Announcement... please read.

[Bat Wing]

Greetings everyone.

As you have no doubt noticed, there have been some things going on behind the scenes in the last couple weeks. This has resulted in the board being up/down/moved around.

I have been in contact with with Alex, and we have had some lengthy discussions on what to do and where we want to go. There have been a bunch of issues that have surfaced that we are going to try and resolve. As a result, here is the brief overview of "the plan".

I and a number of others are concerned about some of the rules that are currently in place, and how they may be stifling the exchange of information. We will be reviewing them and making some changes. My goal is to reduce the number of "rules" as to what goes and what doesn't. I am hoping that the end result will be that as long as it is a radio related discussion, you're pretty safe. You still won't be allowed to solicit for RSS/CPS, and I don't want to see regulatory discussions (they're just a waste of bandwidth). There will be a few other guidelines that we'll get sorted out in short order.

There are concerns over the use of the PM (private messaging) system on the board. We will be looking at phasing this out. You may see a poll posted to influence the direction we take, so keep your eyes open.

There have also been concerns raised over the current administration/moderation team. There will be a number of discussions going on in the background as how we are going to attack some of these issues. I will be looking to add some more folks to the team in time, and there may be some changes to the existing team as we go forward. I will be committing to watching the internal operations more closely, and trying to ensure that things are being maintained in a professional manner.

For those of you who don't know, currently this board is not hosted with the rest of the Batlabs site. We will be working to change that to, and it will be moved back "in-house" with the rest of the site. Alex has been taking care of the hosting of the board for a number of years now, since I originally did not have the bandwidth available to do that. I appreciate Alex taking on that challenge for all these years. I now have the means (and have had for a little while now) to host the board internally again, so we will be making that transition sometime this summer. We need to clean some stuff up and update some things before this transition takes place, as well as do some testing to ensure it goes smoothly. You will be advised before we make the final move. It should be seamless.

Finally, the main Batlabs site itself. I am working on implementing a new content management system (CMS) that will allow the current information there to be migrated over to a platform where a team of contributors can easily manage and update it. This will also allow information that has been posted here to be moved over in an easier fashion so that you don't have to wade through threads trying to find that needle in the haystack. This will change the look of the main site, but I am hoping that it will still be easy to use and find the information you are after. It should also mean that the information is more current/correct.

So, as we move forward, we are going to be cleaning a bunch of stuff up, deleting some old crud, and preparing to move this board (back) to its new home. We're also looking to streamline a bunch of things to make it easier for you to contribute to the community and help others out, after all, that's why we're all here.

I thank you in advance for your patience as we start in on these changes.


Cheers!


Bat

[RESCUE161]

This is awesome news!

I'm glad that everyone will be heading in the same direction and not split into several different groups. I look forward to the coming changes. Thank you for the updates and I'm glad everything worked out.

[wavetar]

Awesome news indeed. I'm extremely happy to have the site 'back where it belongs'. There has been a lot of good conversation, and I am looking forward to working with Alex & Bat to 'right the ship', so to speak, and move forward with some new & exciting changes/upgrades that will make the board an even better resource for the community.

Todd

[MT2000 man]

I am VERY happy to hear this ! I've been missing the Batlabs fourms for the past week or so (give or take), and have been having "Batlabs Withdrawals" lol

Having been a member here since the OLD boards (pre 2001), this board was a dramatic improvement, and it looks like it will just keep getting better !

Keep up the excellent work, MANY of us appreciate it, myself included !!

Mike

[Grog]

Does this mean I'll be able to leave the feedback I was not allowed to do in December 2008?

[wavetar]

Does this mean I'll be able to leave the feedback I was not allowed to do in December 2008?

By all means, go ahead.

[Medic12]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

[wavetar]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

I agree a redefinition of what should be allowed here is long overdue. I would ask that you respect Batwing's sentiment that he is appreciative of Alex keeping the board alive throughout the past many years, when it otherwise may have died (nobody else stepped up to the plate). How does one define 'usefulness' as you've put it? The membership has grown from less than 5000 members to more than 19000 under Alex's watch. Like him or not, the Batboard remains a valuable resource to the community due to his work over the past 10 years. What exactly have you contributed to be able to throw stones?

[newtomotorola]

finally we can discuss lab software

[JohnDo]

Its Good to see the forum back up again, I was bitten by the Moto bug back in 1991 when I did work experience in a MSS. I then stared my collection of Moto gear and stared tinkering as a hobbyist. This place has been invaluable with helping me repair and understand Moto Radios and it would be a great shame to see it disappear or get split up.

searching for information ( that needle in the hey stack ) can be frustrating, although you do learn more by reading through countless threads and searching. It would be nice to have some kind of wiki with useful information made available.


regards
John

[RADIO43]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

Wow... 84 post and this guy throws that out there?

Come on, we have the board back!!!

[FireCpt809]

How about a Flascode decoder? Obviously Peter's is gone.

[theplague]

I can put my flashcode decoder back up. No negative comments about it being on a .ru domain name tho!!
http://www.chernobylnetworks.ru/decoder/decoder.php

[FireCpt809]

I could care less about the .ru As long as it works!

[theplague]

I could care less about the .ru As long as it works!

indeed it does. XTS5000/4000/3000/Astro Saber/Astro Spectra work currently.
I havent had time to work on the APX or the MCS/MTS tables.

[N9LLO]

Great news. The board had become very lame indeed. Looking foward to getting back to some good Moto hacking

Chris

[MTS2000des]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

I think that is uncalled for. While I may not agree with all of Alex or certain other mod's policies, the fact is these people spend their uncompensated time keeping house. They have stepped into other messes to stop scammers, trolls and prevented this from becoming another spam filled off-topic board.
No one else volunteered to help out. Under Alex's time this place took off. He and others also headed off some potentially rough waters during the Deluca days when Motorola's IP department was canning Ebay auctions left and right, sending out letters, etc. So give him a break. As was said, what have YOU contributed to keep the fire going all these years?

[N4KVE]

Thanks to all the mods who DONATE their time to keep the board up & running. GARY N4KVE

[kb2crk]

It is great to see the board attached to batlabs again.
I have received a lot of help here from several members and it is great to see it live on.

[RADIOMAN2002]

Here,here. My hats off to all those who over the years have kept this board alive. I may have had differences of opinion at times, but who doesn't. I too have been a follower since the early 90's, and I am glad to see the board back. Keep up the good work.

[ka8ypy]

I could care less about the .ru As long as it works!

indeed it does. XTS5000/4000/3000/Astro Saber/Astro Spectra work currently.
I havent had time to work on the APX or the MCS/MTS tables.

How about a reverse Flashcode decoder (i.e. select the options and it generates a flshcode)?

I know, I know, The other tables aren't finished yet, but something to put on the drawing board?

[d119]

I could care less about the .ru As long as it works!

indeed it does. XTS5000/4000/3000/Astro Saber/Astro Spectra work currently.
I havent had time to work on the APX or the MCS/MTS tables.

How about a reverse Flashcode decoder (i.e. select the options and it generates a flshcode)?

I know, I know, The other tables aren't finished yet, but something to put on the drawing board?

Wouldn't that be a flashcode encoder? <sarcasm on> I can't imagine what one would use that for.... <sarcasm off>

[Johnny Grep]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

I think that is uncalled for. While I may not agree with all of Alex or certain other mod's policies, the fact is these people spend their uncompensated time keeping house. They have stepped into other messes to stop scammers, trolls and prevented this from becoming another spam filled off-topic board.
No one else volunteered to help out. Under Alex's time this place took off. He and others also headed off some potentially rough waters during the Deluca days when Motorola's IP department was canning Ebay auctions left and right, sending out letters, etc. So give him a break. As was said, what have YOU contributed to keep the fire going all these years?

I agree. I'm not a very vocal member - much more of a long-time lurker (been around since ~2003 I believe) - but while I did not agree with previous moderation policies, I've always respected the mod team since they've put a lot of personal time in keeping things afloat. We've been through some tough times because of Ma M's legal/IP dept but we came through.

That being said, I agree with Bat Wing that innovation was being stifled by those moderation policies, and we should look at broadening the spectrum. The environment and situation have changed a lot since those days. After all, most of us are hobbyists - shouldn't we able to hack away happily? Most of us have enough common sense not to use a butchered/hacked radio on the line of duty.

[rc50won]

When I decided in 2007 to get back into the art of /\/\, this board became my defacto resource. Reading the posts solve 90% of my issues, and some great feedback to posted questions from current and non current members, solves the rest. Actually when I am not traveling I work out of my house, so I am almost always logged in. Kudos to all of you for taking your time to help others.

Thanks for bringing this back!

Marshall

[firefighter105]

WB batlabs. yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[spectragod]

Thanks for taking control again batwing.

Do us all a favor and get rid of alex as well. Both of them have far outlived their usefulness.

This place needs the fresh start.

You are obviously high. Alex and Peter are both outstanding individuals.

[com501]

I can put my flashcode decoder back up. No negative comments about it being on a .ru domain name tho!!
http://www.chernobylnetworks.ru/decoder/decoder.php

Akardam's decoder is back online.

[allplowedout]

I am glad to see things taking getter shape!

I have watched and used this site for a longtime and received much assistance from month back in the day with a repeater issue and from other members over the years. I learned all about the astro saber back in the day from this board before I got into the field professionally. This place was and is a great wonderful resource!

I am also glad to hear that newer info will finally be allowed to be openly discussed.

Good luck bat,

[AL7OC]

Thanks to all who keep this BB up and running. I get a chuckle from our local Motorola dealer coming here for information that they can't easily get from Motorola. Great resource and place to exchange information for boh pros and hobbyists.

-Pierre