Control Station

A Control Station is essentially a MOTOTRBO radio (most commonly a mobile) connected to a PC. It is sometimes referred to as a Donor Radio however, this terms implies that the Donor Radio will handle both voice and data.

The Control Station is usually connected to the PC via its accessory connector on the back - though, the DM4000 series also supports USB connectivity via the microphone socket on the front. Note that only one of these can be connected at the same time.

In principle, a MOTOTRBO portable can be used as a Control Station but for fixed applications, this is not practical due to the need for an external antenna and DC power.

For data only applications, the standard programming cable is used. For voice and data, a custom cable will be needed or the programming cable can be modified. The modification involves adding screened cables for audio and wires for ground; PTT and carrier detect (COR).

The Control Station will use the Motorola Solutions RNDIS or MCDD device drivers. These create a virtual Ethernet connection over USB. This also implies that the host PC must use Microsoft Windows.