Hello all, I'm new to motorola so I apologize if this has been covered in the past. I currently own a Kenwood tk-2180, it's a great radio and easy to program. I'm looking towards getting at motorola 1550 as it seems similar to what I have now. I've been reading a lot about motorola programming and it doesn't seem easy. Can anyone give me the bare bones on what it takes to program one and would it even be worth buying a motorola radio?
There is already a wealth of information here about programming the Professional Series also known as the Waris series. The HT750, HT1250, HT1550, CDM750, CDM1250, CDM1550, EX600, and EX650 radios are all part of that family and are programmed using the same software. You will have to do multiple searches using the various keywords that I just mentioned to locate everything. The batboard is also an excellent resource for programming info on these radios.
The CPS is HVN9025, currently $265 from Motorola On Line. This is the only legitimate source and the only way to guarantee that your software is virus and malware free when you install it on your computer. It is a three year subscription so you'll be able to download new revisions as they are released for the duration of your subscription.
As mmckenna already pointed out, if you are programming one radio, the software and cable purchase is very expensive compared to the $30 to $50 that good radio shops will charge for programming.
But it's your call. As I have noted before, you should have as much info as possible so that you can make an informed decision based on as much fact as possible.