Batboard

I work for a wireless shop and need to buy a new laptop for myself and co-worker. I've been looking for something older, P800 or slower but have been having a hard time finding a reliable source for a good condition laptop, new or refurbished with at least a 20 Gig hard drive and Serial port. I could use Moslow if need but won't be programming too many Syntors. My question is what is the maximum speed I should be able to get away with programming most computers and what is a good reputable source to buy a laptop. One of my co-workers has a 1 Ghz P3 and has no problems with 99% of the stuff he programs.

HI:

You of course are entitled to what ever opinion
you chose to follow, however, most all Motorola
Radios ( about 95 % of them ) require a 386-486-25.

The use of a Pentium Class computer is your own risk.

Some RSS for HT600's was written in a time period
when Pentiums did not exsist.

If you are planning on doing CDM / Pro Series work,
get a " Dedicated " computer just for that purpose !

Exceptions are " Windows Based " RSS like the CDM/Pro
Series, and later version MTS Software which will work
with windows.

I suspect you are planning to " Program Alot " of radios.

Its not a matter of [ If ] but [ When ] you may encounter
a code plug failure in a radio.....If it should be a Astro-Saber,
you could be out as much as 379.00 to have it fixed

" IF " you are super computer savvy, you can get around
some of the above issues, but again, you take a pretty
sizable Risk doing so...

Many get to confident, that just because a computer ( and program )
may work with one Motorola Product, it will work with all
of them.

Not So !

I have been a Motorola Technician for over 20 years, and
I have encountered 100's of customers with corrupted code
plugs, and its tough to tell them that sometimes they may
be out 125.00 even from me to fix their radios.

You will see many who comment, but if you want a
" Safe & Reliable program Platform, chose the Right
tool for the job.

CDM/Pro Series RSS is lucky it works at all, toss in a poor
operating system, clone rib, low battery, and a poor cable,
you have a very good chance of kissing your radios code plug
good-by.

Radios like HT600's / P200's are almost impossible to kill.

Again, there are millions of computers out there, just make sure
the hard drive is stable, defrag / scandisc the HD, replace the
BIOS battery, and set up a good OS. Doing that will save
you alot of headaches in the future.

PS: In your RSS Manual that came with your RSS, it spells this
out pretty clearly !

Motorola now has a " Chart " that shows what Operating Systems
and Computers are best to use depending on the radio being
serviced.

Monty

Monty,

Is Motorola's "Chart" accessible on line?

Ken

HI Ken:

YES !

I am sorry I am unable to give you the
exact URL, but when you log on, go to
the Radio Service Software Section.

You may have to search around, but
you should come accross the RSS / Cable /
Compatability list.

Also, you should be able to find a Good Toshiba
Laptop. I have a number of them, but the Only
thing I can do is set up the Baisic Operating System,
and it comes with all the MS License, and I also have
a Menu Program which makes navigating real easy.

I keep a eye out for T3200SX's and SXC's which
are ideal, BUT if you plan to have Windows Based
Programs on the Same Computer, then you should
consider System Commander....Which is what we use.

From the MBR.. one can select any operating system
desired. ( so long as its installed )

Just add your RSS, and you are all set....If you
want some more details, you might email me
direct and I can give you some more information.

Saves on typing...

Monty

Monty, I agree with what you say but the second part of my question is finding a good reliable source for one of these laptops. Any place sell new 486 laptops any more or do you know any place good that sells refurbished laptops? Thanks for your input.

Monty wrote:HI:

You of course are entitled to what ever opinion
you chose to follow, however, most all Motorola
Radios ( about 95 % of them ) require a 386-486-25.

The use of a Pentium Class computer is your own risk.

Some RSS for HT600's was written in a time period
when Pentiums did not exsist.

If you are planning on doing CDM / Pro Series work,
get a " Dedicated " computer just for that purpose !

Exceptions are " Windows Based " RSS like the CDM/Pro
Series, and later version MTS Software which will work
with windows.

I suspect you are planning to " Program Alot " of radios.

Its not a matter of [ If ] but [ When ] you may encounter
a code plug failure in a radio.....If it should be a Astro-Saber,
you could be out as much as 379.00 to have it fixed

" IF " you are super computer savvy, you can get around
some of the above issues, but again, you take a pretty
sizable Risk doing so...

Many get to confident, that just because a computer ( and program )
may work with one Motorola Product, it will work with all
of them.

Not So !

I have been a Motorola Technician for over 20 years, and
I have encountered 100's of customers with corrupted code
plugs, and its tough to tell them that sometimes they may
be out 125.00 even from me to fix their radios.

You will see many who comment, but if you want a
" Safe & Reliable program Platform, chose the Right
tool for the job.

CDM/Pro Series RSS is lucky it works at all, toss in a poor
operating system, clone rib, low battery, and a poor cable,
you have a very good chance of kissing your radios code plug
good-by.

Radios like HT600's / P200's are almost impossible to kill.

Again, there are millions of computers out there, just make sure
the hard drive is stable, defrag / scandisc the HD, replace the
BIOS battery, and set up a good OS. Doing that will save
you alot of headaches in the future.

PS: In your RSS Manual that came with your RSS, it spells this
out pretty clearly !

Motorola now has a " Chart " that shows what Operating Systems
and Computers are best to use depending on the radio being
serviced.

Monty

I would go on ebay, I picked up all my programming computers there. Like Monty was saying, I have a dedicated computer for programming my CDM/Pro Series radio's, it is a Dell Latitude 266Mhz laptop.

For most all of my other radio's, I use a IBM 755C 50Mhz 486 laptop.

For the Syntors, I use a 386/25, but also have a couple of 286's, one configured for programming.

Some to look at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=42202
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=42202
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=42199

this is just to give you and idea of some laptops you could use for most programming, depending on the radio's you want to program. I have found that MOSLO won't work for many computer/radio combinations, so getting the right computer is essential.

dave

I got my laptop, a zenith 486/25 off ebay for $20, it has an internal power supply so you just plug directly into the wall. $10 for one that didn't work but had a good battery. Wiped everything off, installed DOS 6.22, and it runs like a charm for all my Motorola and Kenwood work.

Old laptops are so cheap on ebay anymore even if you get one taht is broken your not out more than what, $20?

Money isn't an issue but reliability is. Because of the amount of software that must go on this laptop to properly handle all of the different radios we could program, reinstalling software every few months because the computered died wouldn't really be desirable. Are there any reputable companies that sell older refurbished laptops? I have a feeling the company I work for wouldn't be interested in buying something from EBAY.

[/quote]

dirtrat wrote:My question is what is the maximum speed I should be able to get away with programming most computers and what is a good reputable source to buy a laptop. One of my co-workers has a 1 Ghz P3 and has no problems with 99% of the stuff he programs.

Unless your programming requirements are significantly different from your co-worker’s requirements, did you not answer your own question here?

Nand.

Hi:

In addition to the above, one should consider
the price ! Although I am very sure there are
many good deals on ebay, just be forwarned.

I have had many of my associates go that route,
and want someone like me to trouble shoot the
computer when / if they encounter problems.

The last one after re-fromating the Hard Drive, we
found the FDC was intermittent. A few hours went
right out the window, after a full diagnostic test was
done.

Some of these computers are 10 ~ 20 years old, may
need a New hard Drive ( Especially if you dump 1000.00 )
in RSS on the unit, so buying a New Hard Drive for your
10 + year old laptop ( or finding a good one ) should be
at the top of the list.

And, if you are like most, even if you got a laptop for
free, you may be out another 100.00 for a Battery...

So, you really should consider buying a laptop ( even
if you have to pay more ) so you can get the advantages
of not only a Stable ( but reliable ) Computer.

I have found some of the Best Laptops are " Password "
protected, and if the user can't make it work, they just
sit around in their respective case.....And depending on the
computer, its worth taking it to a dealer to have the password
removed.

It 's trully a Labor ( and time intensive) project as I have
done that more than once. Although I am not cheap, I am
inexpensive, but it still can easily run 100.00 ~ 200.00 if
a Experienced Computer Tech is required to set one up

I realize most forum members can do this in their sleep, and
are savvy enough to enable Low Tier DOS Emulation programs
so they can run their RSS on there own computer.

It should not be set aside, there are many that just want to
turn the computer on, and select and run the RSS Program

There is a Menu Program perfect for that process.

I am sure there are other ones out there, but this is
what we have used for years....Just select the Program
hit enter, and it auto-runs !



What is ideal of course is to have a good desktop, dedicated
for programming, perhaps install System Commander, so you
can select several different Operating Systems from the MBR
and install a External CD ROM ( We use Sczi ) for that purpose,
and allows easy transfer of records from one computer to the
other.

Anyhow, just thought it would be of some interest.

Monty

Have you checked any of the local electronics shops for used/refurbished computers?
We have several in our area that do a thriving business in restoring and reselling older computers. Several of these shops will even custom build a 'new/old' machine and give you a hand installing the appropriate OS. The local amatuer radio operators usually know where the reputable vs. fly by night guys are and can give you some good pointers on who to use as a supplier. The other alternative might be to check with a local tech school electronics department - they often have personnel who could build you a machine like you need and know where to obtain the parts.

Finally,
If you manage to find the proper laptop try and obain one with a 12 volt cigarette plug power supply adapter included. This can save you a lot of grief if/when the battery dies - - instead of spending a $100+ dollars on a battery you can hook up to a small gel cell or whatever and keep on trucking. I've been using this type setup for a while now and the gell cell cost about $150 less than the original battery, doesn't weigh much more and has a longer life.

Hope this helps,
Ray

For used laptops, I have had very good luck with http://www.budcom.com "Budget Computers" . They are local for me, and I have had very good customer service from them. I don't work for them, or anything like that . They have slower machines, they are priced good, and they have a warranty. I have seen them on ebay, but I forget the user name. It's best to give them a call, as the web page can be out of date in a few days after they update it.

Once more, the customer service has been great for me.

Jim.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=42206

One of the Toshiba's Monty was talking about


mancow

Hey mancow,


Thanks for looking, I think it will work great. It has a home now.

I got my stuff from Monte and I am very happy with what I got and how easy it is to run and at a fair price for what I wanted.Talk some more with Him and I am sure he can hook you up with a stable programming platform.