Keyloading a W9 110 watt Astro Spectra

[ny1a]

The subject line says it all. I just purchased a beautiful remote mount 110 watt VHF Astro Spectra with internal hardware encryption. Unfortunately, I cannot find the place to plug in the keyloader. OK, go ahead and laugh. But on a W5 or W7 head, you plug it into the microphone jack on the front of the head. A W9 head doesn't have a microphone jack on the front, and the keyloader will not plug into the mike jack on the back. Will someone enlighten me please?

Thanks in advance.

David, NY1A

[Jim202]

By any chance does the radio itself have a black rubber plug just above the control cable on the front panel?
If so, pop open that rubber plug and behold the mic connector for the key load cable.

Jim

The subject line says it all. I just purchased a beautiful remote mount 110 watt VHF Astro Spectra with internal hardware encryption. Unfortunately, I cannot find the place to plug in the keyloader. OK, go ahead and laugh. But on a W5 or W7 head, you plug it into the microphone jack on the front of the head. A W9 head doesn't have a microphone jack on the front, and the keyloader will not plug into the mike jack on the back. Will someone enlighten me please?

Thanks in advance.

David, NY1A

[ny1a]

Thanks for suggesting that, Jim. However, I don't think high-powered trunk units have that. I have seen it on medium-powered trunk units, but never on high. I have another 110 watt VHF Astro Spectra with a W5 head in my other car, and it does not have the connector you are describing, but it definitely has DES-XL hardware encryption that is keyloaded through the mic connector on the front of the W5 head. There is no place else on that radio to connect the keyloader.

If anyone is following this thread, I wonder if I could just connect the new W9 trunk unit to the W5 head for purposes of loading the key? I know the functions wouldn't work right, but what about the keyloading?

David, NY1A

[immelmen28]

The location to Keyload a High power Astro Spectra is on the front of the deck above where the control head cable plugs in, to the right of the power cable. It uses the same keyload adapter used to load through the mike jacks on the W5.

[ny1a]

Thank you sir! I had to use a flashlight to see it, but there it was. Problem solved.

David, NY1A