• 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.

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    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.

Ok guys, here it is---

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renze8173

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I recieved some info from a very reliable source that motorola owns 80% of vertex standard. I just about fell off my chair when i heard it. I know that vertex makes a excellent product, but now i think that its even better knowing that motorola is behind it. The last motorola cm300 that i bought had a two year warranty and vertex has a three year. Im guessing that motorola isnt a silent partner because of the 80%. That makes me think that vertexs products must pass motorolas quality controll. I dont think that motorola would deal with a company if ther products are not up to par.

Let me know what you think- true or just another rumer.
 

gewecke

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You may also want to know that the company is called Vertex-Standard now. I personally don't care for many of motorolas products to date. For example when it comes to digital comms I feel that Icom-IDAS beats the heck out of "Starscam21"
N9ZAS
 

Citywide173

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Vertex-Standard has been that way since Yaesu-Musen bought Standard many years ago.

As far as the Motorola ownership, it is not a rumor. In fact, it's part of a business theory: "If you can't beat them, buy them". The quality of Motorola's products had a period where the word questionable would be a nice way to describe their quality control. When I owned my shop back in the early 90's, I'd put anything that Vertex made up against Motorola, and I'd be able to show you without question that the Vertex was the better radio. Many people who came in looking for a 32 channel Maxtrac 300 left with a Vertex FTL-7011-99, and had 1) an equal power radio 2) 99 channels with an alpha-numeric display that would scan all 99 vs. 32 channels and a numeric display that would scan only 16 channels and 3) money in their pocket as the radio was less expensive. I'm seeing a lot of the same today as some agencies getting MBHSR money for radios under UASI here in the Boston area are opting for Vertex VX-929's over XTS-2500's-the VX-929's can do everything the XTS-2500's can do for half the price.

Sadly, I think that the purchase is going to signal the beginning of the end for the Vertex product line, as Motorola will make the product less appealing to push it's own overpriced products.
 

gewecke

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Vertex-Standard has been that way since Yaesu-Musen bought Standard many years ago.

As far as the Motorola ownership, it is not a rumor. In fact, it's part of a business theory: "If you can't beat them, buy them". The quality of Motorola's products had a period where the word questionable would be a nice way to describe their quality control. When I owned my shop back in the early 90's, I'd put anything that Vertex made up against Motorola, and I'd be able to show you without question that the Vertex was the better radio. Many people who came in looking for a 32 channel Maxtrac 300 left with a Vertex FTL-7011-99, and had 1) an equal power radio 2) 99 channels with an alpha-numeric display that would scan all 99 vs. 32 channels and a numeric display that would scan only 16 channels and 3) money in their pocket as the radio was less expensive. I'm seeing a lot of the same today as some agencies getting MBHSR money for radios under UASI here in the Boston area are opting for Vertex VX-929's over XTS-2500's-the VX-929's can do everything the XTS-2500's can do for half the price.

Sadly, I think that the purchase is going to signal the beginning of the end for the Vertex product line, as Motorola will make the product less appealing to push it's own overpriced products.

I couldn't have stated it better!
N9ZAS
 

ElroyJetson

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It is absolutely true that Motorola bought Vertex-Standard. Speaking as the employee of a Vertex dealer, I am absolutely sure of this as it directly affected my business.

The business model behind this is very rational: Motorola is focused on digital and public safety radios while Vertex-Standard covers conventional markets and Yaesu covers the ham markets.


As for quality, well, Motorola has made some blunders when trying to compete in the low end of the market. The XTN series is an abomination. I always recommend that any customer who has those
should consider buying some real radios.

Motorola simply has to cut too many corners in order to be able to compete in the lowes price tiers.
Their lowest GOOD radios still cost more than the competition. Motorola is only in its own element
at the top end of the market, where they dominate, and I say, rightfully so. Their top tier products
TODAY are without equal and I say that from the perspective of a full time technician.

As for Vertex...frankly I don't think they live up to their reputation. They've put out some of the
WORST performing portable radios I have EVER seen. They've put out some good ones, too, but
they've unquestionably made some pure garbage on occasion. I do not recommend Vertex,
and would instead not hesitate to recommend Icom first for MOST of my customers. I work for
a dealership for Vertex-Standard, Kenwood, Icom, Motorola, and RELM, and of those, Icom definitely
offers the best combination of price, performance, ease of use, and reliability of any of them.


Elroy
 

radiofan1

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I used to work on Vertex back in 2001-2002 and their portables were very good bang for the buck. They took a lot of abuse. Their mobiles weren't impressive to me.
 

MeddleMan

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Mokane, MO
I thought...

You may also want to know that the company is called Vertex-Standard now. I personally don't care for many of motorolas products to date. For example when it comes to digital comms I feel that Icom-IDAS beats the heck out of "Starscam21"
N9ZAS

I thought Starscam was a Decepticon.
 
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