• 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.

personality coding ??

Status
Not open for further replies.

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Curious how people create a personality codeplug to go into M-RK radios using ProGrammer. Found channel names in the .trk file but this is all hex data. I need frequencies and other channel criteria to go with the names. sorta been here before but 32 channels is a boatload of hex math, then getting fields aligned.
Excedrin time just thinking of it.
 

Forts

Mentor
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
6,688
Location
Ontario, Canada
Ahhh.... whut? Why would you do that? Launch Programmer -> New Personality -> Pick the model of MRK that you have and away you go.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Ahhh.... whut? Why would you do that? Launch Programmer -> New Personality -> Pick the model of MRK that you have and away you go.
Funny, this version of programmer has no such option. I can edit tracking data and feature data, but that also is in hex format.
(Ver. 18B )
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Sounds like you are using radio maintenance, not Programmer.
I have to use both. Maint actually reads from the radios, saves bins etc. Programmer won't (Wrong radio type) so I need for defining personality. Problem here is PRS files give error 'wrong version' even though the same version creates them, now cant use them. Hurdle 2 is the profile manager is missing from the install package and that is an 'unobtainium file'. This is somewhat a newer setup, I have an older version for older radios and nothing this troublesome. Ericsson does not want hams and hobbyist meddling with their radios, even this obsolete junk.
Bucked horns with GE over Delta SX but I made a great SDR of it that engineers said can't be done. Try 136 to 174 Mhz TX/RX +CTCSS.
If I have to, I can hack all this and do the same for these portables and a few mobils.
As is, programmer is useless.
 

Forts

Mentor
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
6,688
Location
Ontario, Canada
What version of Programmer are you using? Obviously radio maint isn't intended for editing personalities.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
What version of Programmer are you using? Obviously radio maint isn't intended for editing personalities.
R18B02 the whole package.
Rather simple, a radio with 1 RX only channel, in 1 group, in 1 system, and just lookingto add a TX to this.
This batch of radios were 'de-channeled' ,de comissioned Florida police radios.
I can brew up a new channel to match some other radios, but it uses "Maint" to program the radio. Problem is output file from programmer error wrong radio type, like the 2 don't play well together. Tracking data edit in Maint has frequencies greyed out.
Thinking maybe an SC4 file might work but can't find documentation for the syntax, switches, and fields. Looks a common comma separated script. (??)
 

DisasterGuy

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
1,249
Location
Maryland Shore
As mentioned, you are doing something wrong. Maintenance is not used to interact with the personality in any way.

Profile Manager has nothing to do with editing a personality. It is used for Over The Air Programming.

The ProGrammer application itself is where you will read, modify, and write your personality.
 

ElroyJetson

I AM NOT YOUR TECH SUPPPORT.
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 8, 2002
Messages
3,687
Location
DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
Load up ProGrammer, pick ANY radio type that supports the band want to use, create the codeplug, change the radio type to the appropriate M-RK type, program the radio, done.

It's been a long time since I used ProGrammer but I'm 99.994 percent sure that R18 supports all models of M-RK.

Radio Maintenance Tools are NEVER used to program frequency/channel information into the radio. It's only for radio maintenance tasks. Service, alignment, feature upgrades, firmware updates, saving that data for archival purposes.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Load up ProGrammer, pick ANY radio type that supports the band want to use, create the codeplug, change the radio type to the appropriate M-RK type, program the radio, done.

It's been a long time since I used ProGrammer but I'm 99.994 percent sure that R18 supports all models of M-RK.

Radio Maintenance Tools are NEVER used to program frequency/channel information into the radio. It's only for radio maintenance tasks. Service, alignment, feature upgrades, firmware updates, saving that data for archival purposes.
All goes fine til the end of programming then the error "wrong radio type". It did wipe out the eeprom data which is the personality.
Power up now shows PERSDATA, ERR=0500.
Note- this never get into the programming without the correct radio and bandsplit selected.
Tried fixing this with programmer, but NO, it doesn't like me at all.
I have the files backed up so looks like I will be JTAGing to fix it.
This is a sacrifice experimental radio anyway with only features 01,09,10. and 23.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Funny, this version of programmer has no such option. I can edit tracking data and feature data, but that also is in hex format.
(Ver. 18B )
Well, It sorta does. you start with new>system,Define that, then 'sets', 5 of those including freq etc..There is a magic sequence to it an one booboo back to beginning. something like Satans nightmare. One thing not documented is you can't use a defined channel in any other configuration, you have to go back to channels and add. you don't find that out till the programming fails and the only known thing is failed.
 

Radioman96p71

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
1,079
Some of the older MRKs require +12V on the UDC to power the flash chip for writing. I've never in my life had to hex edit anything to get an MRK to program so can't speak to what you are even trying to do there, but I know there have been issues with the early-gen radios that needed external power to actually flash or you'd get faults.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Some of the older MRKs require +12V on the UDC to power the flash chip for writing. I've never in my life had to hex edit anything to get an MRK to program so can't speak to what you are even trying to do there, but I know there have been issues with the early-gen radios that needed external power to actually flash or you'd get faults.
None of my MRKs need the 12 V and program fine with just the serial port.
The notion of hex editing the personality files is I can make the radio do anything within its hardware limit, a LOT more if I can mod the firmware.
All of the similar model MRKs have the same processor board, the feature set determined by firmware. Radio boards are even interchangeable.
Ever use programmer with no guides or roadmap, you are into "Satans nightmare". For my background with embedded control, hex editing the firmware and memory is far easier.
The CPU is 16 or 32 bit RISC, the DSP chip is the same in all the tier II MRKs. actually quite simple.
 

GE-Radio_Guy

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
11
Location
Aroostook County, Maine
MERLIN, you are needlessly over complicating the process.

In programmer, you can create a new (from scratch) personality file for most any radio in under a minute. Period. Then another 30 seconds to program it to the radio. It ain't rocket science.

The whole 12 volt issue was in early, primitive firmware files before REVISION-30 (in M-RK & Orion). This is why the old TQ-3370 Programming Interface box had a 12 VDC jack on the side of it. It was required for the early programmable radios such as: M-TL, M-PD, M-PA, P400 (Euro M-PA), PCS, etc. All of that went away with Group-30 flashcode.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
MERLIN, you are needlessly over complicating the process.

In programmer, you can create a new (from scratch) personality file for most any radio in under a minute. Period. Then another 30 seconds to program it to the radio. It ain't rocket science.

The whole 12 volt issue was in early, primitive firmware files before REVISION-30 (in M-RK & Orion). This is why the old TQ-3370 Programming Interface box had a 12 VDC jack on the side of it. It was required for the early programmable radios such as: M-TL, M-PD, M-PA, P400 (Euro M-PA), PCS, etc. All of that went away with Group-30 flashcode.
Well, you are right, but the radios are so simple. Yea, I coded an M-7100 with some local active frequencies, just the time to enter the digits.
Made for a nice scanner
In hacking programmer, that is what is over complicating simplicity.
Picture nothing but a script of commands to make the radios do anything the hardware permits, or perhaps a software defined radio.
Those earlier radios lacked a 12 V converter for flash VPP. Delta SX has a programmable brain you need a programmer for outside the radio.
Reworked one of those doing things GE engineers said can't be done.
I may wind up tossing personalities and programmer altogether.
 

merlin

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
2,388
Location
DN32su
Well, learned a whole lot and find I will be trashing programmer and RPM. My notion of a software defined radio is simpler than thought, I can even go an outboard box for total control. It can program too, like I did with with a Delta SX.
Listing all the commands for the different radios and firmwares is work in progress, spare time work for snowed in days. Priority projects like getting my antennas back up and lab bench set up for now. It'll be a while.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top