What a nice piece of equipment. APX 7000

[pepsima1]

Only if some company could make a scanner radio of this high quality would put the frosting on the cake

I really want one of these radio's. Big Bucks for this specimen......

Motorola APX7000 Overview - YouTube

[W2NJS]

Prices seem to have stabilized for used APX7000 radios. Now anywhere from $1900 to $2500. However, there's a big red flag out there to watch for. Many of the offerings are compromised in one way or another; some are beta field test units, many don't have factory labels, etc. etc. Before considering any 7000 you'll want to be familiar with the radio's various flashcode possibilities, which means what features are in the radio when you buy it. You have to be very careful about the seller, return privileges, flashcodes on the radio being offered, etc. etc. After you get the radio you'll have to get it programmed. DIY cost will run a few hundred bucks from Motorola for the software, plus a minor amount for the programming cable. The computer you use will have to be running Windows 7 or 8; earlier platforms will run but will be so slow it'll drive you crazy.

[f40ph]

One fire agency in So California tried some and stopped purchasing them. Found you could not monitor both VHF and 800mhz simultaneously. They have a serious need to simultaneously monitor the 800mhz dispatch channel and also VHF for incoming medical helos. Interesting limitation - my dual band ham radios have done this for 20 years...?

[zz0468]

I have one. It's really not all that spectacular. The only spectacular thing about it is that programming is a spectacular pain in the neck. From a hobbyist point of view, they're pretty neat. From 30+ years in the radio business, I'd give it back in a heartbeat. But it's assigned to me, and what I'm supposed to carry. Blech.

[W2NJS]

Given the fact that an APX can't do simultaneous receive, and assuming your radio has FPP, the only thing you really have to do with the computer programming is to put all of the channels on scanlists for all channels, and the rest of the setup you can do via the keypad. Of course if you want to put together a scanlist made up of different zones you'll have to go back into the computer programming setup thing. One other thing the APX does is have the best audio I've ever heard from a portable, but my personal radio needs mean I only use about 20% of the things the radio can do.