mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
OK boys and girls, I was at the IWCE show today (International Wireless Communication Expo) in Las Vegas.
Pretty good show, walked approximately 4 miles just inside the building. Pretty much everything 2 way radio related. Radios, antennas, towers, batteries, dispatch consoles, duplexers, DAS systems, LTE, public safety, you name it.
Kenwood had their NX-3000 line on display. The models were final looking engineering models. No FCC tags, but it was a finished looking product.
Here's the NX-5000 (right) and the NX-3000 (left) in the side by side size comparison:
NX-3000 top view:
NX-3000 PTT side view:
NX-3000 multipin side view:
NX-3000 two pin audio side view:
NX-3000 will be released in the next few months. VHF and UHF first, followed later this year by the 800MHz and 900MHz versions.
Couple of different model variations:
- choice of 2 pin audio or multi-pin audio interfaces.
- 2 pin audio interface will be a 128(?) channel version, may have been less, but I'm having trouble remembering. (it's been a long day)
- Multi-pin audio interface model will be 512 channels.
- monochrome LCD display. Not color like the NX-5000 line.
- 7 color LED "bar" on top. Channels can be programmed to show different colors on bar.
- Full keypad and limited keypad models
- Built in GPS
- Bluetooth
- Analog, DMR and NXDN * see below before you get too excited.
- NO P25.
I was told that the radio will do DMR and NXDN, just not both at the same time. The DMR OR NXDN setting is a radio wide setting, so you set it up for NXDN + analog -OR- DMR + analog. Again, NO, you cannot do DMR and NXDN in the same radio at the same time. This is supposed to be a mid tier model designed to match customer needs, not an amateur radio toy or competition to to the NX-5000 line.
If you want P25, this isn't the radio. You want the NX-5000 model.
Pricing is supposed to be slightly less than the NX-210 and NX-410 models.
There is an NX-3000 mobile. Similar specifications to the portable. Remote head kit coming, but not on display.
What was interesting was that Kenwood has recently invested heavily in Sonim, the LTE handset maker. They had two models on display. Both had the Sonim logo on the back, but the screens showed Kenwood.
They'll do LTE (FirstNet), and will BlueTooth connect to a LMR radio. Nice durable looking units, wouldn't mind having one of these.
NX-5000:
While not a new product, they did have the handheld control head on display:
The EF Johnson products were there, but the EF Johnson name is slowly disappearing and being replaced with Kenwood tags. Some nice looking radios. Rumors of a new Multi band portable on the way.
As for the rest of the show:
Public Safety LTE is getting big. Lots of products on display.
As years past, there are more and more Chinese companies displaying products. All similar, analog, DMR, multiband, etc. Nothing impressive, all just basic/cheap looking radios.
Pyramid (the mobile extender people) had a "Multi RF Deck" mobile repeater unit designed to interface with the Kenwood NX-5000 mobiles. Will allow up to 3 RF Decks to interface to one SVR-200, SVR-250 or SVR-P250.
Using the NX-5000 control head, you can control which RF deck and which channel is used by the mobile repeater. This is a good solution since it allows a single band portable radio to utilize any of the RF bands used by the NX-5000.
GoTenna had a "Pro" model on display. VHF and UHF, claimed programmable from 142-175MHz and 445-480MHz.
500mw, 1, 2 or 5 watts.
Intrinsically safe.
$499 each, available Summer 2017.
Interesting little SDR radio, 20 watts. 220-222MHz now, 100MHz to 1GHz soon.
AgileOne Gazelle
Pretty good show, walked approximately 4 miles just inside the building. Pretty much everything 2 way radio related. Radios, antennas, towers, batteries, dispatch consoles, duplexers, DAS systems, LTE, public safety, you name it.
Kenwood had their NX-3000 line on display. The models were final looking engineering models. No FCC tags, but it was a finished looking product.
Here's the NX-5000 (right) and the NX-3000 (left) in the side by side size comparison:
NX-3000 top view:
NX-3000 PTT side view:
NX-3000 multipin side view:
NX-3000 two pin audio side view:
NX-3000 will be released in the next few months. VHF and UHF first, followed later this year by the 800MHz and 900MHz versions.
Couple of different model variations:
- choice of 2 pin audio or multi-pin audio interfaces.
- 2 pin audio interface will be a 128(?) channel version, may have been less, but I'm having trouble remembering. (it's been a long day)
- Multi-pin audio interface model will be 512 channels.
- monochrome LCD display. Not color like the NX-5000 line.
- 7 color LED "bar" on top. Channels can be programmed to show different colors on bar.
- Full keypad and limited keypad models
- Built in GPS
- Bluetooth
- Analog, DMR and NXDN * see below before you get too excited.
- NO P25.
I was told that the radio will do DMR and NXDN, just not both at the same time. The DMR OR NXDN setting is a radio wide setting, so you set it up for NXDN + analog -OR- DMR + analog. Again, NO, you cannot do DMR and NXDN in the same radio at the same time. This is supposed to be a mid tier model designed to match customer needs, not an amateur radio toy or competition to to the NX-5000 line.
If you want P25, this isn't the radio. You want the NX-5000 model.
Pricing is supposed to be slightly less than the NX-210 and NX-410 models.
There is an NX-3000 mobile. Similar specifications to the portable. Remote head kit coming, but not on display.
What was interesting was that Kenwood has recently invested heavily in Sonim, the LTE handset maker. They had two models on display. Both had the Sonim logo on the back, but the screens showed Kenwood.
They'll do LTE (FirstNet), and will BlueTooth connect to a LMR radio. Nice durable looking units, wouldn't mind having one of these.
NX-5000:
While not a new product, they did have the handheld control head on display:
The EF Johnson products were there, but the EF Johnson name is slowly disappearing and being replaced with Kenwood tags. Some nice looking radios. Rumors of a new Multi band portable on the way.
As for the rest of the show:
Public Safety LTE is getting big. Lots of products on display.
As years past, there are more and more Chinese companies displaying products. All similar, analog, DMR, multiband, etc. Nothing impressive, all just basic/cheap looking radios.
Pyramid (the mobile extender people) had a "Multi RF Deck" mobile repeater unit designed to interface with the Kenwood NX-5000 mobiles. Will allow up to 3 RF Decks to interface to one SVR-200, SVR-250 or SVR-P250.
Using the NX-5000 control head, you can control which RF deck and which channel is used by the mobile repeater. This is a good solution since it allows a single band portable radio to utilize any of the RF bands used by the NX-5000.
GoTenna had a "Pro" model on display. VHF and UHF, claimed programmable from 142-175MHz and 445-480MHz.
500mw, 1, 2 or 5 watts.
Intrinsically safe.
$499 each, available Summer 2017.
Interesting little SDR radio, 20 watts. 220-222MHz now, 100MHz to 1GHz soon.
AgileOne Gazelle
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