What is everything I need to know about programing radios?

[DresslerFTW]

So I was looking at getting about 10 Motorola CP200. I am completely new to radio technology I have no idea what some people mean by programing it and so on. I would like these radios to be on one channel that only I and me team can get to. So no outside transmission and I don't want anyone spectating either. How could I do this? Is it even possible? I would like 10 radios to be on 1 channel that no one else can get on. Sorry if this makes no since. I have no Idea about things when it comes to radios. Like what peoe mean about frequencies and such I have no idea. Anyways if this is possible how would I go about doing this?

[gtaman]

Originally Posted by DresslerFTW

So I was looking at getting about 10 Motorola CP200. I am completely new to radio technology I have no idea what some people mean by programing it and so on. I would like these radios to be on one channel that only I and me team can get to. So no outside transmission and I don't want anyone spectating either. How could I do this? Is it even possible? I would like 10 radios to be on 1 channel that no one else can get on. Sorry if this makes no since. I have no Idea about things when it comes to radios. Like what peoe mean about frequencies and such I have no idea. Anyways if this is possible how would I go about doing this?

You will either need to buy MOTOROLA CPS RVN4191 and program them yourself or take them to a dealer or radio programmer. Also you can have on channel in each radio. Just leave all the others un programmed

[mmckenna]

It would be helpful if you can provide more detail about what you are looking for and why.

Getting 10 radios programmed with one channel is the easy part. Getting the rest of it can either be easy or difficult and expensive depending on your needs.

Help us out by defining what your team does, and how much communications security you are looking for. Short of going into encryption, which will require a more expensive radios, you are not going to be able to easily prevent others from listening into your traffic.
Licensing is going to be another issue. If you are in a developed country, you will not be legal if you randomly select some frequency and program it into your radio, you will need to identify a frequency you can legally use. That may require frequency coordination and applying for an FCC license, and that's going to run you a few hundred bucks in most situations.
CP200's are available in different models that cover different portions of the radio spectrum, so you will need to have the licensing thing sorted out before you purchase radios.

Budget:
Frequency coordination and licensing: average around $600. License renewal ever 10 years or more.
Programming software and cable: Figure on a few hundred here.
10 radios, chargers and accessories: $2500 to $3000 depending on what you need.

You may be able to save a lot of money here by changing your requirements. Letting us know exactly what your expectations are of your radio system would give us something to work off of.

[KD2DLL]

Originally Posted by DresslerFTW

So I was looking at getting about 10 Motorola CP200. I am completely new to radio technology I have no idea what some people mean by programing it and so on. I would like these radios to be on one channel that only I and me team can get to. So no outside transmission and I don't want anyone spectating either. How could I do this? Is it even possible? I would like 10 radios to be on 1 channel that no one else can get on. Sorry if this makes no since. I have no Idea about things when it comes to radios. Like what peoe mean about frequencies and such I have no idea. Anyways if this is possible how would I go about doing this?

The first part I have highlighted in red.., basically there is no 100% way you are going to be able to keep other people from transmitting, legally or illegally. CP200 has an option for voice scrambling, but anyone else that has a cp200 or similar model would be able to unscramble it. There may be ways to even do that with a scanner, not completly sure. If you need it to be completly secure, your going to be looking at a much larger investment for radios that can be encrypted.

The highlighted blue part..Like the previous poster said, there are only certain frequencies you would be able to use without having to aquire a FCC license. And on those frequencies that you would be able to use without a license are open to everyone so then people could easily monitor and such legally, plus there is no guarrente that you will be the only person using that frequency.

From the amount of information you have provided and what you know, the best thing would be go to a dealer and have them walk you through it. If you have more information for us, please let us know and we may be able to help.

If you can, please provide the following information (and anything else you think is important)

Area in which they will be used?
What purpose will they be?
Do you have a FCC license for any particular frequency? (If so, whats the callsign?)
How secure do you need the communications to be?
Budget for the ENTIRE project? (this includes radios, software, programming cables, license, etc)
Transmit power?
Anything else you can think of...

[gtaman]

Originally Posted by alexkaczor

The first part I have highlighted in red.., basically there is no 100% way you are going to be able to keep other people from transmitting, legally or illegally. CP200 has an option for voice scrambling, but anyone else that has a cp200 or similar model would be able to unscramble it. There may be ways to even do that with a scanner, not completly sure. If you need it to be completly secure, your going to be looking at a much larger investment for radios that can be encrypted.

The highlighted blue part..Like the previous poster said, there are only certain frequencies you would be able to use without having to aquire a FCC license. And on those frequencies that you would be able to use without a license are open to everyone so then people could easily monitor and such legally, plus there is no guarrente that you will be the only person using that frequency.

From the amount of information you have provided and what you know, the best thing would be go to a dealer and have them walk you through it. If you have more information for us, please let us know and we may be able to help.

If you can, please provide the following information (and anything else you think is important)

Area in which they will be used?
What purpose will they be?
Do you have a FCC license for any particular frequency? (If so, whats the callsign?)
How secure do you need the communications to be?
Budget for the ENTIRE project? (this includes radios, software, programming cables, license, etc)
Transmit power?
Anything else you can think of...

The one thing that needs to be corrected is the CP200 does not have voice scrambling. I wish it did though.

[W2NJS]

There is almost no chance that you would ever be granted a license to operate on a frequency that was licensed only to you and no one else in the whole country, at least under FCC licensing in the USA. It just doesn't work that way. However, there are digital encryption transmission methods available that would effectively keep others from understanding your radio transmissions. At this point I believe that a reputable two-way shop would be your best bet to getting a license as well as system equipment that meets your needs. The learning curve for such systems is something that none of us learned overnight and it can get pretty confusing.

[KD2DLL]

Originally Posted by gtaman

The one thing that needs to be corrected is the CP200 does not have voice scrambling. I wish it did though.

Thats right. Im thinking of the CP185.