Additions to the Programming Primer

[smokeybehr]

If you're just learning how to program your Motorola (and other brands) radios, read http://www.batlabs.com/newbie.html and memorize it. Commit it to memory. You should be dreaming of the words floating around you.

RSS and CPS are terms specific to Ma M, but everyone uses the terms for "radio programming software". When I say RSS, I mean DOS-based programming software; and CPS for Windows-based programming software. It makes it easier, and everyone knows what you're talking about.

Here's a few additional things that I've found through trial and error (OMG, so many errors) in programming all kinds of radios.

1. Make sure that all your batteries are charged. If you're using a laptop, make sure you're plugged into a power source if possible. Use a charger to hold your radio as you're programming it. A run-down battery that might let the radio power-up may not have enough juice to allow a full programming cycle, especially if it's a large codeplug. Make sure you have a fresh battery in your RIB, even if you're using an external power source.

2. Read your radio before you program it. This serves 2 purposes: It lets you know if your computer and radio are talking to each other, and you'll have a working codeplug that you can save and work off of. I never try and generate a codeplug from the RSS, because most of the time, you'll get something wrong, and you'll get a nice FAIL code. Many of the new RSS packages won't let you generate a fresh codeplug, and require you to read a radio before beginning to program it.

3. ALWAYS run RSS in pure DOS mode. No windows, period. Recent personal experience speaking here: I tried to program one of my older radios in a DOS window off of Win3.11, but kept getting communication errors. I exited Windows, and ran in pure DOS 6.22, and had no problem at all reading and writing to the radio. Note that the only change was whether I was in Windows or not.

If you're not familiar with the DOS commands, there are books at your local library and command line references on the 'net. The one you'll be using most is CD for Change Directory. From the C:\ prompt, I type in the path to the RSS I want to use. CD \radio\motorola\handheld\saber7 is a typical command that I type in on a regular basis.

4. Get the fastest computer that you can that will run your RSS. I have a couple of different computers that I use. One is a Panasonic Toughbook CF-27 that's a Pentium machine. It's loaded with Win98, but I always run it in DOS for programming. I will run it in a window if I'm just editing it. The other machine is an old Compaq 386-25 with Win3.11 (yes, it's the machine referenced above). Again, some RSS will play nice in a window, or run from Win3.11, but sometimes not.

CPS will run on anything running Win95 or newer. I have a dedicated XP machine on the bench just for Windows-based radio programming software from different brands.

5. Keep more than 1 version of the RSS or CPS on your computer. Try and program your radio with the version that came out at about the same time as your radio, unless you specifically want to program it with the newest version possible. As we've seen with some versions of the CPS for one of the newer radios, there might be problems between versions that will FUBAR your radio.

I'll add to this list as I remember things.