• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Help me program a P99+ Astro Spectra Hi Power and a Mid Power Astro Mobile

Status
Not open for further replies.

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
I have two radios Im attempting to program:

High power Astro Spectra Model T99DX+099W_ASTRO
ID T04KLH9PW9AN
Ser 412AWS0076

86W Astro Mobile
Mod T99DX+086W_ASTRO
ID D04KKF9PW4AN
SER 412ABU3902

Both are the "1MEG" models

I have RFGuys RIB-Less cables for both that are confirmed the correct cables.

I have a 15A power supply that should be sufficient for mere programming.

I am using an older Dell Pentium 4 based machine with a real serial port. I have checked BIOS to be sure the port is set up correctly. I set it to COM3, which is my only option other than COM1. I have various versions of windows CPS and LOADS of DOS based programming software for motorolas.

Can you please let me know which version and which software I am supposed to be using with these?

I use version r06.04.00 in windows and get the Couldnt open port, check rib, radio etc error message.

HELP!

Seriously I'm a techy guy...and this makes no sense. Ive even tried my old circa 2000 sony vaio laptop to no avail.

Thanks

Charles
KK4AIO

85089

When I do the "read radio" bit...i get a blinking red light on the rib...or on the radio depending on whether im ribbed or ribless lol..


Ive tried WITH and WITHOUT the USB adapter. But all seem to give me the same situation.
 

MTS2000des

5B2_BEE00 Czar
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
5,173
Location
Cobb County, GA Stadium Crime Zone
It is possible (and likely) that these radios were written to with later Astro Spectra CPS and thus the older DOS based RSS won't recognize the codeplug headers and just crash thinking there is a connection/PC issue. If you can find a copy of it, run it on Windows XP. Your cables don't sound like the issue if the RIB is "talking". Your PC should be more than adequate for running Astro Spectra CPS, check your "loads" for this application, install and try again.
 

cmdrwill

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
There IS a known problem with the Motorola RIB. And from the photo that is a knock off box that does not work well .
 

a417

U+0000
Joined
Mar 14, 2004
Messages
4,650
RIBless cables introduce another (annoying) issue to track down, and that's the USB <--> Serial conversion. Between poor compliance w/ standards, knockoff chips that were deprecated by the manufacturer, intentionally sabotaged windows drivers, very poor quality control in some cases and just genuine scam artists that were out there trying to make a buck on ebay, many people would get these new fangled devices and not understand what was the issue when they got communications errors reported.

A RIB attached to a serial port for me means that I have the computer interface pathway that was preferred at the time of radio production and would more likely work than not. DOS + RIB + RS232 meant that I would very likely be able to program my Spectras whenever I needed to. As computers started to introduce higher speed busses like USB (and others), the computers would be literally too fast to run DOS based programs that required specific processor timings to communicate effectively with the radios on hand...and you'd get the infamous "DIVIDE BY 0" RSS crash error.

If you're working with a newer radio (line) that was produced (roughly) after the early 2000s, chances are the USB would be the cheapest (and most disposable) method of programming. Anything from early 2000s and older was more inclined to be programmed by a RIB with best results. RIBs cost more, and require a reliable tried and true RS232 port. USB RIBless cables required USB host support (something that quickly replaced the serial port on modern computers) and consequently came with faster processors that wouldn't reliably program older radios.
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
Motorola makes many versions of CPS for different radios but none of them are called "regular". What does the splash screen say when the program starts up?
Youre right...nothing about Motorola is "regular." The one I tried had no splash but was R06.04.00

I understand that once these radios are programmed in windows, theyre unprogrammable in a dos based RSS right? I have a boatload of software, but not the CPS version mentioned above.
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
I didn't think there was ever a DOS version for Astro Spectra.
Am I wrong on that?
I dont know either.....Ive been trying to program these two radios for a colleague for nearly three months now...to no avail. Seriously gotta get them done. Anyone willing to help further, please message me!
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
So is the CPS listed above the ONLY way to program these radios?

I've invested in a couple hundred bucks worth of cables and am at a standstill on this thing. Help?? Direct Message me?
 

MTS2000des

5B2_BEE00 Czar
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
5,173
Location
Cobb County, GA Stadium Crime Zone
You need Astro Spectra CPS to program Astro Spectras. No one is going to provide copyrighted software on a public forum, the rules are pretty clear here. That being said, it is out there. One is just going to have to put in the work to find it. It is NLA from Motorola. So, let your fingers do the walking.

You have everything else hardware and PC wise needed.
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
Totally understand. Haven't been able to find it in my huge repository of stuff or online.....I really am about to send back my cables and give up. I got volunteered to program these two radios by my ham club and I'm really not cool with being out a couple hundred for useless cabling.
 

Syncopations

Hears voices in my head.
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 19, 2011
Messages
240
Location
South Texas
I've used RIBless cables to program those Astro Spectra radios with multiple successes. I'm using a serial port on a Dell laptop running Windows XP.
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
FOUND IT!

For someone used to the DOS based RSS stuff....

Where's the channel frequency inputs in this software? Ive got the radio reading now but ...im kinda confused as to what to do now.

Let me know

C
 

FFPM571

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 11, 2003
Messages
1,706
Location
Nashvillle
FOUND IT!

For someone used to the DOS based RSS stuff....

Where's the channel frequency inputs in this software? Ive got the radio reading now but ...im kinda confused as to what to do now.

Let me know

C
Why would you volunteer to program someones radios drop " hundreds of dollars" on cables. Not have the software and the knowledge how to program them?
 

a417

U+0000
Joined
Mar 14, 2004
Messages
4,650
Why would you volunteer to program someones radios drop " hundreds of dollars" on cables. Not have the software and the knowledge how to program them?
...and you honestly got taken at that price. The RIB is the most expensive part of that setup to program them, a set of pliers, cat 5 cable and some d-sub blanks and pins and you can easily make your own. I would send the cables back pronto.
 

kk4aio

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Heathsville, Virginia
Clarification I spent 30 on the rib. A hundred on the RIBless pair, another fifty on the rib cables.

I’ve programmed literally hundreds of other radios over the years and I “WAS VOLUNTEERED” as in pushed into it.

I think I’ve figured it out —“personalities” are the channels. From there I’m golden.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top