Michael,
I currently do not own a 1550, but I am planning on acquiring one soon. I believe if you want to use the special battery to program the radio, the radio will first need to have that option enabled in the software, aka dealer mode, field programming mode, etc.
FYI, to purchase the software for this radio is quite expensive, and also the hardware, cables, etc. will end up costing more than what you paid for the radio.
Try batlabs.com discussion board as an excellent source of information on Motorola radios.
73, WA6EIK

Do you have any names of guest speakers that our club could inquire about speaking at our club banquet, monthly meetings, etc.

Thanks,
Duane Park WA6EIK
Trustee of the W6TRW ARC
email: wa6eik@arrl.net

This might be a bit dated but you can see pictures of the radio opened up along with the mod at:
http://www.mods.dk/mods.php3?radio=kenwood&model=th-f6&selectid=2161#2161