In article , says...

snippety

It does make one wonder, if indeed individual IS an amateur, how he
could pass the exam, and not be able to program his radio?
Perhaps in the future the only way to keep out the riff-raff will be to
make the radios require at least a three digit IQ to work?

You misunderstand. The radio the original poster is referring to
is a Motorola HT1000, a discontinued commercial portable that is not
front-panel programmable in the least.

Programming the HT1K's requires a special cable, one that is
proprietary to Motorola, a Radio Interface Box or RIB, which shifts
levels between RS232 and TTL, and programming software (also proprietary
to Motorola).

Just getting the software is a challenge. It runs over $250, can
only program two families of Motorola portable (the HT1000 and Visar
series), and purchasing it requires the execution of a six-page written
licensing agreement that is downright Draconian in its terms.

The programming cables, assuming one buys both the HT1000 and
Visar cables (they're different) represent another $300 or so between
them.

Finally, once the radio is programmed, it needs to be bench-
checked against a service monitor (aka, an RF communications analyzer)
for on-frequency operation, modulation, spectral cleanliness of the
transmitter's output, TX power level, and receiver sensitivity. A good
service monitor can run (used) anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000+ (mine was
$2250, and I had to invest another $1600 into it for repair and
calibration).

These are serious $$. Investing in all that is impractical for
just a single radio owned by a single individual. It was, however,
eminently practical for me because a big part of my side business is the
conversion of commercial gear to amateur service. The right equipment
easily pays for itself over time.

73 de KC7GR

--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"