Programming scanners using Mac with "bootcamp" windows app?

[KD8CES]

Anyone try using an Apple Mac computer using the Bootcamp app for windows based programs. To program scanners or to do downloads to firmware? Does it work well? Looking at buying a Mac laptop but concerned about firmware and programming on Uniden, gre, yeasu and kenwood radios. Most software is windows based. Thanks in advance. SD

 

[puterman]

Bootcamp requires you to buy a copy of Windows to put on your mac. Once you do this it will have an option to boot to Windows or the mac os.
It will run the scanner software. I have used my mac to program my 106.

 

[Kirk]

Another option is virtualization software. There are free ones and paid. I use VMWare Fusion to run a Windows XP virtual machine. I program Uniden, Yaesu, Garmin, GRE and Wouxun without issues.

 

[KD8CES]

Thanks for the info, sets my mind at ease, a lot of my computer use is for radio programming. Was concerned about being able to use with butel and other window based programs that do not support iOS .

Fldigi for psk31 is the only program I have found that supports OS X.

Keep the info coming, would love to get the Mac if I can play radio with it!

Thanks to all. SD

 

[KD8CES]

Also, when running windows on Mac with above mentioned apps do you have to use antivirus or is it still protected by iOS. Concerning downloads from web or RR database, firmware updates? Sd

 

[Kirk]

It's full-blown Windows, so it's as susceptible to viruses as any other Windows PC (the Windows part, that is).

 

[profiledescent]

I use Parallels. It allows you to run Mac IOS and Window simultaneously, including draging files between the 2 systems. I use that primarily to run RT Systems programing for multiple makes and models of 2way radios.

Last I saw, Bootcamp required coming up on one system or the other.

 

[productionguy85]

I use VMWare with Win 7Pro and Butel software, on my mac. I have the Uniden USB cable as well as (have used USB-Serial adapters), with this and both work. Just remember, that you will need windows drivers, ect. NOT mac drivers for USB. Also, (on VMWare) when you plug in a USB device, it will ask you if you want the USB device to connect to (Mac) or (Virtual Machine). It will NOT connect to both simultaneously.

 

[mikewazowski]

VMWare and WindowsXP works fine for me.

 

[smithken]

I run Virtualbox, which is free, on my iMac running OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), and Windows 7. I have no problem running Freescan or Proscan. As far as I know IOS doesn't work on Macs.

 

[jaspence]

Windows on a mac

It is hard to believe that anyone still believes mac cannot be attacked by malware or a virus. In my 30+ years of computer work, I saw an entire lab of macs go down at one time to one of the first attacks ever identified and called a virus. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...irus-indicates-mac-users-no-longer-safe/?_r=0 Will took out a great number of computers, and Apple refused to admit any problem for several weeks. Yes, the problem was due to an add on program, as are most Windows attacks. Even Android and Linux have had malware hits. Any system that has the market share of Windows will always be the target because that is where the money is to be made. Why pick on 5 to 7 per cent of the computers when you can go after 90+ percent of the users?

 

[N9JIG]

I have been using Parallels (mostly) on my MacBook Pro and iMac, both have Windows 7Pro-64Bit. It works great with every programming software package I have tried, including ARC products, FreeScan and others. I even have run AirNav and Pro96Com this way.

Nice thing about this is that you can run the MacOS environment at the same time and the various Windows applications pretty much look like a Mac application.

I have also used VMWare's Fusion with similar good results. BootCamp is fine but requires one to restart from scratch every time you want to use it.

Here is an article I wrote about this very subject:

Mac Users of Police Scanner Radios