RSS....Why the big "Shoosh" when asked about.

[macentyre]

I don't get it.....

why is this subject so "hush hush" and why can't any of us get ahold of it without going through a crapload of pain?

I don't understand.....

I'm a firefighter and all I want is my radio programmed to my area so I can have my own personal communications when I get in a sticky situation.

JUST FOR THE RECORD....I'm not asking for RSS software, but if someone wanted to buy it, how much does Motorola charge for this infamous software?

Motorola STX 821 new owner....

Mac

 

[Liverdog]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying and owning the RSS. The usual problems come in to play with what is being programmed into the radio: are you a qualified technician with the ability and equipment to properly tune the radio, and do you have permission from the public service/safety agencies and licensed from the FCC to program the frequencies.

At a minimum you need a service monitor to properly tune the radio.

The FCC licences an agency for a certain number of radios at a specific power. If you add a radio, even if you have permission from the agency, you violate their license by adding one more radio that they are licenced for.

If you don't get permission from an agency (even your own) to program a radio you could face disciplinary action or even criminal prosecution depending on your state statues. This happened recently to a fire chief who was trying to save money by doing things himself.

It's really not worth buying the software unless you're in business. The best way to know if you're in the "right' is to take the radio to a local, reputable radio shop and let them guide you. It'll be much cheaper than buying the software and they'll make sure that you stay legal by securing permission letters from the appropriate agencies and updating the agency's FCC licenses.

 

[macentyre]

Cool....that clears it up for me and I'm sure a few others.

Thanks for the info....

We'll be careful.

Mac

 

[jim202]

Liverdog didn't address one of your questions. The cost of most of the Motorola software that most people call "RSS" is anyplace from $250 to $400 per radio model. Yes each different radio model has it's own programming software. Next you need a "RIB" (radio interface box), about $325 to $500 (depends on which type you need), that interfaces between your computer and the radio. Next, you will need the programming cable to connect the radio to the RIB. A different cable is needed for each model radio in most cases. These cost anywhere from about $100 to $250.

As you can see, this is not for the normal person that has just one radio to program. The last major hurdle you need to jump through is to get a license aggreement from Motorola just to be able to purchase the RSS. The company has at times been very testy in granting the software license to people. The CPS software is rather coveted and as such is somewhat dependant on how many Motorla service shops are in your area.

If your talking about software from some of the offshore brand radios, many of those are rather cheap and easy to obtain. The MA-COM software for their newer radios is on the somewhat pricy side.

Hope that fills in the missing blanks to your original questions. If your authorized to have a radio, go talk with the fire chief and see what you can work out. He may or may not send you to the radio shop that does the department work for him.

Jim

I don't get it.....

why is this subject so "hush hush" and why can't any of us get ahold of it without going through a crapload of pain?

I don't understand.....

I'm a firefighter and all I want is my radio programmed to my area so I can have my own personal communications when I get in a sticky situation.

JUST FOR THE RECORD....I'm not asking for RSS software, but if someone wanted to buy it, how much does Motorola charge for this infamous software?

Motorola STX 821 new owner....

Mac

 

[Seadoo]

Another thing to look at that liverdog and jim202 left out is you will also need a system key if it is a trunked system. And the only authorized personnel that have access to that key is the tech's that maintain the system, and im sure they will not just give it to anyone. Do like jim said, take the radio to a repair shop and have them do it for you so that it is done legally if it is done at all.