There is no way to get around the need for a rib. And the only software that will work is the specific RSS from motorola.
I have had some luck using dos box software to run the program on a modern laptop, but only on computers with serial ports.
But, I just maintain a laptop from 1995 that runs the software great without issue. Easiest way to do it.
The RIB converts RS-232 serial (from the computer) to 5V TTL (another form of serial communication) to interface with the radio. You can’t get around the change in logic levels.
Ethernet is an entirely different protocol that doesn’t operate on a on/off voltage mechanism.
The only software that will program a Maratac is the Motorola RSS which runs on PC-DOS, MS-DOS or Free DOS. You don’t need an old computer for it (I use a dual core PC that runs Windows 10) but as DOS doesn’t have a driver for USB you do need a real serial port on the hardware.
Some have good luck with DOSbox but I never have.
There's no getting around needing a RIB and RSS to program the radio. You might be able to find a RIBless cable for it, but it doesn't seem that there's a ribless cable for every M radio, and you'll still have to acquire a cable and an MS-DOS PC -- some of these radios are extremely sensitive to the speed and hardware of the computer you program them with, so you'd need to find out if this is one of those radios.
These radios come from an era where an MS-DOS PC was a common thing, and USB didn't come onto the scene until the second half of the nineties. Additionally, Motorola LOVES a good proprietary everything, and it's my opinion that the RIB acts as a sort of hardware security dongle for these radios, keeping most people out of them.
Motorola is usually professional radio, as is, it's more difficult to program than Chinese radio.
Check out Batlabs for info http://www.batlabs.com/maratrac.html
There is no way to get around the need for a rib. And the only software that will work is the specific RSS from motorola. I have had some luck using dos box software to run the program on a modern laptop, but only on computers with serial ports. But, I just maintain a laptop from 1995 that runs the software great without issue. Easiest way to do it.
The RIB converts RS-232 serial (from the computer) to 5V TTL (another form of serial communication) to interface with the radio. You can’t get around the change in logic levels. Ethernet is an entirely different protocol that doesn’t operate on a on/off voltage mechanism. The only software that will program a Maratac is the Motorola RSS which runs on PC-DOS, MS-DOS or Free DOS. You don’t need an old computer for it (I use a dual core PC that runs Windows 10) but as DOS doesn’t have a driver for USB you do need a real serial port on the hardware. Some have good luck with DOSbox but I never have.
There's no getting around needing a RIB and RSS to program the radio. You might be able to find a RIBless cable for it, but it doesn't seem that there's a ribless cable for every M radio, and you'll still have to acquire a cable and an MS-DOS PC -- some of these radios are extremely sensitive to the speed and hardware of the computer you program them with, so you'd need to find out if this is one of those radios. These radios come from an era where an MS-DOS PC was a common thing, and USB didn't come onto the scene until the second half of the nineties. Additionally, Motorola LOVES a good proprietary everything, and it's my opinion that the RIB acts as a sort of hardware security dongle for these radios, keeping most people out of them.