XPR vs XTL vs CDM For Conventional Use

rswagerson · Jul 12, 2016

Hello,

I am in need of two mobiles, VHF & UHF & preferably from the same line ( ie CDM & CDM... XTL & XTL etc...) This will be for 100% conventional use, no P25 or DMR. I am very familiar with CDM's & probably will stray away as I have had so many and am looking to upgrade. I have used the XTL line very minimally & the XPR 5550 a little more but still not much. In your opinions, is it worth spending the premium to upgrade to XTL's & XPR's if all the use will be on analog conventional? Or if you think I should upgrade, should I go the XPR or XTL route.

Thanks.

KJ6HCB · Jul 12, 2016

Im kind of in the same boat. My console is a mixture of XTL, XPR and CDM and our County is 100% conventional.

Comes down to physical look preference, number of channels you need and future expand-ability Id say.

Gotta go.... more thoughts later

N4KVE · Jul 12, 2016

I have XTL's, & XPR's. While I think the XTL is a more rugged radio, the XPR has a few differences. On the XTL, when you push the low power, or talk around button, it affects all channels in the radio. However on the XPR, when you push the low power, or talk around button, it only affects the channel you are on at that time. So it's possible to have some channels on the XPR as high power, & others as low power, while on the XTL, it's all or nothing. But if price didn't matter, I would buy the XTL.

rswagerson · Jul 12, 2016

KJ6HCB said:
Im kind of in the same boat. My console is a mixture of XTL, XPR and CDM and our County is 100% conventional.

Comes down to physical look preference, number of channels you need and future expand-ability Id say.

Gotta go.... more thoughts later

Thank you!

rswagerson · Jul 12, 2016

MOONBOOTS said:
I have XTL's, & XPR's. While I think the XTL is a more rugged radio, the XPR has a few differences. On the XTL, when you push the low power, or talk around button, it affects all channels in the radio. However on the XPR, when you push the low power, or talk around button, it only affects the channel you are on at that time. So it's possible to have some channels on the XPR as high power, & others as low power, while on the XTL, it's all or nothing. But if price didn't matter, I would buy the XTL.

Hmm Interesting, is the XPR considered a lower tier then the XTL? I thought they were considered equals with the one main difference being DMR vs P25. I think I am leaning towards the XTL myself, however it annoys me that for a console mount you pretty much need an external speaker, and because of the length I will most likely need a remote head.

N4KVE · Jul 12, 2016

rswagerson said:
Hmm Interesting, is the XPR considered a lower tier then the XTL?

Compare the price of a new XTL, vs a new XPR. XPR radios were designed for business, while XTL's were designed for LE.

rswagerson · Jul 12, 2016

MOONBOOTS said:
Compare the price of a new XTL, vs a new XPR. XPR radios were designed for business, while XTL's were designed for LE.

ahh, thank you.

ka9rxk · Jul 12, 2016

I run a UHF XPR550 with HHCH mic, and a VHF XTL5000 with 03 HHCH mic in my vehicle. One advantage of the XPR is that the speaker is built into the mic. The XTL requires an external speaker.

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W1JJP · Aug 7, 2016

I have used all three of the radios. CDM1250, XPR5550 and XTL5000 (all VHF). The CDM was a great radio and never had any troubles with it. It is currently in my house being used as a base station. I was running an XPR5550 in my truck until recently when I was able to upgrade to the XTL. The XPR is a nice radio to look at, but it did have its flaws. Bad mic audio at times, and unexplained radio shut off, and I am not the only one with this issue. The XTL is just a great radio. It has great audio and is built for the high demands of public safety (it is also 110 watts). But you are paying for it (The XTL is no longer produced, you would have to purchase an APX). In order of preference, I rate them XTL, CDM then XPR. Hope this helps.

N4KVE · Aug 7, 2016

I know it's a different radio, but since you do not need a digital format, you can't beat a MCS2000. Type 2, or 3. GREAT radio, & on the used market they are very affordable. Also available as 100/110 watt trunk mount if you need high power. Listening to one right now, & it sounds great.

MTS2000des · Aug 7, 2016

I would give props the MCS if you can find one in good shape. The M2/M3 have one of the best displays ever: two lines of 16 characters, plenty of room for spelled out zone and mode/channel names.

The CDMs are complete garbage compared to an XTL, second choice would be the XPR. CDMs are designed to be disposable radios, on par with some low tier Maxon or Ritron trash. Wait for the "EEPROM CS ERROR" and other fun problems to troubleshoot on a Chinese mutl-layer board with lots of craptacular chip capacitors that go bad.

R8000 · Aug 7, 2016

CDM...good radio. I have many and they have been great.

I'd go with a XPR. Been loving the analog rx audio from my XPR 5550 at work on my bench.

Project25_MASTR · Aug 7, 2016

I'm still running an Astro Spectra Plus in my personal vehicle…honestly I prefer the option of Astro 25 radios (like MPL) better than that of the XPR line. In fact, I rarely carry my XPR6550 anymore in favor of my XTS3000.

If it's in the budget, I'd go with a high power XTL or a MCS. I've been working on a lot of CDM's here lately…EEPROMs seem to be going and causing the radios to no longer boot these days.

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rswagerson · Aug 8, 2016

Thank you all for your continued input. I actually ended up with a PM1500 110W Dual head for a steal. So far the radio has been great.

Again, Thank you all!

BTW, Where does the PM1500 go in the lineup? I know its below the XTL line as it is not p25, but p25 upgradeable.

N4KVE · Aug 8, 2016

rswagerson said:
BTW, Where does the PM1500 go in the lineup? I know its below the XTL line as it is not p25, but p25 upgradeable.

Looks like a low featured XTL to me. I know one of my XTL5000's started off life as a XTL1500. The radio portion is physically the same. Different control heads, & different feature sets. Your radio is capable of being upgraded.

kayn1n32008 · Aug 8, 2016

rswagerson said:
Hello,

I am in need of two mobiles, VHF & UHF & preferably from the same line ( ie CDM & CDM... XTL & XTL etc...) This will be for 100% conventional use, no P25 or DMR. I am very familiar with CDM's & probably will stray away as I have had so many and am looking to upgrade. I have used the XTL line very minimally & the XPR 5550 a little more but still not much. In your opinions, is it worth spending the premium to upgrade to XTL's & XPR's if all the use will be on analog conventional? Or if you think I should upgrade, should I go the XPR or XTL route.

Thanks.

Save yourself a headache and money.

TK-7180(VHF) and TK-8180(UHF). Remote mountable, and software is easy to find if you look in the right place. Programming cables are cheap on fleabay.

128 zone/512 channels 14 character dot matrix display, do MDC, OST(MPL in Kenwood speak) and they are also smaller than every other radio you mentioned.

XPR vs XTL vs CDM For Conventional Use

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