Motorola Astro CPS R20.01.11 is legal to use if you can find it

[rxfelix]

Is there someone out there who would like to vouch for or provide a usable version of Astro CPS for the good of the community?

There are several threads in the forums here concerning the Motorola XTS5000 radio and its programming software, Astro CPS. I have new information from Motorola concerning use of Astro CPS.

The Motorola XTS5000 Digital Portable Radio, no longer supported by Motorola, is a hardy and inexpensive radio that performs sending and receiving of P25 transmissions. The largest markets for the XTS5000 were commercial and government customers who have since upgraded their equipment, so the XTS5000 model is readily available on eBay and in other secondary markets. The biggest hurdle to amateur use was in programming the radio, which required a separate serial interface and access to Motorola's programming software, Astro CPS, which was licensed by Motorola to its customers at significant cost.

Prospective XTS5000 programmers can purchase the interface from various vendors on eBay, but the Astro CPS software is no longer available from Motorola, nor can it be licensed any longer. There is no avenue for radio users to obtain the software other than by search engines stumbling on various cracked versions of the software, and the last version reported to work with the XTS5000 is Astro CPS R20.01.11. Cracked software is both illegal and dangerous.

However, I received this email today, which constitutes notification that Motorola is agreeable to free use of any software for the unit.
---
From: Motorola Solutions Notification <msinotify@motorolasolutions.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 06:21
To: rxfelix@...
Subject:Case #02546732 updates - XTS5000 software

Hello Robin,

Regarding your case 02546732 requesting software for the XTS5000 radios.
Unfortunately, they are pñd radops and no longer supported.

We do not have the software or accessories for the units.
You can search on google for a free download.

With this information provided, this case will be closed

Regards,
Blanca Cardenas
Customer Care Consultant
Customer Care Service Desk, Service Operations
Centralized Managed Support Operations
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
motorolasolutions.com
---
So,
Is there someone out there who would like to vouch for or provide a usable version of Astro CPS for the good of the community?

 

[mikewazowski]

Screenshot showing the software is still available at Motorola on the old Motorola Online.



I would suggest you contact her again and ask for access to MOL.

RadioReference's policy on offering copyrighted software still stands.

Sorry

 

[n3obl]

Im sure if you google hard enough you will find a link for it. Yes motorola does not offer it anymore I believe for sale. People who had access before they stopped selling it can still download from MOL.

 

[wa8pyr]

Im sure if you google hard enough you will find a link for it. Yes motorola does not offer it anymore I believe for sale. People who had access before they stopped selling it can still download from MOL.

That's actually a change from a few years ago; Motorola stopped objecting to use of their software on out-of-support radios as long as it was for amateur use only, no commercial or public safety use. So basically, if you can find a copy of the software, have at it. To say I was surprised would be putting it mildly.

 

[jeepsandradios]

Well to be honest lets get to the point. What are you doing with the radio ? may as well figure it all out before you get the software as next post will be about the programming cable, then NAS and then.....

 

[Skypilot007]

You're wasting your time with Motorola. Google is your friend. Didn't take long to find a link to download this CPS.

There's no cracked version of the software so to speak. It can be modified with a hex editor to program certain radios out of their intended band width, expand scan list capacity and few other options can be modified. But generally when you download CPS it is not modified.

Have fun!

 

[MTS2000des]

That's actually a change from a few years ago; Motorola stopped objecting to use of their software on out-of-support radios as long as it was for amateur use only, no commercial or public safety use. So basically, if you can find a copy of the software, have at it. To say I was surprised would be putting it mildly.

Wheres old Pat Harrington these days? 20 years ago, a cease and desist DMCA takedown order. Today, they tell you to "enjoy yourself".

 

[rxfelix]

Thanks. It's not difficult to find cracked versions -- I was hoping to get this issue resolved cleanly. I went back to Motorola after their response and suggested that they state publicly and explicitly that the CPS is now out of copyright and freely available, but I guess that's too hard for them, and they gaffed me off. I still intend to write them a "letter," a communication you put in an "envelope" with a "stamp" to see if it helps.

 

[ElroyJetson]

There's no crack needed for Astro25 CPS. Not unless you're looking for trunking access and that's a separate matter. The regular CPS just installs with no license key required or anything like that.

I've got a big box full of now useless to me install CDs and even 3.5" diskettes from the days of Astro Sabers, some is even RSS and not CPS. With Motorola now clearly not caring, I suppose it's OK for me to just mail them off to whomever asks nicely.

It'll save me the trouble of destroying them before throwing them away.

Anybody want Astro Spectra CPS 1.03 in the still sealed factory CD-Rom package? I've got it!


This stuff's 30 years old and the radios are gone from service with organizations under contract. Really the time to be worried about the copyrights has passed. It's not like Motorola wants to invest any resources in chasing down Joe Radiohead for programming his XTS5000 on local amateur radio repeaters.

 

[N4KVE]

There's no crack needed for Astro25 CPS. Not unless you're looking for trunking access and that's a separate matter.

There is if one has a 900 MHz XTS2500, & they want to use it on the 902/927 ham band.