Well, last night I finally figured out how
to use the DOS programming software for my Motorola Spectra. Turns out
these radios work very well on 2m and 70cm, once you program them and
have a good shop align them. Everyone says it sounds like a million
bucks on the air. There are tons of them on Ebay right now selling for
almost scrap prices, due to the narrow-banding requirements. They make
the 100w trunk mount, and several small under-dash Spectras too. I am
very happy with this radio and would reccomend them to anyone that wants
a super heavy duty radio at great prices...
(http://forums.radioreference.com/attachments/old-classifieds-archives/8433d1175211764-motorola-spectra-vhf-mobile-free-programming-spec1.jpg)
(http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/spectra/pix/high-power-spectra-remote-kit.jpg)
(http://forums.radioreference.com/attachments/old-classifieds-archives/8433d1175211764-motorola-spectra-vhf-mobile-free-programming-spec1.jpg)
(http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/spectra/pix/high-power-spectra-remote-kit.jpg)
Title: RE: Motorola Spectra For Ham Use
Post by: KD0WZW on January 20, 2014, 11:55:41 AM
mind posting a write up on the programming, the software, and where you can get it?
Title: RE: Motorola Spectra For Ham Use
Post by: KD8HMO on January 20, 2014, 12:44:17 PM
To program these radios, you need an
older slow computer with a true serial port that runs DOS. The guys on
repeater-builder.com say that only true MS-DOS will work supposedly. I
found an old Pentium Gateway destined for the trash, so I slapped
windows 98SE on it and the software runs perfectly when I start in DOS.
You have to make sure the archive folder is set to be not read-only and
an archive, or the software wont save the codeplug file for you. (you
want to burn a copy of the codeplug file to a cd or thumb drive in case
you corrupt the file in the radio and brick it...) You will need the
Motorola radio interface box (RIB) and proper cable to program the
radio. You can also buy a pre-made "ribless" cable for whatever model
you have. The cable has the rib circuitry built into the ends. The
software is pretty straight forward. It reads the codeplug file first,
then you tell the software what you want to do and change the data
settings, then feed the new codeplug back into the radio, just like the
software for my Yaesu FT-7900. The RSS software is hard to come by,
because Motorola is pretty tight with their stuff. There are a few
places to download it, or you can find someone that might share it for
free. When looking at these radios listed on e-bay, you have to do some
research to make sure you get a model number that will go to the ham
bands. Once you have a model that will work, the latest version of the
software will let you program into 144-148 mhz. Also, the early 90's
Spectras were made with electrolytic caps installed that will eventually
leak. Chances are you will get one that might not have been re-capped.
If so, it should be checked. This repair was bread and butter work for
the moto techs, not a big deal to get done.
