Legality of owning a Motorola Radio

[Scanner-geek]

First let me say that I recognize this is a recurrent topic, but I am new to commercial radio so I apologize in advance if this is repetitive. However, I want to be absolutely sure that anything I am doing is LEGAL and DOES NOT ENDANGER ANYONE, EVER.

I have read all of the motorola forum stickies and searched batlabs, gemoto, etc. Some things still aren't clear to me.

I am a scanner enthusiast and monitor public safety as my hobby. I am interested in using Motorola radios for RECIEVE ONLY. I would never, ever, program a radio to transmit, and I do fully understand the legal ramifications of doing so, as well as affiliating (intentionally or unintentionally) with a TRS. I know, some individuals are understandably very sensitive about this topic, but please don't respond by telling me to "buy a scanner.' I already have many, collected over roughly 30 years so na gonna doit.

Having said this, I find Motorola radios far superior in quality to scanners (I've tried almost all brands over the years) and so I would like to go this route. So, I have the following questions:

Understanding that I have no public saftey affiliation, and am merely a hobbyist:

1. Is it LEGAL to own a Motorola XTS 5000 Model III (FPS)?
2. Is it LEGAL to own CPS?
3. Will Motorola sell CPS to me as a private individual without a business/goverment/public safety affiliation?
4. Can this CPS be used on a standard laptop?

Thanks in advance.
Scannergeek

 

[jim202]

First let me say that I recognize this is a recurrent topic, but I am new to commercial radio so I apologize in advance if this is repetitive. However, I want to be absolutely sure that anything I am doing is LEGAL and DOES NOT ENDANGER ANYONE, EVER.

I have read all of the motorola forum stickies and searched batlabs, gemoto, etc. Some things still aren't clear to me.

I am a scanner enthusiast and monitor public safety as my hobby. I am interested in using Motorola radios for RECIEVE ONLY. I would never, ever, program a radio to transmit, and I do fully understand the legal ramifications of doing so, as well as affiliating (intentionally or unintentionally) with a TRS. I know, some individuals are understandably very sensitive about this topic, but please don't respond by telling me to "buy a scanner.' I already have many, collected over roughly 30 years so na gonna doit.

Having said this, I find Motorola radios far superior in quality to scanners (I've tried almost all brands over the years) and so I would like to go this route. So, I have the following questions:

Understanding that I have no public saftey affiliation, and am merely a hobbyist:

1. Is it LEGAL to own a Motorola XTS 5000 Model III (FPS)?
2. Is it LEGAL to own CPS?
3. Will Motorola sell CPS to me as a private individual without a business/goverment/public safety affiliation?
4. Can this CPS be used on a standard laptop?

Thanks in advance.
Scannergeek

If you have read all about the Motorola radios on the different forums, then you know the answers already.

But I will try and go over them once more for clarification.

1. You can own just about any of the Motorola radios if your willing to pay the going price.

2. You can purchase the CPS directly from Motorola if you fill out their license agreement and are willing to pay their blood money cost for it. Each family of radios requires a different CPS. Some of the older software be it RSS or CPS may no longer be available.

4. The software, depending on if it is RSS or CPS will run on the normal laptop. The older RSS software will need to be run on a fairly slow computer running pure DOS. It will require you to boot up in DOS and not try to run it inside a Windows DOS screen. The newer CPS can be run under Windows. Now take this with care, as most of the older CPS will not run under Windows 7 or in a 64 bit computer. The newer CPS can be run under Windows 7 in a 32 bit computer. Some of the software may have to be run in the XP mode to get it to perform normally.

You will need to obtain the correct interface cable to match the radio your looking to program. Some cables use a serial port connection to the computer and others use a USB connection to the computer. Some computer USB ports won't support the functionality that the CPS is looking for. You can try a different USB port on the computer as not all USB ports provide full functionality.

Hope that answers most of your questions. It would be much cheaper to locat someone in your locality that could do the programming for you than your purchasing all the parts yourself.

It will also take some time to get use to the different CPS programs depending on the radio model. None of the CPS programs are wrote the same. Motorola was not smart enough to have a software group meeting before they went off and started to write the software for the different radios. Asa result, you almost have to be a mind reader to be good at using the programs on the different family of radios.

 

[KJ6HCB]

/thread.

 

[SCPD]

1. Is it LEGAL to own a Motorola XTS 5000 Model III (FPS)?
2. Is it LEGAL to own CPS?
3. Will Motorola sell CPS to me as a private individual without a business/goverment/public safety affiliation?
4. Can this CPS be used on a standard laptop?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes

You still weren't clear what you wanting to monitor. All that blah blah blah about not wanting to endanger anyone blah blah affiliate... blah blah. Sounds to me like you want to hang an XTS on a TRS. If I'm wrong and all you're looking for is conventional, then go for it. But if your inquiry has anything to do with programming a TRS, please read the other threads again, then read them again, and stop this thread now.

 

[Steveb05]

Yes to all your Questions
But you must have the system key to program in a system ID so your radio will affiliate to the trunked system if you want to monitor the system

 

[Skypilot007]

Scanner Geek.

I basically was in the same boat as you about 10 years ago or so. Fed up with the poor quality of scanners. They have their uses though and I use them for many things even though the quality is still poor. But since then through a lot of self educating I use Motorola radios for just about all my public service monitoring conventional or trunked and VHF/UHF/900MHz ham radio. I have 8 Motorola radios in my shack.

Like mentioned above the software can be expensive if you buy it from Motorola and you need the correct programming cables etc. I don't know about others on here but I mainly aquire my Moto gear from ebay. It's really the only place to go and get these radios. So you have to educate yourself on the radios themselves, which one you want and options you may need or need in the future. Trying to find the radio you need can be half the fun.

XTS5000 is a fine radio and a great choice. Just do your research and you should be fine.

 

[joehawth]

not sure of the price comparisons, but I would suggest you look at a 2m/440 HAM radio, they can recieve (and only recieve) VHF/UHF public safety frequencies, operate very well, and some can be alpha tagged and tone squelched, without needing an outside programmer
i suggest the yeasu ft 2900r, works great for me..
good luck!

 

[Scanner-geek]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes

You still weren't clear what you wanting to monitor. All that blah blah blah about not wanting to endanger anyone blah blah affiliate... blah blah. Sounds to me like you want to hang an XTS on a TRS. If I'm wrong and all you're looking for is conventional, then go for it. But if your inquiry has anything to do with programming a TRS, please read the other threads again, then read them again, and stop this thread now.

Actually, you are wrong,Triptolemus. I have read all of the threads again, and again. In doing so I have found that yet again, as I have noted in your earlier posts, you are out of line. There are several larger, very modern, some might even say cosmopolitan, cites in the northeast where public safety is 100% UHF conventional. NYC, Boston, to name a few.

I have no interest in "hanging an XTS on a TRS" although I know how to do it, easily. The objective here was to clarify how to do things legally. I was simply hoping to preempt the self-righteous forum trolls from getting involved with this thread. No such luck. I have read all of your previous presumptuous, and typically rude, blah blah blah comments. You should consider staying out of the thread if you can't be friendly or constructive. You just come across as angry and it's sad, really. This hobby can be quite fun if you let it.

The previous thread and stickies do not clarify legality for hobbyists, as many people on this forum who apply for CPS have a public safety affiliation. The Motorola application calls for a business name when applying. I was hoping to clarify this for people who want to keep it legal, and not under the table.

Once again I am very discouraged by the turn to negativetown by Triptolemus. It really takes the fun out of a great hobby. I am leaving this thread and this forum because of dbag SAPS like Triptodouche. I doubt I'll be back. I'm sure I can figure all of the above out myself. It's really not that hard or mysterious.

As for the others who took the time to help, thank you. I appreciate the kind responses


Scannergeek, signing off

 

[SCPD]

Sorry you feel that way, certainly not trying to be rude. You have to understand this subject is clearly spelled out in the stickies, including all the "legal" questions you asked. I suspect if you knew how to program an XTS to a TRS "easily" you would already be familiar with Motorola's licensing terms, how to obtain it, and he legalities of owning a radio.

Perhaps I am not the only "troll" here, eh?

 

[NCFire11]

Back on topic,

you can do all you asked above, and there is a way to make the radios not affiliate with the system, outlined somewhere in this forum. It -should- be legal as long as you are not transmitting or breaking encryption.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

There are just some people on this forum you have to ignore. Some of them, as soon as i see their name I skip to the next post. Better than starting drama.

 

[bezking]

http://forums.radioreference.com/mo...ou-want-monitor-trunked-system-moto-read.html

 

[gatekeep]

Fact: You can legally own any radio you want.
Fact: You can put a radio on any TRS you want.
Fact: Programming a radio on a TRS without authorization is considered "computer tampering" and is a crime, it can also, potentially place the lives of those people who use the TRS as their first line of communication in jeopardy.
Fact: Not every person on the planet earth wants to buy a /\/\otorola and place it on a TRS.

 

[loumaag]

Thread Closed

Folks, this subject has been beaten to death for years and there is no reason to let this continue.