I'd agree that trying to set up the software and program a CDM radio can be a daunting task for someone new to radios. I'll post and update after I get it connected and on the air. Oh well, for what I have into the Motorola, my intended use and it is a solid radio, it should work fine. It seems that programming for that is much simpler. Looking back (hindsight is 20/20) I wish I would have gone with a Kenwood. If I do, I'll eat the cost and time to ship it back to them and have them take care of it. This is going to be a simple base station unit and I don't need to be making changes to the programmed 'channels' or frequencies. They did some additional programming for me (no charge) and it shipped today.
I contacted and luckily caught them before finishing my radio. Too many hurdles, headaches and work arounds for me. Not to mention, you would need a computer running NOTHING newer than Win 8 to run the software. You can official buy a subscription to the software direct from Moto but for the cost you could buy a new radio set up for GMRS, no programming needed. Do a quick search on Chirp, nothing shows there. With Motorola, they are proprietary in their programming software.