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.
Check the connections. Is the programming cable really plugged into the PC and connected to the radio. Sometimes dirt and other interesting things can get onto the accessory connector terminals – especially portables. An old toothbrush with a little contact cleaner or methanol will make sure those contact are clean.
The portable accessory connector.
Is the cable okay. There is no intelligence in the programming cable. The thick round thing on the cable is just a RF choke. So if you plug in the cable, Windows will not see it as a device.
Is the radio turned on. Even I get caught out by this more often than I care to admit.
Does Windows “see” the radio. Windows will notify you when the radio is connected and disconnected. When the radio is plugged in to the PC, a USB RNDIS driver gets loaded. Here is a video showing the sounds that Windows 7 will produce.
Patience. The FTDI driver takes a few seconds to load depending on how fast/cluttered your PC is. Wait a few seconds before pressing the read button.
Can you see the radio in Windows. Once the FTDI driver is loaded, have a look in your Network Connections and in Windows Device Manager. In Network Connections the radio will show up as a network connection with an IP address. In Windows Device Manager the radio will show up as a network adapter.
If your Windows don’t automatically download the suitable driver, please read the USB driver installation guide.
RPC-XXX-UF Driver Installation Guide
Did the driver load. If the radio appears in the Unknown Devices tree in Windows Device Manager, then you need to make sure the CPS is installed on this PC or, at the very least, the driver files.
Are you using a USB 3.0 port. These are known to be quirky so try a USB 2.0 port to eliminate this as a cause. USB 3.0 ports will have blue insulator material – USB 2.0 ports are black.
Can you ping the radio. Since the radio is seen as a network connection by Windows, you can ping it. By default the IP address of the radio is 192.168.10.1.
Is the radio okay. If you’ve checked the above, you might have a defective radio. Try another radio on the same setup: if that radio works then you’ve narrowed it down to this radio. Have a look at the radio display and check whether the radio works normally otherwise. If the radio shows up in Windows Device Manager as a FlashZap device then you’ve “bricked” your radio and it needs to be returned for repair.
If you’ve ever read a MOTOTRBO radio, you might have come across this error message. It basically means that the radio did not respond. There are a number of causes for this and many of them can be solved with a few simple checks.
Check the connections. Is the programming cable really plugged into the PC and connected to the radio. Sometimes dirt and other interesting things can get onto the accessory connector terminals — especially portables. An old toothbrush with a little contact cleaner or methanol will make sure those contact are clean.
Is the cable okay. There is no intelligence in the programming cable. The thick round thing on the cable is just a RF choke. So if you plug in the cable, Windows will not see it as a device.
On that point, if you have a PMKN4012A and a DP4000 series radio, this combination wont work. You will either need to get a PMKN4012B or modify (caveat emptor) your cable to support this (details can be found on the internet).
Is the radio turned on. Even I get caught out by this more often than I care to admit.
Does Windows «see» the radio. Windows will notify you when the radio is connected and disconnected. When the radio is plugged in to the PC, a USB RNDIS driver gets loaded. Here is a video showing the sounds that Windows 7 will produce.
Patience. The RNDIS driver takes a few seconds to load depending on how fast/cluttered your PC is. Wait a few seconds before pressing the read button.
Can you see the radio in Windows. Once the RNDIS driver is loaded, have a look in your Network Connections and in Windows Device Manager. In Network Connections the radio will show up as a network connection with an IP address. In Windows Device Manager the radio will show up as a network adapter.
Did the driver load. If the radio appears in the Unknown Devices tree in Windows Device Manager, then you need to make sure the CPS is installed on this PC or, at the very least, the driver files.
Are you using a USB 3.0 port. These are known to be quirky so try a USB 2.0 port to eliminate this as a cause. USB 3.0 ports will have blue insulator material — USB 2.0 ports are black.
Can you ping the radio. Since the radio is seen as a network connection by Windows, you can ping it. By default the IP address of the radio is 192.168.10.1.
Is the radio okay. If you’ve checked the above, you might have a defective radio. Try another radio on the same setup: if that radio works then you’ve narrowed it down to this radio. Have a look at the radio display and check whether the radio works normally otherwise.
If the radio shows up in Windows Device Manager as a FlashZap device then you’ve «bricked» your radio and it needs to be returned for repair.
If you’ve done all of the above and are (now) getting another error message, have a look at a post from a while back, on this topic.
update 2020
Error #1687 — Mototrbo CPS 12.1 and Windows 10
AMATEUR HAM RADIO
AMATEUR HAM RADIO
Amateur Radio Users Support Group
 |
| Error 1687. |
If you’ve ever read a MOTOTRBO radio, you might have come across this error message. It basically means that the radio did not respond. There are a number of causes for this and many of them can be solved with a few simple checks.
Check the connections. Is the programming cable really plugged into the PC and connected to the radio. Sometimes dirt and other interesting things can get onto the accessory connector terminals — especially portables. An old toothbrush with a little contact cleaner or methanol will make sure those contact are clean.
 |
| The portable accessory connector. |
Is the cable okay. There is no intelligence in the programming cable. The thick round thing on the cable is just a RF choke. So if you plug in the cable, Windows will not see it as a device.
On that point, if you have a PMKN4012A and a DP4000 series radio, this combination wont work. You will either need to get a PMKN4012B or modify (caveat emptor) your cable to support this (details can be found on the internet).
Is the radio turned on. Even I get caught out by this more often than I care to admit.
Does Windows «see» the radio. Windows will notify you when the radio is connected and disconnected. When the radio is plugged in to the PC, a USB RNDIS driver gets loaded. Here is a video showing the sounds that Windows 7 will produce.
Patience. The RNDIS driver takes a few seconds to load depending on how fast/cluttered your PC is. Wait a few seconds before pressing the read button.
Can you see the radio in Windows. Once the RNDIS driver is loaded, have a look in your Network Connections and in Windows Device Manager. In Network Connections the radio will show up as a network connection with an IP address. In Windows Device Manager the radio will show up as a network adapter.
Did the driver load. If the radio appears in the Unknown Devices tree in Windows Device Manager, then you need to make sure the CPS is installed on this PC or, at the very least, the driver files.
Are you using a USB 3.0 port. These are known to be quirky so try a USB 2.0 port to eliminate this as a cause. USB 3.0 ports will have blue insulator material — USB 2.0 ports are black.
Can you ping the radio. Since the radio is seen as a network connection by Windows, you can ping it. By default the IP address of the radio is 192.168.10.1.
Is the radio okay. If you’ve checked the above, you might have a defective radio. Try another radio on the same setup: if that radio works then you’ve narrowed it down to this radio. Have a look at the radio display and check whether the radio works normally otherwise.
If the radio shows up in Windows Device Manager as a FlashZap device then you’ve «bricked» your radio and it needs to be returned for repair.
If you’ve done all of the above and are (now) getting another error message, have a look at a post from a while back, on this topic.
Did I miss anything?
If you’ve ever read a MOTOTRBO radio, you might have come across this error message. It basically means that the radio did not respond. There are a number of causes for this and many of them can be solved with a few simple checks.
Check the connections. Is the programming cable really plugged into the PC and connected to the radio. Sometimes dirt and other interesting things can get onto the accessory connector terminals — especially portables. An old toothbrush with a little contact cleaner or methanol will make sure those contact are clean.
Is the cable okay. There is no intelligence in the programming cable. The thick round thing on the cable is just a RF choke. So if you plug in the cable, Windows will not see it as a device.
On that point, if you have a PMKN4012A and a XPR5550 series radio, this combination wont work. You will either need to get a PMKN4012B or modify (caveat emptor) your cable to support this (details can be found on the internet).
Is the radio turned on. Even I get caught out by this more often than I care to admit.
Does Windows «see» the radio. Windows will notify you when the radio is connected and disconnected. When the radio is plugged in to the PC, a USB RNDIS driver gets loaded. Here is a video showing the sounds that Windows 7 will produce.
Patience. The RNDIS driver takes a few seconds to load depending on how fast/cluttered your PC is. Wait a few seconds before pressing the read button.
Can you see the radio in Windows. Once the RNDIS driver is loaded, have a look in your Network Connections and in Windows Device Manager. In Network Connections the radio will show up as a network connection with an IP address. In Windows Device Manager the radio will show up as a network adapter.
Did the driver load. If the radio appears in the Unknown Devices tree in Windows Device Manager, then you need to make sure the CPS is installed on this PC or, at the very least, the driver files.
Are you using a USB 3.0 port. These are known to be quirky so try a USB 2.0 port to eliminate this as a cause. USB 3.0 ports will have blue insulator material — USB 2.0 ports are black.
Can you ping the radio. Since the radio is seen as a network connection by Windows, you can ping it. By default the IP address of the radio is 192.168.10.1.
Is the radio okay. If you’ve checked the above, you might have a defective radio. Try another radio on the same setup: if that radio works then you’ve narrowed it down to this radio. Have a look at the radio display and check whether the radio works normally otherwise.
If the radio shows up in Windows Device Manager as a FlashZap device then you’ve «bricked» your radio and it needs to be returned for repair.
If you’ve done all of the above and are (now) getting another error message, have a look at a post from a while back, on this topic.