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  An overview of a common problem in the Radio Service Software (RSS)   Print this Page

Editors note: The article "Background Information II" mentions the RSS "read-only" problem in passing, and without much detail.
This article expands on that...

From an email to repeater-builder....

Recently another mailing list had a comment thread that ended up being a read-only file permissions problem.
Here's the gist of it:

The original posting:

I have a Radius mobile radio with the following model number: D43LRA77A5BK, I can't read
the radio with any of the Radius RSS I have. The BK at the end of the model number is
throwing me for a loop all other Radius radios I have ever seen usually end in AK.
Any suggestions on the proper RSS for this radio?

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The responses:

Which version of software are you running? I usually run radmbl v8 on these...
What error message are you getting ? The B in the BK at the end that your referring to is
the hardware revision code. If the RSS is older than the radio it's possible that the BK
model # is not indicated in the RSS model definition file and would generate an error
message.

- - - - - -

Thanks for the response. I am getting model definition file not found, I am using Radius
RAMBL ver 8, dated May 1993. I looked at the MDF file with hex editor and this model is
not supported, there is not a single model number ending in BK in RAMBL ver 8.

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I've got a D44LRA77A5BK radio and it reads just fine with RADMBL, even though the MDF file
model numbers all have "A" in the 11th character. Some other RSS programs replace that with
an underscore, effectively causing it to be ignored. I don't think that's your problem.

Based on the error message "model definition file not found" I'd say that the likeliest
causes are:

A. someone has hex-edited the MDF file and the checksum is incorrect, or
B. the MDF file is marked read-only (this happens a lot if it's been copied from a CD-ROM), or
C. the MDF file is missing, not in the proper directory, or not the right file for the version
of software.

Save the ARCHIVE and BACKUP directories, reinstall the software from an original Moto floppy
disk, then copy the saved directories back. This should get you going again.

- - - - - -

You hit the nail on the head it was cause "B" in your list.
The MDF was marked as read only, changed it and everything works great.
Thanks for your help!

- - - - - -

A few comments on the above:

So what is the solution? Use the ZIP format. When you zip or un-zip a directory the file status flags are preserved.

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This web page first posted 15-Oct-2009

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This article is an original work that was written by a Repeater-Builder staff member at the request of another Repeater-Builder staff member, and is © Copyright 2009 and date of last update by Repeater-Builder.

This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is © Copyrighted (the origination date) and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors. All Rights Reserved, including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.