features and the “talkaround” feature allows the easy use of the radio even without a repeater.
Audio Quality
Sound quality is almost everything when a two-way radio is considered. You want to be sure you choose a radio that gives you the best audio over a reasonable distance, even on bad weather days.
This Motorola radio offers top-notch audio quality, provides a distinct, clear, and loud sound that allows you to pick every word said on the other end of the line. The ham radio’s X-PandTM technology also contributes to its audio quality.
The Voice-activated (VOX) feature on the radio allows hand-free communication that makes your user experience all better, especially if you are busy and need to communicate urgently.
Repeater Compatibility
If you need a repeater compatible radio, then you may consider choosing Motorola CP185 radio. Repeaters help to improve coverage of radio. With this radio, you can connect with another radio for radio-to-radio communication or use a repeater for a better range.
Privacy
Your privacy is important, and Motorola put that into consideration when designing this radio. The radio has an in-built voice scrambling and remote inhibit feature that improves privacy.
The MDC 1200 signaling can be used to deactivate stolen radios, hence, enhancing security.
Battery Life
Battery life is very important to keep your radio in use. High power output, which affects the optimum performance of your radio, can have high battery demand. Besides, it has been established that good battery quality and capacity can greatly improve audio quality.
The CP 185 radio comes with a 1750mAh lithium-ion battery that can last you as long as 11 hours of maximum use. You can also opt for a high-capacity battery option.
The power output level can be adjusted to conserve the battery. Several other energy-consuming features can also be modified to extend battery life. The factory packed charger recharges the battery at a rapid rate of approximately 3 hours for a full charge.
Accessories Compatibility
While choosing this radio, you need to consider the availability of compatible accessories that you can use with your device. You should note that not all accessories available in the market can be used with this radio. In case you need to change or purchase any accessory for your device, choose Motorola accessories, and they are readily available in the market.
Features of the Motorola CP185 Radio
Multichannel Capability
This Motorola radio can allow communication on multiple channels, and as such, it is suitable for almost all professionals for both field works and indoor uses. With this multiple channel feature, you can communicate with your team without interfering with the primary channel in use. The radio has up to 16 channels you can utilize for effective communication within your organization.
Transmitter
The radio uses a three-stage amplifier transmitter, enabling it to amplify the audio output to the certain maximum transmit power levels. The antenna switches between the transmitter and the receiver, and there is a need for constant power output to the antenna, but you must be sure not to exceed the rated voltage of the radio.
Receiver
The ham radio uses a double conversion heterodyne receiver. The receiver covers the frequency range for both the UHF (435-480 MHz) and the VHF (136-174 MHz) communication bands. It has both the front and back end designed to filter out harmonics and eliminate unwanted signals through a designed mechanism to produce amplified and distinct audio output.
Audio Circuit
The audio circuit is split into the transmit (TX) and receive (RX) audio circuit. The RX audio circuit comprises the audio processor, amplifier, speakers, and sub-tone system, while the TX audio circuit comprises the microphones, LPF, audio processor, and the transmit sub-tone system. The output audio signal is linked to the volume switch to be controlled by the user. The amplifier drives the speaker (either internal or external).
Adjustable Power
This radio comes with two power options; the 5W VHF or the 4W UHF power output options. With this feature, you can select what power option to use per time and, by so doing, minimize energy consumption.
Each power output satisfies various communication requirements, so you can rest assured of continued team connection with both power options.
Support Features
The extra features of this radio make it suitable for a fairly large organization or business. With this amateur radio, you can use support features that allow caller Identifications and call alerts. This radio offers you MDC, QC-II signaling, and DTMF. You can monitor your channels, use audio accessories via the audio accessory connector, talk around with your radio, and lock your keypad to avoid unintended inputs that may disrupt your radio settings.
The 70dB adjacent channel selectivity of this radio enhances transmission by blocking interference from stronger signals on adjacent signals. This feature enhances and facilitates uninterrupted communication and receptions from military stations, even in the most demanding conditions.
Squelch
The squelch helps the radio cut out sounds by switching off the audio amplifier when the recovered audio has no sound output. The squelch circuit’s sensitivity can be adjusted depending on the noise or degree of disturbance in the recovered audio. The squelch circuit has two components that adjust its sensitivity; the U202 and U201.
The U201 has an internal amplifier that amplifies the noise enough for U202 to determine the squelch sensitivity. With this, the microprocessor can either mute the radio or not depending on the noise level relative to the radio’s set threshold. You will have to tune your radio’s squelch after you replace any RX part of the radio.
Charging Station
This feature will be most useful for owners of multiple radios. It is possible to organize your radios by building a two-way radio charging station.
This radio is compatible with the Motorola PMLN6597A multi-station charger that charges multiple radios and keeps them all powered up.
Noise Cancellation
This ham radio is compatible with the M1-PDM-1-NC double muff headset with a flexible gooseneck mic and Kevlar coiled cables. This audio accessory allows you to get superior audio with background noise being canceled. With this device, you can comfortably communicate in noisy environments and still clearly get every word spoken.
FAQs
How to Program a Motorola CP 185 Radio
While you can program your radio by yourself, do not try to extend this to service operations. Always use qualified service personnel to service your device if need be. The software used for this radio’s programming is called the Customer Programming Software (CPS), which you can program through a personal computer using the downloadable software. Guides are available on programming software setups to help you out. You may need to also tune your radio following the steps that are described below.
Note that there is a requirement for operating systems that can run the CPS. You can either use the Windows XP 32-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, or Windows 7.
Accessory Programming Software (APS) Installation
You can download the APS.zip file from the Motorola website. After extracting to a local drive, open the setup, and install the software by following the set of instructions that appears on your screen. You will need to accept an agreement for the software license to complete the installation.
Once the installation is complete, connect the accessory to the personal computer using the recommended cable to install drivers.
Radio Cloning Option
Radio cloning is the process of duplicating the contents of a source radio to a destination radio. Contents that can be cloned include; frequency, squelch type options, among others. You can clone a CP185 radio from an already programmed source radio.
To clone a radio, you need to check that the source radio doesn’t have a blank serial number. Both radios must be of the same model, and they should have identical major code plug version.
Note: Inherent radio functionalities cannot be cloned to a destination radio that does not have identical functionalities. Tuning and alignment information is not influenced by cloning and cannot be transferred.
To clone your radio;
- Turn both radios off.
- Get a cloning cable; PMDN4076_R, and connect the cable to the programming port of both devices.
- Turn on the destination radio.
- Power up the source radio by pressing and holding the P1 button. You will see two icons displayed on the source radio; the “MASTER’ and programming mode icons. You will also notice the LED of the radio turn solid amber at the same time.
- On the destination radio, “SLAVE” and programming mode icons are displayed, and the LED also turns solid amber at the same time.
- As cloning starts and progresses, the LED flashes in amber, and the display reads “CLONING” on the source radio and “PROG ON” on the destination radio.
- Both the source and destination radio show a display that reads “COMPLETE” once cloning is completed.
- Turn off both radios and disconnect the cloning cable attached to them.
- Now turn on your radios to resume normal operations.
Radio Tuning
It would be best to have a personal computer (Windows Operating System) and an entry-level radio tuner to tune this radio. The radio has to be connected to the personal computer to commence tuning.
To transmit high power tuning:
- Initiate communication with the radio by clicking the READ icon
- Go to the “alignment” menu and select “TX power,” then select “High power.”
- Press the PTT toggle button to key the radio at the first test frequency
- You can use a service monitor to read the transmit power.
- Adjust the high-power level using the navigation and then press the PTT toggle to dekey the radio.
- Select the next frequency spot by clicking on the working softpot value and using the PTT Toggle.
- Repeat the procedures for the remaining test frequencies
- Press “Program” to transmit softpot values to the code plug and then exit the power level function.
- For radios that use only high-power channels, you can adjust the modulation of the radio. Make sure to transmit low power and perform tuning if the radio uses low-power channels before adjusting modulations.
To transmit low power tuning:
- Initiate communication with the radio by clicking the READ icon
- Go to the “alignment” menu and select “TX power,” then select “High power.”
- Press the PTT toggle button to key the radio at the first test frequency
- You can use a service monitor to read the transmit power.
- Adjust the low-power level using the navigation and then press the PTT toggle to dekey the radio
- Select the next frequency spot by clicking on the working softpot value and using the PTT Toggle.
- Repeat the procedures for the remaining test frequencies
- Press “Program” to transmit softpot values to the code plug and then exit the power level function.
- Adjust the modulations of the radio and exit.
Receiver Tuning
Receive squelch tuning comes in four different variations, namely
- 12.5 kHz band normal squelch
- 12.5 kHz band tight squelch
- 25 kHz band normal squelch
- 25 kHz band tight squelch
The normal squelch level receives weak signals, while a tight squelch level receives strong signals and eliminates unwanted noise. All four variations can be tuned following specific steps. Select Rx Squelch under the alignment menu and then select the particular squelch category you are trying to tune out of the four. Apply an RF signal for the first current frequency point with minimum amplitude (-128dBm). Proceed to set softpot to a minimum and adjust the RF signal amplitude to the range of the squelch category you are tuning and then adjust the softpot value until the radio is finally muted.
Repeat the above procedures for the next frequency points and press the “program” to commit the softpot into the codeplug.
Programming mode
To enter into programming mode, first, turn off your radio. Press the programmable side button located at the top side of your radio as you turn on the radio. You will hear a tone that signals that the radio is in programming mode, the indicator illuminates, and the LCD reads “BCKLIGHT.”
To exit programming mode, turn off your radio and turn it on to resume normal operations.
You can also access the front panel programming mode parameters by using the navigation arrows to select the parameters for each menu or sub-menu. Use the PTT button to select any menu or sub-menu item. To return to the previous command level or exit the selection without change, use the side programmable button 1.
Handling the Radio
The maintenance and appropriate use of this radio will help to enhance a user’s satisfaction. While the radio is durable, several guidelines should be followed for handling this device to prevent accidents and total damage to the device, especially during programming or routine cleaning.
You do not need a scheduled or routine preventive maintenance program, but you do have to check from time to time that your device is clean and that there are no obvious damaged controls or switches. Cleaning should be done with recommended agents following the manufacturer’s standard cleaning procedure. Cleaning of internal surfaces should be done after dissembling the radio and preferable by an expert.
It is important to handle the CMOS and LDMOS devices of this radio with care. The metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices used in this radio are highly susceptible to damage by electrostatic or high voltage changes. Special care must be taken to avoid damage during cleaning, repair, or troubleshooting to avoid temporary or permanent radio failure. The user guide gives full information on the CMOS handling precautions.
While dissembling or assembling the radio, make sure you use the appropriate tools and not force open any part. Pay attention to snaps and how parts align together.
Conclusion
Communication is very crucial to every department. Each unit or department needs to be able to relate effectively within and with others. Effective and quality communication can make the difference between a thriving and struggling organization.
With such a high demand for quality connection and communication, communication radios’ right choice must be used. Audio quality, radio coverage, device durability, privacy, and cost of purchase and maintenance must all be considered when choosing a device.
The Motorola CP185 amateur radio delivers on almost all necessary features needed by small and fairly large organizations to meet their communication needs. The repeater and talkaround feature enables increased coverage with or without a repeater.
The need for a secure and discreet connection cannot be overemphasized. Every organization wants to maintain some privacy level and wants to be assured of security with its devices, especially communication devices. This Motorola radio delivers quite an efficiency on privacy and security.
The concept of timeliness is appreciated in organizational settings. Clear communication gets better when it happens fast, and team members can be sure that information can be relayed at the fastest possible time as this affects delivery and output. The improved functionality of this radio allows timely communication that will greatly improve the productivity of any organization.
The design is elegant yet simple, making it easy to use, even for non-technical workers. The affordability also makes it a rational decision for any organization focused on getting more with less. The device comes with a two-year warranty that assures you of value for your money for a while.
The portable size of the radio alongside the belt clip that allows you to attach this radio on you increases the ease of carrying around as you go about your daily tasks. The CP185 radio comes in two models; the CP 185 LKP that has a limited keypad and the CP 185 NKP that is without a limited keypad. These options allow you to pick the design that will work best for you.
This all-purpose radio helps you stay one step ahead in your profession, and it is one of the best choices you can make for your organization.
