Thoughts on codeplugs, RIB Box and viruses

[n8fzt]

I built my rib from the schematics on the site here and all was working just fine for the last 4 years until this past Friday. On Thursday, May 24th I programmed a MTS2000-b5 for a friend of mine and all was well with the world. On Friday the same friend came to me to ask me to add 3 additional channels and after I read the radio, saved the codeplug, added the desired frequencies, saved the changes and hit F-8 to program the radio. After the codeplug was dumped to the radio I got the dreaded 01/93 error message on the radio. Then Saturday, I took my personal MTS2000 48 channel model and went through the motions as I always have and bricked that radio as well. I tried to get the saved copies of the codeplug to pack into the radios and still I get the 01/93 error message on the screens of both radios. Up until now, I haven't had any problems with the RIB or power supply supplying it. Someone told me it might be an RS-232 error or a RIB box problem. I'm searching for possiblities from the group. I had a strange thought enter my mind. If the original programming computer had a virus, could that virus be packed along with the codeplug to the radio? Then, if that radio was read by someone else (10 or more years later), along the life of that radio could that virus enter the computer that read it and infect/corrupt it? I don't know if there is enough room in the codeplug pack to make that happen. I'm afraid to use the programming computer. Bricking radios gets expensive. Suggestions, please!

[Mfire39]

What version software are you using to program the MTS's?

-Marc

[fogster]

On Thursday, May 24th I programmed a MTS2000-b5 for a friend of mine and all was well with the world. On Friday the same friend came to me to ask me to add 3 additional channels and after I read the radio, saved the codeplug, added the desired frequencies, saved the changes and hit F-8 to program the radio. After the codeplug was dumped to the radio I got the dreaded 01/93 error message on the radio. Then Saturday, I took my personal MTS2000 48 channel model and went through the motions as I always have and bricked that radio as well. I tried to get the saved copies of the codeplug to pack into the radios and still I get the 01/93 error message on the screens of both radios. Up until now, I haven't had any problems with the RIB or power supply supplying it.

Are you familiar with the problem of Toolproofing? Did you use Lab on a more recent MTS2K firmware? (I'm very new to the MTS2000 world, so I'm hardly knowledgeable here, but this is the first thing that jumped out at me.)

If the original programming computer had a virus, could that virus be packed along with the codeplug to the radio?

No. The codeplug has a very 'rigid' layout, and there's no room to store an executable in it. And even if someone did manage it (which I believe isn't just unlikely, but literally impossible), it wouldn't matter, because RSS doesn't execute the codeplug.

I'm afraid to use the programming computer. Bricking radios gets expensive.

If you used Lab on the radios, you could have fallen for the "Toolproofing" trap, which would (more or less) brick them. Otherwise, I'd look at RIB problems and serial port problems. (I'm assuming, although it's unstated, that you're running 'real DOS' on a slow computer? If you've "upgraded" to Windows XP on a Core Duo or something, you're certainly going to have problems programming.)

[Einstein]

I had the same problem with several XTS 5000's. It took several attempts to program the original codeplug back into the radios. I was using a OEM serial cable and Rib-Box. For two of the radios I had to switch to a USB cable to get the radios programmed. Go figure. I think in speaking with Motorola it appears to be a software issue.

[n8fzt]

Thanks to all who have helped me feel better about what had happened. I was pretty sure that no executable could get packed, but I isolated the problem and am making reparations. Turns out that the air-conditioner in my apartment switched on, (each apartment has its own combination air-conditioner/furnace), causing a voltage drop while I was programming the radio. I was oblivious to this action until I did some A/C voltage tests yesterday. Time to replace the UPS with a better/higher-capacity UPS. Am also replacing the power supply to the RIB.