(Another Person With) Spectra Programming Problems

[HarryWilly]

Hey all...

When I started to collect and program Motorola radios, I started out with Waris stuff... Nice and easy, beautiful GUI runs on XP and even as a VM running on a Mac. However I tried to be ambitious and pick up a Motorola Spectra (A5 VHF Remote Mount, Securenet Capable Model).

The problem is when I go to program the radio (after making sure the computer communicated with the radio OK) it shuts on and off a couple times, beings to read the codeplug and stops at about 16%. Each time it spits back a different error such as Power Fault, Error Code 12, or Not Correct Model for this software.

Any possible ideas what is causing this? I am trying to program using a 1.5gHz P4 running FreeDOS. Spectra R06.00.05... I suspect it is a computer issue... maybe too fast? The P4s processors were always too fast for their own good... Problem is I am a mac guy, and this is my only windows machine. Should I go track down an older machine to dump DOS onto?

Thanks for any help/suggestions

 

[kd7kdc]

Hi
Yes a GHz machine is way way too fast, you need a lawn mower not a indy car.
I have a 50MHz 486 running DOS 6.2 and it works just fine

Another problem could be one some or all of the electrolytic capacitors in the radio are bad
causing the radio to power down and do other stuff.

Get a slower computer first, 80-486 or less with 100MHz or less speed.

73
Steve

 

[HarryWilly]

Dang 100mHz or less?? :lol:

I was hoping to be able to get something that could also handle win 98 on a separate partition/HD so I could walk around with one laptop for programming all scanners and radios.

I guess that is what I got myself into when I decided to go with an older radio... though it is mounted PERFECTLY in the dash..

It does seem to be going to fast for it's own good... I don't think the capacitors are bad.. I am not really in the mood to open it up and find a nasty surprise. Just needed a radio to hold me off for a year or two with expected upgrades to one of the systems it is used on...

Thanks

 

[gary123]

It should work on a machine using win98. reboot inb dos mode and run the cps. 250 meg works here.

 

[SCPD]

I use a 1.6ghz intel and it works fine. Never had a problem with any RSS

 

[b7spectra]

DOS DOS DOS. You can run it under a DOS Window, but you are really taking a chance of corrupting the radio. I finally got hold of a P75 and wiped the hard drive clean and it now has DOS 7.0 on it. Nothing like it!

 

[HarryWilly]

DOS DOS DOS. You can run it under a DOS Window, but you are really taking a chance of corrupting the radio. I finally got hold of a P75 and wiped the hard drive clean and it now has DOS 7.0 on it. Nothing like it!

From my understanding you NEVER run it in a DOS window for programming/reading the radio. Only editing codeplugs..

I still can't believe the 1.6gHz machine. I think it is the P4 itself... those processors were clocked too much.. as a tech columnist once said when the P4 came out... "it is only faster when the entire program can fit within the cache."

I think I have to be careful because the one I have is about as old as the Syntor X9000 and those did rely on a specific speed.

 

[SCPD]

From my understanding you NEVER run it in a DOS window for programming/reading the radio. Only editing codeplugs..

Correct. When you read and program the radio it has to be in pure DOS.
Not a DOS window.

 

[n5ims]

I don't think the capacitors are bad.

With the spectra, either it has been recapped or you have bad caps. It's nearly that simple. As the caps leak, they start eating away at the board. If you wait too long, you either have to replace the board or do some extensive repairs.

 

[gary123]

To recap programming any r5adio with dos software should be done in a pure dos enviorment. As mentiuoned editing a codeplug may be done in a dos window. In layman terms the Issue with dos windows and programming is caused by how windows addresses the comport and the timing that it uses to monitor and control data sent to the comport. Dos has non of this monitoring.

 

[b7spectra]

DOS DOS DOS. You can run it under a DOS Window, but you are really taking a chance of corrupting the radio. I finally got hold of a P75 and wiped the hard drive clean and it now has DOS 7.0 on it. Nothing like it!

I wasn't trying to say you can program your radio in a DOS window, more that you can run the software in a DOS window, but if you do try to program it that way, you can corrupt your radio. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[jim202]

You can use a fast computer, but you will need to run a version of "molso.com" that will allow you to
slow the who process down. Plus unless your hard drive is in a FAT32 format, you won't be able to
store any of the archive files on it. DOS doesn't know what to do or even see the C drive unless it
is in the old FAT or FAT32 format. You will have to save the file on a floppy. Let me guess that
you don't have a floppy drive either.

Some computers will let you boot off of a USB external floppy drive. If so, that may be your answer.
I use an external floppy USB drive with DOS boot disk in it. Have the Spectra software on a CD and
the boot disk lets me tell the computer to provide the support for the CD use.

I use the new version of moslo.com pro which for $29 you can download on the internet. It works
just fine. You just need to play with it for a while to find which combination of commands your
computer and the radio software work with each other. The string that I use is like the following:
moslo.com /n /8.0 spectra.exe
then hit enter and go for it. You might have to play with the number to get the speed right.

Jim

 

[gary123]

Mo slo wont slow down the comport communications